What The Sashbear Foundation does

The Sashbear Foundation is a Canadian registered charity (#8233 90042 RR0001) founded in 2012 by Lynn Courey, Mike Menu, and Kayla Courey in memory of Sasha Menu Courey, who died by suicide in June 2011 after living with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Headquartered in Etobicoke, Ontario, the foundation provides free, evidence-based mental health programs to family members, friends, and caregivers of individuals living with BPD and emotion dysregulation. Its core offering is Family Connections™, a 12-week peer-led DBT-informed program licensed from the U.S.-based National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder (NEABPD) and developed by Dr. Alan Fruzzetti and Dr. Perry Hoffman, delivered via Zoom and in-person sessions in both English and French.

The foundation supplements Family Connections with a monthly Expert Education Series of webinars featuring international clinicians and researchers, an annual cross-Canada Sashbear Walk in 10+ cities, BPD Awareness Month activations (including orange landmark illuminations), and a Mindfulness Day observed on March 10. All programs are provided at no cost to participants, supported by a network of 150+ trained volunteer facilitators and a diversified funding mix that includes individual donations, monthly giving, peer-to-peer fundraising (notably $151,000 raised via Zeffy), corporate and foundation grants (including a $15,000 CAD Bell Let's Talk Community Fund grant in March 2024), employer matching, and planned/legacy giving through securities and bequests. Distribution is primarily domestic (Canada-wide with 10+ walk cities) while the underlying Family Connections curriculum is coordinated internationally across 20+ countries via NEABPD.

Sashbear maintains partnerships with Bell Let's Talk, NEABPD, CAMH, the University of Toronto, University of Houston, and York University, and uses Zeffy and CanadaHelps as its core fundraising platforms. The foundation employs 11-50 staff and is governed by a board chaired by Paul Kung, with Lynn Courey as President. Founder Lynn Courey received the CAMH National Change Agents Award in 2017 in recognition of the foundation's contributions to Canadian mental health advocacy and family support.

Name

The Sashbear Foundation

Legal name

The Sashbear Foundation

Website

https://sashbear.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Sashbear Foundation is a Canadian registered charity that delivers free, evidence-based DBT-informed programs, including the 12-week Family Connections™ course, to family members and caregivers of individuals living with Borderline Personality Disorder and emotion dysregulation across Canada in English and French.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Engagement & Caregiver Support Programs (SEL/Mental Health) (EDAKAMAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Programs & Supports (EDAJAIAC), Family & Community Support Services (Case Management, Referrals) (EDAJAIAK)

Keywords

• Family mental health programs
• Borderline personality disorder support
• DBT skills training
• Peer-led family education
• Nonprofit mental health services

Headquarters

HQ city

Etobicoke

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and monthly donations from individuals; tax receipts issued for donations of $20 or more; also legacy/bequest donations
2. Corporate/Foundation Grants: Grants from foundations such as Bell Let's Talk Community Fund ($15,000 in 2024) for specific programs
3. Peer-to-Peer Fundraising: Individuals raise funds through personal challenges (e.g., marathon swims, walks) and online fundraising pages
4. Employer Matching & Volunteer Grants: Corporate employee matching programs and volunteer hour conversion programs where employers donate based on employee volunteer hours
5. Securities & Registered Accounts: Donations of publicly traded securities (most tax-efficient) and planned giving through wills and estates

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Sashbear Foundation delivers free, evidence-based mental health programs for family members and friends of individuals with emotion dysregulation or Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Its flagship is the Family Connections™ 12-week peer-led DBT-informed program, supplemented by monthly Expert Education Series webinars, the annual Sashbear Walk awareness event, and BPD Awareness initiatives such as Mindfulness Day and landmark illuminations.

