Friends of the Children - Detroit

What Friends of the Children - Detroit does

Friends of the Children - Detroit is a 501c3 nonprofit organization and the 21st chapter of the national Friends of the Children network, founded in Portland, Oregon in 1993 by Duncan and Cindy Campbell. The Detroit chapter launched operations in 2020 and is headquartered at 2470 Collingwood, Suite 309, Detroit, Michigan. It is governed by a local Board of Directors chaired by Deborah Wahl (Retired Global CMO of General Motors) with representation from Ford, Stellantis, Henry Ford Health System, PNC Bank, Raymond James, and BAYADA Home Health Care.

The organization's core product is long-term professional mentoring, pairing children ages 4-6 facing systemic barriers (poverty, foster care involvement, food and housing insecurity) with paid, full-time professional mentors called "Friends" who commit to a 12+ year relationship from kindergarten through high school graduation. Each Friend carries a caseload of roughly 8 youth and spends four hours per week per child across school, home, and community settings. The chapter supplements this core service with a Two-Generation (2Gen) family support model, the Spark Innovation STEAM Lab, the Literacy Igniting Tomorrow (L.I.T.) initiative, and a PBS Kids Read, Write, Roar early literacy partnership. Reported national outcomes include 92% post-secondary education/workforce/military enrollment, 90% high school completion, 96% juvenile justice avoidance, and 95% delayed parenting.

Revenue is generated entirely through donations, comprising individual giving, foundation grants (W.K. Kellogg, MacKenzie Scott via the national $44M gift, Jacob Family, ST Foundation, United Way of SE Michigan, BCBSM Foundation, The Children's Foundation, McGregor Fund, Michigan Health Endowment Fund), corporate sponsorships (Village Ford, Raymond James, PNC Bank, General Motors, Ford, AT&T, CIBC, Domino's, Perficient, Magna, Leo Burnett Detroit), federal Community Project Funding, and an annual Time for the Children Gala. There is no pricing model or fee-for-service component; services are provided at no cost to families. The chapter currently serves 64 children annually against a stated 10-year full-scale target of 300-500.

Name

Friends of the Children - Detroit

Legal name

Friends of the Children

Website

https://friendsdetroit.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Friends of the Children - Detroit is a 501c3 nonprofit chapter that pairs Detroit youth facing systemic barriers with paid, full-time professional mentors for 12+ years, from kindergarten through high school graduation, while supporting their families through a Two-Generation model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mentoring Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGADAD

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYEDAKAMAO

Peer Support, Mentoring & Student Leadership (SEL)

Education/Special Education & Learning Support Services/Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) & Mental Health Supports (School-Based)

SECONDARYBPAGADAK

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPAGADAO

Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYEDACALAH

Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services

Education/Early Childhood Education/Parent Education & Family Engagement Programs

Keywords

• Youth mentoring services
• Nonprofit social services
• Professional mentoring program
• Youth development programs
• Foster care support

Headquarters

HQ city

Detroit

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The organization accepts donations from individuals through its website, events, and direct mail. Donors provide charitable contributions to support the mentorship program operations.
2. Foundation Grants: Friends of the Children - Detroit receives grants from foundations including a $1.1 million gift as part of MacKenzie Scott's $44 million gift to the national organization, and $150,000 in Community Project Funding through Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence's office.
3. Corporate Sponsorships and Fundraising Events: The organization hosts annual signature events including the Time for the Children Gala, which in 2025 surpassed its $350,000 fundraising goal. Corporate sponsors include Village Ford, Raymond James, PNC Bank, and The Risius Family Philanthropic Foundation.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Friends of the Children - Detroit provides long-term professional youth mentoring services, pairing children ages 4-6 facing systemic obstacles (poverty, foster care, food insecurity) with paid, full-time professional mentors called "Friends" for 12+ years, from kindergarten through high school graduation. The organization also delivers a Two-Generation (2Gen) wraparound model that supports caregivers alongside youth, supplemented by specialized program modules such as the Spark Innovation STEAM Lab and the Literacy Igniting Tomorrow (L.I.T.) early literacy initiative.

