What Ascent 121 does

Ascent 121 is a faith-based 501c3 nonprofit founded in 2013 and headquartered in Carmel, Indiana with an operational office in Indianapolis. The organization provides clinical recovery services for teen survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking, primarily girls ages 12 to 18. Its core direct-service offering is the IMPACT Program, a residential care model launched in 2014 through a co-development partnership with Lutheran Child & Family Services and structured across four tiered living centers (high needs, moderate needs, low need, at-risk). Programming is grounded in evidence-based clinical therapies — TF-CBT, Ecological Based Family Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and EMDR — and supplemented by community-based outpatient services for youth living at home or in other Central Indiana residential facilities.

Underlying the clinical practice is more than a decade of proprietary IP, most notably the Commercial Sexual Exploitation Needs Instrument-4th Edition (CSENI), a structured assessment tool co-developed with the University of Indianapolis that has undergone four revisions for statistical validity, and the Reclaiming Me Curriculum, a 15-chapter trauma-processing program authored by a multi-disciplinary team. Ascent 121 is accredited by the Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Board and the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, and received the 2017 FBI Director's Community Leadership Award.

The business model blends a nonprofit donation-and-grant backbone with diversified fee-based revenue lines: $499 CSENI starter packs sold globally via TalentLMS, Build Beyond Conference sponsorships ranging from $750 to $10,000, a gift catalog with $1,000-per-month or $12,000-per-year survivor sponsorship subscriptions, Reclaiming Me curriculum sales through a Square storefront, LIFT consulting engagements for other service providers, and $250 honoraria for awareness presentations. Residential and community referrals flow primarily from the Indiana Department of Child Services and juvenile probation. The organization employs approximately 25 staff, serves over 100 kids annually (600+ cumulatively since founding), and is led by CEO Megan McGuire and COO/Co-Founder Megan Jessup-Smyth with research leadership from Hugh Hanlin, Ph.D. HSPP.

Name

Ascent 121

Legal name

Ascent 121

Website

https://ascent121.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ascent 121 is a faith-based 501c3 nonprofit providing residential, community-based, and clinical therapy services for teen survivors of commercial sexual exploitation in Central Indiana, supplemented by proprietary assessment tools, training curricula, consulting, and an annual provider conference.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trauma Recovery and Behavioral Health Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Transition Programs (Reentry, Workforce Readiness & Life Skills for At-Risk Youth) (EDAJAEAF), Wraparound & Community-Based Behavioral Support (ABA-Adjacent) (EDAKAHAO)

Keywords

• Trauma recovery services
• Youth residential care
• Human trafficking treatment
• Clinical behavioral health
• Social services nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Carmel

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501c3 nonprofit organization, donations from individuals, organizations, and foundations constitute a primary revenue stream. Monthly ambassador programs allow supporters to commit to recurring donations. The organization is accredited by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability since 2018.
2. Gift Catalog and Merchandise Sales: Sponsorship of survivors through gift catalog items including therapy ($1,000/month, $12,000/year), equine therapy ($2,800), financial literacy ($1,500), cooking classes ($250), support groups ($750), and various supplies. Also includes staff wellness items and celebration items.
3. CSENI Licensing and Training: The $499 Starter Pack for the CSENI assessment instrument includes individual user license, six hours of on-demand training, hard copy of User Manual, 25 scoresheets, and 12 months of monthly user group discussions. Additional scoresheets sold separately in packages of 25.
4. Reclaiming Me Curriculum Sales: The Reclaiming Me curriculum is sold through their square.site storefront. Facilitator Guide and Participant Workbook packs available for purchase.
5. LIFT Consulting Services: Training, consulting, and mentoring services for other service providers. Tiers include pre-designed training, consulting for established agencies, agency assessments, and Clinical Intensive one-year cohort programs.
6. Build Beyond Conference Sponsorships: Sponsorship tiers for the annual Build Beyond Conference: Platinum $10,000, Gold $5,000, Silver $2,000, Bronze $750. Includes conference passes, logo visibility, and social media recognition.
7. Awareness Presentation Honoraria: Ascent 121 requests an honorarium appropriate to the scope of speaking engagements. They offer various presentations including Trafficking of Minors in Indiana (40-minute overview), Lunch & Learn (20-minute introduction), and Understanding the Life simulation (90-minute interactive experience).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Ascent 121 is a faith-based 501c3 nonprofit that provides trauma-informed clinical services for teen survivors (ages 12-18) of commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking. Core offerings include the IMPACT residential program with four tiered living centers, community-based outpatient therapy, the LIFT consulting practice for other agencies, the CSENI clinical assessment instrument, the Reclaiming Me trauma-processing curriculum, and the annual Build Beyond clinical conference.

