What OtterCares Foundation does

OtterCares Foundation is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation established in 2009 as the philanthropic arm of Otter Products, headquartered at 401 West Oak Street, Fort Collins, Colorado. The foundation's stated mission is to inspire K-12 students to become entrepreneurs and philanthropists, which it pursues through a portfolio of grant programs (Impact Fund, NoCO Fund, Innovation Station Fund, Illumination Fund) and the proprietary Project Heart philanthropy education curriculum. Project Heart is built on Dr. Michele Borba's Unselfie framework and covers modules on empathy, moral identity, emotional literacy, collaboration, and altruistic leadership; it is distributed freely to educators through myprojectheart.org. The foundation operates with a staff of 1–10 and reaches schools and nonprofits primarily in Northern Colorado (Larimer and Weld counties) and San Diego, with a 2025 children's book launch signaling an expansion of the Project Heart product surface.

The foundation is funded almost entirely by Otter Products through corporate giving and an employee matching program, with annual employee fundraising events such as the G3 Challenge (which generated $164,000 in matched funds in 2018) feeding the Innovation Station Fund. Otter Products employees receive 24 hours of paid Volunteer Time Off annually, with over 87% using at least 8 hours, and the foundation's flagship closed2open event deploys nearly 900 employees across 12 countries to volunteer with schools and nonprofits in a single day. Programs include the Pack2School back-to-school event (2011–2023, concluded in 2023), Engineering Brightness (a student lantern-design program that produced a registered patent), and the OtterCares Podcast.

Its customer base comprises K-12 schools and youth-serving nonprofits rather than commercial buyers, with more than 20 named partners including Junior Achievement Colorado and San Diego, Poudre and Thompson School Districts, multiple Habitat for Humanity chapters, Boys & Girls Clubs of Colorado, Young Americans Center for Financial Education, and National Inventors Hall of Fame. The foundation's geographic giving is intentionally restricted to communities where Otter Products has offices, creating a tightly defined two-hub regional model that is operationally efficient but concentrated by design.

Name

OtterCares Foundation

Legal name

OtterCares Foundation

Website

https://ottercares.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

OtterCares Foundation is the 501(c)(3) philanthropic arm of Otter Products, providing grants and the Project Heart curriculum to teach K-12 students in Northern Colorado and San Diego to become entrepreneurs and philanthropists, funded by corporate giving and matched employee donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Education Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

Keywords

• K-12 philanthropy education
• Entrepreneurship curriculum programs
• Education grant programs
• Nonprofit foundation giving
• Youth philanthropy initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Collins

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Corporate Giving and Employee Donations: OtterCares Foundation is funded through Otter Products corporate giving program. The foundation also receives donations from Otter Products employees through events like the annual G3 Challenge. Employee donations are matched by the foundation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

OtterCares Foundation is the corporate philanthropic foundation of Otter Products, providing competitive grants to schools and nonprofits and distributing a proprietary philanthropy education curriculum (Project Heart) to teach K-12 students entrepreneurial thinking and giving. It also mobilizes corporate employee volunteers through events such as closed2open and the G3 Challenge, and operates subsidiary programs including the Impact Fund, NoCO Fund, Innovation Station Fund, and Illumination Fund.

Product overview

OtterCares Foundation is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of programs focused on inspiring students to become entrepreneurs and philanthropists. The core offerings include Project Heart, a philanthropy education curriculum, combined with multiple grant programs (Impact Fund, NoCO Fund, Innovation Station Fund, Illumination Fund) that provide financial support to schools and nonprofits teaching entrepreneurship and philanthropy to K-12 students. Additional programs include Pack2School (school supply drive), closed2open (global volunteer day), The OtterCares Podcast, and the G3 Challenge (employee fundraising initiative).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Project Heart: Flagship philanthropy education program that teaches K-12 students about giving back and using their time, talent, and treasure to make a difference.
• Impact Fund
• NoCO Fund
• Innovation Station Fund
• Illumination Fund
• G3 Challenge

Products and services

• Project Heart Flagship philanthropy education curriculum that teaches K-12 students they are powerful and valuable individuals capable of making a difference; provides tools and frameworks for students to learn giving and entrepreneurial skills. Distributed free to educators.
• Impact Fund Grant program providing funds to nonprofits and schools in Northern Colorado to support programs that directly teach entrepreneurship and/or philanthropy principles to K-12 students.
• NoCO Fund Sponsorship grants for single-day fundraising and community engagement/awareness events hosted by schools and nonprofits in Larimer or Weld Counties of Colorado.
• Innovation Station Fund Grant program for schools and nonprofits to create innovative, hands-on learning spaces that encourage students to invent, explore and create.
• Illumination Fund Grant fund for student-led philanthropic and entrepreneurship initiatives, allowing students to lead their own giving programs.
• closed2open Annual global volunteer day where Otter Products closes doors and employees volunteer with schools and nonprofits worldwide to inspire students to become entrepreneurs and philanthropists.
• The OtterCares Podcast Podcast series featuring conversations with partners, impact stories, and discussions about entrepreneurship and philanthropy education.
• G3 Challenge Annual employee fundraising event challenging Otter Products employees to raise money for the Innovation Station Fund through creative departmental fundraisers.
• Pack2School Hometown event providing backpacks and supplies along with activities teaching philanthropy and entrepreneurship to students at the start of each school year; final event held August 2023 after 13 years of operation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 87% of Otter Products employees use at least 8 hours of paid Volunteer Time Off annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, major and minor.

