What Project Lemonade does

Project Lemonade is a Portland-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2012 that supports foster youth ages 5-24 across Oregon and SW Washington through a portfolio of wraparound programs. Its core offerings include a free retail clothing boutique (Project Lemonade Store) with in-person appointments, walk-in hours, virtual shopping/curbside pickup, and mobile pop-ups; the L+EARN paid Internship program with Level 1 and Lead Intern (Level 2) tracks; the WISH program that grants individual requests for essential items and experiences; the Fill the Gap Scholarship (up to $4,000 per year, renewable for up to four years) for post-secondary basic needs; the Inspire Network pilot for teens aging out of care; the L.Y.G.H.T. Program; and seasonal holiday and awareness campaigns. In May 2026 the organization relocated from Lloyd Center Mall to an 8,000 sq ft space at the Leftbank Building in Portland's Albina District, projecting 3,500+ annual youth engagements.

The organization's underlying technology is modest: a Squarespace-hosted website with a Spanish-language version and an Access Services Portal that supports appointment scheduling, multi-youth registration, virtual shopping requests, and WISH applications. Distribution is primarily physical-direct (storefront, pop-ups, virtual shopping) rather than technology-mediated, and beneficiary access is largely funneled through referrals from the Oregon Department of Human Services, schools, and community partners.

Project Lemonade generates no revenue from service fees — all programs are delivered free of charge to eligible youth. Funding comes from individual donations (including recurring Lemon Drop Club memberships), corporate sponsorships and foundation grants (e.g., M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, Bank of America, KeyBank, Nike, Dutch Bros, ninety-nine girlfriends), in-kind item donations, and annual fundraising events such as A Night of Inspiration, Paint the Town Yellow, and Foster the Holidays. The 2026 Relocation and Capacity Building Campaign targets $700,000, and recent holiday campaigns have raised $130,000 (2023) and $40,000+ (2021). Leadership consists of Executive Director Lindsay McDonnell and Development Director Allison Specter (joined January 2022 via M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust funding), with the organization operating at 1-10 employees.

Name

Project Lemonade

Legal name

Project Lemonade

Website

https://projectlemonadepdx.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Project Lemonade is a Portland-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 2012, that provides free wraparound services — clothing, paid internships, scholarships up to $4,000/year, and mentorship — to foster youth ages 5-24 across Oregon and SW Washington, funded through donations, grants, and fundraising events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters, including monthly giving through Lemon Drop Club membership
2. Corporate Sponsorships & Grants: Funding from charitable foundations and corporate sponsors for programs, relocation campaigns, and capacity building
3. Fundraising Events: Annual events including A Night of Inspiration and seasonal campaigns like Foster the Holidays and Paint the Town Yellow
4. Item Donations: In-kind donations of clothing, accessories, and essentials from individuals and businesses

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Project Lemonade is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides free clothing, paid internships, scholarships, mentorship, and basic needs support to foster youth ages 5-24 in Oregon and SW Washington. Services are delivered through a retail store, virtual shopping, mobile pop-ups, and structured programs including the L+EARN Internship, WISH wish-granting, The Inspire Network, and Fill the Gap Scholarship.

Product overview

Project Lemonade is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving as a foster youth resource hub in Portland, Oregon. The organization operates primarily as a service nonprofit rather than a technology company, offering a portfolio of programs including the Project Lemonade Store (clothing boutique), L+EARN Internship (paid employment program), WISH (wishes and essential items), The Inspire Network (mentorship for aging-out youth), Fill The Gap Scholarship (educational funding up to $4,000/year), and the L.Y.G.H.T. Program. Digital services include an Access Services Portal for appointment scheduling and virtual shopping requests. Seasonal initiatives include Foster The Holidays (#GiveHope campaign), Paint the Town Yellow (Foster Care Awareness Month), and annual events like A Night of Inspiration and the Superhero Shopping Event.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Project Lemonade Store Retail clothing boutique serving foster youth ages 5-24, offering free in-person shopping with appointments and virtual shopping for those outside the Portland metro area.
• L+EARN Internship Paid internship program providing foster youth with job skills, career connections, and work experience, including Level 1 and Level 2 (Lead Intern) tracks.
• WISH (What Inspires Students' Hearts)

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% of interns remain engaged one year after completion
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

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 and minor.

