The National Home Funeral Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, all-volunteer organization that is the leading body of home after-death care support and education in the United States, with support abroad as well. Created in 2010, the NHFA boasts members from all 50 states, along with five provinces and seven countries. Many members are home funeral guides who also identify as licensed funeral directors, ordained ministers, educators, body workers, licensed social workers, registered nurses, therapists and counselors, directors of nonprofits, attorneys, and physicians. Many simply want to support the movement from institutionalized care back to the care of our own dead.
The mission of the NHFA is to educate individuals, families, and communities about caring for their dead. Its initiatives are intended to support rather than mandate; inform rather than dictate; steer rather than regulate.
The NHFA publishes a home funeral guidebook that educates the public on how to care for their own dead at home. It can be downloaded on a pay-what-you-can basis, or readers can purchase a digital or hard copy. The guidebook includes checklists for how to plan a home funeral, diagrams of how to perform at-home body care such as washing and shrouding, resources for creating customized rituals, and more.
