What Care Through Touch Institute does

Care Through Touch Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1983 by Mary Ann Finch in San Francisco. It delivers free, trauma-informed massage therapy to unhoused and marginalized populations, operating exclusively through on-site partnerships with social services and healthcare organizations. In 2025 the organization runs 9 active partner sites, delivers more than 4,200 client sessions annually, serves 50 or more clients weekly, and logs over 1,000 volunteer hours, with a paid staff of 1-10. Anchor partners include the Harm Reduction Therapy Center (a 20+ year relationship) and the Tom Waddell Urban Health Clinic's Integrative Pain Management Program (co-founded in 2012), alongside other San Francisco-based organizations such as Glide Memorial and St. Anthony's.

The organization's core deliverable is in-person manual therapy rather than a software or technology product; there is no platform architecture, digital service, or proprietary technology stack described in the source material. Its knowledge asset is a specialized trauma-informed curriculum and decades of practitioner experience, recently documented in the monograph "Caring in the Margins." Delivery is volunteer-driven: licensed massage practitioners donate their time, supported by a small core staff and reactivated through new massage-school partnerships established to restore the post-pandemic volunteer pipeline.

The business model is donation-funded rather than transactional. Services are provided at no cost to clients, so there is no pricing model, no per-session revenue, and no commercial go-to-market motion. Revenue mechanics consist of charitable contributions, grants, and donor support, with operational scale proxied by session throughput and volunteer hours rather than disclosed financials. The customer base is structurally bifurcated: end beneficiaries are unhoused and marginalized individuals reached through partner sites, while the operational counterparties are a small set of long-standing San Francisco partner organizations that act as distribution channels.

Name

Care Through Touch Institute

Legal name

Care Through Touch Institute

Website

https://carethroughtouch.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Care Through Touch Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1983 in San Francisco that delivers free, trauma-informed massage therapy to unhoused and marginalized communities through 9 partner sites, operated by a volunteer practitioner base and a small core staff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Health Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (62142)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Medical/Therapeutic Massage (Rehab/Pain Management) (HSALAEAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Chair Massage (On-Site/Corporate) (HSALAEAL), Massage Therapy & Bodywork (EDAOALAH)

Keywords

• Trauma-informed massage therapy
• Community health services
• Nonprofit holistic care
• Volunteer wellness programs
• Free therapeutic services

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: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, CTI relies primarily on charitable donations from individuals and organizations. Donations support free massage services, practitioner training, and operational costs.
2. Book Sales: CTI sells its book 'Caring in the Margins' ($25-$75) with proceeds supporting ongoing mission activities.
3. In-Kind Donations: CTI accepts massage supplies and other materials that support their work, with contact through [email protected].

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CTI provides free, trauma-informed massage therapy sessions lasting approximately 15-30 minutes, delivered by trained volunteer licensed massage therapists at partner shelter, clinic, and community sites across San Francisco five days a week. Services are offered with no barriers—no appointment, ID, insurance, or sobriety required—and focus on nervous system regulation, chronic pain relief, and trauma recovery for unhoused and marginalized populations.

Product overview

Care Through Touch Institute operates as a single-service nonprofit offering free, trauma-informed massage therapy. The core offering is 15-minute chair massage sessions delivered at partner sites across San Francisco. Additionally, the organization publishes "Caring in the Margins," a book documenting its history and mission, with proceeds supporting the ongoing work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Trauma-Informed Massage Therapy Free, trauma-informed chair massage sessions lasting approximately 15-30 minutes, offered without barriers—no appointment, ID, insurance, or sobriety required—at shelters, clinics, drop-in centers, transitional housing, and community spaces across San Francisco. Designed for unhoused and marginalized individuals dealing with chronic pain, trauma, stress, and isolation.
• Caring in the Margins A published book by Care Through Touch Institute founder Mary Ann Finch telling the story of CTI's journey from a small interfaith nonprofit in the 1980s to a trusted community partner. Available at $25 (1 copy), $45 (2 copies), $60 (3 copies), or $75 (4 copies), with proceeds supporting CTI's ongoing mission.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,200+ sessions delivered in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

