Foundation 2

What Foundation 2 does

Foundation 2 Crisis Services is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit human services agency founded in 1970 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, originally established by Coe College and Kennedy High School students and named after Isaac Asimov's Second Foundation. The organization provides 24/7 crisis intervention and prevention services across Eastern Iowa, including phone (319-362-2174 and the national 988 line), text, chat, and in-person Mobile Crisis Outreach across 12 Iowa counties. Foundation 2 is the only operator of a 17-bed emergency youth shelter in Linn County, embeds counselors in six law enforcement agencies for co-response to 911 mental health calls, places school-based mental health caseworkers in Cedar Rapids Community School District and Grantwood AEA schools, co-operates the 24/7 Linn County Mental Health Access Center, and runs the Iowa Aftercare program for youth aging out of foster care.

The organization's core technology is its human-delivered, trauma-informed service delivery model, formalized in the CORES (Center of Response, Education and Support) framework. The crisis center is supported by third-party technology — Five9 for chat with encryption standards comparable to major financial institutions, and a partnership with Vibrant Emotional Health Technology for text and chat infrastructure. Foundation 2 has also launched proprietary community intervention programs including J-FAST (a multi-agency juvenile stabilization program) and Stand Up for Peace (a Group Violence Intervention model). In FY25, the organization logged 93,619 total service contacts and trained 2,086 individuals in mental health and suicide prevention.

Foundation 2 is funded through a hybrid nonprofit revenue model. All direct crisis services are provided free of charge; revenue is generated from individual and corporate donations (cash, Venmo, GiveButter, planned giving, endowment), government contracts (state and county crisis services contracts, Iowa Aftercare), Medicaid and insurance billings where applicable, and a growing fee-for-service training and education line (CORES Workplace Wellness, Community Wellness, and executive leadership programs priced $100–$500 per seat). The organization operates with 160+ full and part-time staff across five locations, governed by a 15-member Board of Directors under CEO Emily Blomme, who has led the organization since 2015. An endowment was established through the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation in June 2021.

Name

Foundation 2

Legal name

Foundation 2 Crisis Services

Website

https://foundation2.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Foundation 2 Crisis Services is a Cedar Rapids-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing free 24/7 crisis intervention, youth shelter, school-based mental health, law enforcement co-response, and training services across 12 Iowa counties, serving individuals, families, schools, and first responders since 1970.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Crisis Intervention Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral Health Crisis Services Management (988/Hotlines/Mobile Crisis Coordination) (HLAEAHAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD), Crisis Response & Threat Assessment (Suicide Prevention, Violence Prevention) (EDAJAIAH), Crisis Support, Suicide Prevention & Acute Behavioral Triage Platforms (HLALAEAI), Crisis Intervention & Suicide Prevention Services (EDALAFAD)

Keywords

• Crisis intervention services
• Mental health support
• Suicide prevention programs
• Youth shelter services
• Mobile crisis outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Cedar Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Individual and corporate donations constitute primary funding. The organization accepts cash, checks, Venmo, online donations via GiveButter, in-kind donations, memorial and tribute gifts, planned giving, and endowment contributions through Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation.
2. Government and Insurance Funding: Services may be submitted to Medicaid or other insurance programs when applicable. The organization operates under contract with various government entities to provide crisis services.
3. Training and Education Services: Fee-for-service workplace and community training programs including Mental Health Strategies for Leaders ($250), Essential Skills in Motivational Interviewing ($500), Mastering the Stress Response Cycle ($250 workplace, $350 workshop), Brain Based Regulation, and Lunch & Learns ($100). Foundation 2 Crisis Services Basics training is provided free of charge.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Foundation 2 Crisis Services is a nonprofit human service agency providing free, 24/7 crisis prevention and intervention services to individuals experiencing mental health crises, suicidal thoughts, youth homelessness, or family emergencies. Core services include a multi-channel crisis contact center (phone, text, and chat), Mobile Crisis Outreach across 12 Iowa counties, a 17-bed emergency youth shelter, school-based mental health casework, law enforcement co-response, suicide loss survivor support, and fee-based trauma-informed training and education programs under the CORES initiative.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CORES: Center of Response, Education and Support - A trauma-informed initiative offering practical mental wellness and suicide prevention strategies for communities, businesses, and organizations.
• Fostering Futures
• Stand Up for Peace: Group Violence Intervention

