Family Resource Navigators

What Family Resource Navigators does

Family Resource Navigators (FRN) is a California-based nonprofit organization that provides navigation, training, and peer-support services for families of children and adults with developmental delays, disabilities, or special health care needs. Its core service portfolio comprises Get Support (one-on-one navigation coaching), Trainings & Events (workshops on IEPs, Early Start services, school transitions, and complex medical needs delivered via Zoom in English, Spanish, Mandarin, and Arabic), Build Skills (leadership and advocacy development), Supported Decision-Making (an alternative to conservatorship for adults with disabilities), and a Warmline phone support channel at 510-547-7322. The organization is differentiated by a peer-parent staffing model in which employees bring personal experience navigating disability service systems, providing authentic empathy-based guidance validated by partners such as Magic Cabinet and Dr. Emily von Scheven.

The underlying technology stack is intentionally lightweight and commodity-based: Zoom for virtual workshop delivery, Eventbrite for event registration, Google Calendar/iCalendar/Outlook calendar subscriptions for event distribution, and Network for Good for donation processing. No proprietary platform, mobile app, or data product is offered; service delivery is human-mediated rather than technology-mediated, which is consistent with the organization's peer-support value proposition.

FRN operates as a registered California nonprofit (EIN 47-5477207) from its headquarters at 101 Callan Ave Suite 200, San Leandro. All services are provided free of charge to families. The organization is funded through a mix of foundation and corporate donations (notably Magic Cabinet and Hellman Family Foundation) and government grants (California Department of Education and California Department of Developmental Services). In its 2024 Annual Report, FRN reported assisting 3,000+ families, providing navigation to 2,255 people, and training 1,280 people through 36+ events, workshops, and conferences. The organization earned Charity Navigator's Four-Star Rating and Candid (GuideStar) Platinum Transparency seal in 2024.

Name

Family Resource Navigators

Legal name

Family Resource Navigators

Website

https://familyresourcenavigators.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Family Resource Navigators is a California-based nonprofit that provides free peer-parent navigation, training, and Supported Decision-Making services to families of children and adults with disabilities across English, Spanish, Mandarin, and Arabic.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Parent & Caregiver Training for IEP Navigation (EDAKACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Family Coaching, Parent-Mediated & Home Visiting EI Services (EDACAFAJ)

Keywords

• Disability family support
• Special education navigation
• IEP advocacy services
• Peer parent coaching
• Disability resource navigation

Headquarters

HQ city

San Leandro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Corporate Donations: Funding from foundations and corporate donors including Magic Cabinet, Hellman Family Foundation, and other institutional funders who support programs for children and adults with disabilities.
2. Government Grants: Support from government entities including California Department of Education (CDE) and California Department of Developmental Services (DDS) for disability services and family support programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Family Resource Navigators provides free navigation, training, and peer support services for families of children and adults with developmental delays, disabilities, and special health care needs. Services include one-on-one Get Support guidance, Trainings & Events in multiple languages, Build Skills leadership/advocacy development, Supported Decision-Making programs, and a phone Warmline. Delivery occurs virtually via Zoom, by phone, and through select in-person events throughout California.

Product overview

Family Resource Navigators is a nonprofit service organization that provides a unified portfolio of support services for families of children and adults with disabilities. Their core offerings include Get Support (direct guidance and navigation), Trainings & Events (educational workshops in multiple languages), Build Skills (leadership development), and Supported Decision-Making programs. These services are delivered through virtual workshops via Zoom, one-on-one coaching, and a warmline phone service. The organization operates as a peer-parent support model, with staff who have personal experience navigating disability services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Get Support

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,000+ families assisted annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Family Voices: National family-led organization supporting children with special health care needs. Comparable peer-family navigation model and policy focus on family engagement in disability and health systems.
• East Bay Regional Center: California regional center providing developmental services coordination and intake for individuals with developmental disabilities in the East Bay—directly adjacent to FRN's geography and overlapping on Early Start and adult services navigation.
• Disability Rights California: Statewide disability advocacy and legal services organization. Comparable in serving the California disability community and overlapping with FRN on IEP advocacy, special education rights, and supported decision-making.
• The Arc of California: California chapter of a national disability advocacy organization providing supports across the lifespan, including supported decision-making—a direct overlap with FRN's adult services programming.

Direct peers

• Bananas Inc. Bay Area childcare and family resource agency where FRN was originally incubated. Both serve families needing childcare, early-intervention, and special needs navigation support in the same Northern California region.
• Parents Helping Parents (PHP): Silicon Valley-based nonprofit supporting families of children with special needs through parent-directed services, training, and advocacy—direct overlap with FRN's IEP navigation, early start, and parent-coaching programs.
• Matrix Parent Network and Resource Center: California Parent Training and Information Center serving families of children with disabilities across the Bay Area and beyond. Comparable IEP/special education navigation mission and peer-led service delivery model.
• Warmline Family Resource Center: California Parent Training and Information Center serving Sacramento-area families of children with disabilities. Highly comparable mission, peer-parent support model, and Warmline-style helpline operation.
• Support for Families of Children with Disabilities: San Francisco-based family resource center providing information, training, and parent-to-parent support for families of children with disabilities—essentially FRN's closest sibling organization in the same local market.

Regional players

• Special Needs Network: Los Angeles-based peer-led family support organization for children with autism and developmental disabilities. Comparable peer-parent model and culturally responsive service delivery, but serving a different California region.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/familyresource6

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Family Resource Navigators