Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance

What Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance does

S&PAA is a 501(c)(3) national nonprofit organization founded in 1979 (originally as the Schizophrenia and Related Disorders Alliance of America, or SARDAA) and rebranded in 2024. Headquartered in Alexandria, VA with operational focus on Washington, D.C., the organization operates with 11-50 employees and pursues a three-pillar model — research, education & care, and advocacy & public policy — to reduce barriers to treatment, survival, and recovery for people living with schizophrenia and psychosis. Its beneficiary base spans diagnosed individuals, family caregivers, healthcare providers (psychiatrists, psychiatric pharmacists), and federal/state policymakers.

The core product portfolio is delivered free of charge and includes: (1) $COPE 360, a proprietary interactive analytical engine that calculates and visualizes the distribution of schizophrenia-related costs across healthcare, housing, criminal justice, employment, and unpaid caregiving for all 50 U.S. states, built from S&PAA-funded JAMA Psychiatry research ($366.8B 2024 societal cost estimate, $119,436 per-person average); (2) the "We Need Housing! Now What?" Toolkit for housing navigation; (3) the Clozapine Education Program (accredited, co-developed with AAPP); (4) the annual SPRING Summit convening policymakers, clinicians, judges, and patients; (5) peer and caregiver support groups; (6) the Schizophrenia Center of Excellence; and (7) the co-designed National Mental Illness Justice Center (with the Treatment Advocacy Center). An affiliated 501(c)(4), the Schizophrenia Policy Action Network (SPAN), handles direct lobbying.

S&PAA's revenue model is donation- and sponsorship-driven: individual contributions, foundation grants, and corporate sponsorships — including Platinum-level sponsorships from Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Karuna Therapeutics, and Sunovion, plus Gold/Silver/Bronze sponsorships from Cerevel, Janssen, Acadia, Neurocrine, Otsuka, Teva, Alkermes, BioXcel, and Lundbeck at SPRING 2024. Go-to-market is community-led and policy-led rather than commercial: distribution runs through the sczaction.org digital platform, social media, email newsletters, Capitol Hill briefings, policy webinars, and partnership channels with healthcare professional organizations (AAPP, Alliance for Health Policy) and academic institutions (Clark University). There is no pricing model, no paid tier, and no API; all resources are free at the point of use.

Name

Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance

Legal name

Schizophrenia and Related Disorders Alliance of America

Website

https://sczaction.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

S&PAA is a US national 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing free advocacy, education, research, and direct support services to individuals affected by schizophrenia, their caregivers, healthcare providers, and policymakers through tools such as $COPE 360 and the Housing Toolkit.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Alexandria

HQ country

United States

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: S&PAA is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization (Tax ID 33-1213657) that relies on donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors to fund its programs. The website prominently features donation capabilities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

S&PAA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers a portfolio of free educational toolkits, peer and caregiver support groups, accredited provider training (e.g., clozapine management), policy advocacy, and research for people affected by schizophrenia and psychosis, their families, healthcare providers, and policymakers. Core offerings include the $COPE 360 cost analysis engine, the Housing Toolkit, the Clozapine Education Program, the annual SPRING Summit, and an affiliated 501(c)(4) advocacy arm (SPAN).

Product overview

S&PAA operates as a non-profit organization offering a portfolio of educational resources, analytical tools, advocacy programs, and support services for the schizophrenia community. The core offerings include: $COPE 360 (an interactive cost analysis engine), the Housing Toolkit (housing navigation resource), the Clozapine Education Program (provider training), Peer and Caregiver Support Groups, the National Mental Illness Justice Center initiative, and the annual SPRING Summit. The organization also houses SPAN, its affiliated 501(c)(4) advocacy arm, and provides provider education through learning pathways and webinars. These products serve individuals with schizophrenia, caregivers, healthcare providers, policymakers, and researchers through a combination of web-based tools, educational programs, support communities, and policy advocacy initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• $COPE 360: Schizophrenia Cost Perspective Engine - An interactive national and state-level tool for calculating where schizophrenia costs shift across healthcare, social systems, and caregiving. Covers all 50 states.
• SPRING Initiative
• National Mental Illness Justice Center
• We Need Housing! Now What? Toolkit

