SPARK OF HOPE FOUNDATION

What SPARK OF HOPE FOUNDATION does

Spark of Hope Foundation is a US-incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2001 in Alpine, Utah, by Brad and Kim Christensen, delivering humanitarian aid to impoverished families in Tijuana, Mexico. Its core offering is multi-day service trips during which volunteers construct homes for families in extreme poverty; supplementary programs include the Amigas Women's Center (refuge, education, and healthcare for single mothers) and support for local orphanages (food, clothing, medical care, construction assistance). The organization maintains its own Chispa dormitory in Tijuana—a secure facility with bunk beds, private rooms, and full utilities—that serves as the operational base for 15+ annual trips.

The business model is donation-driven: trip fees are structured as 100% tax-deductible donations at $850-$875 per person (3- or 4-day trips), supplemented by one-time contributions and a tiered monthly donors club ($50/$100/$200) with Platinum/Gold/Silver recognition. All operations are delivered by unpaid volunteers; the organization states that no one involved receives compensation, and 100% of donations go to direct service. The technology stack is minimal and non-proprietary: a Webflow-hosted website, YouTube channel, FoxyCart donation cart, and Venmo for trip balance payments. Customer segments span families with children 8+, young single adults 18-30, corporate groups (minimum 25-30 participants), and a specialty youth mental-health trip for ages 14-18. Distribution is direct: participants register via the website, pay deposits, and travel as organized groups to Tijuana. Marketing relies on word-of-mouth referrals from the 2,500+ volunteer alumni base, the website, YouTube testimonials, and email outreach.

Name

SPARK OF HOPE FOUNDATION

Legal name

Spark of Hope Foundation

Website

https://sparkofhopefoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Spark of Hope Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2001 that organizes volunteer service trips to Tijuana, Mexico, to build homes for families in extreme poverty, support single mothers through the Amigas Women's Center, and aid local orphanages—all delivered by unpaid volunteers and funded by tax-deductible donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Aid & Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Child and Youth Services (62411), Community Housing Services (62422), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

Keywords

• Humanitarian service trips
• Volunteer home building
• Nonprofit humanitarian aid
• Orphanage support services
• Charitable donation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Alpine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Tax-deductible donations (501(c)(3) organization). Donations go entirely to building materials, food, facility upkeep, entertainment, and ongoing Spark of Hope initiatives. No salaries or profit - 100% of donations go to serving people in need.
2. Service Trip Fees: Service trip fees are structured as donations ($850 per person for 3-day trips, $875 for 4-day trips). These are 100% tax deductible. Deposits range from $175-400 per person depending on trip type.
3. Monthly Donor Program: Monthly donors provide continual support to the families of Tijuana. Donors are recognized at Platinum, Gold, and Silver levels. Monthly giving provides predictable revenue for operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Spark of Hope Foundation organizes multi-day volunteer service trips to Tijuana, Mexico where participants build homes for families in poverty, with trip fees structured as 100% tax-deductible donations. The foundation also operates the Amigas Women's Center supporting single mothers and provides food, clothing, medical care, and construction support to local orphanages, sustained through one-time and recurring donations.

Product overview

SPARK OF HOPE FOUNDATION operates as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization delivering humanitarian aid to families in Tijuana, Mexico. The organization functions as a unified charitable operation centered around Service Trips as its primary offering, supplemented by the Amiga Women's Center for supporting single mothers, and Orphanage Support (Casa Hogares) for abandoned children. Service Trips is the main product combining volunteer travel with home construction, available in multiple formats: Family Trips, Young Single Adult Trips, Corporate Team Building Trips, Private Trips, and Specialty trips like A Mindful Life. Supporting infrastructure includes the Chispa Dormitory for volunteer accommodations and a Monthly Donation Program for ongoing supporter engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Amiga Women's Center: Women's center providing shelter, education, healthcare and HOPE to mothers raising their children alone in Tijuana. Also referred to as 'Amigas' Women's Center.

