Son of a Saint

What Son of a Saint does

Son of a Saint is a New Orleans-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2011 by Bivian "Sonny" Lee III that provides long-term, wraparound mentorship and youth development services to fatherless boys from ages 10 through early adulthood. Programming is structured around four pillars spanning academic support, mental health services, life skills development, and experiential enrichment including summer camps, college tours, and cultural travel. The organization delivers services through a dedicated facility called The Clubhouse (and the newly opened Ochsner Health Son of a Saint Bivian Lee Jr. Center), assigning each mentee a dedicated case manager, access to licensed mental health counselors, and a long-tenure adult mentor.

The business model is philanthropic rather than commercial. Revenue is generated through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, two signature fundraising events (the Annual Gala and A Night in New York), and the structured Sponsor a Boy program, which requires a $25,000 annual commitment over three years from philanthropists, corporate partners, and foundations. The organization also benefits from in-kind operational support such as Carvana's donation of a transportation vehicle. There is no disclosed venture capital or private equity investment, and revenue figures are not publicly reported. The customer segments are dual-sided: the beneficiaries are fatherless boys in the Greater New Orleans area, and the paying counterparties are individual donors, corporate sponsors, and foundation partners.

The organization has served more than 700 young people across full-time mentees, alumni, and tuition-based scholarship students, with 33 new mentees admitted in the 2026 cohort. Strategic corporate partners include Ochsner Health, AKD Law, Entergy, Old City Investment Partners, VICI Properties, Carvana, Jones Walker LLP, and Freeport-McMoRan Corporation. The organization is led by founder and CEO Bivian "Sonny" Lee III, with Daphne Stratton as Chief Development Officer, and is governed by a Board of Directors that added Kenneth Polite Jr. and Pike Howard in 2025. The organization does not develop technology products and has no AI, API, or software offering.

Name

Son of a Saint

Legal name

Son of a Saint

Website

https://sonofasaint.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Son of a Saint is a New Orleans-based nonprofit founded in 2011 that provides long-term mentorship, academic, and mental health support to fatherless boys from ages 10 through early adulthood, funded by donations, corporate sponsorships, and its Sponsor a Boy program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mentorship Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL), Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services (EDACALAH)

Keywords

• Youth mentorship programs
• Nonprofit youth development
• Educational support services
• Mental health counseling
• Community mentorship

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute through the organization's website, event attendance, and direct giving campaigns. The organization encourages monthly giving and one-time donations.
2. Sponsor a Boy Program: Corporate partners, foundations, and high-net-worth philanthropists sponsor individual mentees through a structured three-year commitment of $25,000 annually, providing comprehensive support from childhood through early adulthood.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate partners sponsor events such as the Annual Gala and A Night in New York, providing financial support in exchange for recognition and brand visibility.
4. Event Revenue: Signature events including the Annual Gala and A Night in New York generate revenue through ticket sales, table sponsorships, and auction items.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Son of a Saint provides long-term, wraparound mentorship and youth development services for fatherless boys in New Orleans, supporting them from ages 10-12 through early adulthood (19+). Its core offering combines one-on-one mentorship, licensed mental health counseling, academic support, life skills development, summer camps, and travel/enrichment experiences into a decade-plus program anchored at The Clubhouse and the Ochsner Health Son of a Saint Bivian Lee Jr. Center. Funding comes from individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and a high-touch "Sponsor a Boy" program (three-year, $25,000/year commitment).

