The Lily Pad

Name

The Lily Pad

Legal name

The Lily Pad Foundation

Website

https://thelilypadms.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-profit vocational training and cafe services

NAICS

Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Independent Neighborhood Cafes (THAFADAC)

Keywords

• Vocational training services
• Non-profit cafe
• Catering services
• Disability employment programs
• Community fundraising events

Headquarters

HQ city

Ridgeland

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, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Cafe Sales: The cafe generates revenue through daily lunch service operations. The cafe opened in December 2024 and serves the general public during operating hours (Tue-Fri + 1st Saturday of each month, 11am-1:30pm).
2. Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals and businesses supporting the mission. The organization is a 501c3 non-profit. Donation options range from one-time to recurring (weekly, monthly, quarterly, semiannually, annually) with preset amounts ($25, $50, $100, $250, $500, $1,000) or custom amounts.
3. Special Events: Annual fundraising events including Leap 4 The Lily Pad (5K run/walk) and Mahj on The Lily Pad (mahjong fundraiser). These events raise funds for operational costs.
4. Sponsorships: Brick sponsorship campaign ($150-$750 for personalized bricks) and table sponsorship campaign ($2,500-$7,500 for patio tables with company logos). All proceeds go towards building campaign fund.
5. Catering Services: Catering orders for events, office lunches, and parties. Menu includes sandwich trays, salad trays, dessert trays, drinks, and sides. Pick-up available Tuesday-Friday, 10:30am-12pm with 48-hour advance notice required.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Lily Pad Foundation operates a non-profit cafe (The Lily Pad Cafe) that serves lunch to the public Tuesday-Friday and the first Saturday of each month, while running a paid vocational training and internship program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The organization supplements cafe revenue with catering services, group reservations, fundraising events, brick and table sponsorships, and tax-deductible donations.

Product overview

The Lily Pad is a non-profit restaurant and vocational training organization that operates a cafe to employ and train individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The organization does not offer technology products or software services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Leap 4 The Lily Pad: Annual fundraising event featuring a fun run, 5K run/walk, and 0.0 race to raise funds for operational costs. 14th annual event scheduled for April 11, 2026.
• The Lily Pad Training and Internship Program
• Mahj on The Lily Pad

