Hope Scarves
Hope Scarves is a Louisville-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that distributes free scarves and superhero capes paired with survivor stories to cancer patients, funded by donations, gift purchases, hospital partnerships, and signature fundraising events, and directs a portion of proceeds to metastatic breast cancer research.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersLouisville, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Hope Scarves does
Hope Scarves is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, founded in 2012 by Lara MacGregor. Its core offering is a tangible comfort-plus-story product: physical scarves (and, more recently, superhero capes for children) paired with written survivor narratives, distributed free of charge to people in active cancer treatment. Each scarf carries a numbered registration that allows recipients to track where it has traveled and optionally return it to be re-circulated to another patient, creating a closed-loop distribution model.
The organization reaches recipients through three channels: direct personal requests from patients in active treatment, gift requests from supporters (minimum $20 donation), and a partnership program with 70+ hospitals and cancer resource centers across 30 states, including major institutions such as Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, UofL Health Brown Cancer Center, UK Markey Cancer Center, and Norton Cancer Institute. The story repository of 2,500+ narratives spanning 90+ cancer types enables diagnosis-based matching. Since 2016, a dedicated Metastatic Breast Cancer Research Fund has cumulatively raised $1.64 million toward basic, translational, and clinical research, distributed via partners including AACR and named cancer centers.
The business model is donation-dependent, with revenue streams spanning one-time donations ($30–$1,000 tiers), monthly recurring gifts ($5/$10/$15/custom via Stripe), gift-scarf purchases ($20 minimum), in-kind scarf donations, and event fundraising through the Colors of Courage annual gala and the OutLIVING Cancer peer-to-peer campaign (which raised $121,600 in its most recent reported cycle). The team is small (1–10 employees) and is led by Executive Director Anna Laura Edwards following founder Lara MacGregor's death from metastatic breast cancer in January 2022. The organization holds a 2025 Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency and uses standard nonprofit tooling (Stripe for payments, GiveSmart for events, YouTube for how-to content, and an embedded breastcancertrials.org clinical trial search).
Hope Scarves firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hope Scarves
- Legal name
- Hope Scarves Inc.
- Website
- https://hopescarves.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Hope Scarves is a Louisville-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that distributes free scarves and superhero capes paired with survivor stories to cancer patients, funded by donations, gift purchases, hospital partnerships, and signature fundraising events, and directs a portion of proceeds to metastatic breast cancer research.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hope Scarves industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nonprofit Cancer Patient Support Services
- NAICS
- Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)
Keywords
Where Hope Scarves is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Louisville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Hope Scarves business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Donations - General Fund: Tax-deductible donations supporting the organization's mission of sharing scarves, stories, and hope with people facing cancer. Donors can give one-time or monthly recurring donations.
- Metastatic Breast Cancer Research Fund Donations: A percentage of every dollar donated goes to metastatic breast cancer research. Donors can also specify that 100% of their donation goes directly to the research fund. Since 2016, over $1.64 million has been raised and invested in basic, translational, and clinical research.
- Scarf Gift Donations: Minimum $20 donation to send a Hope Scarf to a friend or family member facing cancer. $30 fully funds a Hope Scarf including packaging and shipping. The organization also accepts scarf donations to maintain inventory.
- Event Fundraising: Revenue from signature events including Colors of Courage (annual gala) and OutLIVING Cancer campaign. The 12th anniversary of OutLIVING Cancer raised $121,600. Events include ticket sales, sponsorships, and peer-to-peer fundraising.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | One time | Free scarf for cancer patients in active treatment |
| Donation/ grant-funded | One time | $20 donation - Send a Scarf + Story |
| Donation/ grant-funded | One time | $30 donation - Fully Fund a Hope Scarf |
| Donation/ grant-funded | One time | $50 donation - Send One + Support Another |
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly Giving ($5, $10, $15 or custom amount) |
| Donation/ grant-funded | Pay-as-you-go | One-time donation amounts: $30, $50, $100, $250, $500, $1000 or custom |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Hope Scarves product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hope Scarves is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that collects donated scarves and pairs each with a written survivor story, then distributes these packages at no cost to people in active cancer treatment through individual requests, supporter-gifted requests, and a network of 70+ hospital partners across 30 states. A defined portion of every donation is also directed to a Metastatic Breast Cancer Research Fund that has invested over $1.64 million in translational and clinical research since 2016.
Product overview
Hope Scarves is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs centered on providing comfort to people facing cancer. The core products are physical Hope Scarves (headcovers and scarves) and Hope Capes (for children), each paired with survivor stories. Supporting offerings include a Story Collection of 2,500+ survivor narratives, a Metastatic Breast Cancer Research Fund, and hospital Partnership Programs. The organization also runs signature events (Colors of Courage, OutLIVING Cancer) and accepts donations through one-time or monthly giving. Additional features include scarf registration, how-to-tie video instructions, and volunteer opportunities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Hope Capes: A superhero cape program for children facing cancer, bringing joy, strength, and hope. Capes come in pink, purple, green, and blue and carry stories of hope for the entire family.
Products and services
- Hope Scarves Physical scarves shared with cancer patients in active treatment, each carrying a survivor story and words of encouragement. Scarves are requested by patients directly or gifted to loved ones facing cancer.
