Health Resources in Action

What Health Resources in Action does

Health Resources in Action (HRiA) is a Boston-based nonprofit founded in 1957 that operates as an integrated public health consulting, grantmaking, and service delivery organization. The company serves four primary segments: government agencies (Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Illinois Department of Human Services, Chicago Department of Public Health), hospitals and health systems (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston Medical Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center), community-based organizations (110+ community partners, 73 active grantees), and philanthropic funders. HRiA offers six core service lines — Assessment & Planning, Capacity Building, Evaluation, Grantmaking, Information & Referral, and Policy & Systems Change — augmented by 24/7 helplines in Massachusetts and Illinois and a portfolio of Innovation Incubator projects addressing rural maternal health, LGBTQ+ legal barriers, correctional violence prevention, and medication-assisted recovery.

The company's primary technology asset is the proprietary Health EquiTREE framework, a visual model mapping health outcomes to root causes of health inequities. Programmatic platforms include the Smith Family Awards Program for Excellence in Biomedical Research (administering $46.1M to 200+ scientists since 1992), the MA Community Health and Healthy Aging Funds (distributing $46.1M to 82 Massachusetts organizations across three cohorts, 2020-2029), the Massachusetts Technical Assistance Center for Problem Gambling Treatment (M-TAC), and the MAR Now tele-recovery program. HRiA also serves as fiscal sponsor for the Massachusetts Association of Community Health Workers (MACHW).

Revenue is generated through a hybrid nonprofit model combining grant administration (state and federal pass-through), fee-for-service consulting with government and healthcare clients, philanthropic gifts (including a $10M unrestricted 2024 gift from MacKenzie Scott), and program-specific government contracts. The organization operates with a board chaired by Magnolia Contreras (VP of Community Health, Dana-Farber) under CEO and President Steven Ridini. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the business model is structurally capped by dependence on government grant cycles and philanthropic cycles rather than scalable commercial revenue.

Name

Health Resources in Action

Legal name

Health Resources in Action

Website

https://hria.org/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Health Resources in Action (HRiA) is a Boston-based nonprofit founded in 1957 that provides public health consulting, grantmaking ($46.1M administered across two major funds), capacity building, evaluation, and 24/7 helpline services to government agencies, healthcare systems, community organizations, and foundations primarily across Massachusetts and Illinois.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Consulting and Grantmaking Services

NAICS

Administration of Public Health Programs (923120), Health and Welfare Funds (525120), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Public Health & Human Services Administration (BPAIACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health Technology Assessment (HTA) & Reimbursement Policy Bodies (HLAJACAF), HR Strategy & Operating Model Design (BPACAJAA)

Keywords

• Public health consulting
• Grantmaking services
• Capacity building
• Program evaluation
• Nonprofit health services

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Programs & Philanthropy: HRiA acts as a fiscal agent and grant administrator for multiple funders including the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, private foundations, and healthcare entities. They distribute funds to community organizations through competitive grantmaking processes and manage designated grant programs.
2. Consulting & Technical Services: Fee-for-service consulting engagements with government agencies, healthcare systems, hospitals, and community organizations for assessment, planning, capacity building, and evaluation services.
3. Philanthropic Gifts: The organization receives charitable donations and gifts including the $10M unrestricted gift from MacKenzie Scott through the Yield Giving Initiative.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Health Resources in Action (HRiA) is a nonprofit public health organization that provides consulting, grantmaking, capacity building, and program evaluation services to governments, foundations, and community-based organizations. It also operates helplines, administers grant programs on behalf of funders, and runs innovation incubator projects aimed at advancing health equity.

Product overview

Health Resources in Action (HRiA) is a non-profit public health organization offering a portfolio of consulting and programmatic services rather than a unified technology product. The core service offerings include Assessment & Planning, Capacity Building, Evaluation, Grantmaking, Information & Referral Services, and Policy & Systems Change. These services are delivered through various grant programs (such as the MA Community Health and Healthy Aging Funds distributing $46.1M and the Smith Family Awards Program for Excellence in Biomedical Research), operational programs (including 24/7 Substance Use Helplines, MA Problem Gambling Helpline, and M-TAC for problem gambling treatment capacity building), and Innovation Incubator initiatives supporting innovative public health projects in areas like violence prevention, maternal health, substance use recovery, and LGBTQ+ advocacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Smith Family Awards Program for Excellence in Biomedical Research: Program driving medical breakthroughs by launching the careers of newly independent biomedical researchers, providing $46.1M in research support to over 200 scientists since 1992.
• MA Community Health and Healthy Aging Funds
• Massachusetts Technical Assistance Center for Problem Gambling Treatment (M-TAC)
• MA Problem Gambling Helpline
• Health EquiTREE
• Rural Doula MassHealth Registration Initiative

Products and services

• Public Health Consulting Services Advisory and consulting engagements supporting governments, foundations, and community organizations in designing, implementing, and evaluating public health initiatives.
• Grantmaking and Grant Administration End-to-end grant administration on behalf of public and private funders, including RFP design, application review, award management, grantee support, and reporting.
• Capacity Building and Training Technical assistance, training, and organizational development support for community-based organizations and public health agencies to strengthen programs and operations.
• Program Evaluation and Research Outcome measurement, formative and summative evaluation, and applied research services for public health programs and interventions.
• Innovation Incubator Projects Initiatives that identify, develop, and pilot innovative approaches and partnerships to advance public health practice and health equity.
• Helpline Operations Operation of public health helplines and information-and-referral services connecting community members to health resources.

