HELPING WOMEN PERIOD INC

What HELPING WOMEN PERIOD INC does

Helping Women Period (HWP) is a Michigan-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in January 2015 by Lysne Tait and Amy Stephenson to address period poverty among homeless and low-income women. Over a decade of operations, the organization distributed more than 9 million menstrual products (pads, tampons, liners, wipes) covering over 500,000 periods, and expanded from the Lansing area to serve 42 counties across Michigan through a network of more than 70 charity and distribution partners. Its core activities centered on free product distribution via food bank partnerships (notably a nine-year relationship with the Greater Lansing Food Bank), educational workshops on menstrual health (conducted with partners such as the Refugee Development Center and Be A Rose), school pilot programs featuring free period product vending machines, and a downloadable Period Supply Drive Toolkit for community replication.

HWP's business model is donation- and grant-funded rather than revenue-generating; products are provided free of charge to beneficiaries, while operational funding comes from individual donations, foundation grants, corporate product donations (including from Always via its Period Heroes program and Hospeco's Period Partner Program), and fundraising events. Distribution tier proxies ($35 supports one woman for one year; $1,000 supports a shelter for one year) illustrate the donor-to-impact math. The organization maintained a small staff (1-10 employees) led by Executive Director Lysne Tait, with a board including Lee Reimann (Senior Partner, Willingham & Cote, PC) providing legal and strategic guidance.

In addition to product distribution, HWP pursued a policy advocacy track that contributed to the repeal of Michigan's tampon tax in 2021, the funding of school pilot programs, and several local ordinances mandating period products in public buildings. In its final operating year, HWP expanded its programmatic scope to include menopause and perimenopause support in collaboration with the Michigan Women's Commission. As of July 15, 2026, the organization ceased operations due to sustained declines in donations and grants combined with rising product acquisition costs, with no successor organization identified to absorb its mission.

Name

HELPING WOMEN PERIOD INC

Legal name

Helping Women Period

Website

https://helpingwomenperiod.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Helping Women Period is a Michigan-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2015 that distributed over 9 million free menstrual products and education to homeless and low-income women across 42 counties; the organization ceased operations on July 15, 2026 due to funding declines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Menstrual Health Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Feminine Care Distribution (CRAOAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (BPAGABAF)

Keywords

• Menstrual product distribution
• Period poverty advocacy
• Feminine hygiene products
• Menstrual health education
• Nonprofit charity services

Headquarters

HQ city

East Lansing

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Nonprofit revenue generated through individual donations, corporate donations, foundation grants, and fundraising events to fund product purchases and operational costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Helping Women Period is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that distributes free menstrual products (pads, tampons, liners, wipes) to homeless and low-income women across Michigan. The organization also conducts menstrual health education workshops and advocates for policy change to address period poverty. Since 2015, it distributed over 9 million products covering more than 500,000 periods across 42 Michigan counties.

Product overview

Helping Women Period is a nonprofit organization that provides menstrual health products and education to underserved populations. The organization operates as a product distribution service supplemented by educational workshops and community resources. Core offerings include distributing pads, tampons, liners, and wipes to homeless and low-income women; conducting menstrual education workshops at refugee centers and schools; installing free vending machines for period products in schools; and providing a downloadable toolkit for community-driven period supply drives. The organization also maintains an online resource directory linking to menstrual health organizations nationwide. As of 2026, the organization wound down operations, having distributed over 9 million products since 2015 and expanded in its final year to include menopause and perimenopause support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Menstrual Product Distribution
• Menstrual Education Workshops
• Free Period Product Vending Machines

Quantifiable outcome

• 9+ million menstrual products distributed since 2015
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Greater Lansing Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Nine-year partnership providing menstrual products at mobile food banks and distributing bulk products to partner organizations. Key distribution partner for the organization.
• City of LansingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner providing support for menstrual health workshops and educational programming. Funded menstrual education workshop at Refugee Development Center.
• Zonta Club of East LansingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner supporting menstrual education workshops, including the inaugural workshop at the Refugee Development Center.
• Michigan Women's CommissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on expanding scope to include menopause and perimenopause support in the last year of operations.
• Refugee Development CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for menstrual health education workshops serving teenage participants. Workshop conducted by HWP co-director Lysne Tait and Be A Rose founder Christine Mwangi.
• Be A RoseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization providing health and wellness education to underserved women and school-age girls. Partnered with HWP for menstrual education workshops.
• AlwayscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNamed as one of Always' 50 Period Heroes in Michigan. Received donations of period products as part of Always' initiative to #EndPeriodPoverty across the United States.
• Hospeco (Period Partner Program)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner program providing free product donations to nonprofits. HWP received 55 cases of product including tampons, wipes, liners, and pads, representing savings of over $2000.
• Redeemer United Methodist ChurchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity partner receiving products for distribution through food pantry and hosting Helping Hands sewing group that creates ditty bags for product distribution.
• Various International OrganizationsminorOthersHelped numerous groups around the country and beyond set up their nonprofits to address period poverty; offered advice to keep operations running. Referenced organizations including Society for Menstrual Cycle Research, ZanaAfrica Foundation, Afripads, Days for Girls, and others.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Distributing Dignity: National nonprofit collecting and distributing feminine hygiene products to homeless and low-income women. Directly comparable to HWP in product focus, beneficiary population, and nonprofit distribution model.
• She Supply: Texas-based nonprofit focused on providing menstrual products to those experiencing period poverty. Directly comparable to HWP in mission and operating model, though limited to the Texas geography rather than Michigan.
• #Happy Period: Nonprofit distributing free menstrual products to women in need across multiple U.S. locations. Directly comparable to HWP in the period poverty distribution model, serving overlapping beneficiary populations of homeless and low-income women.
• The Period Collective: Chicago-based nonprofit distributing free menstrual products and conducting education. Directly comparable to HWP as a community-driven period poverty nonprofit distributing free products and running education programs in a defined geography.
• Be A Rose: Organization providing health and wellness education to underserved women and school-age girls. Directly comparable as a partner of HWP delivering menstrual health education workshops to similar beneficiary populations, with overlapping programmatic focus.

Broad incumbents

• Alliance for Period Supplies: National umbrella organization distributing menstrual products through a network of banks and partner organizations. Comparable to HWP as both operate as product-distribution nonprofits in the menstrual equity space, but Alliance for Period Supplies operates at a national scale versus HWP's Michigan focus.

Emerging players

• Days for Girls: Global nonprofit producing and distributing reusable menstrual pads and education in developing countries. Comparable to HWP in the menstrual equity mission, though Days for Girls focuses on reusable product kits and international programming rather than disposable product distribution domestically.
• Afripads: Social enterprise manufacturing and distributing reusable sanitary pads in Uganda. Comparable to HWP as an organization addressing menstrual product access for underserved populations, though with a focus on reusable pads in East Africa.
• ZanaAfrica Foundation: Nonprofit focused on menstrual health for girls in East Africa through product access and education. Comparable to HWP in the period poverty mission and educational component, though operating internationally rather than in Michigan.
• The Cup: Nonprofit promoting menstrual cup use and access as a sustainable solution to period poverty. Comparable to HWP in the broader menstrual equity mission, though focused specifically on menstrual cups as the access solution.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@helpingwomenperiod1
• Facebookfacebook.com/helpingwomenperiod
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/helping-women-period
• Instagraminstagram.com/helpingwomenperiod
• TikToktiktok.com/@helpingwomen.period

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about HELPING WOMEN PERIOD INC