the covering

What the covering does

The Covering is a faith-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2021 by Tara Herron and headquartered at 6183 Bermuda Drive in Ferguson, Missouri. Its mission centers on supporting men, particularly fathers, through an integrated portfolio of social services including vocational skills training, mental health counseling, housing assistance, entrepreneurship support, legal referral services, an Urban Gardening Initiative (urban agriculture and aquaponics), and the National Fatherhood Program. The organization explicitly serves male victims of emotional abuse and domestic violence, fathers seeking family-strengthening resources, and men facing economic instability or recidivism, with services offered free or at minimal cost to remove financial barriers.

The organization's core infrastructure includes The LightHouse, one of only three Safe Houses for Men in the United States, currently under rehabilitation, and The Covering Resource Assistance Program, delivered in partnership with Missouri's Family Support Division, which embeds a dedicated child-support specialist and provides up to 18 months of case management. Engagement is driven through a community-led go-to-market model: The Morning Huddle (weekday 5:30 AM CST dial-in prayer sessions with Director of Pastoral Care Cedric Halbert), The Men's 911 Show (a syndicated radio program broadcast across five networks with over 1 million lifetime listeners), speaking engagements, and law-enforcement consulting on domestic-violence risk identification. There is no proprietary technology stack; the digital footprint consists of a Jottful-hosted website and the Zeffy donation platform.

The revenue model is donation-driven. Services are primarily free; a small amount of program service fees may apply to specialized offerings. No public revenue, headcount beyond a four-person volunteer board, funding rounds, or institutional grants are disclosed. The Covering does not sell products and operates primarily in the St. Louis metro area with remote service delivery extending reach nationally.

Name

the covering

Legal name

The Covering

Website

https://coverthefamily.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Covering is a faith-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Ferguson, Missouri that provides free vocational training, counseling, housing, legal referrals, and fatherhood programming to men, including male domestic violence victims, in the St. Louis area and nationwide via remote services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Services for Men and Families

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Temporary Shelters (624221), Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD)

Keywords

• Men's social services
• Fatherhood support programs
• Domestic violence shelter
• Vocational training services
• Faith-based nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Ferguson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The Covering relies on charitable donations from individuals to fund operations. The organization runs donation campaigns for its safe house rehabilitation project (The LightHouse) and general operations. Donations are accepted through the Zeffy platform.
2. Program Service Fees: Some specialized programs may have minimal costs associated with them, though the organization strives to keep services accessible and primarily free for those facing financial challenges.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Covering is a faith-based nonprofit organization that delivers social services to men, particularly fathers and male victims of emotional abuse and domestic violence. Its core offerings include vocational skills training, mental health counseling, housing assistance (including the LightHouse safe house), entrepreneurship support, legal referrals, urban gardening/farming training, and the National Fatherhood Program. Services are delivered free or at minimal cost and funded primarily through charitable donations.

Product overview

The Covering is a faith-based nonprofit organization offering a comprehensive suite of social service programs designed to empower men to become the nucleus of their families. The organization operates an integrated program portfolio that includes vocational skills training, mental health counseling, housing assistance, entrepreneurship support, and legal referral services as foundational offerings. These core programs are supplemented by specialized initiatives such as the Urban Gardening Initiative, The LightHouse safe house for men affected by domestic violence, The Covering Resource Assistance Program (in partnership with Family Support Division), The Men's 911 Show radio program, and The Morning Huddle prayer service. The National Fatherhood Program ties these services together to support men throughout their fatherhood journey. Consulting and speaking engagement services round out the organization's special offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vocational Skills Training

Quantifiable outcome

• Hundreds of men helped transform their lives through comprehensive programs
• +3 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

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Family Support Division (FSD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Family Support Division partners with The Covering to support men affected by economic instability, racial injustice, and recidivism. Through case management, economic development, entrepreneurship, and agricultural science, they help men become responsible fathers, build healthy relationships, and reunify with their families. The program includes a dedicated FSD child support specialist, case management for both custodial and noncustodial parents, temporary payment plans, reduced arrearage payments, modification reviews, and paternity establishment. Participants can remain active for up to 18 months.
• My Genre Radio NetworkcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBroadcast partner for The Men's 911 Show, airing weekdays at 1 PM CST, 2 PM EST & 11 AM PST on the My Genre Radio Network.
• The Resilient Christian Radio NetworkcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBroadcast partner for The Men's 911 Show, airing weekdays at 11 AM CST, 12 PM EST & 9 AM PST on the Resilient Christian Radio Network.
• Valuable Television NetworkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTelevision broadcast partner for The Men's 911 Show, airing weekdays at 3 PM CST, 4 PM EST & 1 PM PST.
• Urban Core Television NetworkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTelevision broadcast partner for The Men's 911 Show, airing weekdays at 2 PM CST, 3 PM EST & 12 PM PST.
• Christendom Television NetworkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTelevision broadcast partner for The Men's 911 Show, airing weekdays at 12 PM CST, 1 PM EST & 10 AM PST.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National Fatherhood Initiative: National nonprofit focused on fatherhood engagement, offering resources, training, and curricula to help fathers be active in their children's lives. Most directly comparable to The Covering's National Fatherhood Program and overall mission of strengthening fathers as family leaders.

Broad incumbents

• Father Flanagan's Boys Town (Boys Town): Large faith-informed nonprofit providing youth and family services including shelter, parenting programs, and residential care. Comparable to The Covering as a faith-rooted provider of family-strengthening and shelter services, though serving a broader and primarily youth population.
• The Salvation Army: National faith-based nonprofit delivering shelter, addiction recovery, family services, and vocational support. Comparable to The Covering through its integrated social services model and faith-based mission, though operating at vastly greater scale and broader scope.
• Catholic Charities USA: National network of faith-based social service agencies offering counseling, housing, family support, and immigration/refugee services. Comparable to The Covering in faith-rooted social-service delivery and family-stabilization programming.
• Volunteers of America: National faith-informed nonprofit providing housing, behavioral health, and family services across the U.S. Comparable to The Covering in mission-aligned delivery of housing assistance and family-reunification programs, but at a much larger national scale.
• Goodwill Industries International: Major nonprofit focused on vocational training, employment placement, and workforce development for disadvantaged populations. Comparable to The Covering specifically through its vocational-skills and job-placement programs, though at a national scale with retail-funded revenue.
• National Urban League: Historic community-based nonprofit serving African American and other underserved populations through workforce, housing, and family-stability programs. Comparable to The Covering in its community-led empowerment model targeting men in the St. Louis/Ferguson area and similar demographics.
• Covenant House: Faith-based nonprofit providing shelter, support, and vocational programs for youth and young adults experiencing homelessness and trafficking. Comparable to The Covering through faith-rooted shelter and life-skills programming, though focused on a younger demographic.

Others

• National Domestic Violence Hotline: National 24/7 hotline and resource directory for domestic-violence victims. Mission-adjacent to The Covering's DV support work, though it primarily serves female victims and operates as an information/referral hub rather than a direct service provider.

Emerging players

• National Parents as Teachers: National nonprofit providing parent education and family-support programs from prenatal through kindergarten, with a strong evidence-based home-visit model. Comparable to The Covering in mission overlap around family stability and parent empowerment, though more focused on early childhood.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/coverthemen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 the covering