Quantifiable outcome

• Distributed $46.1M to 82 Massachusetts organizations through the MA Community Health and Healthy Aging Funds
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Illinois Department of Human ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022IDHS Division of Behavioral Health & Recovery funds the MAR Now (Medication-Assisted Recovery Now) program. The service is primarily implemented through the Illinois Helpline operated by HRiA, in collaboration with Family Guidance Centers, Inc.
• Chicago Department of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022CDPH provided leadership in launching MAR Now in 2022, which has grown into a statewide collaboration between public health, human services, and treatment providers.
• Massachusetts Department of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017MDPH established the MA Community Health and Healthy Aging Funds through the Determination of Need regulation in 2017. HRiA acts as fiscal agent and facilitates planning and implementation of these Funds. MDPH is also a partner on problem gambling services initiatives.
• Richard and Susan Smith Family FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1992HRiA administers the Smith Family Awards Program for Excellence in Biomedical Research, a program of the Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation that has been driving medical breakthroughs for more than three decades, providing $46.1M to over 200 scientists.
• UTECcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with UTEC, which nurtures the ambition of disconnected young people to trade violence and poverty for social and economic success. HRiA partners with UTEC on the Emerging Adult Re-Entry Initiative (EARI) and Violence & Overdose Prevention Training for Incarcerated Young Adults Initiative. UTEC enables HRiA to work inside Massachusetts correctional facilities.
• Division on Addiction at Cambridge Health AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHRiA partnered with addiction and gambling disorder experts at the Division on Addiction to build M-TAC (Massachusetts Technical Assistance Center for Problem Gambling Treatment) upon evidence-based research. The Division on Addiction established Gambling Disorder Screening Day in 2014.
• Family Guidance Centers, Inc.coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplementation partner for the MAR Now program alongside the Illinois Helpline operated by HRiA.
• Massachusetts Law Reform InstitutesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of advisory group for the Rural Doula MassHealth Registration Initiative, helping shape strategy to increase access to culturally responsive doula care in rural Massachusetts.
• Massachusetts Department of Public Health Doula Workforce TeamsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of advisory group for the Rural Doula MassHealth Registration Initiative.
• Hued Mama's Co.supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of advisory group for the Rural Doula MassHealth Registration Initiative, bringing doula expertise and community wisdom.
• Majestic Yoga StudiosupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of advisory group for the Rural Doula MassHealth Registration Initiative.
• 21 Organizations in New Hampshire CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of advocates, organizers, and organizations in New Hampshire for the Legal Barriers LGBTQ+ Assessment and Coalition Building Initiative. Includes elected officials, hospitals, healthcare, legal services, mental/behavioral health, reproductive health, LGBTQ+ organizations, youth groups, and faith organizations.
• MA Health Promotion ClearinghousesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerM-TAC works in partnership with the MA Health Promotion Clearinghouse to develop and distribute materials about problem gambling treatment and resources.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• American Public Health Association (APHA): National membership organization advancing public health practice and policy; overlaps HRiA's convening, conference, and advocacy activities but operates as a broader membership body rather than a service-delivery intermediary.
• Health Management Associates (HMA): National consulting firm specializing in health policy, Medicaid, behavioral health, and public program design serving state agencies and foundations; overlaps HRiA's policy and systems change consulting but at broader national scale.
• Manatt Health: National health consulting and legal advisory practice serving state agencies, foundations, and providers; comparable in state-level health policy and program design work but operates at significantly larger scale.
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Large national philanthropy focused on health equity and social determinants of health; comparable as a health-equity funder and convener, but as a foundation rather than a service-delivery intermediary.

Direct peers

• Bailit Health: Health policy and consulting firm advising state agencies, hospitals, and foundations on coverage, equity, and care delivery; comparable in target clients (state agencies, funders) and equity-focused consulting scope.
• Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS): Non-profit policy and consulting organization partnering with states, health plans, and foundations to advance health equity and complex care; directly comparable in mission, funder relationships, and state-level capacity-building work.
• National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI): National network of public health institutes offering capacity-building, training, and program administration to member institutes; directly comparable to HRiA in its role as an intermediary that convenes, trains, and administers programs on behalf of state and philanthropic funders.
• Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC): Non-profit public health organization providing consulting, program management, grant administration, and direct services across Pennsylvania and beyond; comparable in business model as a multi-program public health intermediary with fiscal agency and capacity-building offerings similar to HRiA.
• Human Impact Partners: Non-profit that builds capacity for health equity, organizational transformation, and policy advocacy; closely mirrors HRiA's consulting, evaluation, and capacity-building service lines with a similarly equity-centered approach.

Others

• Massachusetts Association of Community Health Workers (MACHW): Fiscally sponsored partner of HRiA that advances the community health worker workforce in Massachusetts; comparable mission but operates as a workforce/policy advocacy organization under HRiA's fiscal umbrella rather than as an independent peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hriaction
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/health-resources-in-action

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Health Resources in Action