Good Grief

What Good Grief does

Good Grief is a Princeton, New Jersey-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2003/2004 that provides peer-support-based grief services to children (ages 3-17), teens, young adults (18-30), parents, and guardians following the death of a parent, primary caregiver, or sibling. The organization's service model centers on weekly peer support groups convened at two physical Family Support Centers — in Morristown (38 Elm Street) and Princeton (5 Mapleton Road, the Margaret Anne Wilby Center) — through its flagship Nights of Support program, which connects participants with trained volunteer facilitators and peers who have experienced similar losses rather than relying on time-limited clinical therapy. Services are provided at no cost to participants; the entire operating model is funded by individual donations, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and recurring fundraising events including an annual 5K Run & Walk, an annual Gala, and a Spring Institute for professionals.

The product surface extends beyond center-based groups to a school- and community-channel layer: the Good Grief Schools program partners with 270+ schools across 60+ NJ school districts delivering grief support groups, parent education, the Routes to Resilience (R2R) curriculum, and educator professional development; Grief Expressions Summer Camp offers an arts-based multi-day retreat for grieving children; and a Training & Webinars vertical serves educators, clinicians, and community members nationally. The underlying "technology" is a codified methodology — Peer Support Conceptual Frameworks developed by Head of Research & Evaluation Dr. Mrittika Sen from 26 in-depth interviews and grounded theory analysis — rather than software. Reach metrics include 850+ children and families served monthly, presence in 160+ NJ communities, 300+ trained volunteers, and recent recognition via the New York Life Foundation's 2025 State of Grief Report for NJ's first-in-the-nation mandated grief-education legislation.

Good Grief makes money exclusively as a nonprofit through donations and grants; there are no fees or service charges paid by participants. Distribution is hybrid — direct delivery via centers, field sales to school districts, community events for fundraising and awareness, and self-serve webinars and content marketing. Recent strategic signals include winning the $100,000 Austin FC / Q2 Holdings 2025 Dream Starter Competition earmarked for Central Texas expansion, and a generational leadership transition placing Christian Heiss as Executive Director and Paul Rosica as Board Chair in 2026.

Name

Good Grief

Legal name

Good Grief Inc.

Website

https://good-grief.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Good Grief is a New Jersey-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free, peer-support-based grief programs for bereaved children, teens, young adults, and families through two family support centers, school district partnerships, and seasonal camp and training events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bereavement Support Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Hospice-Affiliated/Independent) (HLADAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Palliative Care, Hospice & Serious Illness Support (BPAGACAK), Trauma-Informed & Resilience-Building Programs (Early Childhood) (EDACAOAD)

Keywords

• Grief support services
• Children bereavement
• Family counseling
• Peer support programs
• Nonprofit services

Headquarters

HQ city

Princeton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Good Grief relies on donations from individuals, corporations, and foundation grants to fund operations. All programs are provided free of charge to participants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels13 records

Core offering

Good Grief is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides free, peer-based grief support programs for children, teens, young adults, and families who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling, or other close loved one. Services are delivered through facilitated group programs at its New Jersey centers in Princeton and Morristown, supported by trained adult staff and trained teen volunteers serving as Peer Companions.

Product overview

Good Grief operates as a not-for-profit grief support organization offering a coordinated suite of programs rather than a single software product. Its core offerings center on peer-based grief support groups (Nights of Support, or NOS), school-based programs (Good Grief Schools including grief support groups, parent education, Routes to Resilience, and professional development), and seasonal offerings such as Grief Expressions Summer Camp. The organization also delivers community-wide programs including its annual 5K Run & Walk for Hope and Gala fundraising events, and provides free educational content, newsletters, and training webinars for professionals and families. All services are provided at no cost to participants through a combination of donations, grants, and fundraising.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Peer Support Program for Grieving Children, Teens, and Families Free, facilitated group-based grief support program for children, teens, young adults, and family members who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling, or close loved one. Delivered in-person at the organization's Princeton and Morristown, New Jersey locations using trained adult facilitators and trained teen volunteer Peer Companions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving more than 850 children and families monthly at family centers
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

