National Sleep Foundation

What National Sleep Foundation does

The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) is an independent nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, DC, founded in 1990 and dedicated to improving public health through sleep education, evidence-based research, and advocacy. Its core programs include the annual Sleep Awareness Week campaign (now in its 28th year, established 1998), the SleepMark™ voluntary certification program for consumer sleep products launched at CES 2026, the nationally representative Sleep in America Poll, and the SleepTech® Network, a community of 800+ organizations advancing evidence-based sleep technology. NSF also publishes peer-reviewed research in its Sleep Health journal and develops evidence-based guidelines such as its Sleep Duration Recommendations (comprehensively reviewed in 2026 across 133 meta-analyses and up to 3,222 individual studies) and the Adolescent Sleep Health Recommendations.

NSF's underlying technology and methodology are anchored in scientific consensus-building and standards development rather than software platforms; its competitive differentiation comes from being the recognized independent authority on sleep health, with endorsements from bodies such as the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatrics, and from its role as a standards-setter for the consumer sleep technology category.

The organization's revenue model is that of a typical mission-driven nonprofit, combining corporate sponsorships (e.g., Tempur-Pedic as Gold sponsor of Sleep Awareness Week), SleepTech Network membership dues from its 800+ member organizations, SleepMark certification fees for qualifying consumer sleep products, and paid research and advisory collaborations with industry partners. NSF serves a hybrid customer base spanning the general public (with specific focus on families and children, where its 2026 poll found 44% of U.S. children do not consistently get recommended sleep), the sleep technology industry through the SleepTech Network and SleepMark program, and public health and safety stakeholders through initiatives such as its Drowsy Driving Prevention program.

Name

National Sleep Foundation

Legal name

National Sleep Foundation

Website

https://sleepfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The National Sleep Foundation is an independent nonprofit headquartered in Washington, DC that advances sleep health through the annual Sleep Awareness Week campaign, the SleepMark™ product certification program, the nationally representative Sleep in America Poll, the SleepTech® Network of 800+ organizations, and peer-reviewed research published in Sleep Health journal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sleep Health Advocacy

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Sleep Health & Recovery Education (EDAAAHAE)

Keywords

• Sleep health education
• Sleep research
• Product certification
• Public health advocacy
• Sleep awareness campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Corporate Sponsorships: Tempur-Pedic served as Gold sponsor of Sleep Awareness Week 2026. Corporate partnerships provide funding while sponsors gain association with NSF's trusted brand and access to research findings.
2. SleepTech Network Membership: Technology companies join NSF's SleepTech Network as members, contributing expertise to industry dialogue on sleep health technology and participating in events like CES.
3. Sleep Product Certification (SleepMark): Voluntary designation program for consumer sleep products meeting evidence-based standards, providing revenue through certification fees while establishing industry quality benchmarks.
4. Research and Advisory Services: NSF provides expertise and research collaboration to industry partners, such as the Tempur-Pedic sleep disruption study combining NSF's nationally representative research with Tempur-Pedic's SleepTracker-AI data.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The National Sleep Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization that conducts sleep health research, develops evidence-based sleep duration recommendations, runs the annual Sleep Awareness Week campaign, and operates the SleepMark voluntary certification program for consumer sleep products meeting evidence-based standards. The foundation also operates the SleepTech Network, a membership community of sleep technology organizations, and conducts the annual Sleep in America Poll providing nationally representative sleep research.

Product overview

The National Sleep Foundation operates as a nonprofit dedicated to sleep health education, research, and standards development. Its core programs include the annual Sleep Awareness Week campaign, the SleepMark™ voluntary certification program for sleep products meeting evidence-based standards, the Sleep in America Poll providing nationally representative sleep research, and the SleepTech® Network fostering collaboration among sleep technology organizations. The foundation also develops evidence-based recommendations and guidelines through scientific consensus, addresses specific health concerns through expert panels and position statements, and conducts research partnerships to advance understanding of sleep health.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SleepMark Certification Program
• SleepTech Network
• Sleep in America Poll
• Sleep Awareness Week
• Sleep Duration Recommendations
• Drowsy Driving Prevention Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 44% of U.S. children do not get recommended sleep, with 95% of parents agreeing good sleep is essential to family functioning
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 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