Products and services

• The Lily Pad Cafe Lunch Service Daily lunch service at The Lily Pad Cafe in Ridgeland, MS, serving the general public Tuesday-Friday and the first Saturday of each month from 11am-1:30pm. Walk-ins are welcome and reservations are encouraged for parties of 6+. The cafe doubles as a hands-on training ground for interns in the vocational training program.
• Full-Service Catering Catering orders for events, office lunches, and parties. Menu includes sandwich trays (Ham & Cheddar, Turkey & Cheddar, Chicken Salad, Assorted), garden salad trays, dessert trays, sides, and beverages. Pick-up available Tuesday-Friday, 10:30am-12pm with 48-hour advance notice required.
• Group Reservations Reservations for groups of 6+ at The Lily Pad Cafe, with three dining rooms that can accommodate up to 75 seated guests (largest room seats max 35). Bookings are made via email to [email protected].
• Group Ordering (Boxed Lunches) Individual boxed lunches for parties, events, and office lunches. Menu includes various sandwich and side options with 48-hour advance notice required.
• Gift Cards Gift cards for The Lily Pad Cafe available for purchase via the Toasttab platform.
• Vocational Training and Internship Program Paid vocational training program for adults aged 18+ with intellectual and developmental disabilities, based on the Hugs Cafe Training Academy curriculum. Training covers personal responsibility, communication, attitude, customer service, food prep, knife skills, baking, bussing/cleaning, and dishwashing. Paid internship provides hands-on restaurant experience, with job placement assistance to local businesses.
• Tax-Deductible Donation Program Tax-deductible donations from individuals and businesses supporting the mission. Donation options range from one-time to recurring (weekly, monthly, quarterly, semiannually, annually) with preset amounts ($25, $50, $100, $250, $500, $1,000) or custom amounts. 501c3 tax-deductible.
• Leap 4 The Lily Pad Annual 5K Run/Walk Annual fundraising event featuring a 5K run/walk, fun run, and 0.0 race to raise funds for operational costs. Includes food vendors, live music, kids zone, and sensory tent. Held at Methodist Rehabilitation Center Green Space in Ridgeland, MS.
• Mahj on The Lily Pad Annual Mahjong Fundraiser Annual mahjong fundraiser featuring gameplay, food, refreshments, and door prizes. Pricing is $55 per person or $200 for a table of 4 (saving of $20). Raffle tickets at $5 each or $25 for 6 tickets.
• Brick and Table Sponsorship Campaign Permanent recognition sponsorships in the Lily Pad Cafe Courtyard. Options include 4x8 personalized bricks ($150), 12x12 bricks ($500, optional logo +$50), 16x16 bricks ($750), 2-top tables ($2,500), 4-top tables ($4,500), 8-top tables ($7,500), and patio picnic tables ($4,500). Proceeds support the building campaign fund.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $750,000 raised for The Lily Pad through fundraising events
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hugs Cafe, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Lily Pad is an Affiliate Partner of Hugs Cafe, Inc. in McKinney, Texas. Hugs Cafe has over 9 years of employment and job carving success and has expanded to include Hugs Training Academy - an educational training center for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Lily Pad brings the Hugs Cafe Training Academy program to Ridgeland, MS through The Lily Pad Cafe.
• Bryan LamptonminorOthersCorporate partner with logo displayed on website partners page.
• So Smile DentistryminorOthersCorporate partner with logo displayed on website partners page.
• WatkinsminorOthersCorporate partner with logo displayed on website partners page.
• AWS (Amazon Web Services)minorOthersCorporate partner with logo displayed on website partners page.
• Andis ArmyminorOthersCorporate partner with logo displayed on website partners page.
• Methodist Rehabilitation CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for the Leap 4 The Lily Pad annual event. The event takes place at the Methodist Rehabilitation Center Green Space in Ridgeland, MS.
• Brown Bottling GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeverage sponsor for the Leap 4 The Lily Pad annual event, providing drinks for the Pepsi Food Tent.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Easterseals: Easterseals is a large, established disability services organization offering vocational training, employment placement, and community programs for individuals with disabilities — overlapping with Lily Pad's training and employment-partnership mission at much broader national scale, though not operating its own cafes.
• Best Buddies International: Best Buddies is a national nonprofit focused on jobs, leadership, and community inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including employer-partnership programs comparable to Lily Pad's local employment-partner placements, though without a cafe operating arm.
• SourceAmerica (AbilityOne): SourceAmerica enables employment for people with disabilities through a national network of nonprofit agencies, including food-service and hospitality contracts; it is comparable to Lily Pad's mission of placing trained individuals with disabilities into food-service jobs, though at much larger scale and via federal contracting.

Others

• Special Olympics: Special Olympics operates Unified Sports and inclusive employment/community programs for people with intellectual disabilities; while not a cafe operator, it is a comparable disability-inclusion organization with strong fundraising events analogous to Lily Pad's Leap 4 fundraiser.
• Toast (Toasttab): Toast is the SaaS POS, online ordering, and reservation platform that Lily Pad uses for cafe operations; it is an enabling technology provider rather than a direct competitor, but defines Lily Pad's customer-facing ordering/reservation experience.

Direct peers

• Hugs Cafe, Inc. Hugs Cafe is the original McKinney, TX-based non-profit cafe that employs and trains individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and is the direct affiliate partner whose Training Academy curriculum The Lily Pad implements. It is the closest comparable model in mission, operating format, and training methodology.
• Bitty & Beau's Coffee: Bitty & Beau's Coffee is a multi-location non-profit/impact-driven coffee shop chain that primarily employs people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, with comparable mission, retail format, and customer base (community-driven foot traffic) to The Lily Pad Cafe.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thelilypad

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 The Lily Pad