• Holst ArchitecturecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDonated over $50,000 in architectural design expertise for the new Leftbank Building space. Key partner in relocation project enabling the new 8,000 sq ft facility.
• Every Child PDXcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint tutoring program launched in 2021 providing free tutoring services for foster youth. Collaborative partnership addressing educational support gaps.
• Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner referring youth to services and collaborating on program development. Working with Advisory Council to evaluate community needs and set impact goals.
• Write Around PortlandminorOthersAllison Specter previously served as Development Director before joining Project Lemonade as Development Director.
• NikeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVolunteer support for store operations and community events. Contributed to store remodel project.
• Lloyd CenterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFormer mall partner providing retail space for over a decade. Store located one store down from original location before relocation. Partnership ended due to mall redevelopment.
• Portland Timbers & ThornsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor League Soccer teams participating in Stand Together Week at Project Lemonade, raising awareness and community engagement.
• Dutch BrosminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDonated $5 gift cards included in 95 college care packages mailed to Oregon foster youth in college.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• A Sense of Home: A Sense of Home creates furnished homes for former foster youth aging out of care. While more housing-focused, it shares Project Lemonade's focus on dignity, self-esteem, and tangible essentials for transition-age foster youth leaving the system.
• Embrace Oregon: Embrace Oregon is a Portland-based nonprofit supporting foster children and families through direct aid, advocacy, and wraparound services. Operating in the same Oregon geography and similar funder ecosystem, it is a regional peer with overlapping programmatic touchpoints.
• FosterClub: FosterClub is a national nonprofit led by current and former foster youth providing leadership training, peer support, and resources. It shares Project Lemonade's youth-empowerment orientation and engagement of foster youth as program participants rather than passive recipients.
• Ticket to Dream Foundation: Ticket to Dream Foundation provides essential items, scholarships, and holiday support to foster youth nationwide. Its mix of item donations, scholarships, and event-driven fundraising directly parallels Project Lemonade's store, scholarship, and seasonal campaign model.
• Together We Rise: Together We Rise is a national nonprofit supporting foster youth through welcome boxes, scholarships, and education programs. Like Project Lemonade, it combines tangible goods provision with youth development programming and relies on corporate partnerships and individual donations.
• Comfort Cases: Comfort Cases provides duffel bags filled with essential items to youth entering foster care. Like Project Lemonade's Project Lemonade Store, it centers dignity-restoring material goods as an entry point to broader youth support and relies on volunteers and corporate donations.
• Treehouse: Treehouse is a Seattle-based nonprofit serving foster youth with a similarly wraparound model including clothing, educational support, and transition-age programming. It is the closest geographic and programmatic analog to Project Lemonade, operating in the Pacific Northwest with comparable age-range and outcome-tracking practices.

Emerging players

• StandUp For Kids: StandUp For Kids is a national nonprofit addressing youth homelessness and aging-out of foster care through mentoring, outreach, and basic needs. Its focus on transition-age youth overlaps with Project Lemonade's Inspire Network program.

Broad incumbents

• National Foster Youth Institute: NFYI is a national organization focused on advocacy, leadership development, and policy for foster youth. Compared to Project Lemonade's direct-services orientation, NFYI operates more broadly across policy and movement-building, making it an adjacent incumbent in the same beneficiary population.
• CASA for Children (National CASA): National CASA is a broad incumbent in the child welfare space, training volunteers to advocate for foster children in court. It serves the same beneficiary population as Project Lemonade but via advocacy and case support rather than direct services like clothing and internships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/projectlemonadepdx
• Xx.com/learnaboutlemon
• Facebookfacebook.com/ProjectLemonadePDX

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Project Lemonade