Darkness to Light

What Darkness to Light does

Darkness to Light is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2000 and headquartered in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, that delivers evidence-informed child sexual abuse prevention training to adults. The organization's core product is Stewards of Children®, a 2.5-hour training built on the proprietary 5 Steps to Protecting Children™ framework (Learn the Facts, Minimize Opportunity, Talk About It, Recognize the Signs, React Responsibly), available in-person, virtually, and asynchronously online through a CSOD (Cornerstone OnDemand) learning portal. Pricing is $16 per individual for online access and $450 per participant for the train-the-trainer Facilitator Workshop; a full curriculum of supplementary modules (Recognizing and Reporting Harm, From Bystander to Upstander, Preventing Child Sex Trafficking, Consent/Healthy Touch/Boundaries, Conversations About Safety, Camp Counselor Training, Protecting Children During a Crisis) extends the catalog, most with bilingual English/Spanish versions (Spanish branded as Guardianes de los Niños®).

The organization serves four primary customer segments: individual parents and caregivers, youth-serving organizations (schools, camps, religious institutions, sports leagues, childcare), mandated reporters (educators, healthcare, mental health, law enforcement, childcare), and organizations pursuing the Partner in Prevention (PIP) designation. Distribution is hybrid — a self-serve online portal for individuals, a global network of 13,000+ Authorized Facilitators delivering group training across all 50 US states and 115 countries, virtual facilitator-led sessions, and train-the-trainer workshops. Revenue is generated through training fees, donations (with 80% directed to prevention programs), grants and foundation funding (Oak Foundation, Select Equity Foundation, SC.GOV, Tides, World Childhood Foundation, and others), and merchandise. To date, the organization has trained more than 2.4 million adults, served 15,000+ organizations over 25 years, and reached 52,003 individuals trained in fiscal year 2025 alone.

The organization operates with 101-250 employees and a Board of Directors led by Chair Jim Wilson, with CEO Rhonda Newton at the helm. Strategic positioning emphasizes CDC- and university-validated outcome data (e.g., 4x likelihood of asking about prevention policies at 18 months; 82% increase in reporting among trained Texas educators; 1.67 additional reports per 10,000 children in trained communities). Certifications include a Candid Platinum Seal and Charity Navigator Four-Star Rating, supporting donor and institutional funder confidence.

Name

Darkness to Light

Legal name

Darkness to Light

Website

https://d2l.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Darkness to Light is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers evidence-informed child sexual abuse prevention training to adults through its flagship Stewards of Children® program and a global network of 13,000+ Authorized Facilitators across 50 US states and 115 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Training

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Child and Youth Services (624110), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Safeguarding, Student Welfare & Child Protection Compliance Audits (EDADAGAI), Health, Safety & Compliance Training (CPR/First Aid, Safeguarding, Licensing) (EDACAIAH)

Keywords

• Child abuse prevention
• Sexual abuse prevention
• Adult prevention training
• Nonprofit education services
• Workplace safety training

Headquarters

HQ city

Mt Pleasant

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Training Fees: Revenue from sale of training programs including Stewards of Children® at $16 per individual and Facilitator Workshop training at $450. Bulk pricing available for organizations.
2. Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. Includes one-time donations, monthly recurring giving, tribute gifts, and corporate matching programs.
3. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise through bonfire.com store.
4. Grants and Foundation Funding: Funding from foundations and government sources including Oak Foundation, Select Equity Foundation, SC.GOV, World Childhood Foundation, and others to support scholarship programs and prevention initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Darkness to Light is a national nonprofit organization that delivers evidence-informed adult-focused child sexual abuse prevention training. Its flagship program, Stewards of Children®, is a 2.5-hour curriculum built around the 5 Steps to Protecting Children™ framework, available in English and Spanish, online, in-person, and virtually. The organization also provides a Facilitator Workshop to certify trainers, the Partner in Prevention organizational designation program, and free Safety in Seconds microlearning.

