PHFE WIC

What PHFE WIC does

PHFE WIC is a nonprofit supplemental nutrition program operated by Public Health Foundation Enterprises (dba Heluna Health) and is the largest local agency administering the federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children in California. Founded in 1974 and headquartered in Los Angeles, the organization served 259,828 women, infants, children, and parents in 2022 across 27+ WIC centers in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino Counties. Eligible participants (pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women plus children under age 5, with income at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level) receive free healthy foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding support including peer counseling and International Board Certified Lactation Consultants, breast pumps via the WIC Pump Closet, farmers market benefits, and family resource referrals.

The program's core technology platform consists of three primary components. The California WIC Card is an electronic benefits transfer (EBT) debit card with monthly-loaded benefits that works statewide at WIC-authorized grocery stores and certified farmers markets (via QR codes). The California WIC App is a mobile application that lets participants check benefit balances, locate nearby stores and farmers markets, and scan items to confirm WIC approval. The wichealth.org online education portal, with 65,000+ registered users, provides 24/7 interactive nutrition education that participants can complete to satisfy program requirements, supplemented by 300+ virtual Zoom classes in English and Spanish. Additional programmatic assets include the CinnaMoms culturally responsive breastfeeding support program for Black mothers and the Little By Little early literacy book distribution initiative.

The organization's business model is government-funded managed services: funding flows from USDA through the California Department of Public Health WIC Program as Nutrition Services and Administration (NSA) reimbursement tied to caseload, supplemented by named grants (USDA Innovations, GAAINS, Kaiser Permanente). In 2022 the program issued approximately $160 million in WIC food benefits and $40 million in Cash Value Benefit produce spending across its three-county service area, with 98% of surveyed customers rating service as "GREAT." Go-to-market is community-led, relying on healthcare provider referrals, community organizations, multilingual social media, and self-referral through phfewic.org, with services delivered via in-person centers, phone appointments (888-942-2229), video appointments, and online education.

Name

PHFE WIC

Legal name

Public Health Foundation Enterprises

Website

https://phfewic.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

PHFE WIC, a program of Heluna Health, is California's largest local WIC agency, providing free healthy food, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and family resources to over 259,000 women, infants, and children across Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino Counties through federal USDA funding and 27+ WIC centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Nutrition Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Food & Nutrition Assistance Programs (BPAIAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Breastfeeding, Lactation & Infant Feeding Support (EDACAMAB), Infant & Toddler Nutrition Education (Complementary Feeding) (EDACAMAC), Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health Administration (BPAIAJAJ)

Keywords

• Supplemental nutrition program
• Women infants children
• Nutrition education services
• Breastfeeding peer support
• Food assistance program

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices28 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Program Funding (USDA/California WIC): PHFE WIC is a government-funded nutrition assistance program funded by USDA through the California Department of Public Health WIC Program. The organization issues WIC food benefits (worth approximately $160 million annually based on 2022 data) to eligible participants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

PHFE WIC is the largest local agency administering the federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in California, serving income-eligible pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, infants, and children under age five across Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties. The program issues monthly food benefits through the California WIC Card and delivers free nutrition education, breastfeeding support, lactation aids, and referrals to community health and social services. It is funded by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service and the California Department of Public Health and operated by Public Health Foundation Enterprises (dba Heluna Health).

Product overview

PHFE WIC is a government nutrition assistance program administered by Heluna Health that provides a unified service delivery platform for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. The program operates primarily through the California WIC Card (an electronic benefits card) and California WIC App (mobile application) as the core delivery mechanisms for food benefits and participant engagement. Supporting services include WIChealth.org and WIC Online Education for nutrition education, virtual group classes via Zoom, a breastfeeding peer counselor program, hospital partnerships through the WIC Pump Closet program, farmers market nutrition benefits, and the CinnaMoms culturally responsive breastfeeding support initiative. The program serves families across Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Bernardino Counties through both remote (phone, video, online) and in-person service delivery at 27 WIC office locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CinnaMoms: Breastfeeding support program specifically designed for Black mothers in California, providing support circles and community resources.
• WIC Peer Counselor Program
• WIC Pump Closet

Products and services

• California WIC Card Electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card issued to enrolled participants that allows them to purchase a state-defined WIC-approved food package at WIC-authorized grocery stores.
• California WIC App State-provided mobile application that lets participants view their WIC food benefits, find WIC-authorized stores, scan UPC barcodes to check WIC eligibility, and access appointment information.
• WICHealth.org Online Nutrition Education Interactive online learning platform providing nutrition and health education lessons that enrolled WIC participants complete to satisfy required WIC education contacts.
• Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program Free one-on-one breastfeeding education and support provided by trained peer counselors who have personal breastfeeding experience, available to pregnant and postpartum WIC participants.
• WIC Pump Closet Program that loans personal-use breast pumps at no cost to eligible breastfeeding WIC participants who need to separate from their infants.
• CinnaMoms Culturally tailored breastfeeding support program specifically designed for Black and African American pregnant and breastfeeding WIC participants, offering group support and targeted education.
• Little By Little School Readiness Program Early-childhood school readiness and literacy program that distributes age-appropriate books and parent literacy activities to children enrolled in WIC.
• WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) Seasonal set of additional food benefits distributed by PHFE WIC that participants redeem for fresh, locally grown fruits, vegetables, and herbs at WIC-certified farmers markets.

