Last week, we proudly introduced the Innovative American Heart Investment Grant Program—and today, we’re thrilled to spotlight one of our inspiring grant recipients:

Founded with heart and driven by purpose, The Cozy Hood is a mission-based apparel brand making a difference in the lives of children with cancer. Their signature product? Empowering, hoodie-style t-shirts with uplifting messages. For every Cozy Hood sold, one is donated to a brave child battling cancer.

We had the chance to sit down with founder Dean and learn more about the vision behind The Cozy Hood, how it all started, and what’s next. Here’s what he shared:

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Dean: That’s something we really wrestled with early on. We ultimately chose the one-for-one model for three main reasons:

1. Direct impact. We wanted our customers to feel closely connected to our mission. Sometimes when you donate to a nonprofit, it’s hard to know exactly where your money is going. With one-for-one, our supporters knowthey’re directly helping a child in need.

2. Visibility through wearability. Hoodies are such a popular, everyday item. We saw it as a great way to spread positivity—and awareness—through something people are already excited to wear.

3. Simplicity and focus. Starting a nonprofit can be time-consuming and costly. I have more experience running businesses, including a database consulting firm I ran for over 10 years. We wanted to put our resources straight into helping kids instead of navigating nonprofit bureaucracy.

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Dean: Yes—absolutely! You don’t need to be a caregiver or hospital employee to refer a child. We receive nominations from aunts, friends, neighbors—anyone close to a child going through a tough time. When you know a child with cancer, you just want to do something. That’s what we offer—an easy way to make a meaningful difference.

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Dean: We’ve donated nearly 800 hoodies to date! Some of the hospitals we’ve worked with include:

• Children’s Hospital Colorado

• Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation

• Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

• Dana-Farber Cancer Center via The Jimmy Fund

• Wisconsin and Vermont Children’s Hospitals

And we’ve got upcoming donations headed to Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. We’ve also sent hoodies directly to kids who’ve reached out to us. Every delivery is special.

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Dean: She’s doing great—just hit the two-year cancer-free mark! We’re so grateful. She just finished first grade and is looking forward to a fun summer with her brother. Both kids are very involved—they help pack hoodies, stick labels on envelopes, and work the booth at events. My son Zach even comes up with some of our best marketing ideas! Their energy keeps us going.

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Dean: We have two big goals:

1. Donate 2,000 hoodies—that’s just 10% of the number of kids diagnosed with cancer each year in the U.S.

2. Manufacture our own hoodies here in the USA. That will allow us to design them exactly how we want, ensure top quality, and support local production.

The AHIG grant is helping us take that next step with manufacturing, and we’re incredibly grateful.

We also offer an option for people who don’t need a hoodie themselves—called “No shirt for you, but we’ll give away two.” It’s a great way to make an even bigger impact.

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“Because we’re a one-for-one company, every hoodie we sell is part of a bigger effort—and our customers are truly part of our team. I’m constantly inspired by the brave kids we serve. I wish childhood cancer didn’t exist, but as long as it does, we’ll keep doing everything we can to make these kids feel seen, loved, and cozy.”

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We’re honored to support The Cozy Hood, LLC through our grant program and proud to stand behind a business that combines entrepreneurship with compassion in such a powerful way.

Want to support their mission or learn more? Visit The Cozy Hood today.

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Do you have a purpose-driven business idea like The Cozy Hood? Apply for our next Innovative American Heart Investment Grant and share your story with us.