Armenian Relief Society

What Armenian Relief Society does

The Armenian Relief Society, Inc. (ARS) is an independent, non-sectarian, non-governmental humanitarian organization founded in 1910 and headquartered at 80 Bigelow Avenue, Watertown, Massachusetts (EIN 04-2219512). It is governed by a Central Executive Board elected at quadrennial International Conventions and coordinates a decentralized network of chapters and regional entities across 27 countries spanning North America, the Caucasus, the Middle East, Europe, South America, and Australia. ARS delivers programs across five core service lines: child and youth sponsorships, education (scholarships, kindergartens, the Best Student program supporting 100 students annually in Armenia, Artsakh, and Javakhk), healthcare (the Mother and Child Health & Birthing Center in Akhur, Shirak Province, with mammography upgrades; the Araxi Boulghourdjian Socio-medical Center in Lebanon), humanitarian relief (Stand with Artsakh Family, Stand with Lebanon, Solar Artsakh, Hearths of Hope, Amanor holiday gifts), and United Nations advocacy under ECOSOC special consultative status (including a UN Summer Internship program and CSW participation). Since founding, ARS reports reaching over 1 million people through humanitarian aid.

The organization's revenue model is entirely donation-driven. ARS accepts one-time and recurring gifts (suggested tiers $25/$50/$100/$250/custom) through its website with Stripe, PayPal, and Google Pay processing, plus corporate sponsorships and member contributions. Major emergency and infrastructure campaigns are run as time-bound appeals: Stand with Lebanon raised $600,000 via a benefit concert; Solar Artsakh is operating against a $4 million goal (raised $291,689 by December 2022); Stand with an Artsakh Family deployed $250/month per family to roughly 1,000 displaced families for four months; Lebanon hot meal programs totaled $224,426 over twelve months. Subscription-style monthly sponsorship programs exist for Artsakh families and Lebanon emergency programs, and tiered annual scholarships fund students. Event-driven fundraising — the 7th International Cruise with 253 passengers and the October 2025 115th Anniversary gala with 400+ attendees — is a second material channel. The 72nd Convention (2019) disclosed that ARS entities collectively disbursed $12 million in program investments across education, health, social services, and humanitarian aid over the prior four-year term.

Technology infrastructure is intentionally minimal: a WordPress-based content management site (ars1910.org), standard payment processing integrations, Google Analytics and Chartbeat for web analytics, and Facebook social plugins. There is no proprietary software, mobile application, or API. Operating geographies span at least 13 disclosed countries (USA, Canada, Lebanon, Syria, Armenia, Greece, Argentina, Bulgaria, France, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Australia, and Georgia) with a stated 27-country footprint. Reported paid headcount at the central organization is 1-10, with programmatic delivery executed through a much larger volunteer and member base across regional entities and in partnership with allied organizations including the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), Code 3 Angels, Armenia Fund USA, Armenian Blue Cross of Greece, Cedars Relief, and the American Lebanese Medical Association.

Name

Armenian Relief Society

Legal name

Armenian Relief Society, Inc.

Website

https://ars1910.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1910

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Armenian Relief Society (ARS), founded in 1910 and headquartered in Watertown, Massachusetts, is a 501(c)(3) non-governmental humanitarian organization operating across 27 countries that delivers relief, education, healthcare, and housing programs to Armenian and non-Armenian communities worldwide, funded primarily by donations and event-based fundraising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Aid Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Community Housing Services (62422), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Humanitarian Health & Emergency Medical Relief NGOs (HLAJAKAE), Cash Assistance & Social Safety Net Delivery for Displaced Populations (BPADAHAH), Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD)

Keywords

• Humanitarian aid services
• Disaster relief programs
• Education scholarships
• Healthcare services
• Community development

Headquarters

HQ city

Watertown, Massachusetts

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Primary revenue stream from individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and member contributions. Donors can give one-time or recurring donations at various levels ($25-$250+).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Armenian Relief Society (ARS) is a nonprofit humanitarian organization delivering emergency relief, education support, healthcare services, and community development programs to Armenian and non-Armenian communities across 27 countries. Core offerings include child sponsorship, youth programs, scholarships, kindergarten operations, the Mother and Child Health & Birthing Center in Armenia, and disaster relief initiatives such as Stand with Lebanon and Stand with Artsakh Family.

Product overview

The Armenian Relief Society operates as a multi-faceted humanitarian organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of programs and services. The core offerings include child sponsorship, youth programs, education (scholarships and kindergartens), health services (Mother and Child Health & Birthing Center), and emergency relief. Notable initiatives include the Hearths of Hope housing program for displaced Artsakh families, the Solar Artsakh solar water heater initiative, the Stand with Artsakh and Stand with Lebanon emergency assistance programs, the annual Amanor holiday gift program, and UN internship opportunities. The organization also conducts fundraising events including international cruises. These programs are delivered through a network of regional chapters and entities operating across 27 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ARS Child Sponsorships

Quantifiable outcome

• Provided solar water heaters to 101 homes (544 residents) in Artsakh
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, core and major.

