Mikey's Way Foundation
Mikey's Way Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that gifts Wi-Fi-ready electronics — laptops, tablets, and gaming systems — to children with cancer and life-threatening illnesses through 99 partner hospitals across 31 US states, operating via in-person events and a year-round Wish List program.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersFairfield, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Mikey's Way Foundation does
Mikey's Way Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2005 in Easton, Connecticut, by Michael "Mikey" Friedman, a teenager who used his Make-A-Wish grant to launch a foundation that gifts Wi-Fi-ready electronics — laptops, tablets, handheld gaming systems, and iPod Touch devices — to children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. The foundation serves pediatric patients through two distribution programs: Mikey's Way Day events, in-person hospital activations where children select devices from the proprietary "Connection Cart" (each event serves approximately 25 children at a cost of $5,000-$7,000), and the Wish List program, a year-round channel through which hospital Child Life Specialists and Social Workers submit digital request forms for individual patients.
Operationally, the foundation runs a distributed network of 99 children's hospitals and pediatric oncology units across 31 states, including major institutions such as Yale New Haven Children's Hospital, Boston Children's Hospital, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Texas Children's Hospital, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Children's Center, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Its leadership consists of Les Friedman (CEO, Mikey's father, who assumed the role after Mikey passed in October 2008) and a small Board of Directors; the organization is otherwise volunteer-driven with effectively no paid staff.
The foundation's revenue model is donation-based, with four streams: individual donations, corporate sponsorships (notably Dell Technologies and Ingram Micro providing in-kind technology), fundraising events (e.g., "Night of Comedy" benefits), and workplace giving programs. The foundation holds GuideStar Platinum certification and Great Nonprofits verified reviews, and has been featured on NBC Nightly News' "Making A Difference" series. It does not develop proprietary technology and its IP footprint is limited to its brand, the Connection Cart concept, and the operational process for embedding within hospital pediatric floors.
Mikey's Way Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mikey's Way Foundation
- Legal name
- Mikey's Way Foundation, Inc.
- Website
- https://mikeysway.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Mikey's Way Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that gifts Wi-Fi-ready electronics — laptops, tablets, and gaming systems — to children with cancer and life-threatening illnesses through 99 partner hospitals across 31 US states, operating via in-person events and a year-round Wish List program.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mikey's Way Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Children's Health Nonprofit
- NAICS
- Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (62411)
- SIC
- Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Health Services (8000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)
Keywords
Where Mikey's Way Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Fairfield
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Mikey's Way Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: General donations from individuals supporting the foundation's mission to help children cope with cancer treatment.
- Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate partners sponsor Mikey's Way Day events and provide ongoing financial support. Partners include Dell Technologies, Ingram Micro, and other companies.
- Fundraising Events: Events such as comedy nights benefit the foundation's operations.
- Workplace Giving Programs: Corporate workplace giving opportunities allow employees to donate to the foundation.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Others | No fees charged - all services are free to beneficiaries |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Mikey's Way Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mikey's Way Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides consumer electronics (laptops, tablets, gaming systems, headphones, and related devices) to children with cancer to keep them connected to family, friends, school, and entertainment during treatment. Services are delivered through three programs: Mikey's Way Day hospital events, the Wish List individual gifting program, and the Connection Cart in-hospital mobile experience. The foundation partners with 99 hospitals across 31 U.S. states.
Product overview
Mikey's Way Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity that operates two main programs: Mikey's Way Days and the Mikey's Wish List Program. The foundation gifts Wi-Fi ready electronic devices (laptops, tablets, handheld gaming systems) to children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses through hospital events and year-round wish list fulfillment. The Connection Cart serves as the distribution mechanism during events, allowing children to choose electronics that provide connection and diversion during treatment.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Mikey's Way Day Mikey's Way Day is the foundation's in-hospital event program through which electronics and on-site experiences are delivered to children with cancer at partner pediatric hospitals, intended to provide entertainment and connection during treatment.
- Wish List Program The Wish List program lets individual pediatric cancer patients request specific consumer electronics (laptops, tablets, gaming systems, headphones, and similar devices) which the foundation purchases and delivers to the child at no cost.
- Connection Cart The Connection Cart is the foundation's mobile in-hospital technology unit that brings electronics, gaming, and connectivity experiences directly to pediatric cancer patients at their bedsides during treatment.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 13,000 children helped since founding in 2005
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Mikey's Way Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Mikey's Way Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Mikey's Way Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Dell TechnologiescoreCorporate partner providing technology products to support the foundation's mission of gifting electronics to children with cancer.
