Partners For World Health

What Partners For World Health does

Partners For World Health (PWH) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2009 and headquartered in Portland, Maine, that collects surplus medical supplies and equipment from over 100 healthcare facilities across New England and redistributes them to under-resourced hospitals and clinics in more than 20 countries, alongside local Maine/New England communities. PWH operates six core program pillars: the Container Shipment Program (40-foot ocean freight containers valued at over $335,000 each sent internationally), the Medical Supply Program (low- and no-cost supplies sold at $5 per pound to individuals and organizations locally), Medical Service Trips (approximately two-week volunteer healthcare missions), Project 10,000 (maternal and infant mortality reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa), the Medical Supply and Equipment Collection Program, and the Global Health Education Forum. International program reach spans Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cameroon, Colombia, Kenya, Libya, Peru, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Turkey, and Uganda.

The business model blends four revenue streams: tax-deductible financial donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations; sales of redistributed medical supplies through the Medical Supply Program; processing and shipping fees charged to international container program partners; and tiered corporate sponsorships including the annual Blue Wrap Project Runway event and the Corporate Leadership Circle. There is no proprietary technology platform; the underlying operations are logistics, warehouse-based sorting (consolidated at a 16,758 sq ft facility at 40 Quarry Road, Portland as of November 2025), and volunteer-driven distribution, supplemented by a Boston administrative office at 265 Franklin St. Approximately 98% of operational work is accomplished by volunteers, with a lean paid staff across functions including CEO, Director of Advancement, Director of Finance, Director of Global Programs, Director of Materials Management, Director of Operations, biomedical technicians, and program coordinators.

PWH is governed by a Board of Directors (Chair Claire Deselle, Vice Chair Fran Girard, Treasurer Ellen Tobias, Secretary Karen Thorpe) and underwent a 2025 leadership transition from Founder Elizabeth McLellan (who received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of New England in 2023) to CEO John Kuehnle, MPH, MBA (former USAID diplomat). The organization holds a GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency, GreatNonprofits Top-Rated designation, One Percent for the Planet membership, and was featured by CNN's Great Big Story in 2024.

Name

Partners For World Health

Legal name

Partners for World Health

Website

https://partnersforworldhealth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Partners For World Health is a Portland, Maine-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that collects surplus medical supplies from over 100 New England healthcare facilities and redistributes them via $335,000 container shipments to hospitals and clinics in 20+ countries, plus local community access programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Supply Redistribution Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Wholesale-Medical, Dental & Hospital Equipment & Supplies (5047)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Supply Chain & Procurement Organizations (HLAJAKAL)

Keywords

• Medical supply redistribution
• Global health nonprofit
• Medical equipment donation
• Healthcare container shipping
• Medical mission trips

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Financial Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations supporting the nonprofit mission. Accepts stock donations, estate planning gifts, and donor-advised fund contributions.
2. Medical Supply Sales: Sale of medical supplies and equipment at $5 per pound or individually priced rates through the Medical Supply Program (MSP) to individuals, nonprofits, schools, and organizations.
3. Container Program Processing Fees: Processing fees plus shipping fees charged to international partners receiving 40-foot shipping containers of medical supplies and equipment valued at over $335,000.
4. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate Leadership Circle sponsorships and Blue Wrap Project Runway event sponsorships provide revenue through tiered giving levels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Partners For World Health (PWH) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that collects surplus medical equipment and supplies from over 100 New England medical facilities, evaluates and repackages them, and redistributes the items both locally (at $5/pound or individually priced through the Medical Supply Program) and internationally via 40-foot shipping containers (each valued at over $335,000) to under-resourced hospitals and clinics. The organization also runs medical service trips, the Project 10,000 maternal health initiative, and educational forums.

Product overview

Partners For World Health operates as a non-profit medical supply redistribution organization, not a traditional software product company. The organization offers a coordinated portfolio of programs including the Container Shipment Program (sending 40-foot ocean freight containers of medical supplies globally), the Medical Supply Program (providing supplies to local Maine/New England communities), Medical Service Trips (volunteer healthcare missions), Project 10,000 (maternal health initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa), and the Global Health Education Forum (educational speaker series). These programs work together to collect surplus medical equipment, redistribute it globally and locally, and strengthen healthcare systems in underserved communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Project 10,000: Maternal and infant mortality reduction program in Sub-Saharan Africa providing women with education and birthing kits.
• Blue Wrap Project Runway
• Medical Supply Program (MSP)
• Container Shipment Program

Products and services

• Container Shipment Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Each 40-foot container contains medical supplies valued at over $335,000
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered notable, core and minor.

