Is Cake It Forward a nonprofit?

It is a community project. It has not yet confirmed tax-exempt status, so gifts are not tax deductible for now. The terms and this page will be updated the day that changes.

Where does my money go?

One gift covers one cake: the bakery, delivery, and card fees. If a bakery donates part of a cake, the difference goes to the next birthday. If the birthday you picked is covered before your gift lands, your gift moves to the next one in line and you are told.

Gifts are generally non-refundable because a cake is ordered as soon as a birthday is funded. If something goes wrong with your gift, write to us and we will sort it out.

Where does Cake It Forward operate?

Across the United States, wherever there is a partner bakery near the birthday. If there is no bakery near a request yet, we say so rather than leave it hanging.

Can a business sponsor cakes?

Yes. A business can fund a number of cakes or set up a monthly gift. Write to hello@cakeitforward.com with what you have in mind.

How do I get in touch?

Email hello@cakeitforward.com or use the contact form. Requesters also get a private tracking link by email that shows where their request stands.

About Cake It Forward.

Cake It Forward is a community project that puts a free birthday cake on the table for people who would otherwise go without one, anywhere in the United States.

What Cake It Forward does

Give a cake

A donor picks a real birthday from the list, or gives the next cake in line, and covers it with one gift. The cake is made by a local bakery and gets to the birthday person. The donor gets a private link that shows each step, from funded to delivered.

Request a cake

Anyone can ask for a cake, for themselves or for someone else. It takes three short steps and asks for a first name, a date, a ZIP code, and a cake preference. Nobody is asked to prove need or explain their situation.

Deliver a cake

Volunteers pick up a finished cake from a partner bakery and bring it to the door. Most deliveries take under an hour. Contact details are shared only once the cake is ready, and only with the assigned driver.

Bakery partners

Local bakeries take funded orders as normal paid orders, offer a community rate, or donate the occasional cake. Cake It Forward handles the matching and the logistics so the bakery only has to bake.

What makes Cake It Forward different

Anyone can ask, at any age

Cake4Kids serves children and young adults referred through partner agencies, and The Birthday Party Project hosts parties for children living in shelters. Cake It Forward takes requests for anyone with a birthday, from a child to a neighbor turning 72, with no referral and no paperwork.

One gift covers one named cake

Most charities pool donations into a general fund. Here a gift of about $40 covers one specific birthday, the price is shown before you pay, and you are told whose cake it was. Two donors cannot fund the same cake; the request is held for 15 minutes while you check out.

Professional bakeries, not home kitchens

Volunteer-baker programs rely on cakes made in home kitchens. Every Cake It Forward cake comes from a licensed local bakery, which matters for food safety and for dietary needs like nut-free or gluten-free.

The requester controls what is public

A request is private by default. If the requester agrees to be listed, they choose exactly which of five fields show: first name, age, general area, cake preference, and a short note. Full names, addresses, ZIP codes, phone numbers, and the story are never shown.

Donors see the whole journey

Every gift comes with a private tracking link and, if you want them, emails at each hand-off: funded, bakery assigned, being made, picked up, delivered. When the cake arrives, the birthday person can send a private thank-you back.

Who uses Cake It Forward

Families having a tight month who still want the birthday to feel like one.
Teachers, caseworkers, nurses, and shelter staff requesting a cake for someone they support.
Older adults living alone, and the neighbors and relatives who notice.
Donors who want to give something concrete and see exactly where it went.
Monthly givers who want a small ritual: one birthday, every month.
Local bakeries that want steady prepaid orders and a way to give back.
Volunteer drivers with a car or a bike and an hour to spare.

The team behind Cake It Forward

Curtis Crimmins in a cap and glasses, arms folded, looking off to the side at dusk.

Curtis Crimmins, founder. Curtis grew up poor. Birthdays often came without a cake, because food banks rarely stock them. He thinks everyone deserves to be celebrated once a year, and that a cake is the simplest way to do it. curtiscrimmins.com

Team. Curtis, volunteer drivers, partner bakeries, and a board that is being formed. There are no paid staff.

How Cake It Forward works

Getting in touch

Email hello@cakeitforward.com or use the contact form. A person reads every message. Requesters and donors also get a private link by email that shows where things stand, so most questions answer themselves.

Response times

Requests are reviewed by a person, usually within a few days. Seven days of notice before the birthday is ideal. Shorter notice is fine and some bakeries keep room for last-minute cakes. You are told at every step, including when something cannot be done.

Who you will deal with

Curtis or a volunteer reviews and matches requests. The bakery that makes your cake sees only the order and any dietary note. The driver sees the address only once the cake is ready. Nobody else sees your details.

Joining as a bakery or a driver

Apply on the bakeries or deliver page. It is two short steps. A person reads each application and follows up by email within a few days. Approved drivers sign in to see cakes that need a ride near them.

Key facts

Name: Cake It Forward
Type: Community project. Tax-exempt status not yet confirmed.
Founder: Curtis Crimmins
Website launched: 2026
Serves: United States
What it does: Free birthday cakes for people who would otherwise go without one
Who can request: Anyone, any age, for themselves or someone else. No proof of need.
Cost to the birthday person: Nothing
Typical gift: $40 per cake, set per birthday and shown before payment
Where cakes are made: Licensed local partner bakeries
Delivery: Volunteer drivers, or pickup by the requester
What is public: Only the fields the requester chooses: first name, age, general area, cake, short note
Payments: Stripe. Card details never touch Cake It Forward.
Gifts are tax deductible: Not yet
Contact: hello@cakeitforward.com

Questions people ask

Is Cake It Forward a nonprofit?: It is a community project. It has not yet confirmed tax-exempt status, so gifts are not tax deductible for now. The terms and this page will be updated the day that changes.
Who runs it?: Curtis Crimmins started it and runs it with volunteers, partner bakeries, and a board that is being formed. A person reads every request and every message.
Where does my money go?: One gift covers one cake: the bakery, delivery, and card fees. If a bakery donates part of a cake, the difference goes to the next birthday. If the birthday you picked is covered before your gift lands, your gift moves to the next one in line and you are told.
Can I get a refund?: Gifts are generally non-refundable because a cake is ordered as soon as a birthday is funded. If something goes wrong with your gift, write to us and we will sort it out.
Where does Cake It Forward operate?: Across the United States, wherever there is a partner bakery near the birthday. If there is no bakery near a request yet, we say so rather than leave it hanging.
Can a business sponsor cakes?: Yes. A business can fund a number of cakes or set up a monthly gift. Write to hello@cakeitforward.com with what you have in mind.
How do I get in touch?: Email hello@cakeitforward.com or use the contact form. Requesters also get a private tracking link by email that shows where their request stands.

Give a Cake Request a Cake