La Maestra Foundation

What La Maestra Foundation does

La Maestra Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 2003 and incorporated as an independent entity in 2005, headquartered at 4060 Fairmont Avenue in the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego, California. The foundation operates as the social-services arm of the broader La Maestra ecosystem — split off from La Maestra Family Clinic (founded 1990) to deliver non-medical programs addressing social determinants of health for low-income, culturally diverse individuals and families, particularly immigrants and refugees. Its portfolio of programs is delivered under the proprietary Circle of Care™ framework and includes: I Choose Recovery (ICR) transitional housing for men in substance-abuse recovery; the Microcredit Program for Women (Mujeres Emprendedoras), the first Grameen-based microlending program in San Diego (launched 2008); the Generations Center for Youth, Adults & Seniors providing arts, music, theater, STEM, and adult-education classes; the Healthy Choices Food Pantry distributing over 240,000 pounds of fresh produce annually through San Diego Food Bank and Feeding San Diego partnerships; the Jardin de la Vida community garden; and the Center for Youth Advancement.

The foundation also operates several social enterprises — La Maestra Printing, La Maestra Embroidery, Laundry & Linen, Café La Maestra Coffee Cart, and La Maestra Blossoms floral — that provide vocational training and earn revenue to subsidize programs. Services are delivered free or at nominal cost (e.g., $20 per sewing-class participant) through a cluster of co-located Fairmont Avenue sites. Revenue is generated through a mix of individual donations (via Network for Good), foundation grants (San Diego Foundation, Tides, California Endowment, Allen, Cardinal Health, San Diego Women's Foundation, Bravo), corporate sponsorships (Casino Night), and earned income from printing, embroidery, floral, and laundry services. Beneficiary segments include low-income families, women entrepreneurs, youth ages 6–18, adults and seniors, and men in recovery, with grant partners spanning food banks, UCSD CREATE, San Diego Opera, county mental-health and aging services, and veterans organizations.

Name

La Maestra Foundation

Legal name

La Maestra Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://lamaestrafoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

La Maestra Foundation is a San Diego-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit delivering integrated social services — transitional housing, microcredit, food pantry, youth education, and social-enterprise vocational programs — to low-income, immigrant, and refugee families in the City Heights neighborhood under its Circle of Care™ model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Residential Care Facilities (6239)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

Keywords

• Community social services
• Nonprofit social programs
• Transitional housing services
• Microcredit financial empowerment
• Workforce development training

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: La Maestra Foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization relying on donations, grants, and charitable funding to support its community programs. Revenue comes from individual donations, corporate sponsorships (e.g., Casino Night sponsors), and foundation grants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

La Maestra Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides integrated community social services to low-income, culturally diverse individuals and families in San Diego's City Heights neighborhood. Its portfolio spans transitional housing for men in recovery, microcredit and financial literacy for women, youth and adult education programs, food pantry and community garden services, and social enterprises including printing, embroidery, laundry, floral arrangements, and a coffee cart.

Product overview

La Maestra Foundation is a nonprofit social services organization offering an integrated portfolio of community programs under its Circle of Care model. The foundation operates as a collection of social enterprises and service programs rather than a technology product company. Key offerings include the I Choose Recovery (ICR) Transitional Housing program for men in recovery, the Microcredit Program for Women providing economic empowerment through small loans and financial literacy, La Maestra Printing and Embroidery social enterprises, the Generations Center for Youth, Adults & Seniors providing intergenerational services including music, art, theater, and STEM education, the Healthy Choices Food Pantry distributing nutritious foods, the Jardin de la Vida Community Garden, and La Maestra Blossoms floral social enterprise. These programs are designed to address the social determinants of health and guide low-income, culturally diverse individuals and families toward self-sufficiency.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 240,000+ pounds of fresh produce distributed annually through food bank partnerships
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food BanksupportingOthers · 1 January 2021Diaper Bank Program partnership to distribute diapers at Generations Center site. Families can pick up diapers in their child's size weekly.
• UCSD CREATEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Partnership through CREATE STEM Success Initiative (CSSI) provides STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math) to youth. Also supports athletics programming.
• US Committee on Refugees and ImmigrantssupportingOthers · 1 January 2012Collaborative partner for Legal Advocacy Services department serving clients facing rights violations or victims of crime.
• Casa Cornelia Law CentersupportingOthers · 1 January 2012Collaborative partner for Legal Advocacy Services providing assistance to victims of domestic violence and trafficking.
• San Diego OperacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Collaboration provides youth with vocal lessons from Grammy-nominated vocalist and theater program instruction in composition, production, and performance. Students present works in public performances.
• San Diego County Mental Health ServicessupportingOthers · 1 January 2010Partnership for I Choose Recovery (ICR) program providing integrated services for men in recovery including mental health services.
• Veterans Village of San DiegosupportingOthers · 1 January 2010Partnership for ICR transitional housing program supporting veterans in recovery, with 30% of first-year residents being veterans.
• San Diego Food BankcoreOthers · 1 January 2004Provides over 240,000 pounds of fresh produce annually to support the Healthy Choices Food Pantry. Partner assists in improving access to free food at the organization's food pantry.
• Feeding San DiegocoreOthers · 1 January 2004Provides fresh produce and operates as hot food distribution site at Generations Center. Combatting food insecurity in communities served by La Maestra.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Grameen America: National nonprofit implementing the Grameen Bank microfinance model in the U.S., providing small loans and financial literacy to women entrepreneurs. Directly comparable to La Maestra's Microcredit Program for Women (Mujeres Emprendedoras).
• International Rescue Committee (San Diego): Global humanitarian organization providing refugee and immigrant resettlement services including education, employment, microenterprise, and legal aid. Strongly comparable to La Maestra's refugee/immigrant-focused microcredit and legal advocacy programming.
• Father Joe's Villages: San Diego-based nonprofit providing integrated services for people experiencing homelessness, including transitional housing, recovery, food, and workforce development. Highly comparable to La Maestra's ICR transitional housing, food pantry, and social enterprise model in the same metro area.
• MAAC Project: San Diego community development nonprofit delivering housing, workforce training, education, and advocacy services for low-income families across the region. Comparable to La Maestra's integrated community development approach and self-sufficiency programs.
• San Diego Youth Services: San Diego nonprofit providing counseling, housing, education, and workforce development for at-risk youth. Comparable to La Maestra's Generations Center and Center for Youth Advancement programming for youth ages 6-18 in City Heights.
• Jewish Family Service of San Diego: San Diego social services nonprofit delivering integrated programs in food security, housing, refugee resettlement, mental health, and senior services. Comparable in operating model to La Maestra's Circle of Care™ approach across multiple social determinants of health.

Broad incumbents

• YMCA of San Diego County: Regional YMCA operating youth education, senior services, fitness, and community programming across San Diego. Overlaps with La Maestra's youth, adult, and senior programs at the Generations Center.
• Episcopal Community Services (San Diego): San Diego nonprofit providing housing, workforce development, and reentry services. Comparable to La Maestra's ICR transitional housing for men in recovery and employment-focused programming.
• Catholic Charities of San Diego: San Diego branch of a national faith-based nonprofit delivering a broad portfolio of social services including food, housing, immigration, and recovery. A larger incumbent operating with overlapping service categories but as part of a wider Catholic Charities network.

Emerging players

• Neighborhood House Association: San Diego-based nonprofit providing early childhood education, youth services, and family support across the city. Comparable to La Maestra's Generations Center intergenerational programming and youth education services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LaMaestraGenerations
• Instagraminstagram.com/lmgenerations
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/la-maestra-foundation-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries8 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 La Maestra Foundation