The Link & Option Center
The Cloth Option is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit cloth diaper bank that distributes free loaned cloth diapers, education, and support to US families experiencing diaper need, via a national network of advocates and direct shipping.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersHolyoke, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Link & Option Center does
The Cloth Option is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit cloth diaper bank founded in October 2018 and headquartered in Holyoke, Massachusetts. It provides free loaned cloth diapers to US families experiencing diaper need — a gap left by public assistance programs such as SNAP and WIC, which do not cover diaper costs. The core product is a starter stash of cloth diapers calibrated to life stage: 20 changes for newborns (loaned, to be returned before sizing up), 15 for infants, 10 for potty-training toddlers, plus extended sizes (36–55 lb) for children with medical diapering needs. There are no income or citizenship requirements. Distribution is delivered through a hybrid model: a centralized online application portal with direct shipping plus a national network of volunteer advocates who handle local, in-person distribution and education.
Operations are entirely volunteer-run with no paid staff and are funded by individual donations (processed via Zeffy and PayPal) and corporate sponsorships from cloth diaper brands including Lil' Helper, Thirsties, Osocozy, Kinder, Happy BeeHinds, Little Bunny Tails, North Country Fluff, Arcadia Nursery, Beach Buns, Wickham Wild, Rainbowsaurus, Little Mount Cloth Co, Cloth & Bottle, and 3 Little Dinos, alongside a distribution partnership with IN Diaper Bank. The organization is governed by a five-person volunteer board (Sadie Cora as Chair, Sandra Bildstein as Secretary, Jessica Stone as Treasurer, Mariah Kaiser as Director, Zoë Hill as Director) and operates on tenets of transparency, accountability, community, and social-justice orientation. Service geography covers the US, US territories including Puerto Rico, and US military families stationed abroad via APO/FPO/DPO addresses.
Since founding, TCO has distributed more than 120,000 cloth diapers, claims to have replaced at least 24 million disposable diapers, and ships over 200 newborn packages per year. Revenue and cost data are not publicly disclosed; there is no software platform, API, or AI capability — the organization's output is the physical diaper loan combined with cloth-education content (the TCO Blog) and advocate-led training. Partnerships with cloth diaper manufacturer Lil' Helper and equity-focused advocacy group Black Women Do Cloth Diaper anchor the externally-facing strategic agenda.
The Link & Option Center firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Link & Option Center
- Legal name
- The Cloth Option, Inc
- Website
- https://theclothoption.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- The Cloth Option is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit cloth diaper bank that distributes free loaned cloth diapers, education, and support to US families experiencing diaper need, via a national network of advocates and direct shipping.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Link & Option Center industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Diaper Bank Services
- NAICS
- Personal and Laundry Services (812)
- SIC
- Women's, Misses', Children's & Infants' Undergarments (2340)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Diaper Service & Incontinence Textile Laundry (Institutional) (HSAJAEAM)
Keywords
Where The Link & Option Center is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Holyoke
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Link & Option Center business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: TCO relies on donations from individuals to fund operations. As a volunteer-run nonprofit, donations cover shipping costs for diaper packages to families and general operating expenses.
- Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors provide financial support through custom-designed sponsorship packages. Multiple cloth diaper brands sponsor the organization.
- Volunteer Services: All operations are conducted by volunteers, reducing operational costs. No earned revenue streams.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | One-time | Free cloth diaper package for qualifying families |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
The Link & Option Center product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Cloth Option (TCO) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free loaned cloth diaper packages to families experiencing diaper need across the United States, US territories, and military families abroad. Approved families receive starting stashes of cloth diapers (20 changes for newborns, 15 for infants, 10 for potty-training toddlers) along with education, advocacy support, and ongoing community resources delivered through a national network of volunteer advocates.
Product overview
The Cloth Option (TCO) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit cloth diaper bank offering a service-based program rather than a software product. The organization's core offerings consist of a cloth diaper distribution program that provides free loaned cloth diapers to qualifying families experiencing diaper need, cloth education services delivered through local advocates and events, and educational content via the TCO Blog. TCO's product portfolio includes newborn diaper loans (20 changes, must be returned), infant stashes (15 changes), potty training packages (10 changes), and extended sizes (36-55 lbs, case-by-case). The organization also maintains a national network of volunteer advocates for local distribution and support. No technology platform, API, or software product is offered.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Cloth Diaper Distribution Program A free cloth diaper distribution service that provides qualifying US families, US territory residents, and military families abroad with loaned supplies of cloth diapers. Approved families receive starting stashes sized for newborn, infant, or potty-training stages. Newborn diapers are distributed as loans that must be returned before receiving larger sizes; larger sizes may be kept as long as needed, then returned so they can help another family.
- Cloth Education Services Educational programs in which TCO advocates teach cloth diaper classes, host events and meetups, and provide support and education for current and prospective cloth diapering families across the country.
- Newborn Diaper Loan Program Provides loaned newborn cloth diapers fitting 6-10 lb babies that must be returned to the program before the next size up can be provided. TCO ships over 200 newborn packages annually to families nationwide.
- Extended Sizes Program Cloth diapers in extended sizes fitting 36 to 55 pounds, available on a case-by-case basis for children requiring extended diapering. Eligibility requires documentation of medical needs.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 120,000 cloth diapers distributed since October 2018
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Link & Option Center
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Link & Option Center technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Link & Option Center partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Lil' Helper DiaperscoreCloth diaper manufacturer that partners with TCO. Mentioned in original 2019 press release as a proud partner in the mission to end diaper need.
