Kidz At Heart International

What Kidz At Heart International does

KidZ at Heart International is a US-registered 501(c)(3) Christian ministry founded in 2003, headquartered (mailing address) in Mesa, Arizona, that develops and delivers training programs for children's spiritual formation. Its core thesis is that adult spiritual formation precedes and overflows into children's encounters with God; consequently, the organization focuses on equipping adults first—church leaders, volunteers, families, and grandparents—with interactive, formational tools rather than entertainment-based curricula. The flagship offerings are two commissioned multi-module training series: the Great Commandment Kids Series (established 2018) and the Transforming KidZ Ministry (TKM) Foundations Series (commissioned in 2024 via a Lilly Endowment grant), supplemented by downloadable family resources (KidZ at Home, KidZ on Mission) and standalone workshops on topics including grandparenting, celebration, and lament. There is no proprietary software platform; the technology footprint centers on curriculum content distributed via a Squarespace-hosted website and free downloadable resources, with in-person delivery executed through licensed trainers.

The organization serves a distributed global base across 5 regions and 32+ countries, structured through 17 active training networks and led by 4 regional VPs (Africa, Asia, Latin America, MENA) plus national and regional training network directors. As of 2024, the program had partnered with 964 churches and trained 3,760 participants, with 27 new trainers licensed; by July 2025, 77+ leaders had been cumulatively licensed and 19 new locations had launched. Strategic partners include World Vision, Walk Thru the Bible, LifePoint Resources, She Is More Than, Universidad Evangelica de El Salvador, and Character Choice, with Lilly Endowment functioning as the flagship financial partner. Leadership transitioned in 2024 with Becky McAllister appointed CEO and Kathy Kochis promoted to COO.

The business model is donation-driven: KidZ at Heart operates as a nonprofit ministry, accepting individual donations, recurring gifts, Donor-Advised Funds, appreciated assets, IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, and short-term mission trip participation fees. Training is delivered at low or no cost, and resources are free. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, combining in-person workshops at churches, online registration via Eventbrite, partnership referrals, digital content marketing, and an annual report. No pricing model, headcount, or revenue figures are publicly disclosed; the organization is governed by an independent board of directors, conducts annual financial reviews by an independent CPA, and has no parent company or institutional investor backing.

Name

Kidz At Heart International

Legal name

KidZ at Heart International

Website

https://kidzatheart.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

KidZ at Heart International is a US-based 501(c)(3) Christian ministry that develops commissioned multi-module children's spiritual formation curricula and equips adult church leaders, families, and grandparents across 32+ countries through a network of licensed trainers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious and Spiritual Formation Training

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

Keywords

• Children ministry training
• Spiritual formation programs
• Christian discipleship curriculum
• Church leadership workshops
• Family faith resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Giving: As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry, KidZ at Heart relies primarily on charitable donations from individuals, churches, and ministry partners. The organization accepts one-time and recurring monthly donations, as well as gifts from Donor-Advised Funds, appreciated assets (stocks, real estate), and IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions.
2. Volunteer and Short-Term Mission Participation: Revenue is generated through volunteer participation fees for short-term mission trips, though specific amounts are not disclosed.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

KidZ at Heart International delivers multi-module spiritual formation training programs and downloadable resources for children's ministry. Its core offerings include the Transforming KidZ Ministry (TKM) Foundations Series and the Great Commandment Kids Series, supplemented by KidZ at Home family spiritual practices resources and KidZ on Mission outreach materials, delivered through in-person workshops at partner churches and via licensed trainer networks across 32+ countries.

Product overview

KidZ at Heart International offers a comprehensive spiritual formation platform focused on children's ministry training. The core offerings consist of the Transforming KidZ Ministry (TKM) Foundations Series and the Great Commandment Kids Series—both multi-module training programs designed for leaders and families. These are supplemented by KidZ at Home (downloadable family spiritual practices resources) and KidZ on Mission (outreach-focused resources). The organization also provides standalone workshops on topics like celebration, grandparenting, and lament. The programs work together as an integrated ecosystem: foundational training series prepare leaders, family resources extend spiritual practices into the home, and mission resources enable outreach to communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Transforming KidZ Ministry (TKM) Foundations Series: A global, multi-module training series equipping leaders with interactive tools for Christ-centered children's spiritual formation, commissioned in 2024 through Lilly Endowment grant
• Great Commandment Kids Series

