Finding Kids

What Finding Kids does

Finding Kids (legally Special Operations Finding Kids) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2017 and headquartered in Los Altos, California, with operational reach across Northern and Central California and Northern Nevada. The organization recruits and deploys retired law enforcement officers and private investigators to locate missing and exploited children, conduct cyber intelligence and digital forensics, run decoy operations against predators, and deliver aftercare services including trauma support, mental health counseling, and educational advocacy. All services are provided free of charge to families. Finding Kids is led by CEO Isabelle Finney (joined July 2021) and staffed by a small core team supplemented by a volunteer County Champion network across multiple counties.

The organization operates three core programs: Recover (private investigation and digital intelligence to locate missing children), Care (aftercare, crisis management, and family coaching), and Target (decoy operations and predator identification in coordination with law enforcement). Its technology stack combines human investigative tradecraft with tools for social media intelligence, facial recognition, and digital footprint analysis; a notable proprietary platform is the Runaway Train video system, co-developed with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which has been credited with 56 child recoveries. The organization is funded entirely through charitable donations, including tiered individual giving (Ally through Defender of Children levels), corporate sponsorships, planned giving, stock donations, and fundraising events such as the annual Mission Possible Gala and golf tournament. Board members cover all administrative costs, so 100% of donations flow to mission activities.

Name

Finding Kids

Legal name

Special Operations Finding Kids

Website

https://findingkids.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Finding Kids is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that hires private investigators and former law enforcement to locate missing and exploited children across Northern and Central California and Northern Nevada, providing free investigative, crisis, and aftercare services to families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Safety and Missing Children Investigation Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Rights & Protection (BPADAGAG)

Keywords

• Missing child recovery
• Human trafficking investigation
• Child exploitation services
• Victim aftercare support
• Predator identification services

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Altos

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible charitable donations from individuals at various levels: Ally ($500+), Advocate ($1,500+), Recovery Partner ($15,000+), Guardian Angel ($50,000+), and Defender of Children ($100,000+). Monthly giving through Finders Circle program.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate partnerships and sponsorships from companies like LuxFit SF-Mission Rock who host events and provide financial support.
3. Planned Giving: Estate planning vehicles including charitable bequests, donor-advised funds, charitable lead trusts, retained life estates, bargain sales, and IRA beneficiary designations.
4. Stock Donations: Acceptance of appreciated stocks, mutual funds, and publicly traded securities for tax-efficient charitable giving.
5. Special Events: Revenue from fundraising events including annual golf tournaments, Mission Possible Gala, 5K runs, and other community events.
6. All Services Free to Families: All investigative, aftercare, and support services are provided completely free of charge to families. The organization raises charitable funds to cover all costs. Board members cover administration costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Finding Kids is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that hires private investigators and former law enforcement to locate missing and exploited children (Recover Program), provides comprehensive aftercare and family support services including mental health coaching and educational advocacy (Care Program), and runs decoy operations to identify predators and traffickers before harm occurs (Target Program). All services are provided completely free of charge to families.

Product overview

Finding Kids is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization offering three core integrated programs: Recover (private investigation services to locate missing and exploited children), Care (comprehensive aftercare including trauma support, mental health services, and educational advocacy), and Target (decoy operations and predator identification to support law enforcement). The organization operates a County Champion volunteer network across Northern and Central California and Northern Nevada, and provides an online Case Intake Form for families to request investigation support. All services are provided at no cost to families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Recover Program Private investigation services to locate missing and exploited children, involving boots-on-the-ground fieldwork, digital intelligence analysis, social media investigation, cyber intelligence operations, and coordination with law enforcement across county and state lines. Provided free of charge to families.
• Care/Aftercare Program Comprehensive aftercare support services including trauma-informed coaching, mental health support, educational advocacy, family counseling, parent and youth coaching, school reentry assistance, and wraparound services to help youth and families heal and rebuild after recovery.
• Target (Predator Identification) Program Decoy operations and investigative work to identify and target predators and traffickers, collaborating with law enforcement to gather evidence and support arrests and prosecutions before actual harm occurs.
• Runaway Train Video Platform A technological video platform developed with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that shows viewers missing children from the same geographical area as themselves (e.g., Bay Area viewers see missing Bay Area kids).
• Finding Kids Decoy Program Trained young adult decoy operations conducted in collaboration with law enforcement to identify adults seeking to exploit children before actual harm occurs. Has contributed to multiple predator arrests and convictions including a 75-year-to-life sentence for a trafficker.
• Case Intake Service Online intake service for parents and caregivers to submit missing child cases for investigation, capturing detailed information about the minor, circumstances of disappearance, and law enforcement involvement to trigger investigative response.

