The Center for Grieving Children
The Center for Grieving Children is a 1987-founded Maine nonprofit that provides free peer support groups for grieving children, teens, families, and adults across Portland, Sanford, and virtually in Southern Maine, funded entirely through donations, corporate partnerships, and community events.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersPortland, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Center for Grieving Children does
The Center for Grieving Children is a Maine-based nonprofit organization founded in 1987 by Bill Hemmens that provides free peer support services to grieving children, teens, young adults, families, and adults. The organization operates two physical locations in Portland (555 Forest Avenue) and Sanford (1209 Main Street), plus virtual and on-site school crisis response services primarily in Southern Maine. Core service lines include Bereavement Peer Support for ages 3-30 and bereaved adults, Tender Living Care for families navigating serious illness, an Intercultural Peer Support Program serving refugee children since 1997, Outreach and Training for schools and community organizations, Phone Support, and Community Webinars.
The core technology is a peer support model using group facilitation with art, music, talking, and play modalities, delivered by trained volunteers under clinical supervision. Groups are capped at 8 participants with 2-3 trained facilitators, and the model relies on a 30-hour intensive facilitator training program. The organization has no proprietary software, no API, no app, and no digital platform beyond a website and Vimeo-hosted webinar recordings. Volunteer hours totaled 28,000 in the most recent reported year, indicating that human-led service delivery is the operational backbone.
The Center is funded entirely through charitable giving and offers all services at no cost to participants. Revenue streams include individual donations, corporate partnerships with customizable campaigns, annual special events (LOVE Gala, TD Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race, Golf Tournament), planned giving via the Bill Hemmens Legacy Society, memorial donations (Star Memorial Wall), and stock/DAF transfers. In FY2023-24, the organization served 575 individuals in peer support groups. Marketing is conducted through organic social (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram), email newsletters, the website, community webinars, and earned media. Leadership transitioned to Gretchen Johnson as Executive Director in March 2024.
The Center for Grieving Children firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Center for Grieving Children
- Legal name
- The Center for Grieving Children
- Website
- https://cgcmaine.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Center for Grieving Children is a 1987-founded Maine nonprofit that provides free peer support groups for grieving children, teens, families, and adults across Portland, Sanford, and virtually in Southern Maine, funded entirely through donations, corporate partnerships, and community events.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Center for Grieving Children industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Peer Support Services
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (624110), Individual and Family Services (6241)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Hospice-Affiliated/Independent) (HLADAHAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Family Aftercare) (HSABAFAI)
Keywords
Where The Center for Grieving Children is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Center for Grieving Children business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Direct donations from individuals supporting the free services provided to grieving children and families
- Corporate Partnerships: Annual corporate gifts supporting peer support programs, community outreach, and facilitator trainings through customizable partnership campaigns
- Special Events: Revenue from events including LOVE Gala, Beach to Beacon, Golf Tournament, and community running events
- Planned Giving: Bill Hemmens Legacy Society accepts legacy gifts and bequests to ensure long-term sustainability
- Memorial Donations: Star Memorial Wall donations ($250+) for memorializing loved ones; tribute gifts for special occasions
- Stock and DAF Gifts: Accepts Donor Advised Fund grants, stock transfers, and electronic fund transfers
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | All programs are free to participants |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
The Center for Grieving Children product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Center for Grieving Children is a nonprofit organization that provides free peer support groups, crisis response, and education for grieving children, teens, young adults, and families. Core services include Bereavement Peer Support, Tender Living Care for families facing serious illness, an Intercultural Peer Support Program for resettled refugee youth, and Outreach and Training for schools and communities. All services are led by trained staff and volunteers at no cost to participants.
Product overview
The Center for Grieving Children is a nonprofit organization offering a unified portfolio of peer support programs for grieving children, teens, families, and adults. The core offerings include Bereavement Peer Support, Tender Living Care (TLC) for families facing serious illness, the Intercultural Peer Support Program for resettled youth, Outreach and Training for schools and communities, Phone Support, Community Webinars, and Resources including articles and therapeutic activities. All services are provided free of charge and are led by trained staff and volunteers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Bereavement Peer Support
Quantifiable outcome
- 575 individuals served in peer support groups from July 2023 - June 2024
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Center for Grieving Children
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Center for Grieving Children technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Center for Grieving Children partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Tapawingo CampminorPartner organization for girls who have lost a parent, connected through the Center's programming. Former participants go on to become camp counselors.
- Portland Public SchoolscoreCollaborative partnership for the Intercultural Peer Support Program serving refugee children who have resettled from countries experiencing war, conflict, and natural disaster
- University of Maine School of Social WorkminorGraduate program partnership providing interns to support the Center's work with grieving families. One of several college/university partnerships.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Center for Grieving Children competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Strengths5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Center for Grieving Children social profiles
Digital presenceThe Center for Grieving Children financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Center for Grieving Children leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
The Center for Grieving Children funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Center for Grieving Children M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Center for Grieving Children
What does The Center for Grieving Children do?
The Center for Grieving Children is a nonprofit organization that provides free peer support groups, crisis response, and education for grieving children, teens, young adults, and families. Core services include Bereavement Peer Support, Tender Living Care for families facing serious illness, an Intercultural Peer Support Program for resettled refugee youth, and Outreach and Training for schools and communities. All services are led by trained staff and volunteers at no cost to participants.
Is The Center for Grieving Children a public or private company?
The Center for Grieving Children is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Center for Grieving Children founded?
The Center for Grieving Children was founded in 1987. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Center for Grieving Children based?
The Center for Grieving Children is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Center for Grieving Children make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate Partnerships, special Events, planned Giving, memorial Donations and stock and DAF Gifts.
Does The Center for Grieving Children have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Center for Grieving Children.
What industry is The Center for Grieving Children in?
The Center for Grieving Children's product category is Peer Support Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLADAHAL, Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Hospice-Affiliated/Independent), with a secondary code of HSABAFAI, Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Family Aftercare). Its NAICS code is 624110 and its SIC code is 8300.