What PF Warriors does

PF Warriors is a nonprofit patient support network serving individuals and families affected by pulmonary fibrosis (PF) and interstitial lung disease (ILD). Founded in 2014 by Bill Vick following his 2011 idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) diagnosis, the organization provides free educational resources, peer support groups, and advocacy programming to a community of more than 25,000 members across all 50 U.S. states and at least 14–17 countries. It operates as a project of Players Philanthropy Fund, Inc., a Texas 501(c)(3) entity (Federal Tax ID: 27-6601178), headquartered in Irving, Texas.

The organization delivers its services through a digital platform built around the pfwarriors.org website (relaunched November 2025), Zoom-based virtual meetings, and multilingual content in English and Spanish. Core offerings include monthly expert-led educational meetings, a library of over 100 recorded webinars, virtual patient and caregiver support groups, clinical trial information, caregiver and patient guides, and a "Stories of Hope" testimonial series. The Spanish-language program "Guerreros de Fibrosis Pulmonar" extends reach into Hispanic communities. A Medical Advisory Committee drawn from institutions including National Jewish Health, Weill Cornell Medicine, and UCLA lends clinical credibility. Active distribution channels include Facebook (public page plus English and Spanish private groups), YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, and X.

PF Warriors' revenue model is non-commercial: membership is free, and operations are funded by educational grants from four pharmaceutical companies—Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Insmed, and United Therapeutics—and by private donations solicited through campaigns such as Giving Tuesday. The go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, with members acquired via word-of-mouth, social media engagement, and presence at conferences such as the American Thoracic Society annual meeting. Leadership is largely volunteer-based, with a small executive team led by Chief Executive Warrior Teresa Barnes, President Dolly Kervitsky, Executive Director Shelly Mathis, and Founder Emeritus Bill Vick.

Name

PF Warriors

Legal name

PF Warriors (operating as a project of Players Philanthropy Fund, Inc.)

Website

https://pfwarriors.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Short description

PF Warriors is a nonprofit patient support network serving over 25,000 pulmonary fibrosis and ILD patients, caregivers, and families globally through free educational webinars, virtual support groups, and multilingual resources, funded by pharmaceutical educational grants and private donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Plano

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Educational Grants: Pharmaceutical companies provide educational grants to fund the organization's programs, meetings, and educational content. Partners include Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Insmed, and United Therapeutics.
2. Private Donations: Individual donors contribute to support PF Warriors' mission. The organization solicits donations especially during Giving Tuesday and other campaign periods.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

PF Warriors operates a free, global membership-based patient support network for individuals and families affected by pulmonary fibrosis and interstitial lung disease. The organization delivers multilingual educational webinars, virtual support groups, caregiver and patient guides, and an on-demand library of over 100 recorded sessions in English and Spanish.

