Lava Mae
Lava Mae (LavaMaeˣ) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that developed mobile shower and hygiene services for unhoused populations and now distributes free DIY toolkits and training through a global affiliate network spanning five countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Lava Mae does
Lava Mae, doing business as LavaMaeˣ, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2013 by Doniece Sandoval in San Francisco to provide mobile hygiene services to people experiencing homelessness. The organization pioneered the use of mobile shower buses and trailers to deliver showers, handwashing stations, and integrated "Pop-Up Care Village" events to unhoused populations in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles County from 2014 through June 2023. Its service approach, branded as Radical Hospitality®, treats the manner of service delivery — emphasizing dignity and compassionate care — as a core operational differentiator alongside the physical hygiene services themselves. LavaMae has accumulated documented impact of 50,000+ people served and 20,000 showers delivered via a corporate partnership with Kohler.
The organization's product portfolio transitioned in 2023 from direct service operations to a content-and-community model centered on LavaMaeˣ Connect, a free global community platform offering pre-recorded training events, a self-paced e-learning curriculum, and three downloadable DIY toolkits (Mobile Hygiene Toolkit, Pop-Up Care Village Toolkit, DIY Handwashing Toolkit). It maintains a registered trademark on "RADICAL HOSPITALITY®" and operates an affiliate model with active partner organizations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Germany, South Africa, and the Philippines. The stated goal of the network is to reach 100,000 people served by 2024.
As a tax-exempt nonprofit, LavaMae generates no revenue from service delivery — all services are provided free of charge to end users. Funding comes from individual donations, corporate grants, and foundation support, with two material documented institutional relationships: a strategic partnership with Kohler (announced October 2022) and a $110,000 grant from the Starbucks Foundation (announced December 2022), a portion of which was sub-granted to four U.S. affiliates. The organization is headquartered at 1701 Monarch Street, Suite 200, Alameda, California.
Lava Mae firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lava Mae
- Legal name
- Lava Mae (doing business as LavaMaeˣ)
- Website
- https://lavamae.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Lava Mae (LavaMaeˣ) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that developed mobile shower and hygiene services for unhoused populations and now distributes free DIY toolkits and training through a global affiliate network spanning five countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lava Mae industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Services / Homeless Services
- NAICS
- Business Support Services (5614), Remediation and Other Waste Management Services (5629), All Other Miscellaneous Waste Management Services (562998)
- SIC
- Sanitary Services (4950)
- akta.pro primary industry
- WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene) Organizations (HLAJAKAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) Solutions (BPAGALAI), Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) (BPAGABAC)
Keywords
Where Lava Mae is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Lava Mae business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Grants: Nonprofit funding through individual donations, corporate grants, and foundation support to fund mobile hygiene operations and affiliate programs
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Lava Mae product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lava Mae (doing business as LavaMaeˣ) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides mobile shower and hygiene services to unhoused individuals, along with DIY toolkits, training, and a global affiliate community platform for replicating mobile hygiene programs. The organization pioneered the first mobile shower bus in San Francisco in 2014 and developed the "Radical Hospitality" service philosophy. Following the June 2023 closure of direct operations, LavaMaeˣ now operates primarily through its LavaMae Connect platform, distributing toolkits, e-learning curriculum, and grants to affiliate organizations worldwide.
Product overview
LavaMaeˣ is a nonprofit organization operating as a portfolio of mobile hygiene resources and community programs rather than a unified software product. The core offering is LavaMaeˣ Connect, a global community platform that provides training materials, DIY toolkits (Mobile Hygiene Toolkit, Pop-Up Care Village Toolkit, DIY Handwashing Toolkit), and e-learning curriculum for launching mobile hygiene programs. The organization previously operated direct mobile shower services (2014-2023) but has transitioned to supporting affiliate organizations worldwide. The products consist of downloadable toolkits and a community platform, with a service philosophy called 'Radical Hospitality' underpinning all programs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- LavaMaeˣ Connect A global community platform that provides pre-recorded training events, DIY toolkits, community discussions, and self-paced e-learning curriculum for individuals and organizations starting mobile hygiene programs. Membership is free.
- Mobile Hygiene Toolkit A comprehensive do-it-yourself toolkit for communities and organizations looking to launch and operate a mobile hygiene or shower program. Distributed as a free downloadable resource.
