The Foster Closet Corp

What The Foster Closet Corp does

The Foster Closet Corp is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Florida registration #CH51836) founded in 2007 by Tammy McGuire and incorporated as a nonprofit in 2009, headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It serves foster families, kinship caregivers, non-relative caregivers, independent-living teens, and social workers across the four-county Northeast Florida region (Duval, Nassau, Clay, St. Johns). Its core offering is the free provision of new and gently-used clothing, children's accessories, toys, and baby furniture (cribs, strollers, car seats, high chairs, swings) to qualifying families during the critical first 3–12 months of a foster placement, when children often arrive with less than 48 hours' notice and without basic necessities.

The organization runs a portfolio of seasonal and event-driven programs layered on top of its core material-distribution service, including Christmas Wishes, a Birthday Club, holiday basket programs (Valentine's, Easter, Mother's Day, Thanksgiving), an annual Back-to-School supply giveaway, and a Foster Parent Mentorship Program. A church-based Project Faith partnership provides monthly foster-parent respite nights. Distribution currently occurs by appointment from a storage unit while the organization awaits city of Jacksonville rezoning to open a planned nonprofit thrift store (FC Thrift Store) intended to replace operational funding lost when a 14-year child-welfare agency partner cut its funding in half in 2023.

Foster Closet operates without proprietary technology — no app, API, or internal systems are described. Revenue is donation-based, drawn from monetary contributions (PayPal, cash, check), in-kind goods, occasional corporate drives (e.g., Hannania Automotive's ~$40,000 holiday toy drive in December 2023), Amazon Wishlist fulfillment, and the planned thrift-store retail channel. Since 2009 the organization reports helping over 13,000 individuals and currently serves approximately 500-700 children per year.

Name

The Foster Closet Corp

Legal name

Foster Closet Corp

Website

https://fostercloset.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Foster Closet Corp is a Jacksonville-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2007 that provides free clothing, baby equipment, toys, and seasonal programs to foster families, kinship caregivers, and independent-living teens across Northeast Florida's four-county region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foster Care Support Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Early Childhood Education & Childcare Nonprofits (BPAGADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

Keywords

• Foster care support
• Nonprofit resource center
• Clothing distribution
• Baby equipment program
• Community donations

Headquarters

HQ city

Jacksonville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Monetary Donations: The organization relies on monetary donations from the community to cover overhead costs and purchase items for foster families. Donations are accepted via PayPal, cash, and check.
2. In-Kind Donations: Community donations of new or gently-used clothing, accessories, toys, and baby furniture. These items are provided free to qualifying foster families.
3. Thrift Store Revenue (Planned): The organization is transitioning to become a nonprofit thrift store to cover overhead costs that were previously provided through partnerships. This will create a sustainable revenue stream while continuing to serve the foster care community.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

The Foster Closet Corp is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit resource center that provides free new and gently-used clothing, children's accessories, toys, and baby furniture to foster families, kinship caregivers, non-relative caregivers, and independent living teens in Northeast Florida. The organization supplements these core resources with seasonal programs including Christmas Wishes, Birthday Club, Holiday Baskets (Valentine's, Easter, Mother's Day, Thanksgiving), and Back-to-School Supply giveaways, as well as a Parent Support Group, Mentorship Program, and Project Faith church partnership program. All resources are provided at no cost during qualifying initial placement periods (3 months for foster parents, 6 months for kinship, 12 months for non-relatives).

Product overview

The Foster Closet is a nonprofit charitable organization (501c3) operating as a free resource center for foster families in Northeast Florida, not a technology product company. It offers a single integrated service model combining free clothing distribution, baby equipment provision, toys, hygiene products, and seasonal programs (Christmas Wishes, Birthday Club, Holiday Baskets, School Supply Giveaways). The organization also partners with Amazon Wishlists for donations and operates a future thrift store model to cover overhead costs. All services are provided free of charge to qualifying foster parents, relatives, and independent living teens.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FC Thrift Store: Planned nonprofit thrift store to cover overhead costs for serving foster families.

