Break The Silence Foundation

What Break The Silence Foundation does

Break The Silence Foundation, Inc. (BTSF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2005 by Maribel Garcia, a domestic violence survivor, and headquartered at 6635 W. Cermak Road, Berwyn, Illinois. The foundation provides crisis intervention, advocacy, counseling, self-defense training, healthy-relationship workshops, and workforce development services to adult domestic violence victims and their families across Cook County and surrounding areas. Its core programmatic portfolio includes the Chrysalis Program workshop series (delivered with Family Bridges USA), the Domestic Violence Assistance program with a 24-hour multilingual helpline, the Face To Face pro bono facial reconstructive surgery partnership with the AAFPRS Foundation, the annual Purple Gala survivor-celebration fundraiser, the Toys for Tots holiday distribution program (over 87,000 toys distributed in December 2023), and the One Warm Coat clothing initiative. A second physical site, the Cook County Domestic Violence Survivor Center in Markham, IL, opened on October 18, 2023.

The organization operates without proprietary technology; its service delivery is human-led and community-based, relying on direct in-person engagement at its facilities, phone-based crisis outreach, and referral networks with other nonprofits, healthcare providers, and government agencies. Revenue is generated entirely through donations, corporate sponsorships (BMO Harris Bank, Home Depot, Toro Construction, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bears, among others), grants, and event proceeds from the Purple Gala and the 'A Penny For a Life' campaign (which carries a stated $100,000 annual fundraising goal). Services are provided at no cost to beneficiaries. The foundation employs 11–50 staff and is led by founder and president Maribel Garcia, a certified crisis intervention chaplain.

Name

Break The Silence Foundation

Legal name

Break the Silence Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://breakthesilencefoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Break The Silence Foundation is a Berwyn, Illinois-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2005 that provides crisis intervention, counseling, advocacy, and workforce development services to domestic violence victims and their families across Cook County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Domestic Violence Support Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGADAK

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPAGABAG

Child Protection & Child Rights

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/International Development & Poverty Alleviation

SECONDARYHLAJAKAG

Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health (MNCAH) NGOs

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Global Health & Development Agencies (NGOs/Multilaterals)

Keywords

• Domestic violence support
• Crisis intervention services
• Victim advocacy
• Survivor counseling
• Nonprofit support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Berwyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Break The Silence Foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization generating revenue through donations, grants, and fundraising campaigns such as the 'A Penny for a Life' campaign with a stated goal of $100,000 annually.
2. Purple Gala Event Proceeds: Annual fundraising gala where all proceeds go to BTSF to support domestic and child abuse programs. The gala features domestic violence survivors as models in a fashion show.
3. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships from organizations including BMO Harris Bank, Home Depot, Toro Construction, Chicago White Sox, and Chicago Bears. Sponsors are featured on website, print, and social media, and recognized at the Purple Gala.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Break The Silence Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides crisis intervention, advocacy, counseling, healthy relationship education, self-defense training, and workforce development to adult domestic violence victims and their families in the Berwyn/Cook County, Illinois region. It also runs the Chrysalis Program workshops, the Face To Face pro bono facial-surgery partnership with AAFPRS, a holiday Toys Program with Toys for Tots, and the annual Purple Gala fundraiser.