Product overview

The Sashbear Foundation offers a suite of mental health programs and awareness initiatives centered on emotion dysregulation and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). The core offering is Family Connections™, an evidence-based 12-week peer-led program providing skills training and support to family members. This is complemented by the Expert Education Series (monthly webinars with international experts), the annual Sashbear Walk awareness event, BPD Awareness Programs (including Mindfulness Day and landmark illuminations), and a Research Study Recruitment platform. All programs are provided free of charge to participants, funded by donors and supporters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Family Connections™ A free, evidence-based 12-week peer-led program providing information, skills, and support to family members and friends of individuals with emotion dysregulation or Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Developed by Dr. Alan Fruzzetti and Dr. Perry Hoffman, it includes theoretical components, discussions, videos, and practical exercises based on DBT principles, delivered in English and French by trained peer facilitators.
• Expert Education Series

Quantifiable outcome

• Participants experience less grief, depression, and hopelessness while gaining increased mastery and control
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder (NEABPD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSashbear is the Canadian coordinator for the Family Connections program, licensed from NEABPD. Dr. Alan Fruzzetti and Dr. Perry Hoffman developed the program. Sashbear offers it in both English and French in Canada.
• Canadian Universities (Research Collaboration)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with University of Toronto, University of Houston, York University, and others on BPD research studies. Assists with recruitment and family engagement for research on stigma, siblings, and lived experience.
• ZeffysupportingTechnology or IntegrationPeer-to-peer fundraising platform used by Sashbear. As the only 100% free platform for nonprofits (no platform or transaction fees), Zeffy enabled Sashbear to raise $151,000 while saving over $10,000 in fees.
• CAMH (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLynn Courey received the CAMH National Change Agents Award in 2017. CAMH is Canada's largest mental health teaching hospital. Sashbear sources educational content and information from CAMH.
• CanadaHelpssupportingTechnology or IntegrationThird-party platform for online donations, monthly giving, honor/memorial gifts, and peer-to-peer fundraising pages.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder (NEABPD): The U.S.-based developer and licensor of the Family Connections program that Sashbear delivers in Canada. Most directly comparable as both organizations focus on family education for BPD and use the same evidence-based DBT-informed curriculum.
• Families for Depression Awareness: U.S. nonprofit dedicated to helping families recognize and cope with mood disorders in loved ones through education and peer support. Comparable business model (free family education programs, donations/grant funded) and similar target audience of family caregivers.
• Mood Disorders Society of Canada: Canadian national charity providing peer support, family education, and public awareness for people living with mood disorders and their families. Closely comparable as a Canadian family-focused mental health peer-support nonprofit competing for similar donor and grant pools.

Broad incumbents

• NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness): The largest U.S. grassroots mental health organization, with parallel family-to-family education and peer-led support models for families of individuals with serious mental illness. Highly comparable in mission (family caregiver education) and volunteer-driven delivery, though broader in scope.
• Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA): Canada's most established community mental health charity, operating nationally with peer support, family education, and public awareness programs. Comparable as a Canadian nonprofit competitor for donor dollars and policy attention in family mental health support.
• Mental Health America: The oldest U.S. community-based mental health nonprofit, offering peer-led education, screening, and family resources. Comparable volunteer-driven, donation-funded model and family/caregiver education focus, though broader in scope.
• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH): Canada's largest mental health teaching hospital and a recognized partner/award-giver of Sashbear. Comparable in mission to advance mental health in Canada and source of educational content; however, it is a hospital system rather than a peer-support charity.

Regional players

• Project Air Strategy for Personality Disorders: Australian academic-clinical initiative offering evidence-based family and caregiver programs for personality disorders, including DBT-informed family work. Comparable in clinical methodology and family-focused programming, though Australia-based and academic-anchored rather than charity-led.

Others

• DBT-Linehan Board of Certification (DBT-LBC): The international credentialing body for Dialectical Behavior Therapy programs and clinics. Comparable as a DBT-ecosystem organization whose standards and provider lists directly influence Sashbear's referral base, though it is a certification body rather than a peer-support provider.

Emerging players

• BPD Central: Online resource and community hub providing education and support specifically for individuals and families affected by Borderline Personality Disorder. Comparable in narrow BPD focus and family/caregiver audience, but primarily a content/community site rather than a structured 12-week facilitator-led program.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLBscVnFHpDdACj23UIkMSIqG1XvfDWzPh
• Xx.com/SashbearOrg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Sashbear Foundation