Product overview

Friends of the Children - Detroit is a nonprofit organization offering a long-term professional mentoring program as its core product. The organization provides paid, professional mentors ('Friends') who support youth facing systemic obstacles for 12+ years from kindergarten through high school graduation. The program portfolio includes specialized modules such as the Spark Innovation STEAM Lab for hands-on science and technology learning, the Literacy Igniting Tomorrow (L.I.T.) program for reading and writing development, and a partnership with PBS Kids for the Read, Write, Roar early literacy program. The organization also employs a Two-Generation (2Gen) approach that supports entire families by providing wraparound services including mental health support and resources for housing, transportation, and food insecurity. The signature annual event is the Time for the Children Gala, a major fundraising celebration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Professional Mentor (Friend) Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 92% of youth go on to enroll in post-secondary education, serve our country or enter the workforce
• +3 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

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• PBS KidscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 October 2023Partnership to bring Read, Write, Roar program to youth. Collaboration provides early literacy support, creative writing workshops, and educational enrichment activities.
• Simone BilesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOlympic gymnast and youth advocate partnering with Friends of the Children as an ambassador. Featured on Wheaties box to highlight the organization and helped launch the Houston chapter. Shares personal foster care experience to inspire youth.
• Junior League of DetroitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWomen's volunteer organization supporting community programs.
• Henry Ford Health SystemmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard member Bill Moir serves as SVP. Partnership for health-related programming and support services.
• MCHS Family of ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnected volunteers for annual Mentor Day event.
• The Lab DrawerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided STEAM kits for youth during Mentor Day activities.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Alternatives for Girls: Detroit nonprofit serving at-risk girls and young women experiencing homelessness, with education, mentoring, and housing support. Comparable in Detroit geography, wraparound service model, and focus on youth facing systemic barriers.
• Detroit Youth Foundation: Detroit-based youth development and education nonprofit supporting underserved youth through programs and scholarships. Comparable in Detroit target population and nonprofit social services mission.
• CATCH (Community Alliance for the Common Good) / Matrix Human Services: Detroit-based nonprofit providing youth services, mentoring, and family support programs. Comparable in Detroit geography, youth development mission, and nonprofit social services model.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan: Detroit-based youth development nonprofit serving kids and teens through after-school programs, mentoring, and wraparound services. Comparable in target demographic, geography, and reliance on donations and corporate sponsorships.
• Southwest Solutions: Detroit-based human services nonprofit providing youth services, housing, and family support. Comparable in Detroit geography and multi-service youth/family wraparound approach.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit: Direct peer in the Detroit youth mentoring space, pairing volunteer adult mentors with youth facing adversity. Comparable in target population and geography, though uses volunteer (not paid) mentors and shorter-term matches.

Regional players

• Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation: Detroit-based nonprofit providing youth and family services, education, and community development. Comparable in Detroit geography and youth/family wraparound service model, though with a Hispanic/Latino focus.

Others

• Michigan League for Public Policy (Mentoring Michigan): Statewide policy and advocacy organization supporting youth mentoring initiatives across Michigan. Comparable in statewide youth mentoring focus, though operating as a policy/convener rather than direct service provider.
• KIPP Michigan Public Schools: Detroit charter school network serving predominantly low-income students with extended programming and college-prep focus. Comparable in serving Detroit youth facing systemic barriers and emphasis on post-secondary outcomes.
• Friends of the Children (National): Parent organization of Friends-Detroit operating 29 chapters nationwide. Not a competitor but the network enabler that provides brand, model, training, and shared funding access to the Detroit chapter.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/friendsdetroit
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCjYcJ1m5Gzf0t3tJvPQ9f9w
• Facebookfacebook.com/friendsdetroit
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/friendsdetroit
• Instagraminstagram.com/friendsdetroit

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 Friends of the Children - Detroit