- Pop-Up Care Village Toolkit A toolkit for establishing a Pop-Up Care Village, a community-based event model that brings multiple hygiene and care services together in a single coordinated setting.
- DIY Handwashing Toolkit A do-it-yourself toolkit providing instructions for creating handwashing stations for unhoused communities, distributed as a free downloadable resource.
- Mobile Shower Services Mobile shower bus service that provided showers and care services to unhoused neighbors in San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles County from 2014 to 2023. Service has been discontinued as of June 2023.
Quantifiable outcome
- 50,000+ people served with hygiene services from 2014-2023
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Lava Mae
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Lava Mae technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Lava Mae partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- KohlercorePartnership between Kohler and LavaMae delivering 20,000 showers to unhoused population across communities in the United States. This was a significant corporate partnership focused on expanding mobile hygiene access.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Lava Mae competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Glide Foundation: San Francisco-based nonprofit providing meals, hygiene, housing, and dignity-focused services to unhoused and low-income populations; operates showers in the same Bay Area geography where LavaMaeˣ previously served.
- People Assisting The Homeless (PATH): Established homelessness services nonprofit operating housing, hygiene, and outreach programs across California. Comparable target population and service mix, though broader program portfolio.
- Project Homeless Connect: San Francisco nonprofit that organizes one-stop-shop service events for people experiencing homelessness, sharing LavaMaeˣ's 'Pop-Up Care Village' ethos of consolidated hygiene and care services.
- The Drip Mobile Shower: Mobile shower nonprofit directly comparable to LavaMaeˣ in model and target population; received a $15,000 grant from LavaMaeˣ in Feb 2023, confirming shared methodology and mission alignment.
- The BeHeard Movement: Direct service peer operating mobile hygiene and dignity-focused programs for unhoused populations; LavaMaeˣ grantee ($20,000 in April 2023) and affiliate-network member.
- Mobile Loaves & Fishes: Austin-based nonprofit that pioneered mobile service delivery (food trucks) to people experiencing homelessness. Shares the mobile-vans-to-the-unstably-housed model with LavaMaeˣ.
Broad incumbents
- charity: water: Large WASH nonprofit with strong brand and donor base. Comparable hygiene/water mission framing at global scale; much larger organization but adjacent in the WASH nonprofit category.
- WaterAid America: Major international WASH (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene) nonprofit operating globally. Comparable WASH mission framing, though focused on developing-country infrastructure rather than U.S. unhoused services.
- Kohler Foundation: Corporate foundation that partnered with LavaMaeˣ to deliver 20,000 showers. Operates in adjacent water-and-hygiene philanthropy space at much larger scale; an investor-relevant stakeholder rather than direct competitor.
Emerging players
- Planet Water Foundation: WASH-focused nonprofit deploying water filtration and handwashing infrastructure in underserved communities. Comparable WASH mission and corporate-partnership-driven model at smaller global scale.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Lava Mae social profiles
Digital presenceLava Mae compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Lava Mae financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lava Mae leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Lava Mae funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lava Mae M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Lava Mae
What does Lava Mae do?
Lava Mae (doing business as LavaMaeˣ) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides mobile shower and hygiene services to unhoused individuals, along with DIY toolkits, training, and a global affiliate community platform for replicating mobile hygiene programs. The organization pioneered the first mobile shower bus in San Francisco in 2014 and developed the "Radical Hospitality" service philosophy. Following the June 2023 closure of direct operations, LavaMaeˣ now operates primarily through its LavaMae Connect platform, distributing toolkits, e-learning curriculum, and grants to affiliate organizations worldwide.
Is Lava Mae a public or private company?
Lava Mae is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently closed.
When was Lava Mae founded?
Lava Mae was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Lava Mae based?
Lava Mae is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Lava Mae make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Grants.
Who are Lava Mae's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Glide Foundation, People Assisting The Homeless (PATH), Project Homeless Connect, The Drip Mobile Shower, The BeHeard Movement and Mobile Loaves & Fishes. Broad incumbents are charity: water, WaterAid America and Kohler Foundation. Planet Water Foundation is listed as an emerging player.
Does Lava Mae have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lava Mae.
What industry is Lava Mae in?
Lava Mae's product category is Social Services / Homeless Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAJAKAI, WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene) Organizations, with a secondary code of BPAGALAI, Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) Solutions. Its NAICS code is 5614 and its SIC code is 4950.