Karma for Cara Foundation

What Karma for Cara Foundation does

Karma for Cara Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in October 2012 in Baltimore, Maryland by 21-year-old Cara Becker and her family while Cara was undergoing leukemia treatment at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center; after Cara's passing in December 2012, the family continued the foundation in her memory. The foundation's primary mission is to support young people aged 18 and under across the United States in contributing to their communities through volunteerism and community service, addressing what it describes as the underestimation and underutilization of youth capacity for social impact. Its core programs are the Microgrant Program, which provides seed funding of $250 to $1,000 four times per year to youth-led community service projects nationwide via an online application portal built on the SmartSimple platform through a partnership with Boldly Go Philanthropy, and the Cara Cookie Volunteers children's book, which teaches volunteerism to children ages 3-6 and is distributed free of charge to elementary schools and libraries (currently in Baltimore and Chicago with stated plans for nationwide expansion) and also sold on Amazon.

The foundation operates with a small core team of 6-10 people led by the Becker family (Eric Becker, co-founder of Cresset, and Jill Becker, co-founder of Lema J Design, with sons Greg Becker and Jake Becker involved) and includes a full-time director, a Director of the Microgrant Program, and a social media specialist. Supporting programs include the K4C Club-in-a-Box program for high schools, the Inspired to Serve Program for student recognition, and the Excellence in Nursing Awards presented at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Revenue is generated through individual donations (accepted via the Qgiv donation portal, mail, and third-party platforms), event fundraising (tennis tournaments, spin-a-thons, concerts, galas), book sales, and the Baltimore Community Foundation's Karma for Cara Fund. The foundation has distributed $491,422 in microgrant funding to date, with more than $225,000 raised in the pre-501(c)(3) period alone, and is governed as a family-controlled nonprofit with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity.

Name

Karma for Cara Foundation

Legal name

Karma for Cara Foundation

Website

https://karmaforcara.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Karma for Cara Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds U.S. youth aged 18 and under with $250-$1,000 microgrants for community service projects and distributes the Cara Cookie Volunteers children's book free to schools and libraries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Philanthropy and Community Service Nonprofits

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Child and Youth Services (62411), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Volunteerism, Service-Learning & Community Service (EDALAHAG)

Keywords

• Youth volunteerism programs
• Microgrant funding
• Community service grants
• Children service education
• Nonprofit youth philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting youth service programs
2. Microgrant Program Funding: Provides grants of $250-$1,000 to youth (18 and under) for community service projects throughout the United States
3. Book Sales: Cara Cookie Volunteers book sold on Amazon; profits support foundation operations and additional book donations
4. Event Fundraising: Revenue from events including tennis tournaments, spin-a-thons, concerts, and galas

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Karma for Cara Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports young people (18 and under) nationwide in volunteerism and community service. It does this primarily by funding youth-led service projects through microgrants of $250–$1,000 awarded via a quarterly review cycle, and by distributing the Cara Cookie Volunteers children's book free of charge to elementary schools and libraries to teach children ages 3–6 about volunteerism. Supplementary programs include K4C high school service clubs (club-in-a-box) and the Inspired to Serve Program.

Product overview

Karma for Cara Foundation operates a portfolio of youth empowerment programs centered on volunteerism and community service. The core offerings include the Microgrant Program (providing $250-$1,000 grants to youth-led service projects) and Cara Cookie Volunteers (a children's book distributed free to schools and libraries). Additional programs include K4C Clubs for high schools and the Inspired to Serve Program for student recognition. The foundation's three-fold mission focuses on engaging youth in volunteerism, awarding unsung service heroes, and aiding cancer patient comfort and care.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Microgrant Program: Seed funding program providing $250-$1,000 grants to youth 18 and under to complete service projects throughout the United States.
• Cara Cookie Volunteers
• Inspired to Serve Program
• K4C Club

Products and services

• Microgrant Program A grant program providing $250 to $1,000 in seed funding to students 18 years and under to complete service projects in communities throughout the United States. Applications are reviewed quarterly with funds disbursed following a structured grant cycle process via the SmartSimple application platform.
• Cara Cookie Volunteers (children's book) A children's book telling the true story of Cara Becker's first volunteer experience, designed to teach children ages 3–6 about volunteering and community service. Distributed free of charge to schools and libraries and sold on Amazon to support foundation operations.
• K4C Club (high school service club) Service clubs for high school students providing resources, support, and ideas for monthly service projects. Available through a club-in-a-box kit containing informational handouts, promotional materials, and implementation guidance.
• Inspired to Serve Program A program for students that showcases microgrant recipients presenting their service projects, featured at events such as the Inspired to Serve Summit with documentary video content.