Products and services

• Free Clothing Distribution Provides free new and gently-used clothing and children's accessories for infants through teens to foster families in Northeast Florida. Seasonal items only. Open to licensed foster families (3 months), kinship caregivers (6 months), non-relative caregivers (12 months), and Independent Living Teens.
• Baby Equipment Program Provides free baby furniture and equipment including cribs, strollers, car seats, high chairs, and swings to families caring for foster children in Northeast Florida.
• Toys and Children's Items Provides free toys and children's items to foster children of all ages in Northeast Florida.
• Christmas Wishes Program Annual program granting Christmas wishes for children recently entering foster care in Northeast Florida, culminating in a private Christmas party for the children and foster families.
• Birthday Club Provides free birthday cakes and specific birthday wishes for children in foster care or recently adopted in Northeast Florida.
• Holiday Basket Programs Seasonal programs providing free Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, and Thanksgiving baskets to qualifying foster families in Northeast Florida.
• School Supply Giveaway Annual back-to-school supply distribution event providing free school supplies to foster children in Northeast Florida.
• Project Faith Partnership program with churches providing foster parents with a much-needed night out. Foster Closet provides volunteers, food, and activities while churches provide the venue, creating a respite opportunity for foster caregivers in Northeast Florida.
• Amazon Wishlist Program Donation program accepting contributions through Amazon wishlists for specific urgent items, school supplies, and new space needs required by Foster Closet.
• Parent Support Group Foster parent peer support group, founded as the first of its kind in Northeast Florida, providing community and shared experiences among foster caregivers.
• Mentorship Program for Foster Parents Foster parent mentorship program, the first of its kind in Northeast Florida, partnering with DCF and Community-Based Care organizations (including Family Support Services) to support and mentor foster parents and improve quality of foster home care.

Quantifiable outcome

• Served over 13,000 individuals since 2009
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Hannania AutomotiveminorOthers · 1 December 2023Corporate partnership for holiday toy drives. Hannania Automotive donated nearly $40,000 in new toys to Foster Closet during the December 2023 holiday season through their Hanania Holiday Giveback initiative.
• Child-Welfare Agency PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner14-year partnership with a child-welfare agency within Jacksonville that was unfortunately terminated when funding was cut in half without prior notice. This funding reduction has created significant financial challenges.
• DCF (Department of Children and Families)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with local DCF and CBC (Community-Based Care) organizations including Family Support Services for mentorship programs and quality foster home support.
• Church Partners (Project Faith)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch partners provide space for Project Faith events, offering foster parents a much-needed night out. Foster Closet provides fun, food, and volunteers while churches provide the venue.
• Family Support ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary community-based care partner serving Duval, Nassau, Clay, and St. Johns counties for foster care placement coordination.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Treehouse: Washington-state based nonprofit serving foster youth with educational support, clothing, and holiday gifts. Comparable regional resource-center model for foster children.
• Help a Child: Faith-based nonprofit serving children in need, including those in foster care, with tangible goods and family support services. Similar community-driven nonprofit model with faith-based partnerships.

Emerging players

• FosterClub: National network supporting current and former foster youth with resources and peer connection. Adjacent in mission (foster youth support) but emphasizes youth voice rather than tangible goods.

Broad incumbents

• Baby2Baby: Large national nonprofit providing essential goods (clothing, diapers, baby gear) to children in need, including those in foster care. Broader mission but overlapping distribution-of-goods model with corporate donor partnerships.
• National CASA/GAL Association for Children: National organization supporting court-appointed volunteer advocates for foster children. Different service (advocacy vs. goods) but operates within the same foster care ecosystem and is a frequent referral partner for resource-providing nonprofits.

Direct peers

• Together We Rise: Largest national nonprofit dedicated to foster youth, providing tangible goods (birthday boxes, sports equipment, college resources) and operating a similar volunteer-driven supply distribution model.
• Foster Love: Nonprofit that distributes birthday boxes, holiday gifts, and essential items to foster children nationwide. Closely aligned mission of providing tangible resources to children in the foster system.
• Comfort Cases: National nonprofit providing duffel bags filled with essential items to children entering foster care. Highly comparable mission (tangible goods to foster children) and similar volunteer-driven donation model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/fostercloset
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC9DhKhB37QPCuy97y3ILXYw
• Facebookfacebook.com/fosterclosetcorp
• Instagraminstagram.com/fosterclosetcorp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-foster-closet-corp

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 The Foster Closet Corp