Global Healthy Living Foundation (GHLF)

Name

Global Healthy Living Foundation (GHLF)

Legal name

Global Healthy Living Foundation

Website

https://ghlf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Nyack

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants and Government Funding: GHLF receives funding from government agencies (e.g., CDC grants such as the $1.6M polymyalgia rheumatica grant) and non-governmental organizations.
2. Corporate Philanthropy / Industry Sponsorship: GHLF receives funding from pharmaceutical and healthcare companies including AbbVie, Amgen, Novartis, BMS, Janssen, Pfizer, Genentech, GSK, Horizon Therapeutics, Takeda, Eli Lilly, UCB, and others listed on its partners page. GHLF never solicits public donations.
3. Foundation Grants: Funding from foundations including the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) and family foundations.
4. Co-founder Louis Tharp Personal Funding: GHLF receives personal funding from co-founder Louis Tharp.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

GHLF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free patient advocacy, evidence-based chronic illness education, and patient-centered research programs. Its core offerings include multilingual digital patient communities (CreakyJoints), an FDA-approved Class 1 medical device patient registry and chronic disease tracking app (PatientSpot), a 50-state patient advocacy network, and a podcast network focused on health policy and vaccine education.

Product overview

The Global Healthy Living Foundation operates a multi-platform ecosystem centered on patient advocacy, education, and research. The core products include PatientSpot (FDA-approved Class 1 medical device patient registry, formerly ArthritisPower), CreakyJoints (international digital arthritis community in 3 languages), the 50-State Network (advocacy network across U.S. state capitals), and the GHLF Podcast Network (500,000+ listeners). Additional resources include Lupus Help Center, PainSpot, HEROES Program for skin/scalp conditions, GetMyCOVIDVax vaccine access tool, eRheum, Fail First Hurts advocacy platform, and condition-specific education on arthritis, IBD, migraine, psoriasis, and vaccines. The organization draws 700,000+ patients monthly to its websites and reaches 10 million monthly impressions across seven social media platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PatientSpot (formerly ArthritisPower) FDA-approved Class 1 medical device patient registry and chronic disease tracking app that allows patients with any chronic condition to track their health, share data with providers, and participate in patient-centered research.
• CreakyJoints International digital patient community providing evidence-based education, peer support, activism, and patient-centered research opportunities for people with arthritis and other chronic illnesses, available in English, Spanish, and French.
• 50-State Network Patient advocacy network providing trained patient leaders who engage with state and federal policymakers on chronic disease legislation, drug affordability, pharmacy access, and vaccine equity.
• GHLF Podcast Network Multimedia content network producing podcasts on vaccines, arthritis, healthcare policy, and patient stories, distributed via YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
• GetMyCOVIDVax Online patient and provider tool providing real-time, verified information on state-by-state COVID-19 vaccination pathways, eligibility, and requirements.
• Lupus Help Center Dedicated resource center providing education, support, and clinical trial information for lupus patients and their families, including Spanish-language resources.
• PainSpot Digital pain management resource helping patients understand and manage chronic pain conditions.
• HEROES Program Community outreach program training salons and barbershops to become health ambassadors raising awareness and breaking stigma around skin and scalp conditions.
• eRheum Digital resource for rheumatology patients providing condition education and support.
• Fail First Hurts Policy advocacy platform raising awareness about step therapy and insurance practices that restrict patient access to prescribed medications.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 700,000 patients visit GHLF websites monthly; more than 10 million social media impressions per month across seven platforms
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Guardant HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 December 2025GHLF and Guardant Health announced a partnership to advance awareness of early colorectal cancer detection and improve access to screening, leveraging GHLF's patient education reach and Guardant Health's screening technology.
• AbbVieminorOthersAbbVie is listed as a corporate sponsor/partner on GHLF's Partners page, providing philanthropic support to GHLF's community and advocacy efforts.
• Amgen and NovartisminorOthersAmgen and Novartis are listed as corporate partners on GHLF's Partners page.
• Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS)minorOthersBMS is listed as a partner; BMS representatives (Frank Sperber, PRIDE Alliance) have collaborated with GHLF on LGBTQ+ IBD health disparity surveys.
• Janssen PharmaceuticalsminorOthersJanssen is listed as a corporate sponsor/partner on GHLF's Partners page.
• Pfizer and The Pfizer FoundationminorOthersPfizer and The Pfizer Foundation are listed as corporate sponsors on GHLF's Partners page.
• GenentechminorOthersGenentech is listed as a corporate partner on GHLF's Partners page.
• GSKminorOthersGSK is listed as a corporate partner on GHLF's Partners page.
• Eli Lilly and CompanyminorOthersEli Lilly is listed as a corporate partner on GHLF's Partners page.
• Takeda PharmaceuticalsminorOthersTakeda is listed as a corporate partner on GHLF's Partners page.
• UCBminorOthersUCB is listed as a corporate partner on GHLF's Partners page.
• Horizon TherapeuticsminorOthersHorizon Therapeutics is listed as a corporate partner on GHLF's Partners page.
• University of Alabama, Birmingham (UAB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUAB researchers co-developed the ArthritisPower patient registry with GHLF's CreakyJoints in 2014, serving as the academic research partner for the registry's development.
• American College of Rheumatology (ACR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerACR is listed as a partner; GHLF presents research at ACR Convergence and collaborates on rheumatology education and awareness initiatives.
• IQVIA Human Data SciencesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIQVIA has collaborated with GHLF on multiple vaccine policy research reports including 'Assessing the Impact of State Pharmacist Vaccination Authority' and 'Trends in Adult Vaccination in the U.S.'
• American Disease Prevention Coalition (ADPC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGHLF works with the ADPC coalition to advocate for laws increasing pharmacists' ability to provide vaccinations.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Arthritis Foundation: U.S. patient advocacy and research nonprofit focused on arthritis and related diseases; directly comparable to GHLF given overlap in patient population, education mission, advocacy footprint, and historical connection to the ArthritisPower registry before the PatientSpot rebrand.
• National Psoriasis Foundation: Patient advocacy organization serving the psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis community; comparable to GHLF in providing disease-specific education, advocacy, and research engagement across a chronic condition that overlaps GHLF's served populations.
• Lupus Foundation of America: National patient advocacy nonprofit for lupus; directly comparable to GHLF's Lupus Help Center, sharing mission, advocacy model, pharma funding dynamics, and focus on a chronic autoimmune condition with limited treatment options.
• Crohn's & Colitis Foundation: Largest U.S. nonprofit dedicated to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patient advocacy, education, and research; directly comparable to GHLF's IBD education initiatives and shares similar operating model with pharma-sponsored research and patient community programs.
• EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases: Patient advocacy nonprofit focused on rare disease policy and access to treatments; comparable to GHLF in combining policy advocacy, patient community building, and partnership with research and government stakeholders to improve chronic disease patient outcomes.

