The F.I.N.D Design

What The F.I.N.D Design does

F.L.Y. Girl Institute (formerly The F.I.N.D. Design, Families in Need of Direction) is a registered U.S. nonprofit charity (EIN 47-2471327) founded in 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee by Kara James and Sharese Chapman, both Black women and Michigan natives. The organization delivers gender-based programming for Black girls and other girls of color ages 11-18 in Middle Tennessee and the broader Southeast, addressing systemic and personal trauma through safe spaces, long-term mentorships, and integrated mental health services delivered by licensed professionals and culturally responsive staff. Its operating model is donation-funded: individual one-time and monthly recurring gifts, designated scholarship funding (Full $5,075, Half $2,538, Sponsor-a-Month $300), in-kind contributions of equipment and supplies, and volunteer service (2,000 hours contributed in 2024). Programs are delivered free to participants and routed through direct enrollment, school-district partnerships, and university residential experiences.

The product portfolio consists of three core programs and one research publication. F.L.Y. Girl 2.0 META•morphosis is the flagship—a 12-month, 210+ hour transformational experience built on the proprietary Joy Incubator Framework, which integrates mental wellness, cultural identity development, sisterhood, VR production, and AI tool fluency, with a target cohort of 440 participants per cycle. The FLY Girl Summer Experience delivers a one-week residential college experience at Trevecca Nazarene University plus a three-week day-camp component. The RestorED Project extends the healing-centered methodology to Black educators through a partnership with Metro Nashville Public Schools and Ever Forward Club. The Black Wellness Report, co-authored with Dr. Andrea Joseph-McCatty of the University of Tennessee, provides a research-based resource on challenges and solutions for Black girls' wellness.

Commercially, the organization operates a community-led, donation-dependent go-to-market with no program fees charged to participants. Distribution relies on direct program delivery, institutional partnerships (Metro Nashville Public Schools, Trevecca Nazarene University, Harlem Film House), community referrals, social media, and volunteer/donor cultivation. The operating footprint is a 6-10 person staff complement led by two co-founders with Renee' Jones as VP of Operations & Programs, backed by an 8+ member Board of Directors chaired by Aleshia Curry (COO, Awe Love Entertainment) with Dr. Andrea McCatty as Vice Chair. The organization is independently governed, owns no subsidiaries, has no institutional investors, and reported 92% program attendance, 3,630 healing-circle hours, and an 83% alumni outcome rate (healthy-boundary awareness) in the 2023-2024 cycle.

Name

The F.I.N.D Design

Legal name

F.L.Y. Girl Institute

Website

https://thefinddesign.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

F.L.Y. Girl Institute is a Nashville-based nonprofit founded in 2015 that delivers trauma-informed, healing-centered programming for Black girls and girls of color ages 11-18, combining mental wellness, cultural identity development, and VR/AI skill-building through its proprietary Joy Incubator Framework.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development and Mentorship Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Health Promotion, Prevention & Wellness Education (EDALAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Wellness & Prevention Programs (Substance Use, Sexual Health, Bullying) (EDAJAIAG), AI & Emerging Technology Literacy (EDAAAIAJ)

Keywords

• Youth development programs
• Girl mentorship services
• Mental wellness programming
• Healing-centered education
• Nonprofit youth services

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and monthly donations from individual supporters. One-time donation options range from $25 to custom amounts; monthly recurring donations range from $50 to $250.
2. Scholarship Fund Revenue: Designated scholarship funding to support girls' participation regardless of financial ability. Full scholarship: $5,075; Half scholarship: $2,538; Sponsor-a-Month: $300.
3. In-Kind Donations: Accepts in-kind contributions including VR headsets, laptops, technology equipment, residential week supplies, meals, program supplies, clothing, and professional attire donations.
4. Volunteer Service (In-Kind): Volunteers contributed 2,000 hours of service in 2024, providing hands-on program delivery and operations support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

F.L.Y. Girl Institute (formerly The F.I.N.D. Design) is a registered nonprofit that delivers gender-based programming for Black girls and other girls of color ages 11-18 in Middle Tennessee. Its core offerings include the year-round F.L.Y. Girl 2.0 META•morphosis journey (210+ hours of engagement), the FLY Girl Summer Experience (residential college experience at Trevecca Nazarene University plus day camps), the RestorED Project for Black educators, and the Black Wellness Report research publication. Programs combine mental wellness, cultural identity, sisterhood, VR/AI technology skill building, and trauma-informed care delivered by licensed mental health professionals, provided at no cost to participants.

