Children of Shelters

What Children of Shelters does

Children of Shelters (COS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1995 in San Francisco by philanthropists Summer Tompkins Walker and the late Lois Pavlow. The organization delivers educational, enrichment, and nutritional programs to children living in or supported by family transitional shelters across San Francisco. COS serves over 1,000 children annually through three core program areas: Education Programs (behavioral and inclusion specialists at preschool, speech and language therapy at K-8 schools, tutoring, college application assistance, and financial aid management), Empowerment Programs (Birthday Bunch, summer camps, SantaFest holiday dinners, art therapy, music classes), and Nutrition Programs (Garden to Table cooking and gardening workshops). Notably, over 90% of organizational activity is volunteer-resourced, with a small staff of 11-50 led by a Director and Program Assistant.

COS operates a community-led, partnership-driven distribution model with no commercial product or service sales to beneficiaries. Revenue is generated entirely through donations, grants, and corporate sponsorships via the Give Lively platform, direct website appeals, and events such as the Jinglefest gala. A distinctive governance feature is that the board of directors covers 100% of operational costs, ensuring donated funds flow directly to program delivery. The organization partners with three schools (Holy Family Day Home, Mission Dolores Academy, De Marillac Academy), five emergency and transitional shelters (Catholic Charities, Raphael House, Compass Family Services, Hamilton Families, and one additional), and multiple nonprofit collaborators (No Kid Hungry, Drawbridge, Cake 4 Kids, YUM Chefs, Blue Bear Music). Corporate sponsors include Workday Foundation, Uber, Thomson Bravo, Qatalyst Partners, and Super Duper Burgers. Geographic reach is exclusively San Francisco, California.

Name

Children of Shelters

Legal name

Children of Shelters

Website

https://childrenofshelters.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Children of Shelters is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1995 that delivers education, empowerment, and nutrition programs to over 1,000 homeless children annually in San Francisco family shelters through school and shelter partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Homeless Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Community Housing Services (62422), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO), Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC), Homeless, Foster Care & Highly Mobile Youth Education Services (EDAJAEAG), Academic Enrichment Camps (General Studies) (EDAMALAB), School Feeding & Child Nutrition Programs (BPADAJAD)

Keywords

• Homeless youth services
• Nonprofit educational programs
• Shelter-based tutoring
• Child enrichment programs
• Nutrition education workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Children of Shelters is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that generates revenue through charitable donations from individuals, corporate sponsors, and foundations. The board of directors covers 100% of operational costs, ensuring all donated funds go directly to children and families served.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Children of Shelters provides free educational, empowerment, and nutritional programs to homeless children in San Francisco's family transitional shelters. Core services include speech and language therapy, tutoring, college application assistance, financial aid management, birthday celebrations through the Birthday Bunch Program, summer camps, art therapy, music classes, and garden-to-table cooking workshops. Programs are delivered directly at five partner shelters and three partner schools through a coordinated network of staff and volunteers.

Product overview

Children of Shelters operates as a non-profit charitable organization offering a unified suite of programs focused on education, empowerment, and nutrition for homeless children in San Francisco. The organization provides three core interconnected program areas: Education Programs (offering behavioral specialists, speech therapy, tutoring, and college preparation support), Empowerment Programs (including birthday celebrations, summer camps, art therapy, music classes, and holiday events), and Nutrition Programs (featuring garden-to-table cooking classes and hands-on gardening workshops). These programs work together through partnerships with schools, shelters, and non-profit organizations to address the holistic needs of children experiencing homelessness, from preschool through college transition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Education Programs Comprehensive educational support services for homeless children in San Francisco, including behavioral and inclusion specialists at preschool level, speech and language therapy at K-8 schools, tutoring, college application assistance, and financial aid management.
• Empowerment Programs
• Nutrition Programs Garden-to-table cooking and gardening workshops taught in partnership with YUM Chefs. Teaches children about fresh food and nutrition through hands-on gardening at four shelter locations and cooking classes at five shelters.
• Graduate & Family Support Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 children served annually, >300 in Graduate & Family Support Program, >160 with therapist access, 250+ birthday celebrations per year

