Baby-Steps Foundation

What Baby-Steps Foundation does

Baby-Steps Foundation is a Washington State-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in February 2019 after the stillbirth of Bostyn Evearly, providing financial, practical, and emotional support to families affected by pregnancy and infant loss. The foundation's core services include funding all baby and infant cremations at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tacoma and St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Enumclaw, distributing Mama Boxes (care packages containing books written by loss moms, weighted bears, and self-care items to families within six months of a loss), supplying mold kits, headstones, and urns, and maintaining an online Memory Wall with over 200 memorialized babies. Support is delivered through a network of biweekly loss-mother-led support groups (partnered with Channing Baby Co.), a content blog featuring personal stories, and direct family outreach, with operations run by four core founders and community volunteers.

The foundation's technology footprint is minimal: there is no proprietary platform, and service delivery is mediated through a Wix-hosted website, intake forms, social media (Facebook and Instagram), and a blog. The business model is donation-only; all services are provided free of charge to families, with no program fees, and the operating budget is funded through individual contributions, the annual 5K Run at Roegner Park in Auburn, WA (running since 2019), and the newer annual Golf Tournament at Meadow Park in Tacoma, WA (launched 2024). The merchandise line Bostyn's Beads serves as a supplementary fundraising channel. Geographic reach is concentrated in Washington State for direct service delivery, with Mama Boxes shipped anywhere within the United States but not internationally.

Name

Baby-Steps Foundation

Legal name

Baby Steps Foundation

Website

https://babystepsfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Baby-Steps Foundation is a Washington State-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides financial, practical, and emotional support to families experiencing pregnancy and infant loss through cremation funding, Mama Boxes, peer support groups, and a Memorial Wall, funded entirely by donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Bereavement Support Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Maternal, Child & Family Health Organizations (BPAGACAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Postpartum Family Helper (Non-Medical) (HSAAAGAJ), Maternal, Child & Family Health Program Funding (HLAJALAG)

Keywords

• Grief support services
• Pregnancy loss support
• Infant bereavement care
• Bereavement care packages
• Community bereavement nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Auburn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Baby Steps Foundation operates entirely on donations from individuals, families, and community supporters. Donations are tax-deductible, and the organization provides receipts for all contributions. No revenue is generated from program fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Baby Steps Foundation provides free, peer-led support services to families affected by pregnancy and infant loss. Its core offerings include funding all baby and infant cremations at two partner hospitals in Washington State, distributing Mama Boxes (care packages with books by loss moms, weighted bears, and self-care items), providing mold kits for hand/foot casts, supplying headstones and urns, maintaining an online Memory Wall, and running peer support groups led by loss mothers.

Product overview

Baby Steps Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization offering a portfolio of grief support services for families affected by pregnancy and infant loss. The core offerings include Mama Boxes (care packages with books, weighted bears, and self-care items), a Memory Wall (online memorial submission), peer support services, and a blog featuring personal stories. The foundation also organizes annual fundraising events including 5K runs and golf tournaments. Bostyn's Beads serves as a merchandise line supporting the mission. Services are primarily focused on the United States with hospitals in Tacoma and Enumclaw, WA as key partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mama Boxes Care packages for families who have lost a baby within the last six months, featuring books written by loss moms, a weighted bear, and self-care items. Geared toward stillbirth and infant loss families.
• Memory Wall Online memorial space where families can submit and view the names of babies lost to pregnancy or infant loss, creating a virtual community remembrance wall with over 200 babies memorialized.
• Peer Support Services Peer support services including story sharing opportunities, peer support via email, books and podcasts recommendations, and connection to resources for loss families. Includes biweekly support groups led by founder Sydelle in partnership with Channing Baby Co.
• Cremation Funding Full funding of baby and infant cremations at partner hospitals St. Joseph's in Tacoma, WA and St. Elizabeth's in Enumclaw, WA, provided to families at no cost.
• Memory-Making Items (Mold Kits, Headstones, Urns) Provision of mold kits to cast baby's hands or feet before goodbye, and assistance with headstones and urns for families experiencing pregnancy or infant loss.
• Annual 5K Run Fundraising Event Annual 5K fundraising run held at Roegner Park in Auburn, WA, supporting the foundation's mission and cremation funding at partner hospitals.
• Annual Golf Tournament Fundraising Event Annual golf tournament fundraising event held at Meadow Park Golf Course in Tacoma, WA to support the foundation's mission.
• Bostyn's Beads Handmade wooden keychains created by the founders as a tribute to Bostyn, with proceeds supporting the foundation's mission.

Quantifiable outcome

• All baby and infant cremations funded at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tacoma and St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Enumclaw
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• St. Joseph's Hospital (Tacoma, WA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBaby Steps Foundation funds all baby and infant cremations at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tacoma, WA. This is where Bostyn, the foundation's namesake, was born. The hospital partnership represents a core service delivery relationship.
• St. Elizabeth's Hospital (Enumclaw, WA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBaby Steps Foundation funds all baby and infant cremations at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Enumclaw, WA. This partnership extends the foundation's cremation funding services to a second hospital location.
• Channing Baby Co.flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Channing Baby Co., a business local to Tacoma, Washington, to provide biweekly support groups led by founder Sydelle. The support group aims to differ from hospital-organized groups by being led by someone who has experienced loss and providing extra hand-holding support including journals, therapy referrals, yoga, nutrition guidance, and massage resources.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tears Foundation: Nonprofit supporting families after the loss of a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS, or infant death. Closely comparable bereavement-support and resource-navigation mission.
• First Candle: Nonprofit focused on SIDS, stillbirth, and infant death support, grief counseling, and safe-sleep education. Closely aligned mission around infant loss, with established bereavement support programming.
• Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep: Nonprofit providing free remembrance photography to families experiencing pregnancy or infant loss. Directly comparable tangible memory-making service similar to Baby Steps' mold kits.
• MISS Foundation: International nonprofit providing crisis support, counseling, and community to families after the death of a child. Comparable peer-led bereavement support model for child loss families.
• Star Legacy Foundation: Nonprofit dedicated to stillbirth and pregnancy/infant loss support, research, and awareness. Directly comparable peer-support and bereavement programming model.
• Share Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support: National nonprofit dedicated to supporting families through pregnancy loss, stillbirth, and infant death. Directly comparable mission with peer-support groups, remembrance, and resources — operates at a far larger national scale than Baby Steps.
• Return to Zero: HOPE: Nonprofit providing peer-support programs, retreats, and resources for families after pregnancy or infant loss. Closely comparable direct-to-family support model.

Broad incumbents

• Postpartum Support International: Larger nonprofit focused on perinatal mental health, including support after loss. Adjacent mission around maternal emotional wellbeing and postpartum family support.
• March of Dimes: Large, established maternal and infant health nonprofit with much broader scope (research, advocacy, prematurity). Comparable beneficiary population of mothers and infants but operates at national scale across many conditions.

Emerging players

• PALS (Pregnancy After Loss Support): Nonprofit offering peer support and resources specifically for families navigating pregnancy after a prior loss. Comparable peer-support model and target demographic (rainbow-baby mothers), narrower niche.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Baby-Steps-Foundation-654134495013860
• Instagraminstagram.com/babystepsfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Baby-Steps Foundation