What Florence does

Florence (認定NPO法人フローレンス) is a Tokyo-headquartered certified nonprofit corporation founded in 2004 that operates a comprehensive portfolio of child and family welfare programs in Japan. It directly serves economically vulnerable children, single-parent households, families with children with disabilities or medical-care needs, women facing unexpected pregnancy, and multiples families through more than a dozen interlocking services, including Japan's first home-visit sick child daycare (2005), small-scale nursery schools (Mirai no Hoikuen), long-stay daycare for children with medical needs (Helen), home-visit disability childcare (Annie), nurse home-visit services (Nancy), special adoption intermediary services, the Kodomo Taku Shoku food-delivery outreach program, and the Kodomo Boken Bank experience-delivery platform. Underlying technology is a hybrid digital-plus-in-person model combining a LINE-based chatbot (Enaga-san) for pregnancy consultation with an AI/SNS-augmented social work platform built in partnership with PKSHA Technology and Sapeet, plus an online training platform for adoptive parent education.

Florence's business model is a hybrid of tax-deductible donations, public-sector commissioning, and modest service fees. Revenue streams include monthly recurring individual donations starting at 1,500 yen/month, one-time individual and corporate donations (including tax-deductible certified NPO status), commissioned service contracts with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Sendai City, and other municipalities, subsidized childcare service fees paid by parents, and training/seminar fees (e.g., 4,500 yen online basic course; 30,000 yen step-up workshop for adoptive parents). Go-to-market combines direct delivery through 11 owned facilities in Tokyo and Sendai, a national partner ecosystem of 265+ replicating organizations across all 47 prefectures, corporate CSR partnerships (over 1,100 corporate donors; 29 adventure-bank partners), earned media, and a multi-channel owned media platform (Flolens). Distribution also leverages a licensed regulatory position (government-issued special adoption intermediary license, renewed 2021) and an active policy-advocacy function that has contributed to 21 enacted national policy proposals, including the 2019 Medical Care Child Support Law and the institutionalization of the small-scale certified nursery system.

Name

Florence

Legal name

特定非@npo活動法人フローレンス

Website

https://florence.or.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Florence is a Tokyo-based certified NPO (founded 2004) operating child and family welfare programs in Japan, including sick-child daycare, disability/medical-care childcare, special adoption, food delivery, and an experience platform for disadvantaged children, funded by donations, government contracts, and service fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child and Family Welfare Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Individual and Family Services (6241), Child Care Services (624410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Home Health Care Services (8082)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Medical Complexity & Medically Fragile Childcare (G-tube, trach, seizure care) (HSAAAIAG), High-Risk & Medically Complex Newborn Support (Non-Clinical NCS) (HSAAACAG)

Keywords

• Child welfare services
• Sick child daycare
• Disability childcare
• Special adoption support
• Child food assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations (個人・法人): Monthly and one-time donations from individual donors (マンスリーサプライヤー) and corporate CSR programs. Donations are tax-deductible as Florence is a certified NPO (認定NPO法人). Corporate partners provide designated donations for specific programs such as ひとり親家庭支援 and こども冒険バンク.
2. Childcare service fees: Low-cost or subsidized fees for childcare services (病児保育, 障害児保育, 小規模保育) funded by a combination of parent fees and public subsidies. Single-parent families receive discounted rates supported by donations.
3. Public/government contracts: Commissioned services by Tokyo metropolitan government, Sendai city, and other municipalities for social work programs, nursery operations, and disability child support services.
4. Training and seminar fees: Fees from online and in-person training programs such as the special adoption parent training (4,500 yen for online basic course; 30,000 yen for step-up workshop).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Florence is a certified NPO that delivers child and family welfare services in Japan, including home-visit sick child daycare, small-scale nursery centers, disability and medical-care child daycare, special adoption intermediary services, pregnancy consultation and free maternity hospital access, child food delivery, and hybrid AI/human social work support. The organization funds these services through individual donations, corporate CSR partnerships, government commissions, and modest service fees. It also conducts systematic policy advocacy that has shaped Japan's small-scale daycare, medical-care child, and special adoption legislation.

Product overview

Florence operates as a comprehensive child and family welfare organization managing a portfolio of inter-related services organized around four mission themes: (1) eliminating child poverty and abuse, (2) preventing isolation of families, (3) making childcare less burdensome, and (4) changing social rules and culture. The core operational services include: home-visit sick child daycare (病児保育), small-scale daycare centers (みらいの保育園), three disability-focused childcare services (障害児保育園ヘレン, 障害児訪問保育アニー, 医療的ケアシスター ナンシー), pregnancy consultation and free maternity hospital (にんしん相談・無料産院), special adoption services (赤ちゃん縁組), food assistance through delivery (こども宅食), single-parent family support, hybrid social work combining AI chat with human case management (ハイブリッドソーシャルワーク, おやこよりそいチャット), and an experience-gap platform connecting corporate experiences to disadvantaged children (こども冒険バンク). Cross-cutting programs include policy advocacy (政策立案・政策提言), a policy entrepreneur training school (フローレンスの政策起業道場), and a media platform (フローレンズ). The organization also manages a donation-funded support fund (Policy Fund) and provides training programs for adoptive parents. Together, these services form an ecosystem where direct service delivery generates insights for policy reform, and policy reform enables better service delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• フローレンズ (Flolens): A media platform that creates content to challenge outdated social norms and envision a better future for all children.
• こども冒険バンク (Kodomo Boken Bank)
• 病児保育 (Florence no Byojihi Hoiku)
• おうち保育園 (Ouchi Hoikuen)
• みらいの保育園 (Mirai no Hoikuen)
• 障害児保育園ヘレン (Shogaisha Ji Hoikuen Helen)
• 障害児訪問保育アニー (Shogaisha Homon Hoiku Annie)
• 医療的ケアシスター ナンシー (Medical Care Sitter Nancy)
• ふたご助っ人くじ (Futago Support Kuji)
• こども宅食 (Kodomo Taku Shoku)
• 無料産院 (Free Maternity Hospital)
• Floren Baby Adoption / Florence 赤ちゃん縁組

Products and services

• 訪問型病児保育 (Home-visit Sick Child Daycare) Home-visit sick child daycare service that dispatches trained childcare staff to children's homes when they are ill, enabling working parents to continue employment.
• みらいの保育園 (Mirai no Hoikuen) Network of small-scale and certified daycare centers operating in Tokyo and Sendai, serving as an early-detection hub for family challenges and connecting families to appropriate support services.
• 障害児保育 ヘレン (Helen Disability Child Daycare) Japan's first long-stay daycare facility for children with medical needs and severe disabilities, providing full-day childcare, therapeutic, and nursing care.
• 障害児訪問保育 アニー (Annie Home-Visit Disability Childcare) One-on-one home-visit daycare service for children with disabilities, providing personalized care in the child's home.
• 医療的ケアシッター ナンシー (Medical Care Sitter Nancy) Nurse home-visit service for families with medically dependent children, delivering diverse in-home support including nursing care, companionship, and family respite.
• 赤ちゃん縁組 (Special Adoption Engumi) Special adoption support service licensed by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and Tokyo Metropolitan Government, including pregnancy consultation, adoptive parent training, matching, and post-placement support.
• にんしん相談・無料産院 (Pregnancy Consultation & Free Maternity Hospital) Free consultation service for unexpected pregnancy combined with Japan's first free maternity hospital network, providing medical care and safe delivery support for isolated and economically vulnerable pregnant women.
• こども宅食 (Kodomo Taku Shoku - Child Food Delivery) Outreach food delivery program that delivers food parcels to struggling families and maintains ongoing relationships, serving as an early-warning system connecting at-risk families to social services.
• ひとり親家庭支援 (Single-Parent Family Support) Subsidized sick-child daycare and broader support services for single-parent households, enabling parents to maintain employment while caring for ill children.
• ハイブリッドソーシャルワーク (Hybrid Social Work) Hybrid model combining AI-powered chat consultation and SNS-based support (LINE platform) with in-person social worker follow-up for isolated families.
• こども冒険バンク (Kodomo Bouken Bank / Children's Adventure Bank) Platform connecting corporations offering cultural, sports, and learning experiences to children lacking access to such opportunities, delivering free curated experiences to disadvantaged families.
• ふたご助っ人くじ (Futago Support Kuji) Specialized home-visit support service for families with twins or higher-order multiples, providing in-home assistance.
• フローレンズ (Flolens Media Platform) Media platform branded as 'media that creates new norms', publishing stories, commentary, and investigative content on child welfare, disability, social policy, and related issues.
• Policy Fund Donor-funded grant program co-developed with PoliPoli that provides financial and advisory support to NPOs and policy entrepreneurs working on systemic social change.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cumulative ~140,000 sick child daycare instances (by March 2025), zero major accidents over 20 years
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• サントリーホールディングス株式会社flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed the こどもの冒険バンク (Children's Adventure Bank) platform under Santori Holdings' 'Kimi wa Michisuu' (君は未知数) next-generation empowerment initiative. Florence operates the platform while Santori contributed to its development, delivering experiential opportunities to underserved children.
• ALSOK株式会社 (綜合警備保障株式会社)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerAdventure partner (冒険パートナー) for こども冒険バンク since its launch, providing over 500 children with experiences including KidZania Tokyo. Sponsors Nagoya Diamond Dolphins professional basketball team; provided 100 parent-child pairs with free game tickets in Chubu region expansion (April 2026). ALSOK also uses the program for employee engagement and recruiting.
• 安藤スポーツ・食文化振興財団coreGTM or Marketing PartnerExperience partner providing Cup Noodle Museum tours as part of こども冒険バンク program.
• 小田急電鉄株式会社coreGTM or Marketing PartnerExperience partner providing Romance Car Museum visits as part of こども冒険バンク.
• 大日本印刷株式会社coreGTM or Marketing PartnerExperience partner providing print culture and book-related experiences at Ichigaya no Mori as part of こども冒険バンク.
• 株式会社探究学舎coreGTM or Marketing PartnerExperience partner providing online learning experiences as part of こども冒険バンク.
• 株式会社東配工coreGTM or Marketing PartnerExperience partner providing high-place work vehicle aerial walk experiences as part of こども冒険バンク.
• 東武レジャー企画株式会社coreGTM or Marketing PartnerExperience partner providing zoo visits as part of こども冒険バンク.
• 東洋製罐グループホールディングス株式会社coreGTM or Marketing PartnerExperience partner providing container culture museum tours and workshops as part of こども冒険バンク.
• 日本航空株式会社coreGTM or Marketing PartnerExperience partner providing JAL factory and hangar tours as part of こども冒険バンク.
• 株式会社フォレストアドベンチャーcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerExperience partner providing forest tree-top adventure activities as part of こども冒険バンク.
• 森永製葉株式会社coreGTM or Marketing PartnerExperience partner providing Morinesei Angel Museum MORIUM and Tsurumi factory tours as part of こども冒険バンク.
• 山形市flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Yamagata City along with PKSHA Technology and Sapeet to provide AI/SNS-based consultation support for isolated families using Florence's hybrid social work model.
• PKSHA Technology株式会社coreTechnology or IntegrationAI technology partner in the Yamagata City partnership, providing AI-powered chat consultation capabilities integrated with Florence's social work platform.
• Sapeet株式会社coreTechnology or IntegrationSNS technology partner in the Yamagata City partnership, enabling social media-integrated consultation and support for isolated families.
• 株式会社PoliPoliflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded the Policy Fund (政策起業支援寄付基金) with PoliPoli to support NPOs and policy entrepreneurs. Florence serves as a partner providing policy advocacy mentorship and training (政策起業道場) to fund recipients.
• 公益財団法人日本非営利組織評価センター (JCNE)coreOthersJCNE-certified Good Giving Mark accreditation body, providing third-party evaluation of Florence's non-profit operations and governance.
• 名古屋ダイヤモンドドルフィンズminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProfessional basketball team in Nagoya; ALSOK-sponsored team that provided 100 parent-child free tickets through the こども冒険バンク Chugoku/Chubu expansion initiative.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Large U.S.-based provider of childcare, early education, and dependent care services, including back-up care for sick children. Broad incumbent peer in the broader nursery, sick child, and family-support services market that Florence operates in, though at much larger commercial scale.
• Poppins Corporation: Large Japanese operator of licensed daycare centers, babysitting, and in-home childcare services, including sick child daycare. Broad incumbent peer in the childcare delivery space with overlapping sick child daycare and nursery operations, though operating as a commercial, publicly listed company.
• JP Holdings: Japanese holding company and one of the largest operators of licensed daycare centers in Japan. Broad incumbent peer in the nursery and childcare services market with overlapping service categories (small-scale and authorized nurseries) that Florence helped shape through its policy work.
• UNICEF Japan (Japanese Committee for UNICEF): Established NPO raising funds and advocating for child welfare and rights globally and in Japan. Broad incumbent peer given its significantly larger scale and overlapping child-rights policy advocacy, though operating with a much wider mandate than Florence's direct service focus.