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• Holy Family Day HomecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPreschool partner providing behavioral and inclusion specialist support for preschool-age shelter children. Serves children in San Francisco's Mission neighborhood.
• Mission Dolores AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerK-8 school partner where COS provides a speech and language therapist to help prevent children from falling behind in school. Located in the Mission neighborhood.
• De Marillac AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerK-8 school partner providing tutoring, college application assistance, financial aid management, and post-matriculation support for shelter children.
• Catholic Charities of San FranciscocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmergency shelter and transitional housing partner implementing Urgent Needs, Birthday Bunch, Extracurricular Activities, Tutors, and Summer Camps initiatives.
• Raphael HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransitional housing partner serving COS children with birthday celebrations, enrichment activities, and emergency support.
• Compass Family ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily services organization partner providing shelter-based programs including Birthday Bunch and tutoring support.
• Hamilton FamiliescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily homelessness services partner implementing COS programs at their shelter locations.
• No Kid HungrysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational nonprofit partner focused on ending child hunger, supporting COS nutrition programs.
• DrawbridgesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner providing arts programs and creative expression opportunities for shelter children.
• Cake 4 KidssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner providing birthday cakes for the Birthday Bunch program celebrations.
• YUM ChefscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCulinary partner providing onsite cooking classes and garden-to-table nutrition education. Partnership launched Garden to Table program in 2010. Cooking classes operate at 5 shelters.
• Blue Bear MusicsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMusic education partner providing music lessons for COS children throughout the year.
• Super Duper BurgerssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal restaurant corporate sponsor contributing to COS programs.
• UbersupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor supporting Children of Shelters programs.
• Seedling Kids DentistryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPediatric dental practice sponsor.
• The Tobon GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Abode Services: Abode Services is one of the largest Bay Area nonprofits serving people experiencing homelessness, with housing, supportive services, and family programs. Comparable as a regional SF/Bay Area peer addressing family homelessness with multi-service wraparound support.
• Larkin Street Youth Services: Larkin Street Youth Services is a San Francisco-based nonprofit providing housing, education, employment, and health services to youth experiencing homelessness. Highly comparable to COS as a direct SF peer serving the homeless youth population with education and life-skills programs, but focused on transitional-age youth rather than children.
• Hamilton Families: Hamilton Families operates the largest shelter program for families experiencing homelessness in San Francisco's Bay Area. A current COS shelter partner (per COS's own partner page) and directly adjacent in mission: both serve homeless families with children, making it the closest functional peer for evaluating program overlap.
• Raphael House: Raphael House is a San Francisco-based transitional housing and family services nonprofit serving homeless families. A current COS partner with overlapping beneficiary base and similar enrichment/support programs (birthdays, enrichment activities, emergency family support).
• St. Anthony's Foundation: St. Anthony's Foundation is a San Francisco social services nonprofit providing meals, clothing, shelter, and family/children's services to people experiencing poverty and homelessness. Directly comparable as a SF-based social services nonprofit serving low-income and homeless families, though broader in scope than COS.
• Compass Family Services: Compass Family Services is a San Francisco nonprofit providing emergency shelter, transitional housing, and supportive services to homeless families with children. A current COS partner implementing Birthday Bunch and tutoring in their shelters; structurally the closest peer because both wrap programs around the same transitional-shelter population in San Francisco.
• Catholic Charities of San Francisco: Catholic Charities of San Francisco provides emergency shelter, housing, and social services including family programs and youth services. A current COS shelter partner implementing Urgent Needs, Birthday Bunch, and tutoring programs; comparable as a faith-based multi-service nonprofit serving the same SF homeless population.
• School on Wheels: School on Wheels is a nonprofit providing one-on-one tutoring, school supplies, and educational advocacy specifically for children experiencing homelessness. Closest functional peer to COS's core educational program (tutoring, shadow teachers) at a national rather than SF-only scale.

Broad incumbents

• National Network for Youth: National Network for Youth is a national advocacy and capacity-building organization for services to youth experiencing homelessness and youth in crisis. Comparable as a broader sector player addressing the same population and policy environment, though focused on systems-level change rather than direct service delivery.
• SchoolHouse Connection: SchoolHouse Connection is a national nonprofit organization working to remove educational barriers for children and youth experiencing homelessness. Comparable as a sector leader focused specifically on the intersection of education and homelessness that COS addresses; broader in scale and advocacy-oriented.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/COS_SF

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 Children of Shelters