• Engineering BrightnessflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfter-school program where students design, build and donate lanterns to communities in light poverty. Otter Products engineers volunteer as mentors and helped students patent their lantern design. Program operates in four schools in Northern Colorado and one in Canada.
• Poudre School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partner for Pack2School program providing backpacks to thousands of students annually. Also partner for various grant programs and closed2open volunteer events.
• Junior Achievement ColoradocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJA Entrepreneurial Impact programs funded through Impact Fund grants. Partnership includes JA Company Program teaching high school students to launch businesses.
• Junior Achievement San DiegocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJA Company Program sponsored by OtterCares. Partnership includes support for student entrepreneurs and participation in closed2open volunteer events.
• Rocky Mountain Junior AchievementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership spanning over a decade. Partner for closed2open events and entrepreneurship education programs.
• Habitat for Humanity (Various Colorado Chapters)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple Habitat for Humanity chapters in Colorado (Loveland, Longmont, Lyons, Fort Collins, Berthoud) participate in closed2open volunteer events. Partnership includes Geometry in Construction programs with Thompson School District.
• Resource Area for Teachers (RAFT)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRAFT provides resources and training for teachers on STEM and innovation in classrooms. Otter Shop engaged community volunteers to build RAFT STEM Learning Kits during closed2open.
• MindSpark LearningmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Education Accelerator program and inaugural NoCO IgnitED event designed to bring together educators, business leaders and community members to cultivate entrepreneurial mindset in students.
• Pretty BrainymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization connecting young women to STEM through hands-on projects. Featured on OtterCares Podcast discussing volunteer impact and partnership.
• Colorado SucceedsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner working to connect community and education to help prepare students for tomorrow. Featured on OtterCares Podcast.
• Feed the HungryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational organization partnered with OtterCares to implement Project Heart curriculum with students raising funds for Malawi chicken coop project.
• Boys & Girls Club (Various Colorado Locations)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple Boys & Girls Club locations (Fort Collins North, Fort Collins South, Loveland West, Wellington) participate in closed2open volunteer events.
• Blue Ocean EnterprisesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBusiness partner participating in G3 Challenge fundraising event and Pack2School volunteer activities.
• Young Americans Center for Financial EducationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmeriTowne On the Road program funded through Impact Fund grants, teaching 5th graders financial literacy, free enterprise, and philanthropy.
• National Inventors Hall of FamemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCamp Invention summer program sponsored in Northern Colorado through Impact Fund grants, providing hands-on STEM and entrepreneurship education.
• Illumination FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent-led giving program managed in partnership with myprojectheart.org, allowing students to lead philanthropic initiatives.
• Poudre School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor partner school district for closed2open events, Pack2School, and various grant programs. Multiple schools participate in foundation initiatives.
• Thompson School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner district for NoCO IgnitED grant program and Geometry in Construction partnership with Habitat for Humanity. First-ever NoCO IgnitED grant recipient.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Ashoka: Global nonprofit supporting social entrepreneurs including youth changemakers. Comparable to OtterCares in cultivating philanthropic and entrepreneurial identity in young people, though Ashoka's scope is significantly broader and more global.
• Points of Light: Large national nonprofit promoting volunteerism and civic engagement, including youth service programs. Comparable to OtterCares in mobilizing corporate volunteers (closed2open) and teaching philanthropy, but at far greater scale and breadth.
• Kauffman Foundation: Major foundation focused on entrepreneurship education and youth opportunity. Comparable to OtterCares in its dedicated focus on teaching entrepreneurship to young people, though at vastly greater scale and grantmaking capacity.
• Voya Foundation: Corporate foundation of Voya Financial funding K-12 financial education and youth workforce readiness. Comparable as a corporate-sponsored foundation model focused on K-12 education philanthropy with grant programs and educator resources.
• Lilly Endowment (Youth / Education programs): Major private foundation funding K-12 education and youth philanthropy initiatives nationally. Comparable as an education grantmaking foundation with structured programs supporting youth entrepreneurship, character education, and educator development.

Direct peers

• Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE): National nonprofit focused exclusively on youth entrepreneurship education for underserved students. Highly comparable to OtterCares' entrepreneurship half of Project Heart and competes for the same K-12 teacher and district partnerships.
• Youth Service America (YSA): National nonprofit mobilizing young people through service-learning and youth philanthropy programs. Closely comparable to OtterCares' Illumination Fund (student-led philanthropy) and Project Heart curriculum covering empathy, altruistic leadership, and giving.
• Lemonade Day: National youth entrepreneurship program that teaches K-12 students to launch and run real businesses. Directly comparable to OtterCares' funded JA Company Program, student-run coffee shop, and online store initiatives at schools like Ferguson High School and Fred Tjardes School of Innovation.
• Junior Achievement USA: National K-12 nonprofit delivering entrepreneurship, work-readiness, and financial literacy programs. OtterCares funds Junior Achievement chapters in Colorado and San Diego and operates as a regional grantmaker/promoter of the same JA curricula it competes against for school district mindshare.

Emerging players

• Foundation for Financial Education (formerly FoolProof Foundation): Nonprofit providing financial literacy and consumer-life skills curricula to K-12 schools. Comparable to OtterCares' funding of Young Americans Center's AmeriTowne On the Road financial literacy program and shares the K-12 free-curriculum distribution model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC0kqCsEqfMH0yT10bM0RPMQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/OtterCaresFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ottercares-foundation

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 OtterCares Foundation