Product overview

Darkness to Light is a national nonprofit offering a comprehensive suite of evidence-informed child sexual abuse prevention training programs for adults. The core product is the award-winning Stewards of Children® training (2.5 hours, $16 per person), available in English and Spanish (as Guardianes de los Niños®), delivered online, in-person, or virtually. The training ecosystem includes supplementary modules such as Recognizing and Reporting Harm, From Bystander to Upstander, Preventing Child Sex Trafficking, Consent/Healthy Touch/Boundaries, and Conversations About Safety from Abuse—most available in both English and Spanish. Additional offerings include Camp Counselor Training, Protecting Children During a Crisis, and the free Safety in Seconds microlearning program. The Partner in Prevention program provides organizational certification for entities meeting training and policy standards. All programs are built around the 5 Steps to Protecting Children™ framework. Darkness to Light also offers a Facilitator Workshop for individuals seeking to become authorized trainers, and CE/CEU credits are available for various professional categories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Stewards of Children®: Darkness to Light's flagship evidence-informed adult-focused child sexual abuse prevention training program that teaches adults practical actions they can take to reduce instances of child sexual abuse in their organizations, families, and communities.
• Partner in Prevention (PIP)
• 5 Steps to Protecting Children™
• Child Safety Foundations
• Honest Conversations
• Honoring Their Voices
• Safety in Seconds
• Guardianes de los Niños®

Quantifiable outcome

• 4x more likely to ask about sexual abuse prevention policies 18 months after training (Ford Family Foundation/University of Oregon study)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• Kappa DeltacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSorority organization partnered with Darkness to Light for prevention education initiatives and awareness campaigns.
• National Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and ExploitationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner working together on national prevention efforts and policy initiatives.
• National Center for Missing and Exploited ChildrencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner in child protection, collaborating on resources and prevention education.
• Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner including Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse, supporting research and program evaluation.
• American Camp AssociationsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to deliver prevention training to camp staff and administrators across the organization.
• Monique Burr FoundationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation partner focused on prevention education for children.
• Keep Kids SafesupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization focused on child safety initiatives.
• Coalition to Protect Kids OnlinesupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCoalition partner addressing online child protection issues.
• The National Exchange ClubsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerService organization partner in child protection efforts.
• Esports TowerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner addressing child protection in esports and gaming communities.
• San Francisco Bay Area MomsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partner for local prevention education outreach.
• Carousel Center CACsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerChild Abuse Prevention Supervisor Rebecca Martin quoted on Partner in Prevention program addressing challenges through organizational partnerships.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Bark Technologies: Bark is an emerging player in child online safety, offering monitoring software and educational content for parents. It addresses adjacent child protection use cases (online rather than in-person) and competes for the same parent and school segments.
• Stop It Now: Stop It Now focuses specifically on preventing child sexual abuse through helplines, resources, and adult-focused education—closely aligned with D2L's adult-learner prevention model but operating at a smaller footprint.

Direct peers

• National Children's Alliance: NCA is the national association of Child Advocacy Centers, working on child abuse response and prevention. It overlaps with D2L on the child protection mission and serves similar youth-serving organizational and CAC customers.
• Monique Burr Foundation for Children: MBF delivers evidence-based child safety and prevention education programs (MBF Child Safety Matters, MBF Teen Safety Matters) to schools and youth-serving organizations, directly competing with Darkness to Light in K-12 and youth-serving markets.
• Childhelp: Childhelp operates a national abuse hotline, advocacy programs, and prevention education for children and adults. It competes for donor dollars and overlapping prevention curriculum within schools and community organizations.
• Prevent Child Abuse America: PCAA leads national awareness (Pinwheels for Prevention) and supports state chapters on child abuse prevention. Both D2L and PCAA target the same end-customer—parents, caregivers, and youth-serving organizations—with prevention education.

Broad incumbents

• Khan Academy: A large-scale nonprofit online education platform. While not a direct competitor on child protection content, Khan Academy exemplifies the freemium nonprofit EdTech distribution model D2L could emulate for its Safety in Seconds microlearning.
• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC): NCMEC is a larger, established child protection organization that delivers NetSmartz and other prevention education to schools. It is a D2L strategic partner and overlapping provider of prevention content at national scale.
• Gryphon Place / Praesidium: Praesidium provides organizational abuse risk management, training, and consulting to youth-serving organizations—overlapping with D2L's Partner in Prevention program and Stewards of Children training at the institutional customer level.

Regional players

• ASCA (Association of School and College Leaders) - safeguarding training providers: ASCA-aligned UK safeguarding training organizations serve schools in mandated safeguarding reporter training, paralleling D2L's U.S. education-segment training but in a different geography and regulatory framework.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Darkness2Light
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCmD6a5VMFPUGvgL7RTzaGQA
• Facebookfacebook.com/DarknessToLight
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/darkness-to-light/posts/?feedView=all
• Instagraminstagram.com/d2lorg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Darkness to Light