Direct peers

• Save the Children Japan: Large NPO operating child welfare, child poverty, and child rights programs in Japan. Direct peer given overlapping mission around child poverty, policy advocacy, and direct service delivery to vulnerable children and families.
• Learning for All: Certified NPO providing learning support, welfare navigation, and family support for children facing poverty in Japan. Direct peer because of overlapping child welfare mission, multi-program service model, and similar NPO funding structure.
• SOS Children's Villages Japan: International NPO operating alternative care (foster family) services for children without parental care in Japan. Direct peer in child welfare, foster care, and adoption-related services, with overlapping regulatory and policy environment.
• Kids Door: Tokyo-based certified NPO focused on supporting children from low-income households through education, food, and welfare programs. Direct peer operating a multi-program model aimed at child poverty in Japan, with similar direct-service and policy advocacy orientation.
• Katriba: Certified NPO providing educational support and welfare programs to children from disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly in disaster-affected and low-income communities. Direct peer in child welfare NPO space with similar policy advocacy and direct service delivery.

Emerging players

• Kids Public: Japanese healthtech company operating online pediatric consultation ('Anshin Pediatric Clinic') and sick child care platform. Emerging player peer because it directly competes in the sick child care and pediatric consultation space that Florence pioneered, with a tech-enabled commercial model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sprflorence
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCJ0TBkXjZuMFKUXaoBKfy7A
• Facebookfacebook.com/npo.florence
• Instagraminstagram.com/npoflorence

Compliance4 records

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 Florence