The Fathers' Rights Movement

What The Fathers' Rights Movement does

The Fathers' Rights Movement (TFRM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 2013 by Thomas Fidler and headquartered at a mailing address in Madison Lake, Minnesota. It advocates for the "rebuttable presumption of 50/50 shared parenting" — a legislative standard intended to reduce judicial discretion in custody determinations — and cites that mothers are granted sole or primary custody in 79.9% of U.S. cases and that 24 million U.S. children live in homes without a biological, step, or adoptive father.

TFRM's service portfolio is built around five components rather than any software product: (1) an Emotional Support Hotline accessible by voice, text, and email; (2) 50 private Facebook State Groups plus a Military Group that function as peer-support and state-level advocacy coordination nodes; (3) TFRM Live Broadcasts on YouTube providing legislative updates; (4) Awareness Initiatives including blog content, statistics, and personal essays; and (5) Legislative Advocacy Support channeled through aligned 501(c)(4) lobbying entities. There is no proprietary technology platform; distribution runs on standard consumer SaaS (Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, PayPal, WordPress). The organization does not sell products or services and provides all of its offerings free of charge.

The revenue model is single-stream: tax-deductible donations processed via PayPal, supporting all operations and funding for affiliated 501(c)(4) lobbying work. The customer base consists of three personas — fathers navigating family court (primary), women supporters/allies, and state-level advocates — served across all 50 U.S. states. Notable operational milestones include the organization's first documented state-level legislative win (Missouri equal shared parenting in 2023) and a 2026 board restructuring that elevated long-tenured volunteers into governance roles.

Name

The Fathers' Rights Movement

Legal name

The Fathers' Rights Movement

Website

https://tfrm.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Fathers' Rights Movement is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that advocates for shared parenting legislation through an emotional support hotline, 50 state-level Facebook groups, live broadcasts, and awareness content for fathers and families navigating family court.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Family Law Advocacy

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Co-Parenting, Father Engagement & Caregiver Inclusion Programs (EDACALAI), Parent Support Groups & Peer Networks (EDACALAG), Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG)

Keywords

• Fathers rights advocacy
• Shared parenting legislation
• Family court reform
• Nonprofit advocacy services
• Emotional support hotline

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Tax-Deductible Donations: The organization operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and accepts tax-deductible donations through PayPal. Donations support emotional support services, awareness campaigns, TFRM Live Broadcasts on legislative news, and funding for 501(c)(4) organizations that conduct lobbying activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Fathers' Rights Movement (TFRM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocacy organization that provides emotional support, public education, and legislative advocacy for equal shared parenting in U.S. family courts. Its core offerings include a volunteer-staffed Emotional Support Hotline for fathers in crisis, 50+ state-specific private Facebook groups for peer networking and advocacy coordination, TFRM Live Broadcasts on legislative updates, and awareness/education initiatives about perceived family court bias.

Product overview

The Fathers' Rights Movement (TFRM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates as a advocacy platform rather than a software product. The organization's core services include an Emotional Support Hotline for crisis intervention, Facebook State Groups for community networking, TFRM Live Broadcasts for legislative updates, and Awareness Initiatives for public education. TFRM supports legislative advocacy through aligned 501(c)(4) organizations to promote shared parenting reform. The organization does not offer a software product but provides advocacy services, community support, and educational resources for fathers' rights.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Emotional Support Hotline Volunteer-staffed crisis hotline providing emotional assistance to fathers and families navigating custody, divorce, and family court situations via phone (907.312.5552), text (678-TFRMDAD), and email.
• Facebook State Groups State-specific private Facebook groups where fathers and supporters connect, share experiences, discuss family court issues, and coordinate state-level advocacy. The organization credits these groups with helping Missouri become an equal shared parenting state in 2023.
• TFRM Live Broadcasts Live video broadcasts (via YouTube and social media) delivering timely legislative updates and shared parenting news to engage and inform the community.
• Awareness Initiatives Strategic awareness campaigns that educate the public about imbalances in the family court system, adverse effects on fathers and children, and mobilize public opinion to influence political decision-makers.
• Legislative Advocacy Support Fundraising and resource support for aligned 501(c)(4) organizations that conduct direct lobbying to advance shared parenting legislation and family court reform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Missouri became an equal shared parenting state in 2023 following eight years of advocacy work, with the organization crediting social media networking for the achievement
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• American Coalition for Fathers and Children: The American Coalition for Fathers and Children is a fathers' rights and family court reform organization that overlaps with TFRM in mission, though it has had periods of dormancy. It is a peer in constituency and policy goals.
• The Dad.com: The Dad.com is a digital content and community platform focused on fatherhood and parenting, with editorial coverage of family law and custody topics. Comparable as an online community-and-information peer serving modern fathers navigating custody and co-parenting issues.

Direct peers

• Leading Women for Shared Parenting: Leading Women for Shared Parenting advocates for shared parenting from a female-supporter perspective. It is comparable as an allied organization within the same shared-parenting movement, often partnering with or being referenced by fathers' rights groups.
• National Parents Organization: National Parents Organization is the most direct comparable: a nonprofit that advocates for shared parenting legislation, operates state-level chapters, and has a record of legislative wins similar to TFRM. Both compete for donors, volunteers, and policy influence in the same shared-parenting advocacy space.
• Dads Divorce: Dads Divorce is an online resource platform providing fathers with divorce, custody, and family law information, including lawyer directories. It is comparable to TFRM in serving fathers navigating family court and offers a complementary commercial resource layer.
• Fathers 4 Justice: Fathers 4 Justice is an international fathers' rights and shared parenting advocacy organization, with chapters in the UK, US, and elsewhere. It shares TFRM's mission of equal parenting time and uses high-visibility advocacy tactics, making it a direct peer in cause and constituency.

Others

• Lambda Legal: Lambda Legal is a large impact-litigation and advocacy nonprofit focused on LGBTQ+ civil rights. While mission-adjacent rather than directly competing, it is comparable as a 501(c)(3) advocacy organization using legal and legislative levers, providing a structural peer for nonprofit advocacy scaling.
• ParentsTogether Foundation: ParentsTogether Foundation is a national nonprofit advocating for parents on family policy issues, including custody and family court reform. It is adjacent and thematically overlapping with TFRM, representing the broader parent-empowerment peer ecosystem.
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: The National Domestic Violence Hotline is a 501(c)(3) operating a high-volume crisis hotline and public awareness campaigns. It is comparable as an operational and funding-model peer for crisis-line and family-focused nonprofit services, though on the opposite end of the policy debate.

Broad incumbents

• National Fatherhood Initiative: National Fatherhood Initiative is a larger, established father-focused nonprofit that works broadly on father absence and father engagement rather than family court reform specifically. It is comparable as a peer in the father-empowerment space and a potential partner or competitor for donor attention.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/tfrm5050
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCyeJN4OtzTxw0Q4zT7hES7g
• Facebookfacebook.com/thefathersrightsmovement
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-fathers'-rights-movement
• Instagraminstagram.com/thefathersrightsmovement

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Fathers' Rights Movement