What The Lane Thomas Foundation does

The Lane Thomas Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 81-4544601) founded in 2016 in Omaha, Nebraska, by Matt and Melissa Graves following the loss of their son Lane Thomas Graves. Its core service is direct financial assistance for the non-medical expenses of families with children undergoing solid organ transplants, including lodging, transportation, food, mortgage/rent payments, auto insurance, utilities, and mobile phone/internet, enabling families to remain together and focused on the child's care. The foundation raises awareness and encourages action on pediatric organ donation through the #KeepLoveAlive campaign, the Lane's Light Pledge advocacy program, and educational content that addresses donation myths and facts and living donation.

The foundation has no proprietary technology beyond a standard web presence (no APIs, mobile apps, or AI/ML components) and operates with a 1-10 person team. It reaches beneficiaries exclusively through co-development partnerships with two Omaha-based pediatric transplant providers — Nebraska Medicine and Children's Hospital and Medical Center — which together serve as the referral channel for out-of-town families coming to Omaha from across the United States. The foundation publicly states it is evaluating expansion of these hospital partnerships to other U.S. regions.

The revenue model is donation-driven and 100% charitable. Gifts are solicited through website and mail channels using a six-tier structure ranging from $50 (communication support) to $5,000 (90-day family support package), with all donations U.S. tax-deductible. Acquisition relies on community-led outreach across Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, an email newsletter, and earned media including public service announcements. The foundation was incubated under the Omaha Community Foundation before receiving independent 501(c)(3) status in mid-September 2017, and in 2024 experienced a board transition with the passing of founding board member Patrick Gottsch and the addition of Angie Gottsch.

Name

The Lane Thomas Foundation

Legal name

The Lane Thomas Foundation

Website

https://lanethomas.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Lane Thomas Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides direct financial assistance for non-medical expenses to families of children undergoing solid organ transplants through Omaha-based partnerships with Nebraska Medicine and Children's Hospital and Medical Center, while advocating for pediatric organ donation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Family Support Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Blood, Organ & Tissue Donation Organizations (BPAGACAJ)

Keywords

• Pediatric transplant support
• Nonprofit family assistance
• Organ donation advocacy
• Charitable foundation services
• Financial aid programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Omaha

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: The foundation generates revenue through tax-deductible charitable donations from individuals, corporations, and potentially other foundations. Donations support the operational costs of the organization and fund the assistance provided to families of children undergoing organ transplants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Lane Thomas Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides direct financial assistance to families of children undergoing solid organ transplants, covering non-medical expenses such as housing, transportation, utilities, insurance, food, and communication costs. The foundation also runs the #KeepLoveAlive campaign and Lane's Light Pledge program to advocate for increased pediatric organ donation awareness and registration.

Product overview

The Lane Thomas Foundation operates as a nonprofit charitable organization rather than a technology product company. Its primary offerings consist of family support services (financial assistance for non-medical expenses during pediatric transplant journeys), the #KeepLoveAlive advocacy campaign for pediatric organ donation awareness, the Lane's Light Pledge advocacy program, and educational resources about living donation and organ donation myths/facts. These programs work together to support families in crisis while promoting pediatric organ donation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Family Support Services Financial assistance program for families of children undergoing solid organ transplants, covering non-medical expenses including lodging, transportation, food, mortgage/rent, auto payments, utilities, insurance, and mobile phone/internet. Designed to keep families together during transplant journeys at partner hospitals.
• #KeepLoveAlive Campaign Pediatric organ donation awareness campaign encouraging families to discuss organ donation before tragedy strikes. Includes hashtag advocacy and pledge-taking functionality to promote pediatric organ donation registration.
• Lane's Light Pledge Program Pledge-based advocacy program where individuals commit to becoming advocates for pediatric organ donation and promise to have conversations with their families, friends, and social networks about pediatric organ donation.
• Living Donation Education Educational resources and information about living donation, including details about how kidneys, lobes of lung, portions of liver, and blood stem cells can be donated to save lives.
• Myths and Facts Education Educational materials addressing misconceptions about pediatric organ donation, providing factual information to help parents make informed decisions about organ donation for their children.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,100 children currently waiting for organ transplants in the U.S.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Nebraska MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2017Nebraska Medicine is a key healthcare partner providing pediatric transplant services. The Lane Thomas Foundation works in collaboration with Nebraska Medicine to support families of children undergoing solid organ transplants. The foundation provides financial assistance for non-medical expenses, allowing families to focus on their child's care at Nebraska Medicine's facilities.
• Children's Hospital and Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2017Children's Hospital and Medical Center is a pediatric healthcare partner providing transplant programs. The foundation works in collaboration with Children's Hospital to support their Pediatric Transplant Programs, with the primary goal of keeping families together while relieving them of financial burdens such as lodging, transportation, and food so they can focus on their child during the transplant journey.
• Donate Life AmericasupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerDonate Life America is referenced as the national organ registry where parents can register for organ donation. The Lane Thomas Foundation promotes the Donate Life registry as part of its #KeepLoveAlive advocacy campaign to increase pediatric organ donation awareness and registration.
• Organ Procurement and Transplantation NetworksupportingOthersSource of pediatric transplant data and statistics cited by the foundation. The foundation uses OPTN data to inform its advocacy efforts and public awareness campaigns about the need for pediatric organ donation.
• University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's HospitalsupportingOthersSource of the 2018 National Poll on Children's Health which provides survey data about parent attitudes toward child organ donation. The foundation cites this research to support its educational mission about pediatric organ donation awareness.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lanethomasfnd
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@lanethomasfoundation7916
• Facebookfacebook.com/Lanethomasfoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/lanethomasfoundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Lane Thomas Foundation