Product overview

The F.I.N.D. Design, now operating as F.L.Y. Girl Institute (Forever Loving Yourself), operates as a gender-based programming organization offering a portfolio of three core programs designed to empower girls of color ages 11-18. The flagship F.L.Y. Girl 2.0 META•morphosis provides a 12-month transformational journey incorporating VR and AI technology alongside mental wellness and cultural identity development. The FLY Girl Summer Experience delivers an intensive summer program with a residential college component at Trevecca Nazarene University. The RestorED Project extends the organization's healing-centered approach to Black educators. The organization also produces the Black Wellness Report as a research-based resource. The programs collectively focus on mental health programming, mentorship, cultural identity, sisterhood, storytelling, and technology literacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• F.L.Y. Girl 2.0 META•morphosis A 12-month transformational program for girls of color ages 11-18 that combines mental wellness, cultural identity, sisterhood, storytelling, and VR/AI technology through the Joy Incubator Framework, offering 210+ hours of direct engagement and targeting 440 participants per cohort.
• FLY Girl Summer Experience A transformational summer program in partnership with Trevecca Nazarene University that empowers girls through leadership development, mental wellness, cultural identity, technology, creativity, and sisterhood, featuring a one-week residential college experience and three weeks of day camp.
• RestorED Project A resource hub supporting Black educators in Metro Nashville Public Schools and beyond in fostering healing-centered classrooms, self-care, and community connection through practical strategies, tools, and a growing educator community.
• Black Wellness Report A comprehensive report on Black girls' wellness developed in collaboration with Dr. Andrea Joseph-McCatty, providing insights and actionable strategies to empower and uplift Black girls in communities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 92% attendance rate in programs during 2023-2024 school year
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Harlem Film HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with The Harlem Film House (CR Capers, Executive Director) for the Joy Incubator Framework. The partnership translates virtual VR exploration into real future-facing career opportunities through digital storytelling and content creation. Harlem Film House provides expertise in authentic storytelling and career pathway development.
• Trevecca Nazarene UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive partnership for one-week transformational residential college experience. Participants experience campus life, engage in advanced technology classrooms led by Trevecca professors, participate in interactive workshops, and explore AI innovation and VR experiences. The partnership provides venue for residential programming.
• Metro Nashville Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through RestorED Project, a resource hub supporting Black educators in Metro Nashville Public Schools. The collaboration provides healing-centered education tools, restorative leadership resources, and self-care support for educators and the students they serve.
• Ever Forward ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership for RestorED Project, combining resources from F.L.Y. Girl Institute and Ever Forward Club to support educator wellness and healing-centered teaching practices.
• Dr. Andrea Joseph-McCattyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Dr. Andrea Joseph-McCatty to create a comprehensive Black Wellness Report covering challenges, strengths, and solutions shaping Black girls' futures. The report provides insights and actionable strategies for empowering Black girls.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Brown Girls Mentoring: Emerging nonprofit providing mentoring and empowerment programs to girls of color; smaller-scope overlap with F.L.Y. Girl's mentorship and identity-development programming.
• Girls Who Code: Nonprofit building computational skills and tech exposure for girls; partial overlap on the AI/VR literacy pillar, though its demographic is broader and its mission is not race-specific.

Direct peers

• Black Girls CODE: Nonprofit delivering technology and STEM exposure specifically to Black girls; directly comparable on the intersection of racial/gender identity and emerging-technology literacy, mirroring F.L.Y. Girl's VR/AI pillar.
• Pretty Brown Girls: Youth development nonprofit focused on empowering girls of color through mentorship, self-esteem, and educational programming; directly comparable on target demographic and healing-centered empowerment mission.
• Girls Inc. National nonprofit operating gender-based programming for girls ages 6-18, with a comparable focus on safe spaces, mentorship, and self-advocacy; directly comparable mission and beneficiary demographic.

Broad incumbents

• YWCA USA: Long-standing national nonprofit serving women and girls with programming across health, safety, and empowerment; broadly incumbent in girls-serving space with comparable advocacy and wellness programming.
• National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI): National organization advancing child development for Black children through research, advocacy, and program delivery; broadly incumbent in the same equity-focused youth space and a comparable voice on Black-girls wellness.
• Girl Scouts of the USA: Established national youth-serving organization for girls offering STEM badges, leadership, and wellness programming; broad incumbent whose portfolio overlaps with F.L.Y. Girl's pillars but does not specialize in the Black-girls-healing-centered niche.

Others

• Ever Forward Club: Nonprofit partnering on the RestorED Project to support Black-educator wellness; adjacent collaborator rather than competitor, but operates in overlapping youth-development and educator-support territory.
• National Coalition of 100 Black Women: Advocacy and leadership organization for Black women and girls; adjacent rather than directly competitive, but shares the focus on empowerment of Black girls and access to opportunity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@thefinddesign857/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/FLYGirlInstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-f.i.n.d-design
• Instagraminstagram.com/fly_girl_institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 The F.I.N.D Design