Saranam

What Saranam does

Saranam is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico that operates a two-year residential transitional housing program for families experiencing homelessness. Founded in 2004 through an endowment gift from Frances Thaxton Ash to Central United Methodist Church, the organization provides fully furnished rent-free apartments, comprehensive adult and children's education, life skills training, intensive case management, and a supportive peer community. The organization's name means "refuge" in Sanskrit. Saranam serves approximately 20 new families annually across two campuses — the Frances Thaxton Ash Campus on the east side (capacity ~20 families) and the newly completed ADC Family Campus on the west side (23 new homes, completed May 2026) — with the westside expansion effectively doubling capacity. Families are referred by community professionals, go through an interview process twice yearly, and participate full-time in education without outside employment during residency.

The organization has achieved strong outcomes: a 77% exit success rate (families able to self-provide housing and living expenses) and an 87% long-term alumni stability rate. Programmatic features include 250+ hours of on-site adult coursework in the first year, 450+ hours of life skills classes in the first semester, and post-exit support through alumni services including Individual Development Account savings partnerships with Prosperity Works and Rio Grande Credit Union. Saranam has served 211 families (238 adults and 447 children) since founding. The organization's business model relies on diversified funding from individual donations (processed via Network for Good), foundation and corporate grants (15+ named institutional funders), and in-kind contributions; the Frances Thaxton Ash Endowment absorbs most fundraising overhead, directing donations to family programming. Saranam holds a 4-star Charity Navigator rating and Candid certification and operates with approximately 19 staff under Executive Director Tracy Weaver.

Name

Saranam

Legal name

Saranam, LLC

Website

https://saranamabq.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Saranam is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Albuquerque, New Mexico that operates a two-year residential transitional housing program for homeless families with children, providing furnished apartments, education, life skills training, and case management across two campuses serving approximately 20 families annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Transitional Housing and Social Services

NAICS

Temporary Shelters (624221), Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC)

Keywords

• Transitional housing services
• Homeless family support
• Social services nonprofit
• Affordable housing programs
• Community education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Albuquerque

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Saranam relies on generous financial support and donations from the community. Donors can give online via Network for Good, send checks, set up electronic fund transfers, or contribute through United Way of North Central New Mexico. The Frances Thaxton Ash Endowment covers most fundraising costs, ensuring donations directly support family programming.
2. Foundation and Corporate Grants: Saranam receives financial support from foundations and corporations including ABQ Community Foundation, Bank of America, Anderson Foundation, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, City of Albuquerque, Corio Foundation, Guild Mortgage, Illinois No. 3 Foundation, Mabee Foundation, Lineberry Foundation, Maloof Foundation, Nusenda Foundation, PNM, Sandia National Laboratories, Sandia Foundation, Texas Methodist Foundation, Three Sisters of the Southwest Foundation, and United Way.
3. In-Kind Donations: Saranam accepts in-kind donations including furniture, household items, vehicles, and professional services (legal work, trades, accounting, teaching). These donations reduce operational costs and provide furnished apartments for families.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Saranam provides a free, two-year residential transitional housing program for families experiencing homelessness in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The program combines fully furnished rent-free apartments, adult education (GED preparation, college courses at CNM, life skills training), children's enrichment, intensive case management, weekly cash allowance, and transportation assistance. Families are accepted through a community referral and interview process and live in peer cohorts across two campuses.

Product overview

Saranam is a non-profit transitional living program offering a two-generational approach to ending family homelessness through three integrated core programs: Housing (fully furnished apartments for up to two years), Education (adult and children's programming including GED prep, college courses, and life skills), and Community (peer group model with cohort-based support). The organization operates across two campuses in Albuquerque—the Frances Thaxton Ash Campus on the east side and the ADC Family Campus on the west side—which together serve approximately 20 new families annually. Supporting services include donation processing through Network for Good, volunteer management via Volunteer Matrix, and alumni support including financial coaching partnerships. The program achieves a 77% success rate with families exiting to stable housing and employment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Housing Program Transitional housing component providing fully furnished apartments to families experiencing homelessness for up to two years. Each apartment includes kitchen facilities, furnishings, household supplies, rent, and utilities. Families can take all furnishings with them when they exit the program. Saranam also provides a weekly cash allowance for adults and a monthly transportation allowance.
• Education Program Two-generational educational support including adult education (GED preparation, college courses at Central New Mexico Community College, life skills classes) and children's enrichment programs (tutoring, reading circles, developmental activities). Adults complete over 250 hours of on-site coursework in their first year and over 450 hours of life skills classes in their first semester.
• Community Program Peer cohort model creating supportive community for families through cohort-based living, family nights, life skills classes, and volunteer opportunities. Families live together in apartment complexes, share experiences, and build lasting connections that often continue after program exit through alumni programming.
• Alumni Services Ongoing support for families after exiting the program, including alumni events, financial coaching through the Prosperity Works partnership, Individual Development Account (IDA) savings programs with Rio Grande Credit Union for home purchases, and community engagement opportunities. The Alumni Coordinator leads this work.

