Blossoms of Hope

What Blossoms of Hope does

Blossoms of Hope is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 20-2857869) founded in 2005 and headquartered at 6021 University Blvd, Suite 140 in Ellicott City, Maryland. The organization operates in two interconnected verticals: environmental beautification through the planting of pink-blossoming Kwanzan Cherry and Native Dogwood trees at 50+ grove locations across Howard County, and community support programs targeting cancer patients, youth mental health, and family hardship. Core programs include the Tree Planting and Sponsorship initiative (with a stated goal of 3,700 trees by 2027 and 2,700+ already planted), the Seeds of Hope mental health and youth initiative (Calming Corners, SHAPE Club, Seeds of Hope Chest serving 70+ Laurel families monthly, and the Fostering Hope Summit), The Santa Project (personalized holiday visits, currently paused for 2026 redesign), and recurring fundraising events (Pretty in Pink, Beer Bourbon & Blues, Power of the Purse, Pink Greens Golf Classic, Saluté to a Legacy). The organization has cumulatively donated more than $1,000,000 to local nonprofits serving vulnerable populations in Howard County.

Revenue is generated entirely through donations and contributions: individual giving, corporate sponsorships (e.g., First National Bank, State Farm, Merritt, Kahlert Foundation, Compass, Turf Valley), event ticket and table sales, recurring grants from organizations such as the Rotary Club, and a NeonCRM-based storefront for tree purchases and "Tree Hugger" sponsorships. The go-to-market model relies on community events as the primary engagement mechanism, supported by a website, email newsletter, organic social (Facebook, Instagram), and earned media through local outlets such as WJZ and Howard County Magazine. Vera Simmons was appointed as the organization's first executive director in ten years effective July 1, 2023, marking a transition from a long volunteer-led governance model (with Joe Barbera serving 13 years as Board Chair) to professionalized operations.

Customer/beneficiary segments are entirely local and non-commercial: Howard County residents and grantee nonprofits (Claudia Mayer Cancer Resource Center, Arc of Howard County, Bright Minds Foundation, Bryanna's Love, Camp Attaway, First Generation College Bound, Gilchrist, Grassroots Crisis Intervention, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Zaching Against Cancer Foundation, and Howard County Public School System). Geographic restrictions limit all operations to Howard County, MD. The organization has no venture funding, no parent or subsidiary entities, no patents, no published technology stack beyond standard SaaS tools, and no AI/ML components in its operations.

Name

Blossoms of Hope

Legal name

Blossoms of Hope

Website

https://blossomsofhope.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Blossoms of Hope is a Howard County, Maryland-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that plants pink-blossoming trees, runs youth mental health programs (Seeds of Hope), and operates The Santa Project, serving vulnerable community members through donations, corporate sponsorships, and recurring fundraising events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Community nonprofit services
• Tree planting programs
• Community fundraising events
• Mental health support programs
• Charitable grant funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Ellicott City

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: Blossoms of Hope generates revenue through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and fundraising events. The organization hosts multiple annual events including Pretty in Pink, Pink Greens Golf Classic, Beer Bourbon & Blues, Power of the Purse, and Seeds of Hope fundraisers. They also receive grants from organizations like the Rotary Club.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Blossoms of Hope is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that beautifies Howard County, Maryland by planting Kwanzan Cherry and Native Dogwood trees at 50+ grove locations, while raising and donating funds to local nonprofits serving cancer patients, mental-health, and family welfare causes. Its offerings include a Tree Planting and Sponsorship Program, the Seeds of Hope youth mental-health initiative, The Santa Project holiday program, and recurring fundraising events such as Pretty in Pink, Beer Bourbon & Blues, Power of the Purse, Pink Greens Golf Classic, and Saluté to a Legacy.

Product overview

Blossoms of Hope is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of community beautification and support programs. The core offerings include: Tree Planting and Sponsorship Program (beautification through pink-blossoming trees), Seeds of Hope Program (mental health and youth initiatives including Calming Corners, SHAPE Club, Seeds of Hope Chest, and the Fostering Hope Summit), The Santa Project (holiday Santa visit program), and various annual fundraising events (Pretty in Pink, Beer Bourbon & Blues, Power of the Purse, Pink Greens Golf Classic). The organization has planted over 2,700 trees since 2005 and has donated more than $1,000,000 to community causes in Howard County.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Seeds of Hope: Program supporting youth mental health including Calming Corners, Summit, SHAPE Club, and Seeds of Hope Chest for household items
• The Santa Project
• Pink Blossoms

Products and services

• Tree Planting and Sponsorship Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $1,000,000 donated to Howard County community organizations serving vulnerable populations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 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

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Zaching Against Cancer FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2021Partnership formed in 2021 to expand The Santa Project, first initiated by Blossoms of Hope during COVID to bring Santa and his elves to homes of families in need. Since 2021, Zaching Against Cancer has co-sponsored the program.
• Howard County Public School SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSanta visits more than 100 children annually in cooperation with the Howard County Public School System as part of The Santa Project.
• Howard County GovernmentmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Visit Howard County for community events and the Howard County Local Children's Board (LCB) for family support programs.
• Rotary ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual grants received from Rotary Club to support community programs. Multiple grants documented in 2022 and 2023.
• The Howard Hughes CorporationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to plant 100 pink-blossoming trees in Downtown Columbia, with first plantings in October 2017 at Merriweather District.
• University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTree dedication at UMBC campus in 2023 as part of beautification and community outreach.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Nature Conservancy: Large-scale environmental nonprofit with a much broader mission but overlapping tree-planting, restoration, and Maryland presence; relevant for benchmarking donor-pool scale and corporate partnership patterns in the same geography.
• United Way of Central Maryland: Regional nonprofit that funds and convenes human-service nonprofits across central Maryland, including Howard County; a broader-incumbent analog whose corporate-partner model and grant-distribution approach Blossoms of Hope in part mimics.

Direct peers

• American Forests: U.S. nonprofit focused on reforestation, urban tree planting, and forest conservation. Closely comparable on the tree-planting and urban-grove programs that form Blossoms of Hope's flagship activity.
• Arbor Day Foundation: National nonprofit whose core mission is tree planting and community forestry, directly comparable to Blossoms of Hope's grove-based planting model. Like Blossoms of Hope, it pairs tree sponsorship/donation programs with education and community engagement.
• Keep America Beautiful: National nonprofit that organizes community beautification, litter reduction, and greening programs with corporate and civic sponsors — directly parallel to Blossoms of Hope's beautification-plus-fundraising model across Howard County.
• Community Foundation of Howard County: The local community foundation serving the same Howard County geography, distributing grants to nonprofits addressing community needs — directly comparable on mission, geography, and donor base to Blossoms of Hope's grantmaking work.

Regional players

• Casey Trees: Washington, D.C.-area nonprofit focused on urban tree planting, stewardship, and education — a regional analog serving an adjacent mid-Atlantic urban/suburban geography with a comparable mission and tree-sponsorship revenue model.

Emerging players

• Tree Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh-area nonprofit focused on urban tree planting and stewardship through a combination of donations, volunteer events, and community partnerships — an emerging-player analog of the same single-metro community-grove model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blossoms-of-hope

Compliance1 record

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 Blossoms of Hope