• Armenian Blue Cross of Greece (ABC)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 September 2022Greeted cruise participants in Athens and organized tour of the city during ARS 7th International Cruise.
• Code 3 AngelscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 August 2020Non-profit organization that partnered with ARS for Lebanon humanitarian relief. Provided office space for gathering supplies and preparing bundles. Coordinated first humanitarian flight to Lebanon carrying 2.5 tons of medical supplies. Ongoing partnership for additional relief flights.
• Armenia Fund USAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 August 2020Coordinated humanitarian flights to Lebanon with ARS and Code 3 Angels. Long-standing partner in homeland Armenia and Artsakh initiatives.
• Cedars ReliefsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 August 2020Los Angeles-based Lebanese American organization that helped secure and deliver medical supplies to Rafik Hariri University Hospital.
• American Lebanese Medical AssociationsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 August 2020Partnered with ARS to secure and deliver much needed medical supplies to Beirut.
• Middle Eastern Pharmacy Association (Mepha)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 August 2020Partnered with ARS to provide pharmacy supplies for Lebanon relief efforts.
• Yerkir Media TVmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 August 2020Cooperated with ARS for Stand with Lebanon benefit concert broadcast. 54,000+ viewers watched the live event.
• Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 August 2020Joint efforts with ARS to deliver 75 non-contact infrared thermometers to Artsakh Ministry of Health for COVID-19 response. Long-standing partnership in Armenian humanitarian efforts.
• Chevrolet Chase Surgical CentermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2020Partnered with ARS to send one ton of medical supplies to Armenia and Artsakh during COVID-19 pandemic.
• All Hands and HeartssupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 August 2019ARS donated $2,700 to support rebuilding of schools in Nepal after 2015 earthquake.
• Hope for HaitisupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 October 2016Partnered to purify 14.1 million gallons of water for Haitian families following Hurricane Matthew.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Direct Relief: A large humanitarian medical aid organization focused on emergency health response and pharmaceutical supply distribution. Comparable to ARS on emergency medical relief delivery and global humanitarian footprint, but operating at vastly greater scale.
• International Medical Corps: Global humanitarian organization delivering emergency medical relief, healthcare, and related services in conflict and disaster settings. Comparable to ARS's health-focused humanitarian programs and refugee/displaced-person service delivery model.
• Relief International: International humanitarian nonprofit operating across emergency response, health, education, and economic recovery. Comparable to ARS's multi-sectoral humanitarian-development programming model and global footprint in fragile states.
• AmeriCares: U.S.-based humanitarian aid organization focused on medical supply distribution and emergency health response. Comparable to ARS's medical relief shipments (e.g., the 2.5-ton Lebanon humanitarian flight, COVID-19 supplies to Armenia and Artsakh).
• International Rescue Committee (IRC): Major humanitarian organization providing emergency aid, healthcare, education, and economic support to refugees and displaced populations globally. Comparable to ARS's displaced-family assistance programs (Stand with Artsakh Family) and refugee resettlement support.
• American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC): Diaspora humanitarian organization serving Jewish communities worldwide with humanitarian aid, elderly care, education, and community development. Closely analogous operating model to ARS as a diaspora-rooted, multi-country, multi-sectoral humanitarian nonprofit.

Direct peers

• Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society: Armenian diaspora organization focused on education, culture, and humanitarian aid. Comparable as a sister Armenian nonprofit with chapters worldwide running schools, cultural programs, and youth initiatives overlapping with ARS.
• Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU): The largest Armenian diaspora philanthropic organization, founded in 1906. Directly comparable to ARS as a Pan-Armenian nonprofit running educational, cultural, humanitarian, and youth programs across dozens of countries, with overlapping donor base and programmatic scope.
• Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA): A U.S.-based Armenian Christian nonprofit that operates humanitarian and educational programs in Armenia, including hospitals, schools, and relief initiatives. Directly comparable mission, donor base, and program mix to ARS.

Emerging players

• Armenian Red Cross Society: Armenia's national Red Cross society delivering humanitarian and disaster response services in Armenia. Comparable as a sister Armenian humanitarian organization with overlapping program areas (health, disaster relief, social support) and partially overlapping beneficiary populations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ars1910
• Facebookfacebook.com/ars1910
• Instagraminstagram.com/ars_1910
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ars1910

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 Armenian Relief Society