• Corporate Sponsors (Blue Wrap Project Runway)notableGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Corporate sponsors supporting the Blue Wrap Project Runway 2025 event through the Corporate Leadership Circle sponsorship program with various giving levels.
• Anna Stasiv (Ukraine)notableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Nurse practitioner originally from Ukraine who partnered with PWH for emergency response during conflict, coordinating support for Ukraine.
• Dr. Sultana Easmin Rita (Bangladesh)notableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Interpreter for PWH medical missions in Bangladesh over three years, supporting PWH's 15th Anniversary Celebration in September 2024.
• Father Anthanasius Wirsiy (Cameroon)notableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Connected with PWH in 2018 and has helped organize two container shipments to Kumbo, Cameroon, supporting emerging healthcare systems.
• Local Hospitals and Clinics (International)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Programs operated in partnership with local hospitals and clinics in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cameroon, Colombia, Kenya, Libya, Peru, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Turkey (Syrian refugees), and Uganda since 2009.
• Over 100 New England Medical FacilitiescoreOthersPartnership with over 100 hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and medical facilities throughout New England to collect surplus medical supplies and equipment for redistribution.
• International Hospital Representatives (20+ Countries)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresentatives from hospitals in over 20 countries who coordinate receipt and distribution of supplies and equipment to hospitals and clinics in need.
• Freight ForwarderscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTrusted freight forwarders who handle international shipping logistics for container shipments, keeping consignee and team informed every step of the way to final delivery.
• Airline PartnersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartners providing airfare grants for volunteer program participants departing from Portland, Maine (PWM) or Boston, Massachusetts (BOS) airports.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• CrossLink International: CrossLink International collects donated medical equipment and supplies from US hospitals and redistributes them to mission hospitals and clinics in developing countries—comparable to PWH in mission, supply chain, and target recipient base, though smaller in scale.
• REMEDY (Recovered Medical Equipment for the Developing World): REMEDY recovers and refurbishes medical supplies and equipment from US hospitals and donates them to healthcare facilities in developing countries—mirroring PWH's collection model with a smaller footprint and a focus on recovered (rather than redistributed) supplies.

Broad incumbents

• AmeriCares: AmeriCares is a major global health-focused nonprofit distributing donated medicines, medical supplies, and equipment to under-resourced countries—overlapping with PWH in destination market and product category but operating at much larger scale and broader humanitarian mandate.
• International Medical Corps: International Medical Corps delivers healthcare services and medical supplies in crisis-affected and low-resource countries globally—comparably addressing the same destination markets as PWH but with a service-delivery (rather than pure redistribution) model.
• Direct Relief: Direct Relief is a large, well-established global health nonprofit delivering medical aid and supplies worldwide, including to conflict and disaster zones—adjacent to PWH but operating at significantly greater scale with broader humanitarian scope beyond redistribution of hospital surplus.

Direct peers

• Project C.U.R.E. Project C.U.R.E. is the largest US nonprofit collecting donated medical supplies and equipment and delivering container-sized shipments to hospitals and clinics in developing countries—operating the same collection-to-container redistribution model as PWH with a larger national footprint.
• MedWish International: MedWish International redistributes surplus medical supplies and equipment from US hospitals to healthcare providers in developing countries—closely matching PWH's product category, target donor base, and international recipient model.
• MedShare: MedShare is one of the largest nonprofit medical surplus redistribution organizations in the US, collecting excess medical supplies from hospitals and shipping 40-foot containers to under-resourced healthcare facilities worldwide—directly comparable to PWH in model, scale ambitions, and dual local/global distribution.
• Global Links: Global Links is a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit recovering surplus medical materials from US hospitals and redistributing them to under-resourced international healthcare partners—a near-clone of PWH's core operating model.
• Afya Foundation: Afya Foundation collects medical supplies and equipment from New York-area hospitals and ships them to clinics in developing countries—sharing PWH's collection, sort/repack, and ocean-container distribution workflow with a different regional supply base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@partnersforworldhealth2978
• Facebookfacebook.com/PartnersForWorldHealth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/partners-for-world-health
• Instagraminstagram.com/partnersforworldhealth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Partners For World Health