What Community Research Foundation does

Community Research Foundation, Inc. (d/b/a CRF Behavioral Healthcare) is a California-incorporated nonprofit behavioral healthcare and social services organization headquartered at 1202 Morena Boulevard, Suite 100, San Diego. Founded in 1977, the organization delivers trauma-informed and culturally competent behavioral healthcare to adults and children in San Diego County through 35 programs delivered across 70 schools. Its service portfolio spans eight main categories: Adult Outpatient Services, CalWORKs Behavioral Health Centers, Child/Youth and Family Services, Crisis Care (including the Psychiatric Emergency Response Team and Short-Term Acute Residential Treatment), Enhanced Care Management, Intellectual and Developmental Disability Services, Mobile Assertive Community Treatment, and Residential Services. Individual programs include crisis centers, wellness recovery centers, and region-specific community programs (e.g., Step Forward, IMPACT, Advance) operating under county, regional, and managed-care contracts.

CRF's business model is contract-based revenue from government and managed-care payers. The organization contracts directly with Medi-Cal managed care plans (Community Health Group, Molina Healthcare), the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency under the Live Well San Diego initiative, the San Diego Regional Center, and California's CalWORKs Welfare-to-Work program. Services are accessed primarily through referrals from these contracted healthcare partners and county agencies, rather than direct commercial billing. Pricing is administered through Medi-Cal fee schedules and county contract terms and is not publicly disclosed. End-user revenue is effectively zero; the 20,000+ individuals served annually are beneficiaries of publicly funded programs.

The organization's technology footprint is minimal: a WordPress-based website (crfbehavioralhealthcare.org), a LinkedIn presence, and use of the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) for coordinating care for homeless clients. No proprietary technology platform, APIs, or AI capabilities were disclosed. Leadership consists of Linda Hammond as President & CEO, with William Hawthorne as Founder. Strategic positioning is that of a regional safety-net behavioral health provider deeply embedded in San Diego County's public-sector referral and funding ecosystem.

Name

Community Research Foundation

Legal name

Community Research Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://comresearch.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Community Research Foundation is a San Diego County nonprofit behavioral healthcare organization operating 35 programs across 70 schools, serving 20,000+ adults and children annually with mental health, substance use, crisis, and supportive housing services funded through Medi-Cal and county contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Behavioral Healthcare Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities (62322), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD)

Keywords

• Behavioral healthcare services
• Mental health treatment
• Substance use recovery
• Crisis intervention services
• Community mental health

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Healthcare Contracts: CRF contracts directly with Medi-Cal managed care plans and government agencies to provide behavioral healthcare services to eligible individuals and families.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Community Research Foundation delivers trauma-informed, culturally competent behavioral healthcare and social services to adults and children in San Diego County with mental health and substance use conditions. Services span adult outpatient treatment, child/youth/family services, crisis care (Psychiatric Emergency Response Team and Short-Term Acute Residential Treatment), enhanced care management, intellectual and developmental disability crisis response, mobile assertive community treatment, supportive housing, residential services, and CalWORKs Welfare-to-Work behavioral health programs. Operations are organized across 35 programs located in crisis centers, wellness recovery centers, outpatient clinics, residential facilities, and 70 schools.

Product overview

Community Research Foundation (CRF Behavioral Healthcare) operates as a portfolio of 35 behavioral healthcare and social service programs across San Diego County. The organization offers a comprehensive array of services organized into two main categories: Programs (including crisis centers, wellness recovery centers, and community-based services) and Services (including outpatient, residential, crisis care, enhanced care management, and mobile services). Core service offerings include Adult Outpatient, CalWORKs Behavioral Health Centers, Child/Youth/Family, Crisis Care (PERT and START), Enhanced Care Management, Intellectual Developmental Disability, Mobile Assertive Community Treatment, and Residential Services. The programs serve over 20,000 adults and children annually through 70 schools throughout San Diego County, with a mission focused on trauma-informed, culturally competent behavioral healthcare and social services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Adult Outpatient Services Outpatient programs serving individuals 18 and older who have serious mental illness and co-occurring substance use conditions, delivered across multiple wellness recovery centers and clinics in San Diego County.
• CalWORKs Behavioral Health Centers Outpatient behavioral health services provided to participants in California's CalWORKs Welfare-to-Work program to address mental health and substance use barriers to employment.
• Child, Youth, and Family Services Full range of behavioral health services for children and youth identified as having Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED), including services delivered in 70 schools throughout San Diego County.
• Crisis Care Services Crisis care consisting of the Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PERT) and Short-Term Acute Residential Treatment (START) programs, including multiple crisis centers (Del Sur, Esperanza, Halcyon, Hawthorne, Jary Barreto, New Vistas, Turning Point).
• Enhanced Care Management Direct contracts with Medi-Cal managed care plans to assist members in getting their health needs met, providing care coordination and enhanced clinical support for high-need Medi-Cal beneficiaries.
• Intellectual Developmental Disability Services Crisis intervention and response team services (Advance Programs: Advance North, Advance San Diego) for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, delivered in partnership with the San Diego Regional Center.
• Mobile Assertive Community Treatment Intensive mobile specialty behavioral health and supportive housing services delivered in the community, including IMPACT, Downtown IMPACT, Senior IMPACT, South Bay IMPACT, and Step Forward regional programs (Central, East, North Central, North Coastal, North Inland, South).
• Residential Services Residential programs serving adults with serious mental illness and co-occurring substance use conditions who have had challenges living independently, including sites such as Casa Pacifica, Crossroads Family Center, Jane Westin Center, Mobile Adolescent Services Team, and Nueva Vista Family Services.