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

• Martin de Porres House of HospitalitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999CTI has partnered with Martin de Porres House of Hospitality since 1999, offering a weekly two-hour massage shift during lunch service. Sessions take place indoors near the entrance to the dining room. Martins serves as an important training site for new CTI volunteers who develop skills with diverse populations including elders, formerly incarcerated individuals, and people from diverse backgrounds.
• Tom Waddell Urban Health CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997CTI has partnered with Tom Waddell Urban Health Center since 1997, providing weekly shifts within the Integrative Pain Management Program. CTI practitioners are fully integrated members of the care team, follow clinical documentation protocols, participate in weekly online chronic pain support groups, and teach self-massage skills. CTI was a founding member of the Integrative Pain Management Program in 2012.
• Central City Hospitality HousecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997CTI has partnered with Central City Hospitality House since the late 1990s, providing weekly two-hour massage shifts at both the Tenderloin Self-Help Center (25+ years) and Sixth Street Self-Help Center (since 2010). CTI also provides massage for Hospitality House staff wellness and participates in shared training and education.
• Mission Neighborhood Resource CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCTI has partnered with Mission Neighborhood Resource Center for over 10 years, providing weekly massage at Ladies Night program for women in the Mission District. Each Thursday evening, CTI therapists offer 4-8 sessions lasting 15-30 minutes to women with chronic pain, stress, and trauma. The consistent weekly presence has built genuine relationships with clients.
• Harm Reduction Therapy CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCTI has partnered with HRTC for over 20 years, providing weekly trauma-informed massage across three sites in SoMa, Mission, and Bayview alongside HRTC social workers. Sessions take place outdoors next to HRTC's harm reduction vans and tents. HRTC sites also serve as primary training locations for new CTI volunteers.
• The Gubbio ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCTI has partnered with The Gubbio Project since the early 2000s, providing weekly seated massage inside the church sanctuary and outdoor courtyard at St. John the Evangelist Church in the Mission District. The site also serves as a training location for new CTI volunteers.
• The Healing WellminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner site mentioned as part of CTI's network of 2026 active partner sites, though detailed information was not fully available in the source material.
• Massage therapy schoolssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCTI has recruited a new generation of skilled therapists through new partnerships with massage schools, helping the organization rebuild close to pre-pandemic levels.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program: Established nonprofit delivering comprehensive healthcare (medical, behavioral, dental) to unhoused individuals in Boston. Comparable in mission and clinical-integration model but operates as a much larger healthcare delivery organization with paid clinicians rather than volunteer bodywork practitioners.
• National Health Care for the Homeless Council: National advocacy and resource organization for healthcare for the unhoused, including grantees that integrate complementary therapies. Provides the macro policy context for CTI's clinical-integration approach and represents a potential partnership/funding channel.

Others

• Massage Therapy Foundation: 501(c)(3) supporting massage therapy research, education, and community service. Comparable as a mission-aligned massage-focused nonprofit but operates as a grantmaker rather than direct service provider.
• American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA): National professional association for massage therapists with a foundation supporting research and community service. Indirectly comparable as the broader ecosystem governing CTI's practitioner pool and volunteer recruitment pipeline.

Direct peers

• Street Yoga: Nonprofit providing free yoga and wellness services to unhoused and marginalized communities, including trauma-informed practices. Most directly comparable peer—same mission (trauma-informed body-based care for the unhoused), same volunteer-driven delivery model, same no-barrier access philosophy, though using yoga rather than massage as the modality.
• Healthcare for the Homeless Houston: Houston-based nonprofit delivering healthcare, behavioral health, and case management to unhoused individuals through clinics and outreach. Comparable embedded-service and harm-reduction model.
• The Night Ministry: Chicago-based nonprofit serving unhoused and marginalized individuals with direct outreach, health services, and youth programs. Comparable in mission and embedded service delivery at partner sites, though broader in service mix and geographically distinct.
• Project Renewal: NYC nonprofit providing healthcare, housing, and recovery services to unhoused and formerly unhoused individuals, including complementary therapy integration. Comparable in mission, embedded service delivery, and harm-reduction orientation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/care-through-touch-institute

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Care Through Touch Institute