Project NICU

What Project NICU does

Project NICU is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, founded in 2018 and operating with a 16-person team. The organization provides emotional, financial, and peer support services to families with infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and to the medical professionals who care for them. It was formerly known as Project Preemie and rebranded to Project NICU to reflect a broader scope across all NICU journeys. Its core service portfolio comprises the Parent Mentor Program, Virtual Support Groups, NICU Counseling Program, Care Package Program (14,000+ packages supplied), Operation H.O.P.E., Bereavement Support, and the NICU Heart Award recognition program. Underlying delivery is human-mediated peer support and counseling, with no proprietary technology platform beyond a Squarespace-hosted website that includes a direct donation portal and a blog.

The organization's go-to-market is community-led and event-driven. It engages families through virtual support groups, parent mentor matching, and a volunteer network, and drives awareness and fundraising through events such as 'Race With Us,' corporate engagement programs, and the Giving Hope Circle recurring donor community. Content marketing via blog articles on topics such as preeclampsia awareness, premature birth, gastroschisis, and family NICU stories sustains top-of-funnel engagement.

Project NICU's revenue model is donation-based, with no fees charged to beneficiaries. Funding comes from one-time and recurring individual donations via the website, corporate giving, and event-based fundraising, and the organization holds 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status under EIN 83-1447897. It reports cumulative impact metrics of 35,000+ families engaged, 15,000+ families supported through the Family Support Network, 14,000+ care packages supplied, 400+ support groups conducted, and $65,000 raised for families impacted. Geographic reach is nominally U.S.-only with virtual delivery enabling national coverage from a Cleveland base.

Name

Project NICU

Legal name

Project NICU

Website

https://projectnicu.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Project NICU is a Cleveland, Ohio-based 501(c)(3) non-profit that delivers peer mentoring, counseling, care packages, and bereavement support to families with infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, funded by individual donations, corporate giving, and fundraising events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Neonatal Family Support Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Maternal, Child & Family Health Organizations (BPAGACAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Preterm/NICU-Transition Newborn Care (NCS) (HSAAACAF), High-Risk & Medically Complex Newborn Support (Non-Clinical NCS) (HSAAACAG)

Keywords

• Neonatal family support
• Bereavement counseling services
• Peer mentor programs
• Care package distribution
• Community fundraising events

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

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, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Project NICU generates revenue primarily through charitable donations from individuals. Donors can contribute through the organization's website, with options for one-time and recurring gifts. The organization is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Project NICU is a non-profit organization that provides free emotional, financial, and practical support services to families with infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Its core offerings include peer mentoring, virtual support groups, professional counseling, care package distribution, bereavement support, and community-based programs such as Operation H.O.P.E. The organization is funded entirely through donations and fundraising events, and operates exclusively in the United States from Cleveland, Ohio.

Product overview

Project NICU is a non-profit organization offering a comprehensive suite of peer support programs and services for NICU families. The core portfolio includes the Parent Mentor Program for peer guidance, Virtual Support Groups for community connection, NICU Counseling Program for professional mental health support, Care Package Program providing practical assistance (14,000+ packages delivered), Operation H.O.P.E. for connection and bereavement support, NICU Heart Award for community recognition, and Bereavement Support services. These programs are designed to address the financial and emotional needs of families throughout their NICU journey, from admission through transition home and, when necessary, through bereavement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Parent Mentor Program Connects NICU families with experienced parent mentors who have navigated similar neonatal intensive care journeys, providing peer guidance and emotional support throughout the NICU stay and beyond.
• Virtual Support Groups Online support group sessions facilitating peer connection and community for families navigating the NICU journey and beyond, accessible remotely regardless of family location.
• NICU Counseling Program Professional counseling services for NICU families dealing with the emotional and psychological challenges of having a premature or critically ill newborn in the hospital.
• Care Package Program Provides physical care packages containing essential items to families with infants in the NICU, meeting real-world practical needs during extended hospital stays. Over 14,000 care packages have been delivered to families.
• Operation H.O.P.E. Connection program providing care packages, bereavement support, and other resources that meet families' real-world needs during their NICU stay and through loss.
• Bereavement Support Grief and bereavement support services for NICU families who have experienced the loss of an infant during or after a NICU stay.

Quantifiable outcome

• Provided 14,000+ care packages to families in the NICU
• +4 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• March of Dimes: One of the largest U.S. nonprofits focused on maternal and infant health, including premature birth research and NICU family support. Highly comparable mission but operates at significantly larger scale with research, advocacy, and hospital partnerships well beyond Project NICU's scope.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities: Global nonprofit supporting families with sick children receiving hospital care, including NICU families, through lodging, meals, and family room programs. Comparable family-support mission with established hospital partnerships and brand scale far exceeding Project NICU.

Emerging players

• Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep: Nonprofit providing remembrance photography and bereavement support to families experiencing infant loss, including NICU bereavement. Directly comparable to Project NICU's Bereavement Support program in its bereavement-mission overlap.
• Preemie World: Resource platform for NICU parents providing information, support community, and educational content. Comparable NICU-family audience and informational support role, though with a primarily digital content focus rather than direct service delivery.

Direct peers

• Hand to Hold: Nonprofit providing peer-to-peer support, mentorship, and resources for NICU and bereaved families. Directly comparable to Project NICU's Parent Mentor Program and Virtual Support Groups with a similar NICU-specific family focus.
• The Tiny Miracles Foundation: Nonprofit providing support and resources to families of premature babies in Connecticut and beyond, including care packages and peer support. Directly comparable in NICU-family focus and program model.
• Graham's Foundation: Nonprofit specifically focused on supporting parents of premature infants, offering care packages, mentor programs, and community resources. Highly comparable NICU-specific family support mission and program structure to Project NICU.
• NICU Helping Hands: Nonprofit offering parent mentoring, education, and support specifically for NICU families. Directly comparable mission and program suite, including mentor matching and educational resources for NICU parents.
• Little Giraffe Foundation: Nonprofit supporting NICU families through funding, care packages, and hospital partnerships. Comparable NICU-specific mission and family-support services at a similar small-nonprofit scale.

Regional players

• Mothers' Milk Bank: Nonprofit focused on providing donor human milk to premature and medically fragile infants in NICU settings. Adjacent rather than direct overlap, but serves the same NICU-family and preterm-infant population.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/projectnicu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Project NICU