Broad incumbents

• American Lung Association: Large national health nonprofit focused on lung disease, asthma, and tobacco/vaccine policy; broader incumbent comparable to GHLF's asthma education and vaccine access research, with significantly larger scale and similar pharma and CDC funding sources.

Emerging players

• PatientsLikeMe: Digital patient research platform that allows members to share longitudinal health data and contribute to research; comparable to GHLF's PatientSpot registry as a patient-driven data asset, though commercially structured rather than nonprofit.
• Inspire: Online patient community and research platform connecting patients with chronic and rare conditions; comparable to GHLF's CreakyJoints and PatientSpot as a patient-engagement and real-world data infrastructure for chronic disease populations.

Others

• National Health Council: Umbrella organization representing hundreds of patient advocacy groups in U.S. health policy; comparable to GHLF in that GHLF is a member of this ecosystem and shares the same policy advocacy channels on drug access, affordability, and insurance reform.

Regional players

• Global Allergy & Airways Patient Platform (GAAPP): International patient advocacy umbrella for allergy, asthma, and airway disease organizations; comparable to GHLF's asthma education work and international advocacy footprint across multiple countries, sharing the chronic respiratory disease focus area.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@GHLF
• Facebookfacebook.com/CreakyJoints
• Xx.com/GHLForg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Global Healthy Living Foundation (GHLF)