Products and services

• $COPE 360 Schizophrenia Cost Perspective Engine An interactive national and state-level analytical tool that calculates and visualizes where schizophrenia costs shift across healthcare, social systems, and caregiving across all 50 states, built from S&PAA's Total Cost of Schizophrenia research and caregiver burden studies; intended for advocates, policymakers, and researchers.
• We Need Housing! Now What? Toolkit A free comprehensive resource that helps families, caregivers, and providers navigate housing options for individuals with serious mental illness, including guidance on assessing needs, understanding state services, financial planning, and housing search.
• Clozapine Education Program A free accredited training program on clozapine management covering medication initiation, side effect management, and prescribing in special populations, launched in partnership with the American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists and intended for psychiatrists and psychiatric pharmacists.
• SPRING Summit An annual policy summit (Schizophrenia Policy and Research Institute NextGen) that convenes diagnosed individuals, caregivers, judges, law enforcement, researchers, community leaders, and policymakers to build a roadmap for transforming the system of care for people with schizophrenia.
• SPAN (Schizophrenia Policy Action Network) An affiliated 501(c)(4) advocacy organization that works to advance federal, state, and community policies and legislation that shatter barriers to care for people living with schizophrenia.
• Peer Support Groups Registered peer-based support groups for individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia or psychosis disorders, providing community connection and shared recovery support.
• Caregiver Support Groups Registered support groups for caregivers and family members of people living with schizophrenia, providing resources and community for those supporting individuals with the condition.
• National Mental Illness Justice Center A national initiative co-designed with the Treatment Advocacy Center to reform the justice system's response to people living with serious mental illness, including development of legal toolkits, model policy standards, court and law enforcement education, and treatment/diversion referral pathways.
• Learning Pathways / Provider Education Educational programs and curricula for healthcare providers including the Clozapine Curriculum, webinars, and toolkits to improve patient and caregiver outcomes through professional education.
• Resource Line A resource line providing information and support for individuals, families, and providers affected by schizophrenia, offering SMS-based communication and resource guidance.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of people in the United States believe there is a mental health crisis in the country
• +2 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Clark University Becker School of Design & TechnologyflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 March 2026Partnership to explore game-based solutions for addressing social isolation in schizophrenia. S&PAA team members conducted a live class session introducing students to multiplayer game design concepts that can help rebuild social skills, communication, and sense of belonging. Student teams will prototype and test game-based solutions with findings to be presented at a S&PAA Solutions Series session in Fall 2026.
• Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2026National call to action to co-design a National Mental Illness Justice Center to address systemic gaps in the justice system's response to people living with serious mental illness. Working session scheduled for April 23, 2026 in Washington, D.C. to shape founding principles and develop framework including legal toolkits, model policy standards, court and law enforcement education resources, and referral pathways to treatment and diversion programs.
• American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists (AAPP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 November 2025Launched a free, accredited educational program on clozapine management. Training covers medication initiation, side effect management, and prescribing in special populations to improve treatment access and outcomes for people with schizophrenia.
• Women2WomenminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 May 2024Joint survey collaboration to understand voter attitudes on mental health issues and policy solutions. Conducted parallel surveys among suburban women and schizophrenia community to assess candidate support for mental health solutions.
• Alliance for Health PolicycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 May 2023Partnership to host policy webinar featuring leading experts on barriers to care embedded in society. Panel addressed needs of people living with schizophrenia and psychosis disorders, implications of systemic gaps in care, and roles of innovation, care delivery and policy in alleviating human and economic toll.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Emerging players

• JED Foundation: A nonprofit focused on mental health and suicide prevention for teens and young adults. JED is comparable to S&PAA's education and advocacy model, but targets a different demographic and mental health scope.

Direct peers

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP): A leading mental health advocacy and research nonprofit with strong policy engagement and community-building programs. AFSP is comparable in advocacy infrastructure and donor-supported nonprofit structure, though its mission centers on suicide prevention rather than schizophrenia specifically.
• Mental Health America (MHA): A national community-based nonprofit focused on mental health promotion, advocacy, and education. MHA is comparable in its nonprofit advocacy/education model, screening tools, and policy engagement, but operates across all mental health conditions rather than specializing in schizophrenia.
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): The largest U.S. grassroots mental health advocacy organization. NAMI is the most direct comparable for S&PAA in terms of peer support, caregiver support, provider education, and policy advocacy — though NAMI operates across all mental illnesses rather than focusing solely on schizophrenia.
• Brain & Behavior Research Foundation: A nonprofit funding mental health research and education, with strong overlap to S&PAA's research funding and public education activities, though focused broadly on psychiatric disorders rather than schizophrenia alone.
• Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC): A nonprofit dedicated to eliminating barriers to treatment for people with severe mental illness. TAC is a current S&PAA partner (co-designing the National Mental Illness Justice Center) and shares S&PAA's focus on serious mental illness policy reform and treatment access.
• Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA): A national peer-led organization providing support groups, education, and advocacy for people living with mood disorders. DBSA is comparable to S&PAA's peer support and caregiver support model, though focused on depression and bipolar disorder rather than psychosis.

Others

• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): The lead U.S. federal agency for research on mental disorders. NIMH is an indirect comparator given S&PAA's research funding and policy engagement activities, though it is a government entity rather than a peer nonprofit.

Broad incumbents

• National Council for Mental Wellbeing: A membership organization representing mental health and substance use treatment providers. The National Council overlaps with S&PAA on policy advocacy and provider education, but operates more broadly across the mental health ecosystem rather than focusing on a single disease.
• American Psychiatric Association Foundation: The philanthropic arm of the American Psychiatric Association, focused on public education and mental health awareness. Comparable to S&PAA's public education mission, though connected to the broader professional psychiatric establishment rather than grassroots patient advocacy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sczaction
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/SchizophreniaPsychosisActionAlliance
• Facebookfacebook.com/sczaction
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sczaction
• Instagraminstagram.com/sczaction

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance