Barefoot Republic Camp & Retreat Center

What Barefoot Republic Camp & Retreat Center does

Barefoot Republic Camp & Retreat Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2000 that operates a Christ-centered summer camp and retreat facility in Fountain Run, Kentucky, on a 110-acre campus near Barren River Lake, alongside administrative offices in Nashville, Tennessee. Its core product is a portfolio of residential and day camps — Overnight Camp, Day Camp, Family Camp, and Winter Camp — serving approximately 2,000+ children and youth per summer, with over 50% of campers receiving financial assistance. The Kentucky campus includes Turner Lodge (14 suites, cafeteria for 300), Treehouse Villages, and Lakeview Lodge, which are rented to corporate, church, and youth retreat groups during the off-season.

The organization has expanded its program surface into adjacent service lines: the Bridge Program, a 9-month discipleship gap year for 18-24 year olds priced below the average Tennessee university room and board; Barefoot Counseling & Coaching, a faith-based professional therapy practice with offices in Franklin and Nashville; and a Nashville-based Community Center offering pickleball, fitness classes, memberships, the A3 After School Program (Social and Emotional Learning curriculum), and Worship & Arts Nights co-hosted with Belmont University's Creative Arts Collective. Revenue is generated through five distinct streams — per-session camp registrations, retreat and lodging bookings, donations and annual fundraising events (fall banquet, Battle of the Barefoot Cup golf tournament, clay shoot), Bridge Program tuition, and counseling fees — with distribution handled through the CampBrain registration portal and direct enterprise inquiry.

From a technology and operating perspective, Barefoot Republic is not a technology company; its stack consists of operational SaaS tools (CampBrain for camp and staff registration, Daxko for after-school enrollment, SmugMug for photo sharing, VRBO and Airbnb for Lakeview Lodge distribution) and a Wix-hosted website with standard SSL and cookies. There are no proprietary AI or ML systems disclosed. Governance is by board of directors under founder and Executive Director Tommy Rhodes, with leadership including Julie Mangus (Director of Counseling Services) and Cali Bolinger on the counseling staff. The organization has earned national visibility through a 2020 ABC Nightline feature and holds an established regional brand in the Tennessee-Kentucky corridor.

Name

Barefoot Republic Camp & Retreat Center

Legal name

Barefoot Republic Camp and Retreat Center

Website

https://barefootrepublic.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Barefoot Republic Camp & Retreat Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating Christ-centered summer camps, year-round retreats, counseling services, and a 9-month gap year program across a 110-acre Kentucky campus and Nashville-area facilities, serving children, families, churches, and corporate groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-based camp and retreat services

NAICS

Recreational and Vacation Camps (except Campgrounds) (721214)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Recreation Campgrounds (Amenities/Activities Focus) (THAMAJAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cabin & Cottage Campgrounds (THAMAJAD), Wilderness & Backcountry Lodges (Remote/Off-Grid) (THAGAIAB)

Keywords

• Summer camp programs
• Retreat center rentals
• Faith-based counseling
• Gap year discipleship
• Christ-centered youth programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Franklin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Camp Programs: Revenue from overnight camp, day camp, winter camp, and family camp registrations charged on a per-session basis
2. Retreat Center Bookings: Revenue from corporate, church, and group retreat bookings including venue rental, catering, and additional activities
3. Donations and Fundraising: 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization generating revenue through donations, sponsorships, and annual fundraising events to support scholarship fund and operations
4. Counseling Services: Barefoot Counseling & Coaching Services offering professional faith-based counseling with scholarship availability
5. Bridge Program Tuition: 9-month discipleship gap year program for 18-24 year olds with tuition and work-study components

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Barefoot Republic Camp & Retreat Center is a Christ-centered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs residential and day summer camps, family and winter camps, a year-round corporate and church retreat center, a 9-month faith-based gap year program, professional counseling and coaching services, after-school programming, and community-center activities. It serves families, children, corporate groups, church groups, young adults, and counseling clients across Tennessee and Kentucky through a 110-acre lakeside campus and a Nashville community center.

Product overview

Barefoot Republic Camp & Retreat Center operates as a Christ-centered nonprofit offering a diverse portfolio of programs across Kentucky and Tennessee. The core offerings include residential summer camps (Overnight Camp, Day Camp, Family Camp, Winter Camp) and a year-round Retreat Center with facilities for corporate, church, and youth groups. The portfolio extends to the Bridge Program (9-month gap year discipleship), Barefoot Counseling & Coaching (professional faith-based therapy), and the Community Center (Nashville-based programs including the A3 After School Program, worship nights, and fitness offerings). Turner Lodge, Treehouse Villages, and Lakeview Lodge provide accommodation options across the 110-acre Kentucky campus.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bridge Program: A 9-month discipleship gap year program for 18-24 year olds.
• Barefoot Counseling & Coaching
• A3 After School Program
• Worship & Arts Nights

