Mediation and Restorative Services

What Mediation and Restorative Services does

Mediation and Restorative Services (MARS) is a Minnesota-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1987 and headquartered in Blaine, MN, that delivers alternative dispute resolution and restorative justice services primarily to Anoka County and the surrounding Twin Cities metro communities. The organization operates with 28 staff members alongside a panel of approximately 27 trained volunteer mediators, and offers five core service lines: shared parenting mediation, community mediation, corporate/workplace mediation, restorative practices (including victim-offender conferencing and school-based programs), and court-connected conciliation court mediation under a long-standing Anoka County partnership established in 2010. The organization rebranded from "Mediation Services" to its current name in 2022 and is led by Executive Director Bernadette Foh, who assumed the role in April 2022.

Service delivery is human-mediated rather than technology-mediated, with no disclosed proprietary software platform or AI tooling; the organization's core capabilities rest on its trained mediator panel, facilitator expertise, and standardized restorative practices curricula. The business model is a hybrid of direct fee-for-service under a sliding-scale pricing structure (community mediation at $50 per session, shared parenting at $200 per person per session, and corporate mediation at $300 per session), supplemented by donations, foundation grants, and government/county appropriations, including the Anoka County contract relationship. Operational expansion has been incremental: a 2023 VITAL Strategic Plan formalized the repositioning around restorative practices, a 2025 restorative practices training engagement extended service into Wright County, and the 3rd Annual Summit (2026) anchors an ongoing ecosystem-buildout effort with referral partners and funders.

Financially, MARS is grant- and donation-dependent as a community-serving nonprofit, with no publicly disclosed revenue figures, no equity funding, and no disclosed debt. Its revenue model is therefore best understood as a quasi-public service: county contracts and foundation grants provide a baseline, while sliding-fee individual and corporate cases contribute incremental volume. The combination of multi-decade institutional relationships, a credentialed volunteer labor pool, and a rebrand toward restorative justice positions the organization as a community-embedded ADR provider rather than a scaling commercial enterprise.

Name

Mediation and Restorative Services

Legal name

Mediation and Restorative Services

Website

https://mediationservice.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mediation and Restorative Services is a Minnesota 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1987 that provides sliding-fee mediation, court-connected conciliation, and restorative practices training to Anoka County and surrounding communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Mediation and Restorative Justice Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Reentry & Justice-Involved Support Services (BPAGAEAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Financial Assistance & Benefits Navigation Services (BPAGAEAK)

Keywords

• Community mediation services
• Restorative justice practices
• Conflict resolution services
• Family mediation programs
• Housing mediation clinic

Headquarters

HQ city

Blaine

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Service Fees: Sliding scale fee structure for mediation services including shared parenting mediations at $200/person/session, community mediations free for first session then $50/session sliding to $25, and corporate restorative mediation at $300/session.
2. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations accepted via Venmo (@Mediation-Services), mail, employer matching gifts, gifts of stock, donor-advised funds, and planned gifts including real estate and charitable annuities.
3. Foundation and Government Grants: The organization receives funding from the State of Minnesota and likely other foundations to support operations as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Mediation and Restorative Services (MARS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1987 that provides professionally trained volunteer-mediator-led conflict resolution services across Anoka County and surrounding Minnesota communities. Its core offerings include community mediation, shared parenting mediation, housing mediation, restorative practices (including victim-offender dialogue), conciliation court mediation, and housing resource navigation, delivered on a sliding-scale fee basis to individuals, families, landlords/tenants, and partner government entities.

Product overview

Mediation and Restorative Services (MARS) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1987, providing affordable mediation and restorative justice services in Anoka County, Minnesota. The organization operates as a service provider rather than a software platform, offering a portfolio of conflict resolution services including Community Mediations, Shared Parenting Mediations, Housing Mediations, Restorative Services (including Victim-Offender Dialogue), Conciliation Court Services, and Housing Resource Navigation. These services are delivered through professionally trained volunteer mediators and staff, with complementary training programs in restorative practices. The core offering centers on providing the space and resources for constructive conflict resolution, helping individuals cultivate resolution, agreement, and develop understanding and connection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Mediations

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Community Mediation MinnesotacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMARS is a member of Community Mediation Minnesota, which consists of several member organizations across the state with staff and volunteers to help resolve disputes peacefully and effectively. Other members include Conflict Resolution Center, Dispute Resolution Center, Mediation & Conflict Solutions, and Restorative and Mediation Practices.
• Anoka County CourtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMARS partners with Anoka County Courts to provide volunteer mediators for Conciliation Court since 2010, improving efficiency for courts and creating better relationships among Anoka County disputants.
• Anoka County City PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMARS provides mediation services in partnership with municipalities including Andover, Anoka, Bethel, Blaine, Centerville, Circle Pines, Columbia Heights, Coon Rapids, East Bethel, Hilltop, Lexington, Linwood Township, and Saint Francis.
• Anoka County Government DepartmentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCities, Police Departments, County Departments, and Nonprofit partners refer cases to MARS for conflict resolution services.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• National Association for Community Mediation: National membership body for community mediation centers in the United States; not a direct competitor but the federal-level ecosystem player that supports, trains, and advocates for organizations like MARS.

Direct peers

• Conflict Resolution Center: Minnesota-based community mediation nonprofit and fellow Community Mediation Minnesota member; offers overlapping community, family, and restorative mediation services in the Twin Cities region, making it a directly comparable peer in the same product category.
• Mediation & Conflict Solutions: Community Mediation Minnesota member organization providing conflict resolution services with similar volunteer-mediated delivery model and comparable target audiences across Minnesota.
• Neighborhood Mediation Center: Community-based mediation nonprofit serving neighborhoods with conflict resolution services analogous to MARS' community mediation line; comparable volunteer-driven, neighborhood-targeted delivery.
• Restorative and Mediation Practices: Community Mediation Minnesota member focused on restorative and mediation services; operates with a comparable nonprofit, volunteer-supported model serving Minnesota communities.
• Dispute Resolution Center: Twin Cities community mediation nonprofit and Community Mediation Minnesota member; provides similar community and family mediation services to MARS in overlapping Minnesota geographies.

Broad incumbents

• Community Mediation Minnesota: Statewide network of which MARS is a member; sets standards and coordinates referrals across member centers, making it a broader incumbent operating in the same statewide community-mediation category.

Emerging players

• Mediation Beyond Borders International: International organization advancing mediation and restorative practices; adjacent to MARS' mission and previously employed one of its staff as an intern, signaling a thematic and people-flow connection.
• BRIDGES (Bridges to Better Community): Restorative-justice focused nonprofit that overlaps with MARS' victim-offender dialogue and restorative practices offerings, with comparable small-staff, community-anchored delivery.

Regional players

• Hennepin County Restorative Justice Initiative: Government-adjacent restorative justice program in the adjacent Hennepin County (Minneapolis) that provides comparable Victim-Offender Dialogue and restorative services, but does not directly overlap MARS' Anoka County geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@mediationrestorativeservic744
• Facebookfacebook.com/MediationRestorativeServices
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mediation-and-restorative-services

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Mediation and Restorative Services