What Abigail E. Keller Foundation does

The Abigail E. Keller Foundation is an Austin-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2019 by Melissa and Travis Keller in memory of their daughter Abigail Elizabeth Keller. It serves medically fragile and terminally ill children and their families in Texas through Financial Assistance Grants, Care Baskets, Birthday Boxes, Butterfly Grants, a Teddy Bear Drive, and Abbey's Pink Santa. Programs are provided free to qualifying families, with social workers at Dell Children's Medical Center identifying applicants and submitting applications.

Abbey House is planned as Texas's first pediatric respite and hospice facility, adding a facility-based respite and end-of-life service to the foundation's current direct-support model. The foundation does not sell products or technology; disclosed systems are limited to nonprofit operations, communications, and fundraising, including DonorPerfect and Constant Contact, with no proprietary AI capability reported. Revenue comes primarily from individual donations, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and the annual Abbey Lights Up COTA Gala, whose mechanics include tickets, sponsorships, auctions, and raffles. Community and event outreach through social media, newsletters, media appearances, the Ambassador Club, and provider relationships is central to donor acquisition and program distribution.

Name

Abigail E. Keller Foundation

Legal name

Abigail E. Keller Foundation

Website

https://aekellerfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Abigail E. Keller Foundation is an Austin nonprofit providing financial assistance, comfort programs, and end-of-life support to medically fragile children and their families in Texas while developing Texas's first planned pediatric respite and hospice facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pediatric Palliative Care Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking) (BPAGAKAD)

Keywords

• Pediatric hospice care
• Family financial assistance
• Charitable foundation grants
• Medically fragile children
• Community fundraising events

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The foundation generates revenue primarily through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and grants from foundations and charitable organizations. This includes one-time and recurring donations from donors, corporate sponsorships for events like the Abbey Lights Up COTA Gala, and grants from organizations like the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation and Ladies of Charity.
2. Event-Based Fundraising: Annual gala events at Circuit of The Americas generate funds through ticket sales, sponsorships, live auctions, silent auctions, and raffle prizes. The 7th Annual Abbey Lights Up COTA Gala is the flagship fundraising event.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Abigail E. Keller Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides financial assistance grants and in-kind support programs to families caring for medically fragile and terminally ill children in Texas. It also runs seasonal community drives and is developing Abbey House, a planned pediatric respite and hospice facility.

Product overview

The Abigail E. Keller Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates a portfolio of direct-support programs for medically fragile and terminally-ill children and their families. The core service offering consists of seven distinct programs: Financial Assistance Grants (direct financial aid for medical expenses and funeral costs), Care Baskets (comfort items for hospice families), Birthday Boxes (personalized birthday celebrations for children in hospice), Butterfly Grant (annual hardship support), Valentine Teddy Bear Drive (comfort item delivery to hospitalized children), Abbey's Pink Santa (holiday gift program), and Abbey House (a planned pediatric respite and hospice facility currently in development). These programs work directly with social workers who identify and submit applications for families experiencing financial hardship, providing a coordinated suite of emotional, practical, and financial support services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Abbey House: The foundation's long-term vision for creating a place of respite, comfort, and compassionate pediatric hospice care for children and families in Texas. It is planned as the first pediatric respite and hospice facility in Texas.

Products and services

• Financial Assistance Grants Direct cash grants to Texas families caring for medically fragile or terminally ill children to offset medical, living, or memorial expenses.
• Care Baskets Curated in-kind baskets of comfort and care items delivered to families with medically fragile or terminally ill children.
• Birthday Boxes Birthday-themed boxes with gifts and celebration items for medically fragile or terminally ill children to mark their birthdays.
• Butterfly Grant A named bereavement-related grant supporting families following the loss of a medically fragile or terminally ill child.
• Teddy Bear Drive Community-driven donation drive that collects and distributes teddy bears to medically fragile and terminally ill children receiving care.
• Pink Santa Holiday-season gift program that delivers presents to medically fragile and terminally ill children and their families.
• Abbey House (planned pediatric respite and hospice facility) Planned pediatric respite and hospice facility in Texas intended to provide dedicated respite, palliative, and end-of-life care for children and their families — the first of its kind in the state.

