Team Hope

What Team Hope does

Team HOPE is a peer support volunteer program established in 1998 under the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1984 by John and Revé Walsh. The program connects families of missing or sexually exploited children and adult survivors with 500+ trained volunteers who share lived experience, delivering compassionate, phone-based emotional support, coping tools, and empowerment services at no charge via the dedicated 866-305-HOPE hotline and through NCMEC's 24/7 national hotline (1-800-THE-LOST). Since inception, Team HOPE has reached more than 102,000 people and supported more than 77,000 families.

The program sits within NCMEC's broader operational infrastructure, which includes the CyberTipline reporting system (36.2 million reports in 2023), AMBER Alert secondary distribution, the Team Adam rapid-deployment program (1,200+ deployments), the Child Victim Identification Program (324 million+ images reviewed), forensic age-progression services (7,100+ images created), the ADAM poster distribution program, and the NetSmartz/KidSmartz education platforms. NCMEC is the federally mandated national clearinghouse under 34 U.S.C. § 11293, operates headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, and three regional offices (Austin, Rochester, West Palm Beach), and holds registered trademarks across its program portfolio.

Team HOPE generates no direct revenue; services are provided free of charge. NCMEC's funding mix comprises federal grants (primarily OJJDP/Office of Justice Programs/Department of Justice, plus Department of State for international work), individual donations, and corporate sponsorships. Distribution is via phone hotline, regional offices, downloadable PDF resource guides, and partnerships with law enforcement, schools, and children's advocacy centers across all 50 U.S. states.

Name

Team Hope

Legal name

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

Website

https://teamhope.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Team HOPE is a phone-based peer support volunteer program of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, connecting families of missing or exploited children and adult survivors with 500+ trained volunteers who share lived experience, offered free of charge since 1998.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Peer Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (62411), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD)

Keywords

• Peer support services
• Crisis support hotline
• Missing children support
• Survivor counseling
• Volunteer support program

Headquarters

HQ city

Alexandria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: NCMEC is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization funded through donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. The organization traces its legacy to South Florida where John and Revé Walsh co-founded NCMEC after the abduction of their son Adam Walsh.
2. Federal Grants: NCMEC receives federal funding, including grants from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, and Department of State for international work.
3. Partnerships and Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate partners provide financial and operational support. The organization has developed various community education partner groups and advisory councils.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Team HOPE is a phone-based peer support volunteer program that connects families of missing or sexually exploited children and adult survivors with trained volunteers who have lived experience with similar situations. The program provides free, compassionate emotional support, coping tools, and empowerment resources, accessible via a dedicated hotline (866-305-HOPE). Operated as a program of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), Team HOPE has trained more than 500 volunteers since 1998 and reached out to more than 102,000 people.

Product overview

Team HOPE is a peer support volunteer program operated by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). It is not a technology product but rather a service program offering phone-based compassionate peer support to families of missing or sexually exploited children. Since its inception in 1998, Team HOPE has trained more than 500 volunteers and reached out to more than 102,000 people. The program connects callers with trained volunteers who have experienced similar situations, providing emotional support, coping tools, and hope. Support is delivered exclusively via phone at 866-305-HOPE (4673) and is offered free of charge. The program also provides various downloadable resource guides for mental health professionals, survivors, caregivers, and families dealing with child sexual exploitation and missing children cases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Team HOPE Peer Support Program A phone-based peer support volunteer program that connects families of missing or sexually exploited children and adult survivors with trained volunteers who have lived experience with similar situations. The program offers compassionate emotional support, coping tools, and hope to those affected. All support is free of charge via the 866-305-HOPE hotline.

Quantifiable outcome

• Trained more than 500 volunteers and reached out to more than 102,000 people since 1998
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• INHOPE FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCMEC is a founding member of INHOPE, the International Association of Hotlines. INHOPE coordinates international efforts to combat child sexual exploitation online. John Shehan served as president of INHOPE Foundation between 2012-2014, helping cultivate hotlines in Central and South America and the Asian Pacific.
• Texas ICAC Task ForcescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTexas has three ICAC task forces (Texas Attorney General's Office, Dallas Police Department, and Houston Police Department) that work with NCMEC's CyberTipline data and are among the top 10 highest volume ICACs in receiving reports and investigating leads of suspected child sexual exploitation.
• FEMA / National Emergency Child Locator CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCMEC operates the federally mandated National Emergency Child Locator Center, activated by FEMA during presidentially declared disasters to help reunify children separated from their families.
• Texas Advisory CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCMEC Texas Advisory Council members serve as representatives of NCMEC's mission in their communities. Members include Paul Aleman, Amy Diaz Brubaker, Aurora Farthing, Marti Luparello, Katharine McAden, Yvonne Motz, Nancy Rodill, Sydney Schneider, and Susie Vybiral.
• Texas Education Service Center Region 6minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEducational partner group delivering NetSmartz and KidSmartz safety education to schools and communities throughout Texas.
• Children's Advocacy Centers (Multiple Texas Locations)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnerships with local advocacy centers including Dallas Children's Advocacy Center, Children's Advocacy Center of Van Zandt County, Children's Advocacy Center of Rockwall County, Guadalupe County Children's Advocacy Center, and Paluxy River Children's Advocacy Center for coordinated child protection efforts.
• Texas School DistrictsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnerships with Austin Independent School District, Manor Independent School District, and Joshua Independent School District Police Department to deliver safety education programs.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network): Operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline and online chat support for survivors of sexual violence — directly comparable peer support model for adult survivors of sexual abuse and trafficking, overlapping Team HOPE's adult survivor segment.
• Childhelp: Operates a National Child Abuse Hotline (800-4-A-CHILD) and runs advocacy programs for abused children — directly comparable to Team HOPE as a national nonprofit providing crisis-line support and family services for child abuse and exploitation.
• Polly Klaas Foundation: Nonprofit focused on missing children cases and family support following abduction — directly comparable peer support mission for families of missing children, though smaller in scale than Team HOPE.
• National Runaway Safeline: Operates the national 1-800-RUNAWAY hotline and support services for at-risk and runaway youth — directly comparable crisis-line service for missing youth and their families, overlapping Team HOPE's runaway case segment.

Regional players

• Covenant House: National nonprofit providing shelter, crisis support, and outreach services for youth experiencing homelessness and trafficking — overlapping segment with Team HOPE's trafficking and runaway case work.

Broad incumbents

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (988): Federally backed 24/7 crisis hotline with trained volunteer counselors — comparable federally supported volunteer-driven crisis intervention service operating at significantly larger scale.
• National Children's Alliance: Accrediting body and support network for Children's Advocacy Centers serving abused children — comparable national nonprofit infrastructure supporting child abuse response, overlapping with Team HOPE's advocacy center partnerships.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National nonprofit providing one-on-one youth mentoring through screened and trained volunteer mentors — directly comparable volunteer-mentor model serving at-risk youth, though longer-term relationship based rather than crisis support.

Emerging players

• The Trevor Project: Operates crisis hotline and digital peer support for LGBTQ youth — comparable volunteer-driven crisis support model targeting youth in crisis, with stronger digital channel positioning.
• Crisis Text Line: Provides 24/7 text-based crisis intervention using volunteer crisis counselors — comparable crisis intervention volunteer model but delivered via text rather than phone, representing an emerging channel that competes for the same survivor audience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NCMEC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ncmec
• Facebookfacebook.com/ncmec
• Instagraminstagram.com/ncmec
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/team-hope

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 Team Hope