Mental Health Association of San Francisco

What Mental Health Association of San Francisco does

The Mental Health Association of San Francisco (MHASF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1947 and headquartered in San Francisco, California. It is the official operator of the California Peer Run Warm Line, a state-funded phone, text, and chat support service designated by the State of California since 2019, delivering non-coercive peer-led mental health support to California residents. The organization is 90% peer-run — roughly 90% of its workforce self-identifies as having lived experience with mental health challenges — and operates through a portfolio of free programs including the CA Warm Line, a dozen-plus condition- and identity-specific support groups, the Wellness Center, the Peer Response Team for hoarding behavior and eviction prevention, the PROPEL program for older adults, the TAMHS digital peer navigator initiative for LGBTQ+ users, and the APPT Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist training program. MHASF also operates the annual International Conference on Hoarding and Cluttering.

Its technology surface is limited to operational delivery: phone, text, and live chat channels for the Warm Line; web-based sign-up for support groups and APPT; and the Pocket Kado clinical sleep application developed in partnership with Stanford University Medicine and led by COO Tim Lewandowski (also CEO of Mindlab Corporation). The business model is non-commercial: all end-user services are free, funded through individual donations solicited via the website and a mix of State of California grants supporting the Warm Line. Distribution is direct-to-consumer and community-led, reaching Californians through the state-funded Warm Line, the San Francisco Wellness Center, virtual support groups, and online training cohorts. Recent strategic shifts include the cessation of the APPT training program (effective August 1) and the loss of funding to accept non-Bay Area Warm Line callers, both reflecting state-level budget constraints on the organization's institutional revenue base.

Name

Mental Health Association of San Francisco

Legal name

Mental Health Association of San Francisco

Website

https://mentalhealthsf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Mental Health Association of San Francisco is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1947 that operates California's official statewide Peer Run Warm Line and a portfolio of free peer-led mental health support programs for California residents, including support groups, training, and senior and LGBTQ+ services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: Relies on individual donations from the public to fund operations, services, and the Warm Line. The organization actively solicits donations through its website and campaigns.
2. Government Grants (State of California): The State of California funds the CA Peer Run Warm Line as the official statewide Warm Line since 2019. The Warm Line Federation was created with State support.
3. Training Program Fees (APPT): The Advanced Peer Professional Training (APPT) is offered at no cost to students; the program covers training, certification exam fees, and provides 1:1 employment specialist support. This is a free program funded by the organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MHASF is a 90% peer-run nonprofit that delivers free mental health support services across California, anchored by the official CA Peer Run Warm Line (phone, text, and chat). It complements the Warm Line with condition-specific peer support groups, the 80-hour APPT training that certifies Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialists, the Wellness Center for in-person support, and programs such as PROPEL for seniors, the Peer Response Team for hoarding behaviors, and SOLVE speakers bureau.

Product overview

The Mental Health Association of San Francisco is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of peer-driven mental health services centered around its CA Peer Run Warm Line (phone/text/chat support), diverse Support Groups (depression, OCD, anxiety, hoarding, LGBTQIA2S+, and more), and professional training programs including APPT (Advanced Peer Professional Training) for Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialists. Additional services include the PROPEL Program for seniors, SOLVE speakers bureau, Peer Response Team for hoarding support, Wellness Center, and the Training Institute. The organization operates as a 90% peer-run organization where staff with lived experience deliver services to the community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CA Peer Run Warm Line: Peer-led, non-coercive mental health support line serving California residents with approximately 500,000 connections annually.
• APPT (Advanced Peer Professional Training)
• PROPEL
• Peer Response Team (PRT)
• SOLVE (Sharing Our Lives, Voices, and Experiences)

Products and services

• CA Peer Run Warm Line A peer-led, non-coercive phone, text, and chat support line providing free mental health support to all California residents, addressing anxiety, depression, substance use, isolation, and other challenges. Operates Monday-Wednesday and Friday 7:00 AM – 11:00 PM and Thursday 8:00 AM – 10:00 PM.
• Support Groups

Quantifiable outcome

• ~500,000 Warm Line calls/texts/chats since July 2019
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Stanford University MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTim Lewandowski, COO of MHASF and CEO of Mindlab Corporation, led the re-launch of Pocket Kado, a clinical sleep application developed in partnership with Stanford University Medicine. This is a flagship initiative combining clinical research and peer-run mental health innovation.
• State of CaliforniacoreOthersThe State of California funds the CA Peer Run Warm Line, designating MHASF as the official California Warm Line operator since 2019. The State also supported the creation of the Warm Line Federation. Funding is subject to budget constraints, and the organization has advocated publicly for sustaining Warm Line services.
• Bay Area Hearing Voices Network (BAHVN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMHASF's Adults Hearing Voices Support Group was created in partnership with the Bay Area Hearing Voices Network (BAHVN), which seeks to expand public awareness and provide community support for those who hear voices, see visions, or experience other forms of extraordinary perception.
• TAMHS PROJECTminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital Peer Navigators Marie Nemeth and Vanessa Hamill-Meeriyakerd serve under the TAMHS PROJECT (a technology access mental health initiative), providing peer support to LGBTQ+ community members to overcome technological barriers to mental health care.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Lyra Health: Employer-sponsored mental health benefits platform offering coaching, therapy, and peer support to enterprise customers. Comparable to MHASF on the coaching/peer-support component but commercialized and employer-paid rather than state-funded.
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Federally backed national crisis line covering voice, text, and chat across the U.S. Operates at vastly larger scale than MHASF and competes for the same mental health distress callers, but is federally funded rather than peer-run.
• Headspace Health: Commercial digital mental health platform combining self-guided content, coaching (some peer-styled), and therapy. Comparable as an alternative channel for MHASF's target user, though operating for-profit with employer/B2B revenue rather than donations.

Direct peers

• The Trevor Project: Peer-led mental health support for LGBTQ+ youth via phone, text, and chat, including the world's largest LGBTQ+ crisis-intervention lifeline. Closely comparable to MHASF on peer-run delivery, free-to-user hotline, and identity-specific support group infrastructure.
• NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness): The largest U.S. grassroots mental health nonprofit, providing peer-led support groups, education, advocacy, and a helpline. Directly comparable to MHASF's combination of peer support, support groups, advocacy, and public-education programming.
• Crisis Text Line: National, volunteer-staffed text-based crisis and peer support line. Closely comparable to MHASF's CA Peer Run Warm Line on channel (text/chat), peer-driven delivery model, and free-to-user structure, though operating at national scale rather than state-confined.
• Mental Health America (MHA): Long-standing national mental health nonprofit with peer support, screening, education, and advocacy programs. Comparable to MHASF on mission, peer-led service delivery, and nonprofit/grant-funded operating model.
• Trans Lifeline: Peer-run hotline run by and for trans people, staffed by volunteers with lived experience. Mirrors MHASF's peer-run model and identity-specific support ethos on a narrower demographic.

Emerging players

• 7 Cups: Online platform connecting users to trained peer listeners via text chat, with optional paid therapy add-ons. Comparable to MHASF's Warm Line on chat-based peer emotional support, but operates nationally and freemium/commercial rather than fully free.

Regional players

• Felton Institute: Bay Area mental health and social services nonprofit providing outpatient mental health, peer support, and family services. Comparable to MHASF on geography (San Francisco/Bay Area), peer-support programming, and nonprofit funding model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/mentalhealthsf
• Xx.com/MentalHealthSF

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 Mental Health Association of San Francisco