- Black Women Do Cloth DiapercoreAdvocacy organization founded by Donna Wallace-Smith focused on increasing representation of Black families in the cloth diapering community and providing support in low-income communities. TCO partners with this organization for outreach and advocacy.
- Little Bunny TailsminorCloth diaper brand listed as a sponsor on TCO's website. Logo displayed on sponsors page.
- Happy BeeHindsminorCloth diaper brand listed as a sponsor on TCO's website. Logo displayed on sponsors page.
- Kinder Cloth DiapersminorCloth diaper brand listed as a sponsor on TCO's website. Logo displayed on sponsors page.
- Thirsties Baby CominorCloth diaper brand listed as a sponsor on TCO's website. Logo displayed on sponsors page.
- osocozyminorCloth diaper brand listed as a sponsor on TCO's website. Logo displayed on sponsors page.
- North Country FluffminorCloth diaper brand listed as a sponsor on TCO's website. Logo displayed on sponsors page.
- Arcadia NurseryminorNursery/childcare brand listed as a sponsor on TCO's website. Logo displayed on sponsors page.
- Beach Buns Cloth DiapersminorCloth diaper brand listed as a sponsor on TCO's website. Logo displayed on sponsors page.
- Wickham WildminorCloth diaper brand listed as a sponsor on TCO's website. Logo displayed on sponsors page.
- RainbowsaurusminorCloth diaper brand listed as a sponsor on TCO's website. Logo displayed on sponsors page.
- Little Mount Cloth Co LLCminorCloth diaper brand listed as a sponsor on TCO's website. Logo displayed on sponsors page.
- Cloth & Bottle CominorCloth diaper brand listed as a sponsor on TCO's website. Logo displayed on sponsors page.
- 3 Little DinosminorCloth diaper brand listed as a sponsor on TCO's website. Logo displayed on sponsors page.
- IN Diaper BankminorIndiana Diaper Bank listed as a partner on TCO's website. Diaper banks help distribute TCO diapers to families in need within their communities.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Link & Option Center competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cradles to Crayons: National nonprofit providing children from birth through age 12 with clothing, diapers, and other essentials. Comparable model of distributing physical baby/child essentials to families experiencing economic hardship, though broader in scope.
- Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank: Cincinnati-based diaper bank focused on diaper need in the local community. Comparable volunteer-driven diaper-distribution model targeting families experiencing financial hardship.
- Baby Supply Drive: San Jose-based diaper and baby essentials bank serving Silicon Valley families in need. Comparable nonprofit model distributing free diapers and baby supplies to low-income families through community partnerships.
- Happy Bottoms: Kansas City-based diaper bank serving families in need through monthly diaper distribution. Comparable volunteer-driven, community-led diaper bank model; direct functional peer for diaper-need service delivery.
- Texas Diaper Bank: Texas-based diaper bank serving families across the state. Comparable nonprofit diaper-distribution model serving low-income families with diaper need.
- Greater Philadelphia Diaper Bank: Regional diaper bank serving families in the Philadelphia area. Directly comparable as a community-distribution diaper bank with comparable target population and service model.
- DC Diaper Bank: Washington DC-area diaper bank distributing diapers monthly to families in need. Comparable regional diaper-distribution nonprofit serving a similar low-income family demographic.
- IN Diaper Bank: Indiana-based diaper bank and existing TCO partner. Direct distribution peer helping families access diapers within their local communities; comparable mission and target population.
Broad incumbents
- Baby2Baby: Large national nonprofit distributing diapers, clothing, and other essentials to children in poverty across the US. Comparable mission and target population (low-income families with diaper need), though much larger scale and primarily disposable-diapers focused.
- National Diaper Bank Network: National umbrella organization for ~200 member diaper banks across the US. Directly comparable as the dominant coordinating body for diaper-distribution nonprofits like TCO, though it is primarily disposable-focused and operates as a network rather than a single distribution program.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Link & Option Center social profiles
Digital presenceThe Link & Option Center financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Link & Option Center leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
The Link & Option Center funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Link & Option Center 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 Link & Option Center
What does The Link & Option Center do?
The Cloth Option (TCO) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free loaned cloth diaper packages to families experiencing diaper need across the United States, US territories, and military families abroad. Approved families receive starting stashes of cloth diapers (20 changes for newborns, 15 for infants, 10 for potty-training toddlers) along with education, advocacy support, and ongoing community resources delivered through a national network of volunteer advocates.
Is The Link & Option Center a public or private company?
The Link & Option Center is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Link & Option Center founded?
The Link & Option Center was founded in 2018.
Where is The Link & Option Center based?
The Link & Option Center is headquartered in Holyoke, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Link & Option Center make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate Sponsorships and volunteer Services.
Who are The Link & Option Center's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cradles to Crayons, Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank, Baby Supply Drive, Happy Bottoms, Texas Diaper Bank, Greater Philadelphia Diaper Bank, DC Diaper Bank and IN Diaper Bank. Broad incumbents are Baby2Baby and National Diaper Bank Network.
Does The Link & Option Center have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Link & Option Center.
What industry is The Link & Option Center in?
The Link & Option Center's product category is Diaper Bank Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAJAEAM, Diaper Service & Incontinence Textile Laundry (Institutional). Its NAICS code is 812 and its SIC code is 2340.