The Superhero Project
The Superhero Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that creates free, personalized superhero poster art for youth impacted by serious illness, disability, or trauma, supported by donations, merchandise sales, and planned giving.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersCleveland, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
The Superhero Project firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Superhero Project
- Legal name
- The Superhero Project
- Website
- https://superheroprojectkids.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Superhero Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that creates free, personalized superhero poster art for youth impacted by serious illness, disability, or trauma, supported by donations, merchandise sales, and planned giving.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Superhero Project industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nonprofit Youth Arts and Healing Programs
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (62411)
- SIC
- Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Western Comic Books Publishing (Superhero, Indie) (MPAJAGAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- LGBTQ+ Rights & Advocacy Organizations (BPAGAFAE)
Keywords
Where The Superhero Project is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cleveland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Superhero Project business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: The Superhero Project is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that relies primarily on charitable donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors. Contributions are tax-deductible to donors.
- Merchandise Sales (Superstore): The organization sells merchandise featuring superhero poster art (shirts, mugs, bags) and general SHP-branded items (hoodies, water bottles). Revenue supports printing, shipping, and staffing costs to keep the poster program free for families.
- Planned Giving and Estate Gifts: The organization accepts planned giving through charitable bequests, qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) from retirement accounts, and stock donations. These provide tax benefits to donors while creating sustainable funding.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free Program for Families |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Superhero Project product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Superhero Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that empowers youth impacted by serious illnesses, disabilities, and complex mental health, developmental, or medical needs by interviewing them about their identity beyond their diagnosis and collaborating with a global network of digital illustrators (the League of Extraordinary Artists) to design personalized superhero alter egos. Families receive inspiring posters of their children as superheroes, with optional merchandise available through an online Superstore. The organization also runs targeted exhibits (Heroes Within, Look at Me!, UH Exhibit, ADA30 Exhibit) serving LGBTQ+ youth, youth of color, hospital patients, and youth with disabilities.
Product overview
The Superhero Project is a nonprofit organization offering a free core service that empowers youth impacted by serious illnesses, disabilities, and complex mental health, developmental, or medical needs by creating personalized superhero alter egos through collaborative storytelling with digital illustrators. Families receive poster artwork that can be customized into merchandise through the Superstore, which also offers coloring books and printable pages. The organization shares its work through touring exhibits including Look at Me! (focused on youth of color), Heroes Within (LGBTQ+ youth), UH Exhibit (hospital patients), and ADA30 Exhibit (disability rights), with support from Sidekick Sponsor partners who provide in-kind printing and accessory services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Heroes Within: A digital gallery and exhibit featuring unique superheroes created by LGBTQ+ youth and designed by Queer artists from around the world.
- Look at Me!
- ADA30 Exhibit
- UH Exhibit
Products and services
- The Superhero Project Core Program A free nonprofit service that empowers youth impacted by serious illnesses, disabilities, and complex mental health, developmental, or medical needs by interviewing them about who they are beyond their diagnosis and collaborating with digital illustrators to create superhero alter egos as visual representations of their strength, courage, creativity, and resilience. Families receive inspiring posters of their superheroes to treasure forever.
- Superstore Online store selling customized merchandise featuring superhero poster artwork, including shirts, mugs, bags, and accessories, along with SHP-branded apparel such as hoodies and water bottles, coloring pages, and a coloring and activity book. Revenue supports the free poster program.
- Look at Me! Exhibit A touring exhibit featuring superheroes created by Black, Latinx, Arab American, Native American, and Asian American youth, focusing on representational justice and celebrating marginalized identities through art.
- Heroes Within Exhibit An affirming exhibit of unique superheroes created by LGBTQ+ youth and designed by Queer artists from around the world, centering their voices and supporting healing through art and storytelling.
- UH Exhibit A hospital exhibit commissioned by University Hospitals featuring superhero posters created by current or former UH Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital patients, bringing positive energy and hope to hospital staff and visitors.
- ADA30 Exhibit A collection of posters created by youth with lifelong disabilities celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, featuring wheelchairs, AFOs, hearing aids, and other adaptive equipment proudly included in the designs.
- Coloring and Activity Book A printable coloring and activity book featuring over 60 pages of superheroes and activities available for order through the Superstore.
Quantifiable outcome
- Parents report increased self-confidence, fostered resilience, built feelings of connection, and inspired hope in participating children
Companies that use The Superhero Project
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Superhero Project technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Superhero Project partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Songs of Love FoundationcorePartnership with Songs of Love Foundation, another nonprofit using arts as healing tools. Songs of Love creates free personalized original songs for children facing medical challenges, while SHP creates superhero illustrations. Both organizations share a mission of bringing joy to children through creative arts.
