REACH A Child™

What REACH A Child™ does

REACH-A-Child, Inc. is a Madison, Wisconsin-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 26-0757945) founded in 2007 that operates a single-program mission: equipping first responder vehicles across Wisconsin with REACH BAGs — durable backpacks filled with age-appropriate children's books (ages 2–12) and drawstring backpacks — at no cost to the receiving department. When first responders encounter children in crisis (automobile accidents, domestic disturbances, homelessness, medical emergencies, fires, carbon monoxide incidents), the first responder opens the bag, lets the child select a book, and reads together; the child keeps the books and backpack. The program is grounded in a neuroscience rationale that redirecting a child's gaze and attention to a book produces better emotional outcomes than passive comfort items such as teddy bears.

The organization operates with a 7-person team from a Madison headquarters (6501 Watts Road, Suite 217) plus a Madison-area warehouse for inventory, volunteer packing, and physical distribution. Its core "product" architecture combines the physical kit, department-specific training videos for EMS, Fire, Police, and Sheriff personnel, and a referral-driven distribution model where REACH staff identify interested departments, help them secure local community funding, and physically deliver kits.

Revenue is generated entirely through charitable giving: individual donations ($5 to $150+ per bag sponsorship), business/community group sponsorships (10+ bags minimum), foundation and corporate grants (AT&T, Green Bay Packers Foundation, Steve Stricker American Family Insurance Championship Foundation, Bank of Sun Prairie, Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin, La Crosse Area Community Foundation), and in-kind book donations (Hindi's Libraries, Madison-area Rotary Clubs, ACS Verona). Marketing is conducted via earned local TV news coverage, community events, an email newsletter, and word-of-mouth within first responder networks, with no paid advertising. Geographic scope is exclusively Wisconsin, with active partnerships spanning over 30 county sheriff's offices and dozens of municipal police, fire, and EMS agencies.

Name

REACH A Child™

Legal name

REACH-A-Child™, Inc.

Website

https://reachachild.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

REACH-A-Child is a Madison, Wisconsin-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides REACH BAGs — backpacks of children's books and drawstring backpacks — free of charge to Wisconsin first responder vehicles so officers and firefighters can comfort children in crisis through shared reading, funded by individual donations, corporate sponsors, and community foundation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Direct donations from individuals, ranging from $5 to $150+ per REACH BAG sponsorship. Recurring donations are encouraged.
2. Business and Community Group Sponsorship: Businesses and community groups sponsor batches of 10 or more REACH BAGs for their local first responder departments as a community engagement and CSR initiative.
3. Foundation and Corporate Grants: Grants from corporate foundations (AT&T, Green Bay Packers Foundation, Steve Stricker American Family Insurance Championship Foundation, Bank of Sun Prairie) and community foundations (Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin, La Crosse Area Community Foundation) fund REACH BAG deliveries to specific departments.
4. In-Kind Donations: Book donations from individuals, organizations (Hindi's Libraries, Madison-area Rotary Clubs, ACS Verona), and community groups supplement purchased inventory, reducing program costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

REACH-A-Child™ is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that assembles and distributes REACH BAGs — durable backpacks filled with age-appropriate children's books (ages 2–12) and drawstring backpacks — to first responder vehicles across Wisconsin. When first responders encounter a child in crisis (automobile accidents, domestic disturbances, homelessness, medical emergencies, fires, carbon monoxide incidents), they open the bag, let the child select a book, and read together; the child keeps the book and backpack as a lasting positive takeaway. The program is provided at no cost to participating police, fire, EMS, sheriff's offices, and state patrol agencies, funded entirely by community sponsors, corporate grants, and individual donations.

Product overview

REACH A Child™ operates as a single-product non-profit organization focused on the REACH BAG program. The core offering consists of durable backpacks containing children's books and drawstring backpacks, distributed to first responder vehicles across Wisconsin. The organization also provides REACH BAG refills to replenish existing bags. First Responders use these bags to comfort children in crisis by allowing the child to select a book, which is then read to them while they keep both the book and backpack. The program is funded entirely through sponsorships and donations, with no cost to participating departments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• REACH BAG A durable backpack containing new children's books (appropriate for ages 2-12) and drawstring backpacks, distributed to first responders (police, fire, EMS, sheriff's offices, state patrol) to comfort children in crisis situations. The program is provided at no cost to participating departments and is funded entirely by community sponsors, corporate grants, and individual donations.
• REACH BAG Refills Replacement children's books and supplemental materials delivered to existing REACH BAG-holding departments to replenish stock and keep bags fresh for continued use in crisis response situations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Children are immediately comforted and their attention redirected from crisis, based on neuroscience that the brain can only concentrate on one thing at a time.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers54 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered supporting partner, in-kind donor, volunteer partner, program recipient / community partner and in-kind vendor.

• First English Lutheran Church (Oshkosh)supporting partnerOthersHosted a book drive providing books to the Oshkosh Police and Fire Departments for use in their emergency vehicles and REACH BAGs.
• ACS in Veronasupporting partnerOthersHosted a two-week book drive where employees gathered hundreds of new or gently used children's books for area first responders.
• Hindi's Librariesin-kind donorOthersHas provided three incredible book donations to REACH-A-Child in a single year, contributing large quantities of books suitable for the REACH BAG program.
• Madison-area Rotary Clubsin-kind donorOthersProvided the majority of books donated to the Ho Chunk Nation Head Start Program (600+ books, 20 copies each of 30+ titles).
• Exact Sciencesvolunteer partnerOthersEight volunteers from Exact Sciences filled dozens of REACH BAGs and placed several hundred children's books on warehouse shelves during a volunteer day.
• Ho Chunk Nationprogram recipient / community partnerOthersREACH-A-Child provided over 600 new children's books to the Head Start program operated by the Ho Chunk Nation in Black River Falls, benefiting teachers and students.
• Edward Jonesvolunteer partnerOthersEdward Jones professionals removed and organized the REACHMobile, packed 38 REACH BAGs, prepared materials for three upcoming National Night Out events, and organized the book shelves during a volunteer day.
• TDS Telecomvolunteer partnerOthersTDS Telecom volunteers participated in filling REACH BAGs, as documented in a news entry from January 2023.
• Green Clock Video Agencyin-kind vendorOthersProduced the organization's video content featured on the homepage.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat3 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/reach-a-child

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 REACH A Child™