- Ingram MicrocoreCorporate partner supporting the foundation through technology donations and sponsorship of Mikey's Way events.
- Love Your MelonminorJoint collaboration at events where Love Your Melon products were distributed alongside Mikey's Way gifts at hospital events.
- Make-A-Wish FoundationcoreMikey Friedman used his Make-A-Wish to start the foundation, receiving a wish that he chose to use for purchasing electronics to help other children rather than for personal benefit.
- Lippes Mathias Wexler and FriedmanminorCorporate partner/legal firm sponsor listed among supporters.
- GaravelminorCorporate partner sponsor.
- Freed MaxickminorCorporate partner/accounting firm sponsor.
- Junkluggers (Remix)minorCorporate partner that has volunteered at Yale events.
- RCFminorCorporate partner sponsor.
- PRIminorCorporate partner sponsor based in Connecticut.
- GH Graf RealtyminorCorporate partner sponsor.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Mikey's Way Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Pablove Foundation: Smaller pediatric cancer nonprofit blending research funding with creative-arts and community programs. Comparable mission targeting the same beneficiary population but at a smaller scale than Mikey's Way.
- Kids Kicking Cancer: Pediatric cancer nonprofit delivering martial-arts based therapeutic programs to children in hospitals. Comparable in mission (empowering children during treatment) and hospital-distribution model, but smaller and more niche.
Broad incumbents
- Ronald McDonald House Charities: Large incumbent nonprofit supporting families of seriously ill children through hospital-adjacent housing and services. Operates at significantly greater scale within the same pediatric hospital ecosystem.
Direct peers
- Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation: Childhood cancer nonprofit funding research and family support. Targets the same pediatric cancer donor pool and overlaps on family-facing programs; comparable in scale and hospital network.
- CureSearch for Children's Cancer: National childhood cancer nonprofit combining research funding with family/patient support resources. Competes with Mikey's Way for the same donor base and hospital mindshare.
- Make-A-Wish Foundation: The organization that granted Mikey Friedman's wish and seeded Mikey's Way. Operates as a national pediatric wish-granting nonprofit serving children with critical illnesses, with comparable hospital relationships and donor base.
- Project Sunshine: Volunteer-driven nonprofit providing programs and activities to children with medical needs in hospitals. Closely aligned with Mikey's Way's volunteer-based operating model and pediatric hospital distribution approach.
- Starlight Children's Foundation: National nonprofit delivering distraction, entertainment, and technology programs (including gaming and tablets) to seriously ill children in hospitals. Most directly comparable to Mikey's Way in mission, beneficiary population, and hospital-distribution model.
- Flashes of Hope: Nonprofit that provides portrait photography and events for children with cancer in hospitals. Direct peer on small-scale, high-touch pediatric cancer programs delivered through hospital partnerships.
- National Pediatric Cancer Foundation: Pediatric cancer nonprofit working with hospitals to fund research and family support. Comparable beneficiary population and hospital-distribution model, though more research-weighted.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Mikey's Way Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceMikey's Way Foundation compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Mikey's Way Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mikey's Way Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Mikey's Way Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mikey's Way Foundation 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 Mikey's Way Foundation
What does Mikey's Way Foundation do?
Mikey's Way Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides consumer electronics (laptops, tablets, gaming systems, headphones, and related devices) to children with cancer to keep them connected to family, friends, school, and entertainment during treatment. Services are delivered through three programs: Mikey's Way Day hospital events, the Wish List individual gifting program, and the Connection Cart in-hospital mobile experience. The foundation partners with 99 hospitals across 31 U.S. states.
Is Mikey's Way Foundation a public or private company?
Mikey's Way Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Mikey's Way Foundation founded?
Mikey's Way Foundation was founded in 2005. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Mikey's Way Foundation based?
Mikey's Way Foundation is headquartered in Fairfield, United States, in the North America region.
How does Mikey's Way Foundation make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate Sponsorships, fundraising Events and workplace Giving Programs.
Who are Mikey's Way Foundation's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Pablove Foundation and Kids Kicking Cancer. Ronald McDonald House Charities is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, CureSearch for Children's Cancer, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Project Sunshine, Starlight Children's Foundation, Flashes of Hope and National Pediatric Cancer Foundation.
Does Mikey's Way Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mikey's Way Foundation.
What industry is Mikey's Way Foundation in?
Mikey's Way Foundation's product category is Children's Health Nonprofit. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGACAA, Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS), with a secondary code of BPAGADAK, Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits. Its NAICS code is 813212 and its SIC code is 8090.