Products and services

• Transforming KidZ Ministry (TKM) Foundations Series A 7-module global training series equipping leaders with interactive tools for Christ-centered children's spiritual formation. Commissioned in 2024 through a Lilly Endowment grant, it explores God's call to discipleship through Old and New Testament study and the call to love Him with all heart, soul, mind, and strength.
• Great Commandment Kids Series A 7-module discipleship journey commissioned by the Lilly Endowment in 2018, guiding believers into deeper spiritual formation through Scripture and the call to wholehearted love. Taught in over 32 nations.
• KidZ at Home Downloadable spiritual practices resources for families containing practical, age-appropriate activities including Receive, Reflect, Respond, Community, Confession & Forgiveness, Prayer, Sabbath & Worship, Meditation & Memorization, and other spiritual formation categories.
• KidZ on Mission Resources for families providing practical ideas for sharing the love of Jesus with people in their lives and wider community through mission and outreach activities.
• Celebrate Good Times Workshop A workshop for parents and families on making life's celebrations from birthdays to graduations into intentional God-connection moments for children.
• Discipling Your Grandchildren Workshop A workshop exploring the biblical mandate for multigenerational discipling of children, providing practical tools to disciple younger generations based on Deuteronomy 6:4-7 and Psalm 145:4-7.
• Prophetic Lament Workshop A workshop empowering children and adults to lament with God in times of grief, anxiety, and pain, exploring biblical principles of lament and practical ways to support children through grief.
• Short Term Trips Mission trips where individuals can join or organize teams to experience KidZ at Heart training around the world, with the organization handling logistics and guiding participants through required steps.

Quantifiable outcome

• 964 churches partnered and 3,760 participants trained in 2024
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• LifePoint ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinistry partnership for program implementation supporting communities, congregations, families and children globally.
• The Great Commission Foundation CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanadian ministry partner that helps facilitate training events and supports KidZ at Heart's work in Canada.
• Walk Thru the BiblesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBible education ministry partner collaborating in program implementation for global outreach.
• Universidad Evangelica de El SalvadorsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational institution partner in Latin America supporting training programs.
• World VisionsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal Christian organization partnering for child-focused ministry programs.
• Character ChoicesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharacter development ministry partner supporting program resources.
• Local Churches WorldwidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch partnerships are vital to the mission, enabling individuals, families, and children to connect with Christian communities and build reciprocal discipling relationships.
• She Is More ThancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinistry partnership focused on vulnerable girls, combining KidZ at Heart's focus on spiritual growth with She Is More Than's mission to empower girls in their God-given identity.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• World Vision: Large global Christian child-focused NGO with child sponsorship, disaster relief, and discipleship programming. Listed as a KidZ at Heart partner, but operates at a far broader scale with overlapping child-spiritual-formation mission.
• Group Publishing (VBS): Long-established publisher of Vacation Bible School and children's ministry curricula serving churches broadly. Wider portfolio than KidZ at Heart, but overlapping buyer base and product category.
• RightNow Media: Faith-based video streaming library serving churches, families, and ministry leaders with discipleship and training content. Comparable buyer base (churches and families) and ministry-training use case, though delivered via media rather than in-person workshops.
• Lifeway Christian Resources: Sunday School and discipleship publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention producing children's ministry curricula and training. Wider portfolio and denominational backing, but overlapping product category and buyer.

Emerging players

• Cadence (David C Cook): Children's ministry curriculum brand of David C Cook providing church-based discipleship resources. Comparable offering to KidZ at Heart's curriculum lines, though more productized and less focused on global contextualization.

Direct peers

• Pioneer Clubs: Christ-centered children's ministry program serving local churches with curriculum and leader training. Directly comparable as a church-partnered children's ministry training provider.
• Awana: International children's discipleship ministry offering curriculum, training, and club programs to churches worldwide. Highly comparable — both train church leaders to disciple children, with similar church-licensed volunteer delivery models.
• Walk Thru the Bible: Bible-teaching ministry that trains pastors, leaders, and families through structured curricula. KidZ at Heart lists them as a strategic partner, but they also compete for the same faith-formation training budget among churches.
• Orange (The reThink Group): Provider of children's, student, and family ministry curriculum and training resources to churches. Comparable as a curriculum-and-training provider targeting the same church children's ministry buyer.
• Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF): Global Christian ministry focused on evangelizing and discipling children through church-based programs. Directly comparable to KidZ at Heart as a faith-based children's ministry training organization operating worldwide with church partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KidZAtHeartInternational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kidz-at-heart-international

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 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 Kidz At Heart International