Quantifiable outcome

• 77% of families successfully exit the program able to provide for their own housing, utilities, and living expenses
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Network for GoodcoreOthersThird-party donation processing platform that enables Saranam to accept one-time and recurring donations online securely. Donations can be made at https://saranamabq.networkforgood.com/projects/46139-building-foundations-for-life
• United Way of North Central New MexicominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDonors can contribute to Saranam through United Way's online donor platform by selecting Saranam as their designated charity.
• ReSupplyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVeteran-owned and operated business that organizes professional moving companies to pick up furniture items and deliver them to non-profits for a fee. Recommended as paid option for furniture donation pick-up since Saranam cannot offer their own pick-up services.
• Central New Mexico Community College (CNM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdults in Saranam's program transition to taking college-level academic or vocational courses at CNM. Financial aid and scholarship support from Saranam helps adults pursue degrees and certificates.
• Roadrunner Food BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership providing food support to Saranam families.
• Albuquerque Police DepartmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides safety training for families and connects them to law enforcement resources in the community.
• UNM Evaluation LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFive-year partnership with graduate student researchers conducting rigorous two-year mixed methods study to validate Saranam's program outcomes and identify factors supporting successful replication. Presented findings at NM Public Health Association Conference.
• Prosperity WorkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing Individual Development Account (IDA) program through Rio Grande Credit Union. Helps alumni save for homes and assets, with some alumni buying houses through this program.
• Rio Grande Credit UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with Prosperity Works for IDA (Individual Development Account) program allowing alumni to establish savings accounts with matching funds for home purchases.
• Pictures of HopeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational program founded by photojournalist Linda Solomon that helps children experiencing homelessness explore their hopes and dreams through photography. Partnered with Saranam for second year in 2026. Cameras donated by W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
• American Home Furniture and MattressminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonated approximately 40 mattresses worth $20,000 for families exiting homelessness and entering Saranam's program.
• Rotary Club of Albuquerque del NorteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2017, the club has donated Thanksgiving food baskets (35 baskets annually) with ingredients for families to cook holiday meals. Includes cooking tutorial and nutrition education at Weil Family Center.
• Girl Scouts Troop #10624minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Girl Scout troop that voted to spend cookie proceeds on sitting mats with fun animal faces, plush pillows, and colorful nature posters for Saranam's temporary classroom at ADC Family Campus.
• Bosque SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNearby school with Community Engagement class that schedules site visits and hands-on volunteering including landscaping, painting, and meal preparation for families at both campuses.
• Be the NeighborminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJustice-based service-learning ministry that offers summer trips across the United States. Brings volunteers to help at Saranam, including landscaping and facility projects.
• Three Sisters RestaurantminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal restaurant where Bosque School students learned food safety handling and prepared lasagnas and enchiladas for delivery to Saranam families at both campuses.
• Consumer Financial Protection BureauminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSaranam's Family Activity Coordinators follow the Money as You Grow program from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for family night curriculum.
• Albuquerque MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMuseum that hosted Pictures of Hope photography tutorial sessions and exhibition where children's photographs were displayed publicly.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Family Promise: National nonprofit network mobilizing faith communities to provide temporary shelter and stabilization services for families experiencing homelessness. Operates an affiliate model with local chapters providing housing and case management — a direct structural analogue to Saranam's transitional housing model for families.
• Volunteers of America (VOA): Large national nonprofit operating family shelters, transitional housing, and supportive housing programs across the U.S. Comparable in delivering residential and supportive services to families experiencing homelessness, but at vastly broader national scale and as part of a multi-service portfolio.

Regional players

• Heading Home Albuquerque: Albuquerque-focused initiative working to end homelessness through coordinated entry, rapid rehousing, and supportive services. Operates in Saranam's exact geography and serves overlapping populations, but focuses on faster-cycle rapid rehousing rather than Saranam's two-year residential model.
• Coalition for the Homeless (Albuquerque): Albuquerque-area nonprofit providing housing navigation, shelter, and rapid rehousing services. Direct regional peer serving overlapping homeless populations, but emphasizes shelter and rapid rehousing rather than Saranam's two-year residential model.
• Barrett Foundation: Albuquerque nonprofit providing shelter, housing, and supportive services for women and children experiencing homelessness. Direct regional peer operating similar family-focused residential programs in the same Albuquerque market.

Direct peers

• Community of Hope (Washington DC): DC-based nonprofit providing transitional housing, supportive services, and education to families experiencing homelessness. Operates a multi-generational residential program combining housing with case management and education pathways — closely aligned with Saranam's two-generational approach.
• Shelter Network (Bay Area): California-based nonprofit providing shelter, housing, and supportive services to families and individuals experiencing homelessness. Operates multiple residential programs with intensive case management — comparable residential family-housing model.
• Community Housing Partnership (San Francisco): San Francisco nonprofit providing supportive housing, property management, and resident services for formerly homeless individuals and families. Comparable in operating its own housing stock and combining residential services with case management and pathways to stability.

Others

• National Alliance to End Homelessness: National policy and research organization advancing evidence-based solutions to homelessness. Ecosystem peer relevant to Saranam's evidence-based, UNM-validated approach and policy advocacy for the family-homelessness population Saranam serves.
• National Center for Housing and Child Welfare: National intermediary advancing policies and practices that connect housing and child welfare systems. Relevant ecosystem peer working on the same intersection of family homelessness and child welfare outcomes that Saranam targets.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SaranamLLC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/saranam-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 Saranam