CARIE - Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of the Elderly

What CARIE - Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of the Elderly does

CARIE (Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of the Elderly), founded in 1977 and headquartered at 1650 Arch Street, Suite 1825, Philadelphia, was a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for vulnerable older adults in Pennsylvania. It provided direct advocacy, options counseling, education, information, and guidance to individual older adults and caregivers navigating complex health, aging, and social services systems. Its core programs included the CARIE LINE (a statewide toll-free hotline answered by live advocates with interpreter services in 16+ languages), the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program serving Philadelphia nursing homes, assisted living, personal care homes, and adult day programs, the PAVE (Providing Advocacy for Victimized Elders) program, and the Senior Medicare Patrol/PA-SMP statewide peer-education program for Medicare fraud prevention. Additional offerings comprised the Transportation Service Advocacy Program (T-SAP) for SEPTA Access riders, the ScamWire fraud alert system, the CaregiverGPS online caregiver resource, and the Community HealthChoices (CHC) Advocates Alliance. CARIE also engaged in policy advocacy at federal, state, and local levels, submitting comments on Pennsylvania nursing home regulations and providing testimony before the PA Long-Term Care Commission and Philadelphia City Council.

The organization was funded primarily through government grants (Administration on Aging, Pennsylvania Department of Aging, Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency) and philanthropic contributions from foundations (William Penn Foundation, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Independence Foundation, Philadelphia Health Partnership, Sarah Ralston Foundation, Samuel S. Fels Fund, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation), corporate sponsors, and individual donors, supplemented by United Way and workplace giving campaigns, planned gifts, and modest product sales through the CARIE Store. It employed 11-50 staff, supplemented by a volunteer network of Long Term Care Ombudsmen, SMP educators, and APPRISE counselors. CARIE operated a 'case to cause' model in which direct-service individual advocacy informed systemic policy recommendations. After nearly 50 years of operation, the Board of Directors announced the organization's closure effective November 26, 2025, citing a confluence of rising costs, reduced government funding, decreased philanthropic support, loss of major contracts, and a reported operating loss of $177,307.

Name

CARIE - Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of the Elderly

Legal name

Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of Elders

Website

https://carie.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CARIE was a Philadelphia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1977 that provided direct advocacy, a statewide hotline, ombudsman services, and policy advocacy for vulnerable older adults in Pennsylvania, operating until its November 2025 closure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Grants: CARIE receives federal and state government funding, including grants from the Administration on Aging, Pennsylvania Department of Aging, and Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. These grants support programs such as the Senior Medicare Patrol (PA-SMP), Long Term Care Ombudsman Program, and victim advocacy services.
2. Philanthropic Donations: The organization receives donations from foundations (e.g., William Penn Foundation, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Independence Foundation, Philadelphia Health Partnership, Samuel S. Fels Fund, The Sarah Ralston Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation), corporate sponsors, and individual donors. Donations support general operations and specific programs.
3. Planned Giving and Endowments: CARIE accepts planned gifts through wills and estate plans, and manages the Bernice Soffer Endowment Fund through The Philadelphia Foundation. Stock donations and memorial gifts are also accepted.
4. United Way and Workplace Giving: CARIE receives designated contributions through United Way campaigns (Donor Option Number 1885), PA State Employee Campaign (#4101-0223), and Combined Federal Campaign (#12341).
5. Product Sales: CARIE sells notecards featuring artwork by older adults and training manuals through the CARIE Store to raise funds for advocacy work.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CARIE provides direct advocacy, options counseling, education, and guidance to individual older adults and caregivers throughout Pennsylvania. Its core offerings include the CARIE LINE toll-free hotline, the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program for Philadelphia facility residents, the PAVE program for victims of crime and abuse, and the PA-SMP (Senior Medicare Patrol) statewide fraud prevention peer-education program. The organization also operates T-SAP for transportation advocacy, ScamWire alerts, and CaregiverGPS online decision support, alongside community education and policy advocacy at federal, state, and local levels.

