Safe Crossings Foundation

What Safe Crossings Foundation does

Safe Crossings Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 75-2992774) headquartered in Seattle, Washington, founded in 1989 as the McMullin Robertson Foundation and renamed to its current identity in 1989. The foundation's core function is grantmaking and coordination of grief support services for bereaved children and the adults who support them, primarily across King County and the Greater Puget Sound region of Washington State. It does not develop proprietary technology; instead, it operates a curated portfolio of funded programs including the Safe Crossings Program (a bereavement counseling service created in partnership with Providence Hospice of Seattle in 1990), Camp Erin–King County (a weekend overnight grief camp for ages 5-17, funded since 2004), the Healing Center (funded since 2012), Art with Heart, Bridges Center for Grieving Children, Wild Grief, Grievers Library, and Eluna Camp Erin Online. The foundation also operates the Youth Advisory Council (established 2021) and the annual Northwest Conference on Childhood Grief (launched 2015).

The foundation employs 1-10 staff, led by Executive Director Cheryl Sesnon, who succeeded Interim Executive Director David Cook following the July 2025 departure of long-tenured Executive Director Karen Schrantz. Its revenue model is a mix of individual donations, corporate partnerships, foundation grants (Charis Fund, Deupree Family Foundation, Enterprise Holdings Foundation, Fales Foundation Trust, Florence Kilworth Foundation, Grousemont Foundation, Kawabe Memorial Fund, Marco J. Heidner Charitable Trust, Puyallup Tribe's Charity Funds, Tulalip Tribes Charitable Fund, Vatheuer Family Foundation, Windermere Foundation, and others), and fundraising events including an annual luncheon and golf tournament. All grief support services are provided free of charge to families; the only revenue-bearing offering is the professional development conference, priced at $180 general admission / $90 student rate, with vendor booths at $75 and continuing education clock hours at $15.

The foundation reaches its audiences through a diversified marketing and distribution stack: a corporate website with donation functionality, email newsletters, organic social media (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube), earned media coverage, and recurring in-person events. Distribution of services is delivered exclusively through funded partner organizations rather than direct provision, with school-based grief support groups reaching over two dozen elementary, middle, and high schools in King County. The foundation's competitive differentiation rests on its 35+ years of brand longevity, the breadth of its funded program ecosystem, and its dual role as both a funder and a convener (via the annual conference) for the regional children's grief support field.

Name

Safe Crossings Foundation

Legal name

Safe Crossings Foundation

Website

https://safecrossingsfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Safe Crossings Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds and coordinates free grief support services for bereaved children and families across the Greater Puget Sound region through a portfolio of partner organizations and an annual professional conference.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit / Charitable Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Nonprofit foundation
• Community programs
• Charitable services
• Philanthropic support
• Public benefit programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Charitable contributions from individual donors supporting the foundation's mission to fund grief counseling services for children.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate sponsorships and partnerships from businesses supporting grieving children through event sponsorships and contributions.
3. Foundation Grants: Grants from other foundations and charitable funds including Charis Fund, Deupree Family Foundation, Enterprise Holdings Foundation, Fales Foundation Trust, and others.
4. Fundraising Events: Revenue from annual events including luncheons and golf tournaments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The supplied input does not contain descriptive content about Safe Crossings Foundation's core activities, programs, or services; only the organization's name is provided. As a result, no specific core offering can be evidenced beyond the inference implied by the word "Foundation."

Product overview

Safe Crossings Foundation is a nonprofit foundation that does not offer a technology product but rather funds and coordinates a portfolio of grief support programs for children in the Puget Sound region. Its core funded programs include the Safe Crossings Program (bereavement counseling), Camp Erin King County (weekend grief camp), and the Youth Advisory Council. The foundation also organizes the annual Northwest Conference on Childhood Grief for professional development. Additionally, it funds partner organizations including The Healing Center, Bridges Center for Grieving Children, Art with Heart, Eluna, Grievers Library, Wild Grief, and other regional grief support services. The foundation takes a three-pronged approach: Funding (grants to grief support programs), Education (professional development and conferences), and Resources (educational materials for families and professionals).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• All services provided at no cost to families
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered secondary and core.

• Art with HeartsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Funded development of the Draw It Out art therapy book created by Art with Heart, along with Leader's Companion book and training for parents, teachers, counselors, therapists and others.
• The Healing CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Began providing grants to The Healing Center starting in 2012. The Healing Center is a grief-support community offering individual and group support, informal events, and social networks for children, teens, and families.
• Camp Erin - King CountycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004Safe Crossings Foundation began funding Camp Erin-King County in 2004. Camp Erin is a weekend overnight grief camp for children and teens ages 5-17, provided free of charge to participants.
• Providence Hospice of SeattlecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1990Safe Crossings Foundation collaborated with Providence Hospice of Seattle to create the Safe Crossings Program in 1990. The foundation provides primary funding while Providence manages and operates the program with professional bereavement counselors who are employees of Providence but collaborate closely with the foundation on program direction.
• Seattle Children's Hospital Journey ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with Seattle Children's Hospital Journey Program for the annual Northwest Conference on Childhood Grief. The Journey Program helps families navigate the death of a child.
• University of Washington Foster School of BusinesssecondaryOthersPartners with University of Washington's Foster School of Business for Board Fellows program, providing MBA students experience with nonprofit governance.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Comfort Zone Camp: National nonprofit offering free bereavement camps and programs for children who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling, or caregiver — directly competing with Camp Erin-King County for families and donors.
• Moyer Foundation: Founder and original funder of Camp Erin, a no-cost children's bereavement camp program. Operates as both a direct service provider and a grantmaking/convener organization paralleling Safe Crossings' hybrid model.
• Experience Camps: National nonprofit running free, overnight summer camps and year-round programs for grieving children; competes with Camp Erin-King County (a Safe Crossings-funded program) for the same beneficiary population and donor pool.
• Eluna Network: National nonprofit that funds and operates Camp Erin bereavement camps and other children's grief programs; Safe Crossings directly funds Camp Erin King County as one of Eluna's regional partners, making it a tightly coupled peer.
• National Alliance for Grieving Children: National nonprofit network and resource hub for children's bereavement programs; comparable to Safe Crossings in its mission to coordinate, fund, and professionalize the children's grief support field.
• Dougy Center: Portland-based pioneering children's grief support center that directly funds and operates bereavement programs for kids and families — the most comparable Pacific Northwest peer to Safe Crossings in mission, regional focus, and program model.
• Bo's Place: Houston-based nonprofit providing free, ongoing peer-support grief programs for children, teens, and adults — a close operational analog to Safe Crossings in offering free, professionally staffed grief services at no charge to families.
• Kids Konnected: National nonprofit providing friendship, education, and peer-support programs for kids and teens who have lost a parent or sibling; overlaps with Safe Crossings' Grieving Children and Teens segment.

Broad incumbents

• New York Life Foundation: Major corporate foundation running the Grief Reach program, which funds school-based bereavement support; a larger, better-capitalized funder operating in the same children's grief space that Safe Crossings serves.
• Hospice Foundation of America: National nonprofit that educates the public and professionals on grief, hospice, and end-of-life care; a broader incumbent whose educational programming overlaps with Safe Crossings' professional-development and resource mission.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@safecrossingsfoundation7451
• Facebookfacebook.com/safecrossingsfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/safe-crossings-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/safecrossingsfoundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Safe Crossings Foundation