Quantifiable outcome

• Distributed over $40,000 in financial assistance grants to families
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Dell Children's Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrong partnership with Dell Children's Medical Center including funding for the Comprehensive Care Clinic, endowment for the first pediatric hospice endowment, and collaboration on Dell Children's at Home hospice program. The foundation has donated over $180,000 to support Dell Children's programs.
• Children's Respite Homes of America (CRHOA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated organization working to support the development of pediatric respite and hospice homes. CRHOA provides guidance and support for the foundation's Abbey House initiative.
• National Center for Pediatric Palliative Care Homes (NCPPCH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated organization whose mission is to champion practical needs to scale, strengthen, and sustain community-based pediatric respite, palliative, and hospice home programs. Melissa Keller serves on their Government Affairs Council.
• Michael Hsu Office of ArchitecturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProviding pro bono architectural design services to create renderings of the pediatric respite/hospice facility. Their pro bono service demonstrates commitment to community-driven design and local initiatives, helping bring the Abbey House vision to life.
• Circuit of The Americas (COTA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual host venue for the Abbey Lights Up COTA Gala, the foundation's flagship fundraising event. COTA transforms into a magical evening venue for the gala featuring dinner, entertainment, and auction opportunities.
• Crescent CovecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinnesota's first and only pediatric respite and hospice home for kids (third in the US). The foundation's board and Dell Children's palliative care director visited Crescent Cove for inspiration and learning as they work to open a similar facility in Texas.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Make-A-Wish Foundation: National nonprofit granting wishes to children with critical illnesses. While Make-A-Wish focuses on wish-granting rather than respite/hospice, it serves the same medically fragile pediatric population and competes for the same philanthropic donor mindshare, making it a broad incumbent peer.
• Children's Hospice International: Established nonprofit advocating for and supporting pediatric hospice and palliative care worldwide. While CHI focuses on advocacy, education, and standards rather than operating direct facilities, it addresses the same beneficiary population and policy ecosystem as AEKF, making it a relevant broad incumbent peer.
• Together for Short Lives: UK charity supporting children with life-limiting conditions and the services they need. While geographically focused on the UK, Together for Short Lives is a leading voice in pediatric palliative care policy and family support, making it a relevant broad incumbent peer for benchmarking advocacy and care models.
• Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation: Major US childhood cancer charity funding research and family support. While focused specifically on pediatric oncology (rather than broader palliative care), ALSF demonstrates the scale potential of grassroots-founded pediatric charities and competes for similar donor segments in the Texas market.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities: Largest US nonprofit supporting families of seriously ill children through housing, care, and resources. While Ronald McDonald House serves a broader population (not exclusively palliative care) and operates at vastly larger scale, the mission overlap—providing practical and emotional support to families with critically ill children—makes it a relevant broad incumbent peer.

Direct peers

• Children's Respite Homes of America (CRHOA): National organization supporting development of pediatric respite and hospice homes. CRHOA is a core affiliate and strategic partner of AEKF, providing guidance and infrastructure for the Abbey House initiative—making it a directly comparable peer in mission and operational scope.
• Crescent Cove: Minnesota's first and only pediatric respite and hospice home (third in the US at the time of founding). Crescent Cove is the most directly comparable organization—the AEKF board and Dell Children's palliative care director specifically visited Crescent Cove for inspiration, making it the operational model AEKF's Abbey House aspires to replicate in Texas.
• National Center for Pediatric Palliative Care Homes (NCPPCH): National organization championing community-based pediatric respite, palliative, and hospice home programs. NCPPCH is a core affiliate with founder Melissa Keller serving on its Government Affairs Council, making it a directly comparable peer in advocacy and capacity-building for the same beneficiary population.
• Ryan House: Phoenix-based pediatric palliative care and hospice home serving children with life-limiting conditions. Ryan House is one of the ~5 existing US pediatric hospice homes and operates the same respite-and-end-of-life care model that Abbey House aims to launch in Texas, making it a directly comparable peer.

Regional players

• Evershine Hospice: Pediatric and adult hospice service provider operating in select US regions. While not a direct nonprofit peer, Evershine represents the operational hospice provider ecosystem that AEKF must navigate and partner with to deliver clinical end-of-life care within the planned Abbey House facility.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AbigailEKellerFoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/abigailekellerfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/abigail-e-keller-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Abigail E. Keller Foundation