Free Root Operation

What Free Root Operation does

Free Root Operation (FRO) is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization founded in 2017 that operates a gender-responsive violence prevention model centered on the wellness of women caregivers impacted by gun violence. The organization's core offering, the BLOOM Model, is an evidence-informed framework developed in partnership with Johns Hopkins University's Center for Gun Violence Solutions and comprises four interlocking programs: the BLOOM Network (an intergenerational membership movement of 2,000+ women), the BLOOM Cohort (a six-month intensive wraparound wellness program with individual and family counseling serving 30 women per cycle at an 84% graduation rate), the BLOOM Alumni Network, and the BLOOM Ambassador Fellowship. Supporting programs include the SNAP Rapid Response Fund (emergency food assistance), the paused Chicago Food Pairing Program, and the Education Emancipation Program.

FRO's underlying technology posture is explicitly human-powered: clinical-grade trauma-informed care delivered by licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs) and licensed social workers (LSWs), supplemented by case managers, program managers, and a Director of Operations. The organization operates from a 3,500+ square foot permanent community center opened in Bronzeville in 2025, its first fixed facility, which serves as the hub for in-person programming, counseling, wellness workshops, and community events. No proprietary technology platforms, APIs, or digital products are disclosed.

The business model is a donation-and-grant-funded nonprofit. All services are provided free of charge to participants. Revenue streams include individual donations (including a Juneteenth Pledge Your PTO campaign and a monthly recurring donor program), corporate sponsorships (visible sponsors include The Obama Foundation, Chicago Community Trust, Walgreens, Lyft, and Lawrence Hall), and grant funding. Cumulative fundraising exceeds $1.5 million over approximately five years of operation. The organization is led by Founder and Executive Director Eva Maria Lewis, with a 6-person staff and a Board of Directors drawing from Chicago philanthropy and civic institutions.

Name

Free Root Operation

Legal name

Free Root Operation

Website

https://freerootoperation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Free Root Operation is a Chicago-based nonprofit that delivers the BLOOM Model, a gender-responsive violence prevention framework providing free counseling, wellness programming, and wraparound support to women caregivers impacted by gun violence on Chicago's South and West Sides.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community violence prevention and wellness services for women caregivers

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (62142)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Alternative Dispute Resolution & Restorative Justice Programs (BPAIAFAL)

Keywords

• Violence prevention services
• Community wellness programs
• Trauma-informed support
• Women caregiver services
• Nonprofit social services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The organization raises funds through individual donations via their website, with specific campaigns such as the Juneteenth Pledge Your PTO campaign and general fundraising. Donors contribute to support free wellness services to mothers and families impacted by violence.
2. Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate sponsors support annual BLOOM Professional Picture Day, Graduation Ceremony, and General Programming. Companies can make gifts, match/double employee donations, or support through employee engagement initiatives like team fundraisers.
3. Monthly Giving Program: The organization has a monthly donor program where supporters can become recurring donors to sustain wellness structures that empower women, families, and communities.
4. SNAP Rapid Response Fund: Emergency funding to provide grocery gift cards, hot meals, and resource navigation for families impacted by federal SNAP program pauses.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Free Root Operation is a Chicago-based nonprofit that delivers the BLOOM Model — a wellness-centered, gender-responsive violence-prevention program for women caregivers impacted by gun violence. Programs are offered free to participants and include Wellness Circles, trauma-informed counseling, resource clinics, family and youth programming, and experiential retreats, delivered through the FRO Community Center in Bronzeville and via virtual channels.

Product overview

Free Root Operation is a violence prevention nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of wellness and empowerment programs centered around the BLOOM Model—a gender-responsive prevention and intervention framework. The core offering is the BLOOM Program, which includes the BLOOM Network (an intergenerational women's wellness movement), the BLOOM Cohort (a seven-month intensive wraparound wellness program with counseling, workshops, and peer support), the BLOOM Alumni Network (lifelong community for graduates), and the BLOOM Ambassador Fellowship (professional development fellowship). Supporting programs include the SNAP Rapid Response Fund (emergency food assistance), the Chicago Food Pairing Program (grocery delivery), and the Education Emancipation Program. The organization operates the FRO Community Center in Bronzeville as its permanent programming home and conducts community research through the Our Community Data Project. All services are provided free of charge to participants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BLOOM: A gender-responsive violence prevention and intervention model supporting women and mothers directly and indirectly impacted by gun violence, including wraparound wellness services, counseling, economic development, and family support programs.
• BLOOM Network
• BLOOM Cohort
• Rooted in Freedom Volunteer Club
• Our Community Data Project
• Education Emancipation
• Chicago Food Pairing Program

