HUGS Foundation

What HUGS Foundation does

HUGS Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2003 and headquartered at 973 East Ave, Rochester, NY (EIN: 58-2673458). The organization coordinates international medical missions delivering free reconstructive surgeries to children with congenital facial deformities — specifically cleft lip, cleft palate, microtia, and cleft rhinoplasty — in Ecuador, Guatemala, Vietnam, and Peru. Each mission deploys 20-35 volunteer medical professionals (surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses) and support staff from the United States, who establish temporary surgery centers inside local hospitals within roughly 12 hours of arrival and operate for approximately 12-day rotations. The organization is founder-led by Dr. Vito C. Quatela, MD, FACS, a global leader in aesthetic facial surgery.

The foundation's core "product" is the Medical Mission Trip itself, supplemented by an online donation platform (one-time gifts of $50-$500+, monthly recurring gifts of $10-$100 for 12 months, and corporate sponsorships at $50,000-$75,000 per mission) and a Send A Card tribute program. Revenue is diversified across individual donations, corporate sponsorships, planned giving/bequests, appreciated-securities donations, in-kind supply donations, and volunteer contributions (physicians/anesthesiologists contribute a $2,000 minimum donation; clinicians contribute $1,000 minimum). The foundation claims over 90% of donations flow directly to missions and cites a $40,000 US microtia surgery cost benchmark against which its missions can treat nearly 60 children in Ecuador.

The go-to-market model is event-driven and donation-funded rather than commercial. Distribution runs through medical missions in partner countries, supported by a website (helpusgivesmiles.org), Facebook and Instagram presence, annual galas (e.g., the 2026 HUGS Gala), and partnerships with in-country organizations (Tess Unlimited in Guatemala) and US-aligned medical industry events (Cupid Lips, Cupid Compendium Conference). Patient referrals flow through local contacts, school teachers, and partner NGOs. The operating model is intentionally lean: 1-10 employees supported entirely by volunteers, with no parent company, subsidiaries, or institutional investment structure.

Name

HUGS Foundation

Legal name

HUGS Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://helpusgivesmiles.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

HUGS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that organizes volunteer medical missions to deliver free reconstructive surgeries for children with cleft lip, cleft palate, microtia, and cleft rhinoplasty in Ecuador, Guatemala, Vietnam, and Peru.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Reconstructive Surgery Charity

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Medical Missions & Global Health NGOs (BPAGACAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

International & Local Implementing NGOs (HLAJAKAD)

Keywords

• Reconstructive surgery charity
• Medical mission services
• Cleft palate surgery
• Pediatric surgical care
• Nonprofit healthcare

Headquarters

HQ city

Rochester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and monthly donations from individuals supporting the charity's mission. Donation amounts range from $10 to $500+ for one-time gifts, with monthly recurring options from $10-$100 for 12 months.
2. Corporate Sponsorship: Companies sponsor upcoming medical missions. Average trip costs between $50,000-$75,000 including medical supplies, surgical equipment, medications, surgery, and mission trip expenses. Corporate sponsors receive recognition and tax benefits.
3. Planned Giving: Charitable bequests through wills provide meaningful support while reducing estate and inheritance taxes. Donors can secure estate-tax deductions.
4. Securities and Stock Donations: Outright gifts of appreciated securities including stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. Donors can transfer most gifts electronically from brokerage accounts.
5. Supply Donations: In-kind donations of medical supplies, medications, and equipment. Organizations with samples, overruns, or excess products can donate to support missions.
6. Volunteer Trip Contributions: Medical volunteers contribute toward trip costs. Physicians and Anesthesiologists: $2,000 minimum donation; Clinicians and Intake Coordinator: $1,000 minimum donation; Fellows, Residents, and Guests: pay 100% of expenses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

HUGS Foundation organizes international medical mission trips in which volunteer teams of 20–35 surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and support staff travel to Ecuador, Guatemala, Vietnam, and Peru to provide free reconstructive surgeries for children with cleft lip, cleft palate, microtia, and cleft rhinoplasty. The organization is funded through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, planned giving, securities donations, in-kind supply donations, and volunteer trip contributions, with over 90% of donations going directly to mission costs.

