What Holistic Life Foundation does

Holistic Life Foundation (HLF) is a 501(c)(3) BIPOC-led nonprofit founded in 2001 in Baltimore, Maryland by Ali Smith, Atman Smith, and Andres Gonzalez. The organization delivers trauma-informed yoga, mindfulness, and wellness programming to children and adults, with a primary focus on underserved communities. Its portfolio includes the Mindful Moment whole-school intervention (operating 6 hours per day for 185 days), the BAM (Bridging Academics and the Mind) curriculum marketed as the world's first evidence-based and trauma-informed empathetic mindful curriculum for schools, the Holistic Me after-school program, the Holistic Roots Mentoring program, a Workforce Development initiative, and the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory satellite launched in 2020. Underlying capability is built on a train-the-trainer model that certifies district-level directors, social workers, behavioral interventionists, and school coordinators to scale delivery. Outputs are validated through peer-reviewed research with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Penn State, and Kennedy Krieger Institute, with results published in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology showing improvements in emotional regulation, stress response, and reduced rumination.

The organization's reach has expanded to more than 200,000 students and adults across 100+ schools and community spaces, with 100,000+ hours of programming delivered across six geographies: Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Milwaukee, Akwesasne (NY/Canada), and virtual sessions in Malawi, Africa. Revenue is generated through individual and institutional donations, certification and training fees, professional services including co-founder speaking engagements, and a small online merchandise store. HLF has no disclosed revenue figures, no venture or private equity capital involvement, and operates as an independent community-governed nonprofit. Strategic partners include the Clinton Global Initiative (supporting multi-city expansion), academic institutions (research validation), and an extensive network of school districts serving as both delivery sites and contract counterparties.

The business model is grant- and donation-funded, with no publicly disclosed pricing for school programs and reliance on philanthropic and earned-revenue streams. Go-to-market is community-led and direct, with programs embedded inside school schedules and institutional settings rather than sold through traditional commercial channels. Certification revenue from the 400-Hour Trauma-Informed Yoga & Mindfulness program represents the most direct revenue-generating product, while core in-school programming is funded through a combination of grants, donations, and likely district partnerships.

Name

Holistic Life Foundation

Legal name

Holistic Life Foundation

Website

https://holisticlifefoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Holistic Life Foundation is a 501(c)(3) BIPOC-led nonprofit founded in 2001 in Baltimore that delivers trauma-informed yoga, mindfulness, and wellness programming to underserved youth and adults through schools, community sites, and institutional settings across multiple U.S. cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wellness Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Services (61)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Student Wellness & Prevention Programs (Substance Use, Sexual Health, Bullying) (EDAJAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Mindfulness-Based Coaching & Training (MBSR/MBCT-style) (HSADAJAB), Mindfulness, Stress Management & Resilience Training (EDAMAIAD)

Keywords

• Yoga education
• Mindfulness training
• School wellness programs
• Trauma-informed curriculum
• Youth development services

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, HLF relies primarily on donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors. The website prominently features donation options.
2. Program Fees: Revenue generated through program fees for certifications, training engagements, and speaking engagements with co-founders.
3. Store Revenue: The organization operates an online store for merchandise.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Holistic Life Foundation delivers trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness programs to underserved youth and adults through school-based whole-school interventions (Mindful Moment), evidence-based K-12 curriculum (BAM), after-school and summer programming (Holistic Me), mentoring and workforce development initiatives, and a 400-hour professional certification. Programs are implemented directly in schools, detention centers, treatment centers, and community settings via a train-the-trainer model that scales through district-level partnerships.

Product overview

Holistic Life Foundation operates as a unified portfolio of wellness and educational programs rather than a technology platform. The core offerings include the Mindful Moment Program (school-based yoga and mindfulness intervention), BAM Curriculum (evidence-based mindful curriculum), and Holistic Me (after-school programming). Professional development is delivered through the 400-Hour Trauma-Informed Certification, Train the Trainer programs, and Workforce Development initiatives. Additional programs include Holistic Roots Mentoring, the Akwesasne satellite initiative, and specialized offerings like Mindfulness Residency and Restorative Practices. The organization also provides Training and Speaking Engagements for broader dissemination of its trauma-informed methodologies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HLF: Common acronym for Holistic Life Foundation used in branding and communications

Products and services

• Mindful Moment Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Significant improvements in emotional regulation, stress response, and reduced rumination
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Clinton Global InitiativeflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Multi-year partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative for expansion of the Mindful Moment Program to Chicago, Denver, and Milwaukee, enabling national scaling of programs.
• Akwesasne Mohawk TerritoryflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020First satellite initiative starting in 2020, partnering with Akwesasne Mohawk Territory in NY/Canada. Communities share history of oppression and intergenerational trauma, with deep commitment to Trauma Informed Care and community healing.
• Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPilot trial partnership conducting research on HLF yoga programs, finding significant improvements in emotional regulation, stress response, and reduced rumination among students. Research published in Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology.
• Penn StatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership in pilot trial studying the effectiveness of HLF yoga programs on student outcomes.
• Baltimore School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplementation partner for school-based yoga and mindfulness programs with published research outcomes.
• Kennedy Krieger InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership studying HLF efforts to address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and foster community healing.
• Dorchester County Public SchoolsflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEntire district implementation of train the trainer program for district-wide rollout of mindfulness and yoga programming.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MindUP (Goldie Hawn Foundation): MindUP delivers evidence-based mindfulness and SEL curriculum in K-12 schools globally, with a published research base. It is HLF's closest direct peer in the school-based mindfulness curriculum space.
• Inner Explorer: Inner Explorer provides daily, evidence-based mindfulness practices for K-12 classrooms through both live and recorded audio delivery, competing for the same district SEL/mindfulness budgets as HLF.
• Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence (RULER): RULER is an evidence-based SEL approach developed at Yale that integrates emotional intelligence into K-12 schools. It competes with HLF for district-level SEL/mindfulness adoption.

Broad incumbents

• Committee for Children: Committee for Children is a large established SEL curriculum provider (Second Step) serving K-12 schools globally. While broader than mindfulness, it competes for the same SEL line items and district procurement cycles.
• Calm: Calm is a broad consumer mindfulness and meditation platform with an education initiative (Calm Schools) reaching K-12 districts. It competes indirectly through scaled digital content at lower per-district cost.
• Headspace: Headspace offers consumer and enterprise mindfulness products including K-12 and educator-focused offerings. As a well-capitalized incumbent with app-based delivery, it represents a digital substitute to HLF's in-person model.

Emerging players

• Pure Edge: Pure Edge provides free mindfulness, movement, and SEL curriculum resources to schools and community organizations, with a similar K-12 and underserved community orientation to HLF.
• Search Institute: Search Institute researches and supports youth developmental assets and SEL, with partial overlap with HLF's youth development programming (Holistic Roots Mentoring, after-school). It represents an adjacent peer in the youth wellness and SEL ecosystem.

Regional players

• Mindfulness in Schools Project: MiSP delivers classroom-based mindfulness curricula (.b and Paws b) primarily in the UK. It is comparable to HLF's school-based mindfulness approach but operates in a different geography.

Others

• CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning): CASEL is the leading SEL standards and research organization, not a direct competitor, but its framework shapes district SEL procurement decisions that affect HLF's competitive landscape.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCncnDL3jFAr2W4A39X6V5Jg
• Xx.com/HLFINC
• Facebookfacebook.com/HolisticLifeFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/holistic-life-foundation-inc-

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 Holistic Life Foundation