Products and services

• BLOOM Model

Quantifiable outcome

• 84% graduation rate from BLOOM Cohort program
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Nuevo Leon RestaurantminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 November 2025Partnered for the 'We Got Us!: a Hot Meal Distribution' event on November 6, 2025, which fed 260 people. FRO team and over 30 volunteers collaborated with the restaurant to provide community nourishment.
• Johns Hopkins University Center for Gun Violence SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership validating BLOOM program outcomes. Through this partnership, the organization knows that participants experience statistically significant increases in hope, energy, and mood levels. Eva Maria Lewis is co-authoring a peer-reviewed article on BLOOM's impact.
• Local MarketminorOthersDistribution partner for the Our Community Data Project booklet, helping distribute community needs and assets assessment materials.
• Majani Soulful Vegan CuisineminorOthersDistribution partner for the Our Community Data Project. South Shore restaurant supporting community data distribution efforts.
• Nash Community CenterminorOthersDistribution partner for the Our Community Data Project and past partner for community events and food programming.
• South Shore Branch LibraryminorOthersDistribution partner for the Our Community Data Project, distributing community needs and assets materials.
• South Shore BrewminorOthersDistribution partner for the Our Community Data Project, supporting community outreach efforts.
• The QuarryminorOthersDistribution partner for the Our Community Data Project, helping reach South Shore residents.
• WalgreensminorOthersDistribution partner for the Our Community Data Project, providing accessible distribution points.
• Chicago Public SchoolsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPast partner for the Education Emancipation Program, working with Bouchet Elementary on peace rooms and student resources.
• Chicago CaresminorOthersPast community partner supporting volunteer and programming efforts.
• Black Metropolis Research ConsortiumminorOthersCommunity partner for the Our Community Data Project, supporting research and data collection efforts.
• Participant MediaminorOthersCommunity partner for the Our Community Data Project distribution efforts.
• Haymarket BooksminorOthersCommunity partner for the Our Community Data Project distribution efforts.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sandy Hook Promise: National gun violence prevention organization focused on school and community programming. Comparable in the broader gun violence prevention category with national fundraising reach and program distribution, though anchored in school-based prevention rather than community-based cohort work.
• Heartland Alliance: Major Chicago-based human services nonprofit delivering housing, health, and safety programming across the city. Comparable because of overlapping Chicago geography, social service delivery, and case management models, although Heartland is a much larger incumbent with a broader programmatic portfolio.
• Cure Violence Global: Nationally and globally recognized violence prevention organization using a public-health approach to interrupt shootings. Comparable because it operates hospital-based and community-based violence intervention programs with measurable outcomes, and serves as a broader incumbent FRO could be benchmarked against or partner with for clinical pathways.
• Moms Demand Action: Nationwide grassroots movement of mothers and families focused on gun violence prevention advocacy. Comparable because of its women-led, mother-centered framing of gun violence as a public health and family issue, but operates as a policy/advocacy organization rather than a direct-service provider.
• Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund: Largest U.S. gun violence prevention organization funding research, policy, and survivor support. Comparable as a dominant incumbent in the gun violence prevention space and a likely institutional funder, peer in FRO's issue area but not a direct service competitor.
• Thresholds: Large Chicago-based mental health provider serving individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders across the region. Comparable because of overlapping clinical mental health service delivery, licensed clinician staffing, and Chicago footprint, though Thresholds operates at significantly greater scale and a different patient population.

Direct peers

• Institute for Nonviolence Chicago: Chicago-based nonprofit applying nonviolence principles to interrupt cycles of community violence. Comparable because it operates a similar community-anchored violence interruption and prevention model on Chicago's West Side, though its intake and outreach channels differ from FRO's women-caregiver cohort focus.
• Chicago Survivors: Chicago nonprofit serving families and communities impacted by gun violence. Comparable because it works with shooting survivors and co-victims in Chicago on trauma recovery and wraparound services, overlapping FRO's target population and geographic footprint.
• Communities United Against Violence: Community-based violence prevention nonprofit serving affected populations with peer support, counseling, and advocacy. Comparable because of overlapping community healing, trauma support, and violence prevention services, although CUAV's geography and LGBTQ+ focus are distinct from FRO's South Side women-caregiver focus.
• Purpose Over Pain: Chicago-based nonprofit providing violence prevention and trauma recovery programming. Comparable because it serves Chicago residents impacted by gun violence with community-based, trauma-informed programming, though with a less explicitly gender-focused cohort model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/freerootop
• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=uVZ3yWAgg1s
• Instagraminstagram.com/freerootoperation
• TikToktiktok.com/@freerootoperation?lang=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/free-root-operation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Free Root Operation