Quantifiable outcome

• 259,828 infants, children, and parents received services from PHFE WIC in 2022
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Emanate Hospital (West Covina)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022PHFE WIC partnered with Emanate Hospital to launch the WIC Pump Closet, providing free electric breast pump loans to WIC participants at hospital discharge. This partnership increases health equity by making breastfeeding support more readily available to WIC participants.
• Heluna HealthcoreOthersPHFE WIC is a program of Public Health Foundation Enterprises, dba Heluna Health. Heluna Health is the parent organization providing administrative and operational support.
• California Department of Public Health WIC ProgramcoreOthersPHFE WIC receives funding and programmatic guidance from the California Department of Public Health WIC Program, which receives federal funding from USDA.
• CinnaMomscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCinnaMoms is a breastfeeding support program focused on Black mothers, providing support circles and community-based education. PHFE WIC hosts the program with support from grants including Kaiser Permanente ($30,000) and USDA Innovations Grant ($500,000).
• WIC-Certified Grocery StorescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWIC-authorized grocery stores across California accept the California WIC Card for purchasing approved WIC foods. Stores display 'WIC and Senior Benefits Welcome' signs.
• WIC-Certified Farmers MarketsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorParticipating farmers markets accept WIC card QR codes for farmers market benefits, allowing participants to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Markets include Rosemead FM, Torrance FM, Adams & Vermont FM, and others.
• Museums for All ProgramminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Museums for All program allowing WIC/CalFresh/EBT participants discounted or free admission to over 1,600 participating museums, zoos, and aquariums across the country.
• Discover & Go Library Pass ProgramminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with local libraries offering free and low-cost passes for library cardholders to museums, science centers, zoos, and other cultural destinations.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Heluna Health (Parent Organization): Parent nonprofit organization of PHFE WIC that provides administrative, fiscal, and operational infrastructure across multiple public health programs. Comparable as the umbrella entity that hosts and supports PHFE WIC alongside other population health initiatives.
• Los Angeles Regional Food Bank: Major nonprofit addressing food insecurity in Los Angeles County. Comparable as a complementary food assistance organization that overlaps with PHFE WIC's food security mission but operates through food distribution rather than the federal WIC framework.

Regional players

• San Diego County WIC Program: County-administered WIC program serving San Diego County under the California Department of Public Health framework. Operates with substantively the same federal mandate, technology stack (WIC Card), and participant services as PHFE WIC but in a different geography.
• Sacramento County WIC Program: County-administered WIC program serving Sacramento County residents. Comparable as a California local WIC agency providing nutrition benefits, breastfeeding support, and nutrition education under the same federal/state regulatory framework.

Direct peers

• Watts Health Foundation WIC: Another local WIC agency serving Los Angeles County under the same California WIC framework. Operates with similar federally-mandated services (nutrition education, breastfeeding support, food benefits issuance) in an overlapping service territory, competing for the same participant pool and state funding allocations.
• Community Health Alliance of Pasadena (CHAP) WIC: Federally qualified health center operating a WIC program in the Pasadena area of Los Angeles County. Comparable as a local WIC agency providing nutrition assistance, breastfeeding support, and community referrals under the California WIC framework.
• South Bay Family Health Care WIC: Community health center administering WIC services in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County. Comparable as a local WIC agency serving low-income pregnant women, infants, and children under 5 with similar hybrid service models.
• Northeast Valley Health Corporation WIC: Community health corporation operating a WIC program in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valley areas of Los Angeles County. Directly comparable as a community-based nonprofit administering WIC benefits with hybrid in-person and remote service delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Nurse-Family Partnership: National nonprofit providing evidence-based nurse home visiting for low-income first-time mothers. Comparable as a major federally-supported maternal/child health program serving a similar demographic with intensive one-on-one support and referrals to community resources.
• March of Dimes: National nonprofit focused on maternal and infant health, with overlapping mission in supporting pregnant women, reducing infant mortality, and advocating for nutrition equity. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the maternal/child health nonprofit space that PHFE WIC operates within.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/phfewic
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCRRv4mBmdfXiENI_FJ5ydAw
• Facebookfacebook.com/phfewic
• Instagraminstagram.com/phfewic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/phfe-wic-program

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 PHFE WIC