Product overview

Break The Silence Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of programs for domestic violence victims and families. The core programs include: the Chrysalis Program (educational workshops for survivors), Domestic Violence Assistance (crisis support and advocacy), Face To Face (pro bono facial reconstructive surgery partnership), and The Purple Gala (annual survivor celebration). Additional programs include a Toys Program (holiday toy distribution) and the A Penny For a Life fundraising campaign. All programs work together to provide crisis intervention, education, workforce development, and community support services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Domestic Violence Assistance
• The Chrysalis Program Workshop-based program helping participants end the cycle of abuse through education and empowerment, delivered in partnership with Family Bridges USA. Includes workshops on Domestic Abuse in the Family, Stress Management & Conflict Resolution, and The PICK Program (Premarital Interpersonal Choices & Knowledge).
• Face To Face A national domestic violence project that provides pro bono facial surgery to victims of domestic violence who cannot afford reconstructive treatment, operated in partnership with the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS Foundation).
• Our Toys Program Holiday toy distribution program that provides toys to underprivileged families and children in Cook County, operated in partnership with the US Marine Corps Toys for Tots Program.
• The Purple Gala Annual fundraising event celebrating domestic violence survivors who completed the Chrysalis Program; features a fashion show with survivors as models, with all proceeds supporting BTSF's mission to end domestic and child abuse.
• A Penny For a Life Campaign Humanitarian fundraising project with a stated annual goal of $100,000 to fund programs assisting domestic violence victims; invites businesses to contribute 1% or one dollar of gross receipts for either six months or a full year, with sponsor recognition on the BTSF website, in print, on social media, and at the next Purple Gala.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 87,000 toys distributed to low-income families in Cook County in December 2023
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AAFPRS (American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery) FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2019BTSF partnered with AAFPRS in October 2019 to provide pro bono facial surgery to domestic violence victims who need reconstructive surgery. The partnership leverages over 2,500 board certified plastic surgeons nationwide. The Face To Face program helps repair both physical and psychological scars and helps individuals regain self-esteem.
• Family Bridges USAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBTSF partners with Family Bridges USA to deliver a series of workshops designed to help each participant end the cycle of abuse. Workshops cover various topics including counseling, healthy relationships, and self-improvement.
• One Warm CoatminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBTSF partnered with One Warm Coat, a national nonprofit organization that provides free coats to children and adults in need. This partnership extends BTSF's community support services beyond domestic violence assistance.
• US Marine Corps Toys for Tots ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBTSF partners with the US Marine Corps Toys for Tots Program to distribute toys for underprivileged kids and single families in Cook County. In December 2023, over 87,000 toys were distributed to low-income families through this partnership.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network): Operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline and adjacent survivor-support programming. Comparable as a national nonprofit delivering crisis intervention, counseling referrals, and education for violence survivors, though focused on sexual rather than domestic violence.
• National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV): National advocacy and resource organization for domestic violence survivors; comparable in mission focus on DV awareness, survivor resources, and public education, with a broader advocacy and policy footprint than BTSF.
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: The federally designated 24/7 DV hotline providing crisis intervention, safety planning, and referral services across the U.S. Highly comparable mission to BTSF's Domestic Violence Assistance program, but operates at national scale rather than single-region.
• Safe Horizon: Large New York City-based nonprofit providing DV hotline, counseling, shelter, and court advocacy services. Directly comparable wraparound service model — crisis intervention, counseling, legal advocacy — though operating at much greater scale in a different metro.
• Family Bridges USA: Documented strategic partner of BTSF that delivers the Chrysalis Program workshop curriculum (Domestic Abuse in the Family, Stress Management, PICK Program). Highly comparable as a relationship-education and abuse-prevention nonprofit, with a partial product overlap.
• Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women's Network (now Between Friends Chicago): Chicago-area DV services nonprofit explicitly referenced in BTSF's founder history (Maribel Garcia served on its advisory board). Most direct geographic peer — same metro, same survivor population, overlapping service portfolio.

Others

• Toys for Tots (Marine Corps Reserve): National toy-distribution partner of BTSF responsible for the 87,000+ toy December 2023 distribution in Cook County. Not a direct competitor but a closely linked enabling organization.
• One Warm Coat: National coat-distribution nonprofit that BTSF partners with. Comparable as an adjacent community-aid organization serving low-income families, though focused on clothing rather than crisis intervention.
• AAFPRS Foundation (Face To Face Program): Partner that operates the Face To Face national DV project providing pro bono facial reconstructive surgery. Comparable as an adjacent enabling organization whose program BTSF channels survivors into; not a direct competitor but a tightly coupled ecosystem partner.

Emerging players

• WomensLaw.org: National online legal-information project for DV survivors covering protective orders, custody, and divorce. Overlaps with BTSF's court-advocacy and orders-of-protection work, though primarily an information resource rather than direct service provider.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCDpRWPLdtfi5Nd_eyureV4g
• Facebookfacebook.com/breakthesilencefoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/breakthesilencefoundation1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/break-the-silence-foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Break The Silence Foundation