Product overview

CARIE is a nonprofit elder advocacy organization offering a portfolio of direct service programs rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include the CARIE LINE hotline (1-800-356-3606) providing information and referrals, the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program for Philadelphia facilities, PAVE for crime victims, and the Senior Medicare Patrol (PA-SMP) for fraud prevention. Additional programs include the Transportation Service Advocacy Program (T-SAP) for SEPTA Access riders, the ScamWire alert system, and the CaregiverGPS online decision-support tool. CARIE also provides education/outreach programs and engages in policy advocacy at government levels. These services are free to the public and operate through human advocacy rather than technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CARIE LINE A toll-free statewide hotline service (1-800-356-3606) providing live advocacy, options counseling, education, information, and guidance on any issue affecting older adults, with no automated prompts and multilingual interpreter support.
• Long Term Care Ombudsman Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Served 25,000+ people through direct advocacy and outreach
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SeniorLAW CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARIE formally collaborated with SeniorLAW Center to serve older women who are victims of domestic violence. Joint efforts include webinars on scams and fraud targeting seniors.
• Elder Justice Program of Philadelphia District Attorney's OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARIE works with the Elder Justice Program to fight abuse and crime against elders in long-term care facilities, along with Philadelphia Financial Exploitation Prevention Task Force.
• Community Legal Services of PhiladelphiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARIE and Community Legal Services of Philadelphia collaborated on advocacy for COVID-19 related policy change in Pennsylvania's Long Term Care facilities and published the 'Separate and Unconscionable' report on racial disparities.
• Pennsylvania Department of AgingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned by PA Department of Aging in 2012 to evaluate guardianship practices among older adults. Collaborative relationship for policy advocacy and program delivery.
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Pennsylvania Empowered Expert Residents (PEERs) of Inglis House on a project focused on quality of life for individuals in long-term care facilities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AARP: Largest US aging advocacy organization, lobbying and providing consumer resources for older Americans. Operates at far greater scale than CARIE across all 50 states with overlapping advocacy and member-benefit functions.
• National Council on Aging (NCOA): National elder advocacy and services organization with broader scope and resources than CARIE. Operates Medicare fraud prevention, benefits access, and aging policy programs analogous to PA-SMP and the CARIE LINE.
• LeadingAge PA: Pennsylvania statewide association representing nonprofit aging-services providers. Industry-body peer with overlapping Pennsylvania advocacy footprint but primarily serving provider members rather than directly serving elders.

Others

• Pennsylvania Department of Aging: State agency that funds CARIE's PA-SMP and other aging programs. Operates as a funder relationship rather than a direct competitor, with closely aligned policy advocacy priorities for older Pennsylvanians.
• National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a): National membership association representing 622 Area Agencies on Aging and Title VI Native American aging programs. Adjacent infrastructure provider and network for CARIE's advocacy and program-delivery work.

Direct peers

• Philadelphia Corporation for Aging: Philadelphia's designated Area Agency on Aging providing services and advocacy for older adults in Philadelphia County. Direct overlap with CARIE's geographic and programmatic focus on elder services, benefits access, and aging policy.
• Justice in Aging: National nonprofit legal advocacy organization fighting senior poverty through elder rights and economic security work. Comparable mission to CARIE's advocacy and benefits-access work for low-income older adults.
• Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging: Cleveland-based nonprofit providing aging services, advocacy, and applied research for older adults. Comparable operating model combining direct service, advocacy, and policy engagement to advance elder well-being.
• SeniorLAW Center: Philadelphia-based nonprofit providing free legal assistance and advocacy to older adults. Direct peer that CARIE has collaborated with on elder abuse and victim advocacy, sharing the same geographic and target-population focus.
• National Consumer Voice for Long-Term Care Quality: National nonprofit advocating for quality long-term care, supporting ombudsmen programs and training LTC advocates. Direct peer to CARIE's Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program and elder advocacy mission.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzTJJhWdJh6gkDV6rBjCQQg
• Facebookfacebook.com/CARIEadvocates
• Instagraminstagram.com/carieadvocates
• Xx.com/carieadvocates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CARIE - Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of the Elderly