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• SencieminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 March 2026Sencie joined NSF's SleepTech Network, a community of organizations working to promote sleep health and sleep technology. Sencie collaborates with hospitality and travel partners to design sleep-friendly environments utilizing sleep science insights.
• Tempur-PediccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 March 2026NSF announced a research collaboration with Tempur-Pedic to study what is disrupting Americans' sleep, combining NSF's nationally representative research with Tempur-Pedic's SleepTracker-AI data. The partnership examines sleep disruption using both subjective and objective measures. Tempur-Pedic is also a Gold sponsor of NSF's Sleep Awareness Week campaign (March 8-14, 2026).
• Earable NeurosciencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 January 2026Earable Neuroscience announced at CES 2026 its official membership in NSF's SleepTech Network, positioning its FRENZ Brainband as a featured product in NSF's Digital Health Lounge. The company also unveiled a strategic partnership with Tonino Lamborghini for the SuperBrain Edition at $1,999 MSRP, merging EEG-based sleep technology with luxury branding.
• NextSenseminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 January 2026NextSense was featured at NSF's CES briefing alongside the SleepMark announcement as a member of NSF's SleepTech Network, showcasing sleep technology innovations within NSF's ecosystem.
• Sleep.aiminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 December 2025Sleep.ai, a sleep intelligence company headquartered in Carlsbad, California, joined NSF's SleepTech Network. The company contributes expertise in large-scale sleep data analysis covering nearly one billion hours of sleep data and validation science to industry dialogue on sleep health technology. Sleep.ai participated at CES 2026 at NSF's booth.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• National Safety Council: Conducts drowsy driving research and public safety campaigns directly overlapping with NSF's Drowsy Driving Prevention Program. Comparable advocacy and policy work, though broader in workplace and roadway safety scope.
• World Sleep Society: International scientific organization that runs World Sleep Day and the World Sleep Congress, directly comparable to NSF's Sleep Awareness Week and Sleep in America Poll. Represents the international peer NSF would need to engage to extend its programs globally.

Broad incumbents

• American Diabetes Association: Voluntary health organization running large-scale national awareness campaigns, industry partnerships, and research programs. Analogous in operating model to NSF's combination of public education, scientific guidelines, and corporate sponsorship.
• Mental Health America: Community-based voluntary health nonprofit with comparable annual screening/awareness campaigns, research publications, and corporate partnerships. Similar in organizational scale and mid-size nonprofit structure to NSF.
• American Heart Association: Large voluntary health organization with a comparable model: research funding, public awareness campaigns, scientific guidelines, and corporate sponsorships. Serves as a template for the scale and revenue mix NSF could aspire to in sleep health.
• American Lung Association: Voluntary health nonprofit with directly overlapping clinical territory in sleep-disordered breathing and obstructive sleep apnea. Comparable structure of research, advocacy, public education, and corporate partnerships.
• Alzheimer's Association: Voluntary health organization with similar revenue mix (corporate partnerships, individual giving, research grants), national awareness campaigns, and peer-reviewed scientific output. Useful comparator for NSF's potential scale and brand-building playbook.
• American Academy of Pediatrics: Professional association of pediatricians that already endorses NSF's sleep duration recommendations. Operates in the same children's sleep health domain NSF emphasized in its 2026 Sleep in America Poll, and shares scientific publication and guideline-setting capabilities.

Direct peers

• Sleep Research Society: Scientific society dedicated to sleep research, with overlapping membership among sleep scientists who contribute to NSF's Medical Advisory Board and peer-reviewed Sleep Health journal. Highly comparable in mission, publication, and advocacy focus.
• American Academy of Sleep Medicine: Professional society for sleep medicine clinicians that, like NSF, sets sleep health standards, publishes research (Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine), and runs public-facing sleep education campaigns. NSF already partners with AASM, making it the closest comparably positioned organization in the sleep health category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/sleepisthefound
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/SleepIsTheFoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/nationalsleepfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/49571
• Instagraminstagram.com/sleepisthefoundation
• TikToktiktok.com/@sleepisthefoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Sleep Foundation