- EverfancoreEverfan is a partner and Sidekick Sponsor that creates custom capes and hero accessories for super individuals through SHP. They donate custom capes and offer 15% discount on all Everfan products using code SUPERHEROPROJECT.
- University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children's HospitalcoreUniversity Hospitals commissioned an exhibit of superhero posters created by current or former UH Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital patients. The exhibit of oversized posters was displayed for six months, bringing positive energy to hospital staff and visitors.
- FASTSIGNS ClevelandminorFASTSIGNS Cleveland provides generous in-kind support, printing posters for families.
- Copy KingminorCopy King provides generous in-kind printing support for poster production.
- Foote PrintingminorFoote Printing provides in-kind printing services for SHP materials.
- Out There MediaminorOut There Media provides poster printing services for families as an in-kind donor.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Superhero Project competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Songs of Love Foundation: A 501(c)(3) nonprofit that creates free personalized original songs for children facing medical challenges. It is an explicit SHP partner and shares the same 'personalized art as healing' model for seriously ill children.
- The Painted Turtle: A camp and programs nonprofit serving children with serious medical conditions and disabilities. Comparable in mission of providing strength-based, joyful experiences for medically complex children.
- Kids & Art Foundation: A nonprofit using art experiences to support children with cancer and other serious illnesses. Most directly comparable peer in terms of art-as-healing methodology for the same beneficiary population.
Broad incumbents
- SeriousFun Children's Network: A network of camps and programs serving children with serious illnesses and disabilities. Comparable in serving the same pediatric medical-needs population with experiential healing interventions.
- Ronald McDonald House Charities: A global nonprofit supporting families of seriously ill children with lodging and resources near hospitals. Comparable in supporting families of hospitalized children, especially through hospital-system partnerships.
- Starlight Children's Foundation: A national nonprofit delivering programs (including hospital-based art and entertainment) to seriously ill children and their families. Overlaps with SHP's hospital-partnership model and pediatric illness segment.
- CureSearch for Children's Cancer: A national nonprofit accelerating children's cancer research and supporting affected families. Comparable in serving the pediatric serious-illness segment but with a research-funding orientation.
- Make-A-Wish Foundation: The dominant wish-granting nonprofit for children with critical illnesses. While it serves a much broader wish portfolio, its core beneficiary population (children with serious illnesses) overlaps directly with SHP's primary segment.
- Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation: A leading childhood cancer nonprofit funding research and family support. Overlaps with SHP in serving families impacted by pediatric serious illness, though its core focus is research rather than experiential support.
- National Pediatric Cancer Foundation: A nonprofit focused exclusively on pediatric cancer research and family support. Shares the 'children with serious illnesses' beneficiary base but operates at much larger scale in a different vertical (research funding).
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Superhero Project social profiles
Digital presenceThe Superhero Project compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
The Superhero Project financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Superhero Project leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Superhero Project funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Superhero Project 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 Superhero Project
What does The Superhero Project do?
The Superhero Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that empowers youth impacted by serious illnesses, disabilities, and complex mental health, developmental, or medical needs by interviewing them about their identity beyond their diagnosis and collaborating with a global network of digital illustrators (the League of Extraordinary Artists) to design personalized superhero alter egos. Families receive inspiring posters of their children as superheroes, with optional merchandise available through an online Superstore. The organization also runs targeted exhibits (Heroes Within, Look at Me!, UH Exhibit, ADA30 Exhibit) serving LGBTQ+ youth, youth of color, hospital patients, and youth with disabilities.
Is The Superhero Project a public or private company?
The Superhero Project is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Superhero Project founded?
The Superhero Project was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Superhero Project based?
The Superhero Project is headquartered in Cleveland, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Superhero Project make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Contributions are the primary driver. The others are merchandise Sales (Superstore) and planned Giving and Estate Gifts.
Who are The Superhero Project's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Songs of Love Foundation, The Painted Turtle and Kids & Art Foundation. Broad incumbents are SeriousFun Children's Network, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Starlight Children's Foundation, CureSearch for Children's Cancer, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation and National Pediatric Cancer Foundation.
Does The Superhero Project have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Superhero Project.
What industry is The Superhero Project in?
The Superhero Project's product category is Nonprofit Youth Arts and Healing Programs. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAGAB, Western Comic Books Publishing (Superhero, Indie), with a secondary code of BPAGAFAE, LGBTQ+ Rights & Advocacy Organizations. Its NAICS code is 62411 and its SIC code is 7330.