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

• NJ Grief CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2026Good Grief is a member of the NJ Grief Collaborative, a partnership among New Jersey's leading family bereavement centers including The Alcove, Common Ground Grief Center, Imagine, and Stephy's Place. The collaborative works to support schools, educators, and communities in navigating grief and loss.
• Austin FCmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 28 May 2025Austin FC co-sponsored the Dream Starter Competition with Q2 Holdings, awarding Good Grief $100,000 as the 2025 winner.
• Ruth's Chris SteakhouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRuth's Chris Steakhouse generously hosts annual holiday brunches for Good Grief families, donating seating and creating festive environments. Events are held in Parsippany and Princeton locations.
• The Sharp Financial GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of the Good Grief 5K Run & Walk event.
• Strawn Arnold & AssociatesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of the Good Grief 5K Run & Walk event.
• DeloitteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of the Good Grief 5K Run & Walk event.
• New York LifecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew York Life's Grief-Sensitive Schools Initiative engages with educators and community professionals interested in expanding grief-informed support. Good Grief collaborated on the Healing in Community Grief Summit.
• NJ4S (New Jersey State), Paterson Healing CollectiveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGood Grief collaborated on the Healing in Community Grief Summit bringing together educators, school-based mental health professionals, community organizations, and youth-serving leaders.
• Mayo Performing Arts CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner artist for Grief Expressions Summer Camp, sharing incredible talents with children through arts programming.
• New Jersey Symphony and Bloomberg PhilanthropiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner artist for Grief Expressions Summer Camp providing musical programming.
• Morris Museum (Spark!Lab)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Grief Expressions Summer Camp providing hands-on creative activities.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Dougy Center: The Dougy Center in Portland, OR is widely regarded as the pioneering nonprofit providing peer-support grief programs for children, teens, and families — directly comparable to Good Grief's Nights of Support model and overall mission.
• Judi's House: Judi's House in Denver provides peer-based grief support for children and families, with research and training programs — closely comparable in service model, beneficiary focus, and emphasis on evidence-based practice.
• Bo's Place: Bo's Place in Houston offers free, ongoing peer-support grief programs for children, adults, and families — a direct operating peer to Good Grief's family-center model and a relevant comparison as Good Grief expands to Central Texas.
• The Children's Room: The Children's Room in Arlington, MA provides free peer-support programs for grieving children, teens, and families across the Northeast — comparable to Good Grief's center-based Nights of Support and family programming.
• Comfort Zone Camp: Comfort Zone Camp runs free, national bereavement camps and programs for grieving children and families — directly comparable to Good Grief's Grief Expressions Summer Camp and broader children-and-families mission.
• Experience Camps: Experience Camps is a national nonprofit running free summer camps and year-round programs for grieving children — comparable to Good Grief's Grief Expressions Summer Camp and peer-support model.
• Kids Grief Network: Kids Grief Network is a coalition of Canadian bereavement organizations supporting grieving children and families — a thematic peer in the children's grief support nonprofit space and relevant for cross-border learning and potential partnerships.
• Common Ground Grief Center: Common Ground Grief Center is a NJ-based nonprofit providing free grief support to children and adults, and is a member of the NJ Grief Collaborative alongside Good Grief — a direct in-state peer.

Broad incumbents

• Camp Erin: Camp Erin, run by the Eluna Network, is the largest national network of free bereavement camps for children and teens — a broader incumbent comparable to Good Grief's Grief Expressions Summer Camp and school/community programming.

Others

• New York Life Foundation Grief-Sensitive Schools Initiative: New York Life Foundation's Grief-Sensitive Schools Initiative works with educators and community professionals to expand grief-informed support in schools — already a partner of Good Grief and a key adjacent ecosystem player in the school-based grief space.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/goodgriefnj
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@GoodGriefNJ
• Facebookfacebook.com/goodgriefnj/?fref=ts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/goodgriefnj
• Instagraminstagram.com/GoodGriefNJ
• Pinterestpinterest.com/goodgriefnj

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors6 records

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 Good Grief