- Hope Capes Superhero capes for children facing cancer that bring joy, strength, and hope. Available in pink, purple, green, and blue and carry stories of hope for the entire family.
Quantifiable outcome
- $1.64 million invested in metastatic breast cancer research since 2016
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Hope Scarves
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Hope Scarves technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Hope Scarves partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- UAB Russell Medical Cancer CentercoreAlabama-based cancer center distributing Hope Scarves to patients as part of patient support programs.
- Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer CentercoreBaltimore-based comprehensive cancer center distributing Hope Scarves to patients.
- Dana-Farber Cancer InstitutecoreBoston-based cancer institute distributing Hope Scarves to patients at Foxborough location.
- Norton Cancer InstitutecoreLouisville-based cancer institute with multiple locations (Louisville, Brownsboro, St. Matthews, Jeffersonville) distributing Hope Scarves to patients.
- UofL Health Brown Cancer CentercoreUniversity of Louisville health cancer center distributing Hope Scarves to patients.
- Winship Cancer Institute of Emory UniversitycoreAtlanta-based Emory University cancer institute distributing Hope Scarves to patients at multiple locations including Atlanta and Kennesaw.
- UK Markey Cancer CentercoreUniversity of Kentucky cancer center in Lexington distributing Hope Scarves to patients.
- Kimmel Cancer Center (Johns Hopkins)flagshipResearch partner receiving funding from Hope Scarves Metastatic Breast Cancer Research Fund for translational and clinical research.
- Dana-Farber Cancer InstituteflagshipResearch partner receiving funding from Hope Scarves Metastatic Breast Cancer Research Fund for metastatic breast cancer research.
- AACR (American Association for Cancer Research)flagshipPartner organization for cancer research funding and clinical trial support.
- Breast Cancer Trials (breastcancertrials.org)coreProvides metastatic breast cancer clinical trial search engine powered by breastcancertrials.org integrated into Hope Scarves Research page.
- GiveSmartcoreEvent fundraising and ticketing platform used for Colors of Courage annual gala, including auction functionality.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Hope Scarves competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- American Cancer Society: Largest U.S. cancer nonprofit offering patient support, research funding, and hospital partnerships. Hope Scarves' hospital partnership program (70+ centers) overlaps with ACS's institutional reach.
- National Breast Cancer Foundation: Larger national nonprofit funding breast cancer research, education, and patient support including tangible comfort programs like HOPE Kits—comparable audience and dual mission of support + research funding.
- LIVESTRONG: Cancer survivor support nonprofit providing resources and navigation services—comparable emotional-support mission for cancer patients, though broader in scope and far larger in scale.
- Susan G. Komen: The largest breast cancer nonprofit globally, funding research and patient support. Comparable in mission overlap (MBC research funding + survivor community), though Komen operates at vastly larger scale.
Emerging players
- Cleaning for a Reason: Nonprofit providing free cleaning services to cancer patients—a service-oriented nonprofit delivering tangible comfort to cancer patients in treatment, comparable in patient-focused mission.
- Bright Spot Network: Nonprofit supporting young adults impacted by cancer through connection and community—comparable in emotional-support mission and small nonprofit scale.
- Young Survival Coalition: Nonprofit focused on young women with breast cancer, providing survivor community and resources—comparable in survivor-storytelling and community-driven engagement model.
Direct peers
- Look Good Feel Better: Nonprofit supporting women in cancer treatment through beauty and self-care programs, distributed via hospital partnerships—directly comparable to Hope Scarves' patient-comfort mission and clinical-channel distribution model.
- Twist Out Cancer: Nonprofit using storytelling and community support to connect cancer survivors and patients—highly comparable mission and community-led model, smaller scale.
Others
- Gift of Life Marrow Registry: Nonprofit in the cancer-adjacent space (bone marrow donor registry) with hospital partnerships and community-driven fundraising—useful as a comparable event- and partnership-driven nonprofit model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hope Scarves social profiles
Digital presenceHope Scarves compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Hope Scarves financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hope Scarves leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Hope Scarves funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hope Scarves 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 Hope Scarves
What does Hope Scarves do?
Hope Scarves is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that collects donated scarves and pairs each with a written survivor story, then distributes these packages at no cost to people in active cancer treatment through individual requests, supporter-gifted requests, and a network of 70+ hospital partners across 30 states. A defined portion of every donation is also directed to a Metastatic Breast Cancer Research Fund that has invested over $1.64 million in translational and clinical research since 2016.
Is Hope Scarves a public or private company?
Hope Scarves is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Hope Scarves founded?
Hope Scarves was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Hope Scarves based?
Hope Scarves is headquartered in Louisville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hope Scarves make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations - General Fund is the primary driver. The others are metastatic Breast Cancer Research Fund Donations, scarf Gift Donations and event Fundraising.
Who are Hope Scarves's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are American Cancer Society, National Breast Cancer Foundation, LIVESTRONG and Susan G. Komen. Emerging players are Cleaning for a Reason, Bright Spot Network and Young Survival Coalition. Direct peers are Look Good Feel Better and Twist Out Cancer. Gift of Life Marrow Registry is listed as an others.
Does Hope Scarves have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hope Scarves.
What industry is Hope Scarves in?
Hope Scarves's product category is Nonprofit Cancer Patient Support Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAL, Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813212 and its SIC code is 8300.