Product overview

Son of a Saint is a nonprofit mentorship organization, not a technology product company. It offers comprehensive youth development programs for fatherless boys in New Orleans, including mentorship, mental health services, academic support, life skills development, and enrichment experiences. The organization does not provide technology products or software services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Son of a Saint Mentee Mentorship Program Long-term, wraparound mentorship and youth development program for fatherless boys in Greater New Orleans, structured across four age-based stages (Foundation Ages 10-12, Exploration Ages 13-16, Preparation Ages 17-19, Launch Ages 19+) and delivered over more than a decade per mentee. The program combines one-on-one mentorship, case management, academic support, life skills development, and enrichment experiences, and operates year-round at The Clubhouse.
• Sponsor a Boy Program Multi-year individual sponsorship offering for philanthropists, foundations, and corporate partners who commit $25,000 annually for a three-year term to fund the comprehensive wraparound care of a named mentee. Sponsors receive three annual impact updates featuring stories and profiles of boys from the sponsored cohort, invitations to exclusive gatherings, and personalized recognition.
• Individual Giving / General Donations One-time and recurring donation channel for individual supporters of Son of a Saint, processed through the online donation portal (give.sonofasaint.org) and tied to direct mission funding outside of the Sponsor a Boy program.
• Signature Fundraising Events Annual fundraising events including the Annual Gala, A Night in New York, Block Party, and Women's Luncheon that generate revenue through ticket sales, table sponsorships, and auction items while serving as donor engagement and stewardship experiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 700 young people served including mentees, alumni, and scholarship students
• +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

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ochsner HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Ochsner Health is a Champion Sponsor of the 2025 Annual Gala and has partnered with Son of a Saint on the Ochsner Health Son of a Saint Bivian Lee Jr. Center, serving as a major facility and programmatic supporter.
• AKD LawcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025AKD Law served as the Presenting Sponsor of the 2025 Annual Gala, providing significant financial support for the signature fundraising event.
• EntergycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Entergy served as a Champion Sponsor of the 2025 Annual Gala, supporting the organization's mission and fundraising efforts.
• CarvanacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Carvana partnered with Son of a Saint to strengthen the organization's logistics team and transportation initiatives, generously providing a Chrysler Voyager to the in-house transportation fleet in summer 2025.
• New York GiantsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Son of a Saint Mentee Council traveled to New York, building connections with the New York Giants organization and experiencing opportunities beyond New Orleans.
• Krewe of FreretminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFor more than a decade, Son of a Saint has proudly rolled with Krewe of Freret during Mardi Gras, with mentees riding on the organization's superfloat and participating in this beloved neighborhood parade tradition.
• Jones Walker LLPminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPresented the 2021 Annual Gala alongside other founding sponsors, demonstrating early corporate support for the organization.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Large national youth development organization providing after-school programming, mentoring, and enrichment at local clubs. Comparable youth development and enrichment model at much larger scale, but less targeted to fatherless boys specifically.
• Boys Town: Long-established national provider of residential and community-based services for at-risk children and families. Comparable wraparound care philosophy and decades-long commitment to vulnerable youth, though much larger and broader in scope.

Direct peers

• MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership: National umbrella organization advancing quality youth mentoring through affiliate networks, research, and advocacy. Highly comparable focus on sustained mentoring relationships as a youth development intervention.
• Youth Guidance (Becoming a Man / BAM): Chicago-based provider of school-based group mentoring and counseling programs for at-risk young men, including the BAM program. Closely comparable male-focused, intensive wraparound youth development model.
• Year Up: National workforce development nonprofit serving young adults from low-income communities with training, mentoring, and corporate placement. Comparable long-horizon support model for underserved youth transitioning to careers.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National one-to-one youth mentoring organization serving at-risk children, including boys without consistent adult role models. Directly comparable mission and mentor-pairing model to Son of a Saint, with a larger geographic footprint and a longer operating history.
• iMentor: Nonprofit that pairs students with adult mentors focused on college access and career readiness, pairing closely with schools. Comparable long-horizon student mentoring model with an emphasis on college and workforce outcomes.
• Harlem Children's Zone: Comprehensive cradle-to-career nonprofit providing education, social services, and youth programs in a defined urban geography. Comparable place-based, wraparound, multi-generational model for underserved youth in a single community.

Others

• KIPP Foundation: National network of public charter schools serving primarily low-income students with extended-day programming and college preparation. Tangentially comparable in college-readiness focus for underserved youth, though education-delivery-led rather than mentorship-led.

Emerging players

• National Fatherhood Initiative: National nonprofit focused on responsible fatherhood and addressing father absence. Directly comparable in mission framing around fatherlessness, though it operates more as an advocacy and resource provider than a direct-service mentorship operator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@sonofasaint
• Facebookfacebook.com/sonofasaintorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/son-of-a-saint
• Instagraminstagram.com/sonofasaint
• Xx.com/sonofasaintorg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Son of a Saint