Quantifiable outcome

• 289 missing youth recovered ages 11-17
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to develop and distribute the 'Runaway Train' video platform that shows missing children in the viewer's geographic area, contributing to 56 child recoveries.
• Love Never FailscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExecutive Director Vanessa Russell stated partnership for safe home services and aftercare support. Love Never Fails provides rapid response for missing children recovery with Finding Kids.
• San Mateo County Sheriff's OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSheriff Carlos Bolanos publicly endorsed Finding Kids stating 'We need Finding Kids' for community response to missing children. Ongoing case collaboration.
• San Mateo County District Attorney's OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHEAT Unit collaboration with DA Sharmin Bock. DA Steve Wagstaffe stated 'Law enforcement needs Special Operations.'
• Fresno Police DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaunched 24/7 predator-targeting pilot program in collaboration with Fresno PD. In three months, led to seven trafficker arrests.
• Stanislaus County Sheriff's OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecial Victims Unit Detective Sergeant Justin Wall stated seamless working relationship leading to safe recovery of exploitation and trafficking victims.
• New Day for ChildrenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization that assisted in relocation of trafficking victim when safe house was needed. Collaborative case support.
• LuxFit SF - Mission RockminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCorporate sponsor hosting annual 5K runs and community fundraising events. Year-after-year supporter of Finding Kids events.
• MAGEC (Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntelligence and tactical team support for decoy operations leading to trafficker arrests.
• Los Angeles Police DepartmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWarrant issued and arrest made based on intelligence from Finding Kids decoy program, recovering two trafficked teens.

Scale indicators21 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Thorn: Tech-enabled nonprofit focused on child sexual exploitation and trafficking, best known for its identification tools (Spotlight) used by law enforcement. Highly comparable in combining private investigative/tech capabilities with nonprofit funding and law-enforcement partnerships.
• New Day for Children: Northern California nonprofit offering long-term residential aftercare and recovery support for trafficked youth. Partner organization with Finding Kids on victim relocation and coordinated aftercare services.
• Saving Innocence: Los Angeles-based nonprofit that uses former law enforcement/social workers to recover trafficked youth and provide long-term aftercare. Closely mirrors Finding Kids' Recover/Care model, including leadership and methodology precedents; awarded Finding Kids' founder a Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Love Never Fails: Bay Area nonprofit providing safe homes, rapid response, and aftercare for trafficking survivors. Active operational partner of Finding Kids for safe-home placement and aftercare coordination in overlapping Northern California geography.

Broad incumbents

• Shared Hope International: National anti-trafficking nonprofit focused on demand reduction, legislation, and survivor services. Awarded Finding Kids the Pathbreaker Award; comparable mission scope and policy-driven nonprofit model.
• A21: International nonprofit combating human trafficking through prevention, protection, and prosecution. Comparable three-pillar framework and case-management approach to Finding Kids' Recover/Care/Target model, with global rather than regional reach.
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC): The dominant national nonprofit for missing and exploited children, operating a 24/7 hotline, CyberTipline, and case coordination across all 50 states. NCMEC is already a Finding Kids partner (Runaway Train platform), making it both a collaborator and the most relevant direct comparator in mission and scope.
• Polaris Project: National anti-human-trafficking nonprofit running the National Human Trafficking Hotline, policy advocacy, and survivor services. Comparable as a U.S. nonprofit ecosystem player addressing trafficking through multi-pillar service and systemic intervention models.
• International Justice Mission (IJM): Global anti-trafficking organization operating investigations, aftercare, and policy reform. Multiple Finding Kids executives previously worked at IJM, making it a career-pipeline and methodology peer as well as a former employer of former Director of Investigations Vic Lacey.

Emerging players

• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth-services organization providing after-school programming that intersects with prevention and at-risk youth identification. Comparable as a U.S. nonprofit youth-services infrastructure player, though focused on prevention/safety education rather than recovery and investigation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/finding-kids

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Finding Kids