Chelsea Hicks Foundation

What Chelsea Hicks Foundation does

Chelsea Hicks Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2009 and headquartered in Tigard, Oregon. It was established by Alison Hicks following the death of her daughter Chelsea, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Wilms' tumor at age three and passed away at age five in February 2009 after 22 months of treatment. The foundation's stated mission is to inspire hope and empower seriously and critically ill children and their families through therapeutic dress-up and play experiences.

The foundation's core programs are Chelsea's Closet and Costume Care Packages. Chelsea's Closet operates as a mobile therapeutic dress-up program that brings rolling costume closets on monthly visits to five partner hospitals across Oregon and Washington: Doernbecher Children's Hospital (OHSU), Randall Children's Hospital, Shriners Hospital for Children, Seattle Children's Hospital, and Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. Permanent costume closets have been installed in Randall Children's Hospital's oncology and physical therapy units. Costume Care Packages extend the program nationwide by shipping curated costume and accessory bundles to seriously ill children who cannot visit a partner hospital. Since founding, the foundation reports serving more than 27,000 children, with approximately 1,700 children served annually.

The foundation employs three full-time staff — Executive Director Alison Hicks, Development Director Laura Queen, and Program Manager Christen Bolduc — supported by a volunteer board of directors and a broader volunteer network. Revenue is generated entirely through philanthropic channels: individual and corporate financial donations, in-kind donations of costumes and accessories (including via Amazon Wishlist), and event fundraising anchored by the annual Costume Ball & Gala (17th annual scheduled for October 10, 2026) and the newly inaugurated Crowned in Magic Luncheon (March 10, 2026). The organization is governed independently under the Oregon Nonprofit Corporation Act (Tax ID 27-0869273) and has no parent company, subsidiaries, or equity funding rounds.

Name

Chelsea Hicks Foundation

Legal name

Chelsea Hicks Foundation

Website

https://chelseahicksfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Chelsea Hicks Foundation is a Tigard, Oregon-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides therapeutic costume-play programs (Chelsea's Closet and Costume Care Packages) to seriously ill children in five Pacific Northwest hospitals and nationwide via shipped packages.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tigard

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Financial Donations: Individual and corporate donations to support ongoing programs including Chelsea's Closet hospital visits and Costume Care Packages. Includes one-time and recurring contribution options.
2. In-Kind Donations: Donations of new costumes, toys, accessories, and comfort items that are distributed to children in hospitals. Items accepted via direct donation or through Amazon Wishlist.
3. Event Fundraising: Revenue from signature events including the annual Costume Ball & Gala and Crowned in Magic Luncheon. Includes ticket sales, sponsorships, and auction item donations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Chelsea Hicks Foundation runs Chelsea's Closet, a therapeutic dress-up and imaginative-play program delivered inside pediatric hospital units, allowing seriously ill children to choose a costume and "escape" into play during treatment. It also distributes Costume Care Packages shipped directly to children nationwide and supports associated family members through community-driven volunteer and donation programs.

Product overview

Chelsea Hicks Foundation operates as a nonprofit organization offering therapeutic play programs for seriously ill children. The core offering consists of Chelsea's Closet, which delivers rolling costume closets and permanent costume installations to hospitals for therapeutic dress-up experiences, supplemented by Costume Care Packages shipped nationwide. The foundation supports its programs through annual flagship events including the Costume Ball & Gala and the Crowned in Magic Luncheon, while engaging volunteers through the Magic Maker program for hospital visits, warehouse operations, event support, and community outreach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 27,000+ children served since 2009
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Progressive Group of Insurance CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 202624 salaried employees from the Portland office participated in a volunteer day, contributing 72 hours of service. Volunteers sorted onesies, stamped invitations, assembled hospital bags, and decorated Sparkle Station items for the Costume Ball.
• Turner & Townsend HeerycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Corporate volunteers led by Amy Delegato spent meaningful hours serving at the foundation warehouse, helping with inventory, hospital visit preparations, and Costume Ball preparations.
• Dress The Drink (Matthew McClure)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Matthew McClure is creating three signature mocktails for the 17th Annual Costume Ball & Gala, flying in from Las Vegas to personally run the mocktail bar. Fever Tree is also contributing mixers.
• Doernbecher Children's Hospital (OHSU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010First hospital partner where Chelsea's Closet began in 2010. Monthly visits bring therapeutic costume play to children receiving treatment. This is the founding hospital partnership that launched the program.
• Randall Children's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonthly visits with permanent costume closets installed in oncology and physical therapy units. Major hospital partner in Portland metro area.
• Seattle Children's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonthly hospital visits bringing Chelsea's Closet to children in the Seattle area, extending reach into Washington state.
• Shriners Hospital for ChildrencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonthly visits to the Halo Unit at Shriners Hospital, providing therapeutic costume play for children with orthopedic conditions.
• Asante Rogue Regional Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonthly visits to Asante Rogue Regional in Southern Oregon, expanding Chelsea's Closet reach to the southern region of the state.
• Make-A-WishminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner supporting children with serious illnesses, sharing similar mission of bringing joy to children facing medical challenges.
• Ronald McDonald House CharitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner providing support to families of seriously ill children, sharing resources and referrals.
• Tigard RotaryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal service organization providing volunteer support and community connections.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Camp Sunshine: Retreat programs for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families, combining recreation, costume, and themed-event experiences. Comparable mission of providing joyful, memory-making experiences for seriously ill children.

Broad incumbents

• Children's Miracle Network Hospitals: Large-scale nonprofit raising funds for 170+ children's hospitals. Direct overlap in beneficiary population, hospital partnership structure, and corporate sponsorship model, but operates at vastly broader scale.

Direct peers

• National Pediatric Cancer Foundation: Funds pediatric oncology research and family support programs with national hospital partnerships. Same seriously-ill pediatric beneficiary base and donation- and event-driven nonprofit model.
• Starlight Children's Foundation: National nonprofit delivering entertainment, distraction, and play-based programs (including costume and dress-up elements such as Starlight Gowns) to seriously ill children in pediatric hospitals. Directly comparable mission and hospital-based delivery model.
• Make-A-Wish Foundation: Grants wishes to children with critical illnesses, often involving costume/character experiences and hospital partnerships. Same seriously-ill pediatric beneficiary base and heavy reliance on donations, events, and corporate sponsors.
• American Childhood Cancer Organization: National nonprofit serving children with cancer and their families via support, advocacy, and hospital partnerships. Comparable beneficiary base and pediatric oncology programmatic focus.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities: Already a named referral partner of CHF. Serves families of seriously ill children via hospital-adjacent support infrastructure; same beneficiary base, hospital partnerships, and donation-driven revenue model.
• Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation: Family-founded childhood-cancer charity built from a child's story, raising funds for research and family support. Directly comparable nonprofit origin narrative, donor-driven model, and pediatric oncology focus.
• Project Sunshine: Provides playful, recreational, and social programming (including costume and dress-up activities) to pediatric patients in hospitals nationwide. Most direct functional peer in the hospital therapeutic-play niche.

Emerging players

• Kids & Art Foundation: Delivers art and creative-expression workshops (a form of therapeutic play) to children with cancer and other serious illnesses. Overlapping therapeutic-play intervention model for the same pediatric oncology population.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/chelseasclosetpdx
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chelsea-hicks-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Chelsea Hicks Foundation