Products and services

• Overnight Camp Residential summer camp for children held at the Kentucky campus in Fountain Run, KY, featuring diverse artistic, athletic, and team-building programs in a Christ-centered environment.
• Day Camp Daytime camp program for children in Tennessee offering artistic, athletic, and team-building activities without overnight stays.
• Family Camp Retreat experience for families to participate together in camp activities and bonding experiences at the Kentucky campus.
• Winter Camp Seasonal winter camp program held at the Kentucky campus for high school students.
• Retreat Center Year-round facility rental service for corporate retreats, church groups, youth camps, and sports retreats on 110 acres by Barren River Lake in Kentucky, including lodging (Turner Lodge, Treehouse Villages, Lakeview Lodge), meeting and multipurpose facilities, catering, and recreational activities (horseback riding, ropes course, paintball, lake, zip line, climbing wall, pontoon).
• Bridge Program Intensive 9-month discipleship gap year program for 18-24 year olds at the Kentucky campus that combines spiritual development, leadership activities, work experience, and community living. Tuition is an annual all-inclusive subscription (room, board, tuition, books, activities, travel) priced below the average Tennessee university room and board of $23,350/year, with work-study and scholarship options available.
• Barefoot Counseling & Coaching Faith-based professional counseling and coaching services offered at Franklin and Nashville, TN locations, addressing anxiety, relationship challenges, trauma, life transitions, and addiction recovery. Partial scholarships are available for those needing financial assistance.
• A3 After School Program After school program at the Nashville community center offering Social and Emotional Learning (S.E.L.) and activities including soccer, acting, ballet, basketball, dance, piano, and visual arts.
• Worship & Arts Nights Monthly worship and arts nights for high school students held at the Barefoot Republic Community Center in Nashville, co-hosted with Belmont University's Creative Arts Collective.
• Community Center Nashville-based community facility offering pickleball, fitness classes, membership options, mini camps, after school programs, and worship nights to local community members.
• Songs That Heal Workshop Standalone therapeutic workshop offered at $99 per person through Barefoot Counseling & Coaching, with partial scholarships available for those needing financial assistance.

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Belmont University Creative Arts CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosting Worship & Arts Nights for high school students. Partnership leverages Belmont University's Creative Arts Collective to provide worship and arts programming at Barefoot Republic Community Center in Nashville, creating pathway for college students to engage with high school youth.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Covenant Heights (Camp): Wisconsin-based Christian camp and retreat center operating summer camps and year-round retreat bookings for churches and groups. Comparable faith-based positioning, family programming, and conference/retreat facility utilization.
• WinShape Retreat: Chick-fil-A affiliated retreat center in Georgia offering overnight camp programming and corporate/church retreats on a sizable campus. Comparable faith-based platform with diversified retreat and camp revenue streams.
• HoneyRock Camp: Northwoods, Wisconsin-based Christian camp affiliated with Wheaton College. Directly comparable overnight camp, family camp, and retreat programming on a multi-building waterfront campus serving similar faith-based youth and family segments.
• Young Life: National Christian youth ministry operating summer camps, gap-year programs, and retreat facilities targeting adolescents. Comparable mission-driven focus, multi-site camp operations, and reliance on donor funding alongside program fees.
• Kanakuk Kamps: Branson, Missouri-based network of Christian summer camps serving tens of thousands of campers annually. Directly comparable as a faith-based overnight/day camp operator with strong brand, family programming, and year-round retreat offerings.
• Forest Home (Forest Falls Christian Conference Center): California-based Christian camp and conference center running summer camps, family camps, and corporate/church retreats. Comparable operating model across youth camps and group retreat bookings on a multi-acre campus.
• Camp Takajo: Family-owned, traditional Maine summer camp for boys with strong multi-generational alumni base and diversified programming. Comparable private, mission-driven camp with multi-decade operating history and infrastructure reinvestment.

Regional players

• Cita Hati (International Christian Center): Faith-based camp and retreat ministry serving primarily Indonesian and Asian Christian communities with overnight camp and conference programming. Comparable nonprofit camp model but operates in a different geographic market.

Broad incumbents

• YMCA of Middle Tennessee - Camps: Regional YMCA operating day and overnight camps, retreat facilities, and after-school programming in the same Tennessee geography as Barefoot. Comparable program mix but as part of a larger national nonprofit umbrella with broader secular appeal.
• Lifeway Christian Resources (CentriKid / FUGE): Broad Southern Baptist-affiliated ministry offering summer camp programs (CentriKid, FUGE) and church retreat resources across multiple sites. Overlaps in faith-based camp and youth retreat programming with corporate/church retreat targeting.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/barefootcamp
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/BarefootRepublic
• Facebookfacebook.com/BarefootRepublicCamp
• Instagraminstagram.com/barefootrepubliccamp/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/barefoot-republic-camp

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 Barefoot Republic Camp & Retreat Center