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Hope for Bereaved Inc
SYRACUSE, NY · EIN 161370553 · Form 990 · FY2023 · Small ($100K-$1M) · hopeforbereaved.com
revenue
$341K
expenses
$278K
net assets
$372K
employees
0
program ratio
58%
mission · from form 990

PROVIDE COMFORT AND EMOTIONAL SUPPORT TO APPROXIMATELY 12,000-15,000 INDIVIDUALS A YEAR SUFFERING BEREAVEMENT AND GRIEF DUE TO THE DEATH OF A LOVED ONE THROUGH SUPPORT GROUPS, PRESENTATIONS, LITERATURE, EVENTS AND DISCUSSIONS.

profile · synthesized from sources

Hope for Bereaved Inc provides emotional support and grief counseling to individuals coping with the death of a loved one. The organization serves approximately 12,000–15,000 people annually through support groups, educational presentations, literature, community events, and its Butterfly Garden of Hope memorial. Based in Syracuse, NY, it offers programs designed to foster healing and connection among the bereaved.

named programs · 3 · from sources

What they call their work

Butterfly Garden of Hope
A memorial garden featuring dedicated bricks honoring loved ones; serves as a space for reflection and remembrance.
Grief Counseling and Educational Presentations
Programs offering literature, discussions, and presentations to help individuals process grief and find comfort.
Support Groups
Facilitated gatherings providing emotional support and community connection for individuals grieving the loss of a loved one.
activities · 2 groups

What they do

  • Grief Support Groups and Counseling 3 activities
    • Deliver grief education and training for professionals
      Provides educational workshops and programs for professionals who work with grieving individuals, including training on grief support and resources to assist in their work with the bereaved.
    • Produce and distribute grief support resources
      Creates and shares educational materials and community resources for grieving individuals, including a bi-monthly newsletter and a collection of personal stories from those coping with grief, aimed at supporting the bereaved and connecting the community.
    • Provide peer-led grief support services
      Offers free individual and group grief support, peer counseling, and workshops to children, teens, adults, and families grieving various types of loss, including suicide loss, bereaved parents, and widows 65+, facilitated by trained peer support staff and volunteers who have experienced personal bereavement. Serves approximately 12,000–15,000 individuals annually.
  • Commemorative Brick and Memorial Installations 1 activity
    • Operate the Butterfly Garden of Hope as a therapeutic and memorial space
      Manages the Butterfly Garden of Hope—a landscaped garden with memorial brick pathways, trees, flowers, and structures such as a gazebo and wishing well—as a therapeutic horticulture space and venue for events including memorials, celebrations of life, weddings, and reunions. The garden features ongoing memorial brick dedications and is maintained by a dedicated coordinator.
financials · form 990 · fy2023
revenue
Total revenue$341K
Contributions & grants$121K35%
Program service revenue$59K17%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$161K
expenses
Total expenses$278K
Program expenses58%
Admin / overhead28%
Fundraising13%
Salaries & benefits$179K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$436K
Cash$141K
Investments$0
Liabilities$64K
Net assets$372K
Liquid reserves6.1 mo
3 years on record · 2020–2023 · YoY revenue +40.2%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2023

Who runs it

board members · 4
  • Dan Cummings — Board Member
  • Kristin Moses — Board Member
  • Nicole Macris — Board Member
  • Rodger Loomis — Board Member
relationships · 6

Who they work with

  • Kim Bermel Partner — Contact person at HOPE for Bereaved for brick dedication inquiries
  • Onondaga County Parks Partner — Supported the establishment of the Butterfly Garden of Hope in 1992.
  • Peer Grief Support Team Partner — Trained team of peer facilitators with lived experience of loss who deliver individual and group grief support services.
  • Sollecito Landscaping Nursery Partner — Supported the establishment of the Butterfly Garden of Hope in 1992.
  • krossi1@aol.com Partner — Email contact for story submissions and community engagement.
  • local providers Partner — Partners with local providers to expand grief support programming.
strategies · 3

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Memorial Space as Healing Infrastructure
    methodology: memorial-garden
    By providing a physical memorial garden with personalized commemorative elements, the organization supports emotional processing and remembrance, because tangible, ritual-centered spaces anchor loss in meaning and allow for ongoing connection, hope, and community engagement.
  • Normalization of Grief Through Shared Experience
    methodology: grief_normalization
    By using peer sharing, metaphor-based education, and group discussions to frame grief as a common, non-pathological experience, the organization reduces shame and anxiety, because normalizing emotional responses validates individual journeys and fosters psychological safety.
  • Peer-Led Grief Support Model
    methodology: peer_support
    By facilitating support groups led by individuals with lived experience of bereavement, the organization reduces isolation and promotes healing through shared understanding and mutual validation, because peer relationships bypass clinical hierarchies and foster emotional accessibility.