Quantifiable outcome

• $491,422 in youth empowerment funding distributed to date
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Living Classrooms FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerK4C partnered with Living Classrooms Foundation to create the 'Inspire to Serve' documentary highlighting outstanding students at Crossroads School. Service is integral to Crossroads curriculum, and Living Classrooms runs the charter school. Partnership includes student profiles and documentary production.
• Kennedy Krieger InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to present the Cara Becker ROAR for Autism Youth Fundraising Award at Kennedy Krieger's annual ROAR for Autism event. Cara was deeply involved with ROAR for Autism before her passing; award recognizes youth who embody her fundraising spirit.
• Northwestern University StudentsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents in design thinking program developed two innovations: Service for Others (S40) phone app connecting high school students with service opportunities, and K4C 'club-in-a-box' kit for starting community service clubs.
• Boldly Go PhilanthropycoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partnership for microgrant application management. Noemi Cruz-Cruz serves as Director of Karma For Cara Microgrant Program in partnership with Boldly Go Philanthropy.
• Bare Hills Racquet and Fitness ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHosted multiple spin-a-thon events benefiting K4C, including a 12-hour Spin-a-Thon with 30-40 participants per hour. Organizing venue for annual fundraising events.
• Lema JminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-founded by Jill Becker and her sister Jenny. Lifestyle brand supporting K4C through donations and special edition orange K4C cuff, with one donated to leukemia patients for each sold.
• There Goes My HerominorGTM or Marketing PartnerBone marrow registry organization that partnered with K4C for bone marrow drive at Towson University in honor of Cara.
• Camp Sunrise (Johns Hopkins)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerK4C supported Camp Sunrise as Ray of Hope Sponsor for annual fundraising gala, sending five pediatric cancer survivors to the cost-free camp.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• VolunteerMatch: Large volunteer-engagement platform connecting individuals with nonprofit opportunities. Adjacent incumbent covering the broader volunteer-routing need that underlies K4C's program.
• WE Charity (WE Movement): Large-scale international youth empowerment platform combining service programming, educational content, and youth-led campaigns. Comparable engagement funnel, larger global footprint.
• Points of Light: Large volunteerism infrastructure nonprofit operating across all ages and causes, including family programming and corporate engagement. Broader incumbent that overlaps with K4C's youth-volunteerism lane.

Emerging players

• Random Acts of Kindness Foundation: Education-focused nonprofit providing free kindness curriculum and resources to schools. Comparable content-distribution model to Cara Cookie Volunteers.

Direct peers

• DoSomething: U.S. nonprofit driving youth-led social impact campaigns with grants and stipends for volunteer projects. Closest comparable: same age cohort, microgrant-style funding, national footprint, and volunteerism focus.
• Ashoka Young Changemakers: Ashoka initiative supporting young people leading social-impact ventures with funding and mentorship. Comparable youth-empowerment + micro-grant + leadership-development model.
• GenerationOn: Youth-led service and grantmaking program (now part of Points of Light) targeting kids and teens with project funding and resources. Directly comparable microgrant + youth-service offering.
• PeaceFirst: Provides small grants to young leaders driving community-change projects. Direct match for K4C's microgrant + youth-leadership thesis, with a thematic lens on peacebuilding.
• Youth Service America (YSA): National nonprofit funding and uplifting youth-led service projects, including mini-grants and recognition programs. Operates the same youth-volunteerism + microgrant model K4C runs.
• National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC): National nonprofit advancing service-learning and youth civic leadership in K-12 education. Close peer for K4C Clubs and youth-volunteerism orientation in schools.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KarmaforCara
• Facebookfacebook.com/KarmaForCara
• Instagraminstagram.com/KarmaforCara

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Karma for Cara Foundation