What Hopelab does

Hopelab (legal name Hopelab Foundation Inc.) is a San Francisco-based nonprofit social innovation lab and impact investor founded in 2001 by Pam Omidyar, operating with 11-50 employees at the intersection of technology and youth mental health. The organization pursues its mission through three integrated activities: (1) conducting and publishing national-scale, youth-engaged research on social media, digital well-being, LGBTQ+ youth experiences, generative AI, financial strain, and rural youth well-being, typically fielded by NORC at the University of Chicago in partnership with institutions including Common Sense Media, Born This Way Foundation, Data for Progress, and the Center for Digital Thriving at Harvard; (2) running fellowship, grant, and artist residency programs such as the Public Voices Fellowship on Youth Well-being and Power (25 fellows per year, with The OpEd Project), the Artist-in-Residence Program (4 emerging artists per cohort), the HBCU Translational Science Fellowship, the Early Career Research Grant, the Young Innovators in Behavioral Health program, and the Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund; and (3) deploying impact capital as both grants and equity co-investments, including participation in Nest Health's $22.5M Series A and co-investment in Britebound's $13.3M grant portfolio.

The organization's revenue mechanics are nonprofit rather than commercial: philanthropic grants and donations form the primary funding base, supplemented by commissioned research partnerships and the financial returns (if any) from impact investments. There is no commercial pricing model. Hopelab's go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, relying on thought-leadership research publications, PR distribution (PR Newswire), policy convenings (including California State Assembly testimony), fellowship cohorts, and a multi-platform social media presence to reach policymakers, funders, researchers, and young people themselves. Its primary beneficiaries are young people ages 13-24, with particular focus on LGBTQ+, Black, Brown, and economically disadvantaged youth, served indirectly through funded organizations and directly through youth-engaged research co-creation. Leadership transitioned in January 2026 from Margaret Laws to Jaspal Sandhu, Ph.D.

Name

Hopelab

Legal name

Hopelab Foundation Inc.

Website

https://hopelab.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hopelab is a San Francisco-based nonprofit social innovation lab and impact investor that advances youth mental health through national youth-engaged research, fellowships and grants, and impact investments in ventures serving LGBTQ+, Black, Brown, and economically disadvantaged young people.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mental Health Research and Impact Investing

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), Youth Leadership, Civic Education & Service-Learning Nonprofits (BPAGADAI), Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)

Keywords

• Youth mental health
• Impact investing
• Behavioral research
• Philanthropic grants
• Nonprofit foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grants and Donations: Hopelab operates as a nonprofit foundation (Hopelab Foundation Inc.) funded primarily through philanthropic grants and donations from foundations and individual donors. The organization distributes grants to youth-serving nonprofits and invests in ventures aligned with its mission to advance youth mental health and well-being.
2. Impact Investing and Co-Investment: Hopelab acts as an impact investor making equity and co-investments in startups and ventures focused on youth mental health, behavioral health, and career readiness. Examples include co-investing in Nest Health's $22.5M Series A and co-investing in Britebound's $13.3M grant portfolio targeting youth career readiness.
3. Research Partnerships and Contracts: Hopelab conducts commissioned and collaborative research with institutional partners such as Common Sense Media, Born This Way Foundation, Data for Progress, the Center for Digital Thriving at Harvard, and NORC at the University of Chicago. These partnerships may involve funding, in-kind collaboration, and co-publishing of research reports.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hopelab is a nonprofit social innovation lab that conducts behavioral research on youth mental health, publishes findings through research reports and a National Youth Survey, and deploys philanthropic capital through grants and impact investments in youth-focused ventures and research institutions. It also operates fellowship programs (such as the Public Voices Fellowship and the HBCU Translational Science Fellowship) to build field capacity among youth-serving leaders and researchers.

Product overview

Hopelab is a social innovation lab and impact investor focused on advancing the mental health and well-being of young people. Rather than offering a unified software platform, Hopelab operates as a research organization and philanthropic investor whose 'products' are knowledge assets, fellowship programs, and grant initiatives. The portfolio includes research publications (national surveys, reports on LGBTQ+ youth, digital well-being studies, generative AI usage research), fellowship programs (Public Voices Fellowship on Youth Well-being and Power, HBCU Translational Science Fellowship), artist residencies (Hopelab Artist-in-Residence Program), and grant programs (Young Innovators in Behavioral Health, Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund, Early Career Research Grant). These programs work together to fulfill Hopelab's mission of uncovering knowledge, investing in innovators, and funding youth-centered solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Public Voices Fellowship on Youth Well-being and Power: Year-long fellowship program convening thought leaders to amplify youth mental health research and support youth-informed policy initiatives
• Hopelab Artist-in-Residence Program