Product overview

Ascent 121 is a faith-based nonprofit organization (501c3) providing clinical recovery services for youth survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking in Indiana. The organization operates a single unified program with multiple interconnected services rather than a platform-plus-modules software architecture. The core service is the IMPACT Program, a residential care program for teen survivors ages 12-18, supplemented by community-based outpatient services. Professional resources include LIFT Consulting Services for training other agencies, the Build Beyond Conference for annual clinical training, the Reclaiming Me Curriculum for trauma processing, and the CSENI assessment tool. The organization also offers an On-Demand Training Library via TalentLMS and conducts published academic research. Services are accredited by the Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Board and accredited by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability since 2018.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LIFT: Consulting and training services for service providers working with survivors of exploitation and trafficking. LIFT offers various tiers of service including training, consulting, assessment, and clinical intensive programs.
• IMPACT Program
• Build Beyond Conference
• Reclaiming Me Curriculum
• CSENI

Products and services

• IMPACT Program Residential care program for teen survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking, ages 12-18, with four separate living centers categorized by needs level (high, moderate, low, and at-risk). Provides trauma-informed clinical services, education, life-skills development, and case management.
• Community-Based Services Outpatient clinical care and family support for youth living at home or in other Central Indiana residential facilities, including individual and family therapy, support groups, and peer mentoring as part of a continuum of care.
• LIFT Consulting Services Training, consulting, and mentoring for service provider agencies seeking to start or broaden services for survivors. Tiers include pre-designed training, consulting for established agencies, agency assessments, and Clinical Intensive one-year cohort programs.
• Build Beyond Conference Annual national clinical conference for behavioral health professionals and service providers working with survivors of human trafficking. Provides clinical treatment models and continuing education credits, with sponsorship tiers ranging from $750 Bronze to $10,000 Platinum.
• Reclaiming Me Curriculum 15-chapter trauma-processing curriculum designed for survivors of commercial sexual exploitation. Includes a Facilitator Guide with session coaching and a Participant Workbook covering CSE awareness, healthy relationships, boundaries, and living in freedom. Sold through square.site storefront.
• Commercial Sexual Exploitation Needs Instrument (CSENI) Structured clinical assessment tool for identifying critical treatment needs and guiding treatment planning for youth at risk of or experiencing commercial sexual exploitation. $499 starter pack includes individual user license, six hours of on-demand training, hard copy User Manual, 25 scoresheets, and 12 months of monthly user group discussions.
• On-Demand Training Library Virtual training platform offering courses and on-demand trainings for professionals serving survivors, hosted on TalentLMS as part of the LIFT consulting offering.

Quantifiable outcome

• Served 600+ Indiana teen survivors and families since founding
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Lutheran Child & Family Services (LCFS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership formed in 2014 when Ascent 121 joined forces with LCFS to launch the IMPACT Program. Both are faith-based agencies committed to quality care with adherence to Department of Child Services core practice values including family-centered, culturally competent service. The collaborative partnership allows integration of specialized services and greater flexibility in meeting needs of families and children.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• GEMS (Girls Educational & Mentoring Services): New York-based nonprofit providing survivor-centered services, education, and advocacy specifically for commercially sexually exploited and domestic trafficked girls and young women — directly comparable mission, population, and service mix.
• MISSSEY (Motivating, Inspiring, Supporting & Serving Sexually Exploited Youth): San Francisco Bay Area nonprofit serving commercially sexually exploited youth with case management, advocacy, and community-based services — same target population and comparable clinical/community-based model.
• Wellspring Living: Atlanta-based nonprofit providing residential and community-based trauma-informed care for women and girls survivor of trafficking, including tiered residential programs — comparable service architecture and faith-informed approach.
• StreetLightUSA: Arizona-based residential and clinical program specifically serving child victims of sex trafficking with therapeutic residential care — directly comparable residential tiered model for the same population.

Broad incumbents

• Covenant House: Large national nonprofit serving youth experiencing homelessness and trafficking across 30+ U.S. sites with residential care and anti-trafficking programs — broader portfolio but overlapping survivor-youth mission and residential delivery.
• Shared Hope International: National organization addressing sex trafficking through advocacy, training, and a continuum-of-care framework for minor victims — comparable training/assessment content for service providers.
• A21 (A21 Campaign): International anti-trafficking nonprofit operating shelter programs, aftercare, and provider training in multiple countries — overlapping mission and training/curriculum products for anti-trafficking professionals.
• Polaris Project: Operates the National Human Trafficking Hotline and runs program-related training and assessment for the anti-trafficking field — comparable in building sector-wide tools and provider training, though more policy/hotline-anchored.
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC): National nonprofit providing recovery and victim services for missing and exploited children, including training for child welfare professionals — comparable audience and training-curriculum lines for the CSE provider ecosystem.
• ECPAT-USA: U.S. chapter of ECPAT International focused on ending commercial sexual exploitation of children through policy, advocacy, and training — adjacent training and policy work for the same child-CSE population.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/ascent121
• Facebookfacebook.com/ascent121
• Xx.com/AscentOne21
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ascent-121

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Ascent 121