Products and services

• Crisis Center Services (24/7 Phone, Text, and Chat)

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of Mobile Crisis Outreach clients were stabilized in their home/community (FY24)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Greater Cedar Rapids Community FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2021Foundation 2 established an endowment through the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation in June 2021. The endowment's purpose is to support the mission in perpetuity. The foundation also provides access to Endow Iowa tax credits, allowing donors to receive a 25% Iowa state income tax credit for certain endowed charitable gifts.
• Junior League of Cedar RapidscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual co-host of Giving Tuesday Stuff the Truck event supporting young people aging out of foster care through the Fostering Futures program.
• Iowa Giving CrewminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProvides scholarship funding for Legacy Wall tiles, making the memorial opportunity accessible to more community members.
• J-FAST Partner OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJ-FAST is a joint effort of Foundation 2, DECAT, ASAC, Abbe Center, Tanager Place, Heart and Solutions, Covenant Family Solutions, Four Oaks, and St. Luke's Chemical Dependency, serving youth with immediate mental health or substance abuse needs.
• Iowa Aftercare Services NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation 2 is part of this statewide network of support for young people who have aged out of foster care. A voluntary, free program for young people ages 17-23.
• CSCBS Partner OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrisis Stabilization Community Based Services operates across 9 Iowa counties (Bremer, Buchanan, Delaware, Dubuque, Benton, Linn, Jones, Iowa, Johnson) through collaboration with various community partners.
• United Way of East Central IowacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEO Emily Blomme serves on the Board of Directors for United Way of East Central Iowa, and Foundation 2 is listed as a community partner in donor recognition.
• Vibrant (Emotional Health Technology)coreTechnology or IntegrationThe crisis line text and chat services are operated in partnership with Vibrant, who may contact police if users violate Terms of Service regarding threats or dangerous behavior.
• Linn County Mental Health Access Center PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation 2 is one of several community partners providing services at the Linn County Mental Health Access Center, alongside Abbe Health, Area Ambulance Service, and St. Luke's Chemical Dependency.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Crisis Text Line: National 24/7 text-based crisis intervention nonprofit. Competes with Foundation 2's text/chat crisis services and routes 988 contacts nationally; both serve overlapping crisis-line demand.
• Boys Town National Hotline: National crisis and resource hotline serving youth, parents, and families since 1989. Directly comparable to Foundation 2's youth crisis line, youth shelter, and family counseling model.
• The Trevor Project: National 24/7 crisis intervention nonprofit for LGBTQ+ youth. Comparable crisis-line, text, and chat service model targeting a youth demographic that overlaps with Foundation 2's youth services.
• CommUnity Crisis Services and Food Bank: Iowa City-based nonprofit providing 24/7 crisis intervention, mobile crisis response, and youth/family services across Johnson County. Directly comparable in mission, scope, and Iowa geographic footprint.
• Your Life Iowa: Iowa statewide crisis hotline and resource referral service. Operates in same geographic market with overlapping 988 crisis-line and youth-services mandate, supported by Iowa HHS.

Broad incumbents

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: National network administered by Vibrant Emotional Health that Foundation 2 is part of. Sets service standards, routes contacts, and allocates federal/state funding that flows through to local centers like Foundation 2.

Others

• MercyOne Cedar Rapids: Regional hospital system and partner of Foundation 2 in crisis and behavioral health coordination. Comparable as a healthcare provider channel that refers patients to Foundation 2's crisis services.

Regional players

• Tanager Place: Cedar Rapids-based behavioral health and youth services nonprofit. Partner with Foundation 2 in the J-FAST collaborative; comparable youth/family services and Iowa footprint.
• Abbe Center for Community Mental Health: Eastern Iowa mental health provider operating outpatient, crisis, and substance use services. Co-partner with Foundation 2 in J-FAST and Linn County Mental Health Access Center.
• Four Oaks Family & Children's Services: Iowa-based child welfare, behavioral health, and juvenile justice services nonprofit. J-FAST partner with Foundation 2; overlapping youth and family services mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/foundation2
• Instagraminstagram.com/foundation2crisis
• Xx.com/foundation2

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Foundation 2