Product overview

HUGS Foundation operates as a charitable nonprofit providing free reconstructive surgeries to children with congenital facial deformities. The organization runs a coordinated portfolio consisting of its core Medical Mission Trips program (delivering free cleft lip, cleft palate, microtia, and cleft rhinoplasty surgeries in Ecuador, Guatemala, Vietnam, and Peru), supplemented by an Online Donation Platform for receiving financial contributions, and a Send A Card program for memorial/honor donations with patient-designed cards. The foundation's primary revenue comes from its donation platform, with additional fundraising supported by events like the annual Cupid Compendium Gala.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Free Reconstructive Surgery Program Provides free surgical interventions for children with congenital facial deformities including cleft lip, cleft palate, microtia, and cleft rhinoplasty in Ecuador, Guatemala, Vietnam, and Peru. Delivered to pediatric patients who lack access to affordable surgical care.
• Medical Mission Trips Volunteer-led surgical missions to underserved countries where medical teams of 20-35 members set up temporary surgery centers in partner hospitals and perform reconstructive procedures for children with facial deformities over approximately 12-day trips.
• Online Donation Platform Website-based donation system accepting one-time and monthly contributions in support of HUGS Foundation's surgical missions, with options to dedicate donations in honor or memory of individuals.
• Send A Card Program Donation program where contributors can send personalized cards honoring or memorializing someone special through contributions of $25, $100, or $1,000; cards are designed by patients from Guatemala.
• Cupid Compendium Conference and Gala Annual fundraising conference and gala featuring educational sessions, live demonstrations, and philanthropic giving in support of HUGS Foundation's medical mission work, hosted in partnership with facial aesthetics organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 60 children can receive surgery in Ecuador for the cost of one US microtia surgery ($40,000)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Cupid Lips (West Hollywood Med Spa)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2025Hosted the Cupid Compendium Conference and Gala in November 2025, raising over $60,000 for HUGS Foundation. The two-day event at The West Hollywood EDITION brought together facial aesthetics experts for education, live demonstrations, and philanthropic giving.
• Tess Unlimited (Guatemala)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner organization in Guatemala that helps identify and evaluate patients for surgery. Tess Unlimited conducted evaluations in Antigua for patients referred through the HUGS network, including surgery scheduling and coordination for patients like Juliana.
• Hospitals in Ecuador, Guatemala, Vietnam, and PerucoreOthersLocal hospitals in mission countries provide facility space where HUGS volunteers set up fully functioning surgery centers for the duration of the mission trips.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Children's Surgery International: Sends volunteer medical teams to underserved countries to provide pediatric surgeries including cleft lip and palate repair. Operates under similar volunteer-mission framework and patient beneficiary profile as HUGS.
• Global Smile Foundation: NGO focused on comprehensive cleft care in underserved regions through volunteer surgical missions. Directly comparable to HUGS in target condition (cleft lip/palate) and mission-trip delivery model.
• ReSurge International: Reconstructive surgery nonprofit that sends volunteer medical teams to developing countries to provide surgeries including cleft repair and microtia reconstruction. Closely aligned mission and volunteer-driven operating model.
• Medical Missions for Children: Provides free surgical and medical care to children in developing countries via volunteer teams. Aligns with HUGS on volunteer pediatric surgery missions and donor-funded mission economics.

Broad incumbents

• International Medical Corps: Global humanitarian organization providing health care and medical training in emergency and underserved settings. Adjacent in delivering volunteer medical services internationally but broader in scope.
• Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders: Large medical humanitarian organization providing emergency medical care in crisis and underserved settings. Comparable as a broader medical volunteer-mission nonprofit, though broader in scope than HUGS's cleft surgery focus.
• Operation Smile: International medical volunteer organization providing free cleft lip and palate surgeries in developing countries. Mirrors HUGS's volunteer mission-trip model for congenital facial deformities, with a longer operating history.
• Project HOPE: Global health and humanitarian nonprofit delivering medical care, training, and supplies in low-resource settings. Related as a broader health-services NGO operating internationally with volunteer-driven programs.
• Smile Train: Large global nonprofit focused on cleft lip and palate repair in low- and middle-income countries. Most direct functional comparator to HUGS in the cleft surgery NGO space, with a vastly larger scale and footprint.

Emerging players

• Mending Kids: Provides free surgical care to children worldwide, including reconstructive procedures, via volunteer medical teams. Closely mirrors HUGS's pediatric reconstructive-surgery mission model with comparable scale and donor-funded structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Hugsfoundationinc
• Instagraminstagram.com/hugsfoundationinc
• Xx.com/hugs_foundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hugs-foundation-inc.

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 HUGS Foundation