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency (Live Well San Diego)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRF partners with the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency as part of the Live Well San Diego initiative to provide behavioral healthcare and social services to county residents.
• Community Health GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Health Group is a contracted healthcare partner that refers members to CRF for behavioral health services.
• Molina HealthcarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMolina Healthcare is a contracted Medi-Cal managed care plan partner that refers members to CRF for behavioral health services.
• San Diego Regional CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSan Diego Regional Center partners with CRF to provide services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Traditions Behavioral HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraditions Behavioral Health is a behavioral health services partner.
• UC San Diego School of Medicine Department of PsychiatryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership with UC San Diego School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry for training and clinical expertise.
• Senior Medical AssociatesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedical services partnership for senior behavioral health services.
• NAMI: National Alliance on Mental IllnessminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with NAMI San Diego for mental health advocacy and support services.
• San Diego Regional Task Force on Homelessness (RTFH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRF partners with RTFH in support of supportive housing services and uses the Homeless Management Information System for tracking and coordinating care for homeless individuals.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pacific Clinics: California-based nonprofit behavioral health provider operating outpatient, residential, crisis, and wraparound services across multiple counties for adults, children, and families. Highly comparable to CRF in mission, nonprofit funding model, Medi-Cal contract reliance, and full-continuum service breadth.
• Exodus Recovery: California nonprofit operating acute psychiatric inpatient units (PHF), crisis stabilization, outpatient, and community mental health programs statewide. Closely comparable to CRF's crisis, residential, and adult outpatient continuum on a Medi-Cal-funded basis.
• Telecare Corporation: California-headquartered, nonprofit-affiliated behavioral health provider operating acute psychiatric hospitals, residential, crisis, and outpatient programs statewide. Directly comparable to CRF in service mix and Medi-Cal/Medicaid contract-driven revenue model.
• Seneca Family of Agencies: California nonprofit providing intensive behavioral health, wraparound, school-based, and crisis services to children and families statewide. Comparable to CRF's Child/Youth/Family services and 70-school footprint in scope and mission.
• Tarzana Treatment Centers: California nonprofit providing integrated behavioral health, substance use, residential, HIV/primary care, and school-based services statewide. Comparable to CRF in combining outpatient, residential, crisis, and wraparound services funded by Medi-Cal and county contracts.
• Caminar: Northern California-based nonprofit providing behavioral health, supportive housing, and recovery services to adults with serious mental illness and co-occurring conditions. Highly comparable to CRF's adult outpatient, residential, and housing support portfolio.
• Mental Health Systems (MHS): San Diego-based behavioral health nonprofit serving Southern California with outpatient, residential, recovery, and prevention programs. Operating in the same regional market as CRF with overlapping populations, schools, and county contract relationships.
• College Community Services: California regional nonprofit operating outpatient mental health, substance use, and prevention programs under county contract structures (originally established by College Hospital), with similar size and full-service adult/child outpatient orientation.
• Fred Finch Youth & Family Services: California nonprofit operating residential treatment, transitional housing, and community-based mental health programs for youth and families. Comparable to CRF's Child/Youth/Family, SED, and residential service lines, particularly the START acute residential track.

Broad incumbents

• LifeStance Health: Nationwide outpatient mental health and substance use provider operating both insurance-based and Medi-Cal services at much larger scale. Comparable to CRF as a community-based outpatient behavioral health provider, though for-profit, multi-state, and not specialized in crisis/residential care.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-research-foundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/ComResearchSD

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Community Research Foundation