Products and services

• Hopelab Research and Insights (including National Youth Survey) Original behavioral health research, survey data, and policy briefs on youth mental health, produced for use by foundations, researchers, policymakers, and youth-serving organizations.
• Young Innovators in Behavioral Health Grant program that funds young leaders and innovators developing novel approaches to behavioral health challenges affecting young people.
• Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund Grantmaking fund that supports youth-led advocacy and initiatives aimed at promoting responsible technology practices affecting young people.
• Public Voices Fellowship on Youth Well-being and Power Fellowship program that develops the public leadership and writing capacity of fellows working on youth well-being, in partnership with The OpEd Project.
• HBCU Translational Science Fellowship Fellowship program supporting researchers at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) conducting translational science research with relevance to youth mental health and health equity.
• Hopelab Artist-in-Residence Program Artist residency program that engages creative practitioners to develop work exploring youth mental health themes and to amplify youth voices through artistic expression.
• Early Career Research Grant Grant program providing funding to early-career researchers conducting studies relevant to youth mental health and well-being.
• Impact Investment Portfolio in Youth-Serving Ventures Program-related investments and catalytic capital deployed to early-stage ventures and organizations developing products, services, and interventions that improve youth mental health.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% of LGBTQ+ youth surveyed can name at least one source of hope (compared with mental health disparities where 61% rate their mental health as 'fair' or 'poor')
• +4 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• The OpEd ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 April 2026Hopelab and The OpEd Project co-launched the Public Voices Fellowship on Youth Well-being and Power, a year-long program convening 25 thought leaders to amplify youth mental health research and support youth-informed policy initiatives. The fellowship is part of a broader initiative to diversify who shapes public discourse and history.
• Data for ProgresscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2025Hopelab partnered with Data for Progress to conduct a national poll of 1,304 young people ages 13-24 examining mental health disparities, sources of hope, and the impact of financial strain on youth well-being. The partnership produced co-published research findings released in 2025 and 2026.
• Born This Way FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025Hopelab and Born This Way Foundation (founded by Lady Gaga) partnered on a comprehensive study of over 1,200 LGBTQ+ young people's experiences in online spaces, including identity exploration, community connection, bullying, and mental health. The research highlights both the risks and protective benefits of digital spaces for Queer youth.
• Common Sense MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHopelab and Common Sense Media have collaborated on multiple national surveys (2018, 2021, 2023-2024) examining the relationship between social media and youth mental health, as well as studies on generative AI, online therapy, and mental health apps. Research is conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago.
• Center for Digital Thriving at Harvard Graduate School of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHopelab partnered with the Center for Digital Thriving at Harvard GSE on a national study examining teen and young adult perspectives on generative AI, published in 2024. The study provides insights into patterns of use, excitement, and concerns about AI technologies among diverse demographic groups of young people.
• Arthur M. Blank Family FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHopelab and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation co-convened a group of 30 young leaders, policymakers, and funders in June 2023 to collectively understand opportunities and challenges for youth mental health. Both organizations share a commitment to young people as key leaders in improving youth well-being.
• Dr. Bradley Bond (University of San Diego)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHopelab collaborated with media psychology expert Dr. Bradley Bond from the University of San Diego on research examining parasocial relationships, AI chatbots, and joyful online interactions among LGBTQ+ young people. The study provides a nuanced understanding of how online connections contribute to community connection and identity development.
• NORC at the University of ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHopelab's national surveys are conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago, a renowned independent research organization. NORC has conducted multiple waves of Hopelab's national surveys on youth digital media use and mental health.
• Djerassi Resident Artists ProgrammajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHopelab's inaugural Artist-in-Residence program includes a week-long retreat at the Djerassi Resident Artists Program in Northern California's Santa Cruz Mountains for the selected cohort of four emerging artists. Djerassi provides the physical space and programmatic resources for the retreat.
• In TandemminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHopelab partnered with In Tandem, an organization facilitating transformational change through the elevation of youth voices, on the creation of blog content exploring Queer youth experiences and cultural acceptance. The partnership produced blog posts authored by young people sharing their lived experiences.
• Headstream Youth Collective ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHopelab collaborated with Headstream's Youth Collective Program on blog content exploring cultural dogmas, queer identity, and social media experiences. The partnership aimed to uplift voices of creative young leaders and nurture a future generation shaping a safer digital world.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Common Sense Media: Common Sense Media is a nonprofit that researches and rates media and technology for children and families. It is Hopelab's most direct peer — co-publishing national surveys on social media and youth mental health, sharing an evidence-based, youth-centered digital wellness mission.
• Born This Way Foundation: Founded by Lady Gaga, Born This Way Foundation supports youth mental health with a focus on kindness and LGBTQ+ well-being. It is a current Hopelab research partner and operates overlapping programs targeting the same young people Hopelab studies.
• The Trevor Project: The Trevor Project is the leading U.S. nonprofit focused on suicide prevention and mental health for LGBTQ+ young people. It serves overlapping populations with Hopelab's LGBTQ+ research and is the closest comparable operator in LGBTQ+ youth mental health.
• Jed Foundation: The Jed Foundation protects emotional health and prevents suicide among college-age youth through programs, research, and policy. It is comparable to Hopelab in mission (youth mental health) and approach (mixing research, programs, and advocacy).
• Headstream: Headstream is a youth-centered innovation program supporting responsible technology and digital well-being for young people. It overlaps directly with Hopelab's Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund and AI/digital wellness research.
• Healthy Teen Network: Healthy Teen Network is a national nonprofit advancing adolescent well-being through research, education, and advocacy. It targets an overlapping age cohort and shares Hopelab's evidence-driven, youth-engaged approach.

Broad incumbents

• Mental Health America: Mental Health America is a large, established community-based nonprofit addressing the full spectrum of mental health needs across all ages. It is a broader incumbent in the same space as Hopelab but is not specialized in youth or the youth-tech intersection.
• Annie E. Casey Foundation: The Annie E. Casey Foundation is a major U.S. philanthropy focused on improving outcomes for children and youth. It co-invested with Hopelab in Britebound and is comparable as a large-scale youth-focused grantmaker, though broader in scope.
• Raikes Foundation: The Raikes Foundation invests in youth development and effective philanthropy. It co-invested with Hopelab in Britebound and shares an outcomes-oriented, youth-centered philanthropic thesis.
• Pivotal Ventures: Pivotal Ventures (founded by Melinda French Gates) is a social impact organization that invests in causes including mental health and youth opportunity. It is comparable to Hopelab as a high-profile, founder-backed philanthropic organization deploying capital and influence across social issues.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hopelab
• Facebookfacebook.com/HopeLab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hopelab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments17 records

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Frequently asked questions about Hopelab