Products and services

• Service Trips Multi-day volunteer service trips to Tijuana, Mexico where participants build homes for families in poverty; offered as Family Trips (ages 8+), Young Single Adult Trips (ages 18-30), Corporate Team-Building Trips, and Private Group Trips (30-50 participants). Trip fees are 100% tax-deductible donations.
• Amiga Women's Center Women's center providing education programs, healthcare clinics, recovery retreats, and sanctuary services for single mothers in Tijuana, Mexico; teaches women a trade, provides healthcare and health education, and creates a refuge of encouragement and fellowship.
• Orphanage Support (Casa Hogares) Program supporting several local orphanages in Baja Mexico through provision of food, clothing, cleaning materials, and construction assistance, with volunteer visits during service trips to spend time with the children.
• Home Building Program Construction of new homes for families in Tijuana living in extreme poverty, including families with dirt floors and inadequate shelter; families can sponsor home construction through designated donations.
• A Mindful Life Specialty Trip Specialty service trip for youth ages 14-18 combining mindfulness and anxiety-management seminars with community service, orphanage visits, and cultural experiences; targeted at teens with anxiety, depression, or addictive behaviors.
• Monthly Donation Program Monthly donor club allowing supporters to contribute recurring donations at $50, $100, $200, or other amounts, with designations to Women's Center, General Expenses, Build a House, Food for Orphanages, or Service Trip Balance.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80+ service trips completed since 2001
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.

• Kevin LindholmminorOthers · 1 January 2023Contributed time and talents to the Spark of Hope website project. Recognized for pro bono web development work.
• Ali KhanminorOthers · 1 January 2023Contributed time and talents to the Spark of Hope website project. Recognized for pro bono web development work.
• Vivint Inc.majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011First corporate service trip in 2011 with Vivint building a home in 3 days (26 volunteers). In 2012, Vivint partnered again to build the Chispa dormitory and warehouse for tools/materials (45 volunteers). Chispa is now used 15+ times a year for Spark of Hope trips and by other charitable foundations.
• Ricardo AguayocoreOthersGifted contractor who has worked full time for Spark of Hope since 2017. Prepares and finishes group service projects throughout the year. Also serves with his family (wife Martina is a talented cook).
• Veronica OjedacoreOthersCaretaker who prepares all meals for service trip participants. Provides delicious Mexican food for every meal.
• Charity AnywheremajorOthersCharity Anywhere made the first trip possible in 2001 when Brad Christensen and 28 young men made their first trip to Tijuana, building a chapel onto a drug rehab center in El Hongo, MX. This founding partnership led to the creation of Spark of Hope Foundation.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• World Vision: Large international humanitarian organization with child sponsorship, community development, and disaster relief across 100+ countries. Overlaps in poverty alleviation, family support, and orphanage programs but at massive scale with professional staff.
• Compassion International: Global Christian child sponsorship nonprofit supporting children in poverty across 25+ countries including Mexico. Comparable child/youth welfare focus and donor-recurring-giving model (sponsorship parallels monthly donor program).
• Habitat for Humanity International: The dominant global homebuilding nonprofit with volunteer build trips worldwide. Comparable in core mission (housing for families in need) but operates at vastly larger scale and across many geographies with a more professionalized affiliate model.

Emerging players

• YWAM (Youth With A Mission): Global Christian missionary organization running short-term service trips, mercy ministry, and humanitarian aid programs for youth and young adults. Comparable youth-volunteer trip model and cross-border service focus.
• International Samaritan: Michigan-based nonprofit running service trips to support communities around garbage dump sites in Central America, focused on education, healthcare, and family development. Comparable short-term-trip-plus-community-development model.

Others

• Points of Light Foundation: Large volunteer-mobilization nonprofit that aggregates corporate volunteer engagement and service trip opportunities. Relevant as a potential distribution partner for corporate service trips rather than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• buildOn: Nonprofit that runs domestic and international service trips for students and adults, building schools in developing countries. Comparable volunteer-trip-plus-construction model and youth-adult audience overlap.
• Amor Ministries: San Diego-based nonprofit running short-term service trip homebuilding in Tijuana and other Mexican cities for families and churches. Most direct competitor given shared geography, homebuilding focus, and volunteer trip model.
• Charity Anywhere Foundation: Provo-based nonprofit founded by Steve Karren that organized the original 2001 trip that spawned Spark of Hope. Runs similar service trips and humanitarian projects, particularly in Mexico. Founding partner of the subject company.
• Homes of Hope: Faith-based nonprofit organizing short-term service trip teams to build homes in Mexico for families in poverty. Closest direct peer in terms of trip pricing model, duration (3-4 days), and Mexican operating geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCfty2z6xTa7cYSdMFPJjH9w
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spark-of-hope-foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

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 SPARK OF HOPE FOUNDATION