Product overview

PF Warriors is a nonprofit patient support network for individuals and families affected by pulmonary fibrosis. The organization operates as a single unified offering—a free membership-based support community that provides multilingual education, peer support, and advocacy resources. The core products include monthly expert-led educational meetings and webinars, a library of over 100 recorded video replays in English and Spanish, virtual support groups, patient and caregiver blogs, clinical trials information, and Stories of Hope personal testimonials. The organization also offers a dedicated Spanish language program called Guerreros de Fibrosis Pulmonar. Membership is free and provides full access to all educational materials and support services, supported by educational grants and private donations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Educational Meetings and Webinars Monthly expert-led live educational meetings covering topics such as clinical research trials, lung transplants, immune system health, and pulmonary rehabilitation for pulmonary fibrosis patients and caregivers.
• Meeting Replays and Video Library On-demand library of more than 100 recorded educational webinars in English and Spanish, including full-length sessions and short highlight clips for quick reference.
• Virtual Support Groups Live virtual multilingual meetings including educational sessions, patient and caregiver support groups, and research education sessions, offered free to members.
• Patient and Caregiver Blog Content Educational blog articles providing easy-to-understand information on PF/ILD research updates, clinical trials, oxygen usage, symptom management, nutrition, and coping strategies.
• Clinical Trials Information Resources and educational content helping patients understand and navigate clinical trial options for pulmonary fibrosis treatment.
• Caregiver and Patient Guides Comprehensive guides for newly diagnosed patients, caregivers, and family members covering how to navigate life with pulmonary fibrosis.
• Stories of Hope Personal testimonials from patients and caregivers sharing experiences with pulmonary fibrosis, lung transplantation, and day-to-day life with the disease.
• Spanish Language Program (Guerreros de Fibrosis Pulmonar) Spanish-language support services providing educational content, support groups, and resources for the Spanish-speaking pulmonary fibrosis community.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 25,000 members served across the U.S. and 14 countries
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Boehringer IngelheimcoreOthersMajor pharmaceutical company providing educational grants to support PF Warriors' programs and meetings. Boehringer Ingelheim has supported initiatives like the 'Tune In To Lung Health' event and the 'My Life with Pulmonary Fibrosis' video series.
• Bristol Myers SquibbcoreOthersPharmaceutical company providing educational grants to support PF Warriors' free educational programs and resources for patients and caregivers.
• InsmedcoreOthersPharmaceutical company providing educational grants to support PF Warriors' educational initiatives and patient support programs.
• United TherapeuticscoreOthersPharmaceutical company providing educational grants to support PF Warriors' programs and resources for the pulmonary fibrosis community.
• Pulmonary Fibrosis FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading PF organization collaborating on ILD Day awareness initiatives. PF Warriors is a co-presenter of the annual ILD Day awareness campaign alongside eight other health organizations.
• American Thoracic SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional society for lung researchers and physicians. PF Warriors participates in ATS conferences, the Public Advisory Roundtable (PAR), and collaborates on patient education initiatives.
• Players Philanthropy Fund, Inc.coreOthersPF Warriors operates as a project of Players Philanthropy Fund, Inc., a Texas nonprofit corporation recognized by IRS as a tax-exempt charity under Section 501(c)(3). Federal Tax ID: 27-6601178

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• PatientsLikeMe: Online patient community platform that aggregates condition-specific communities (including pulmonary conditions) for peer support and patient-reported outcomes data. Comparable as a digital patient community, though it is condition-agnostic and commercially oriented rather than a single-disease nonprofit.
• Inspire: Operates condition-specific online patient and caregiver communities in partnership with patient advocacy organizations and life sciences companies. Comparable as a community-platform operator with pharma partnerships serving rare/chronic disease communities.

Others

• Health Union: Operator of condition-specific online health communities and patient media properties (including several chronic lung and rare disease communities). Comparable as a digital patient-community enabler with pharma-sponsored content, though it operates multiple communities as a commercial entity rather than a single-disease nonprofit.

Broad incumbents

• National Jewish Health: Top-tier respiratory hospital and research institution whose specialists serve on PF Warriors' Medical Advisory Committee. Comparable in PF clinical expertise and patient education leadership, but operates as a hospital/research institution rather than a patient-led support network.
• Cystic Fibrosis Foundation: Highly established disease-specific patient foundation with deep pharma funding relationships and a research-care continuum. Comparable in structure (nonprofit, pharma-funded, patient education and advocacy) but operates at much larger scale and with a research-treatment-acquisition business model.
• American Lung Association: Large national nonprofit covering all lung diseases including pulmonary fibrosis. Comparable as a broader lung-health education and advocacy organization, but PF Warriors is a more focused, community-led peer-support model within the same disease space.
• American Thoracic Society: Professional society for pulmonary and critical care clinicians. PF Warriors already collaborates with ATS through its Public Advisory Roundtable; comparable in PF subject-matter engagement but serves clinicians and researchers rather than patients directly.

Direct peers

• COPD Foundation: Patient-focused nonprofit supporting a different chronic lung disease (COPD) through education, advocacy, and community. Operates a highly comparable model to PF Warriors: pharma-funded, virtual support, educational content, and disease-specific community — making it a strong functional peer despite the different disease.
• Lung Cancer Research Foundation: Disease-specific nonprofit combining patient education, community support, and research funding for lung cancer. Operates a structurally similar model to PF Warriors — pharma-funded, community-driven, virtual events — and serves an adjacent thoracic disease community.
• Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation: The leading national nonprofit dedicated to pulmonary fibrosis, providing patient education, support, research funding, and advocacy. Directly comparable to PF Warriors in mission and disease focus, but operates at significantly larger scale with formal research programs and a PFF Patient Registry.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/PFWarrior
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCFdSBtxO8N1gOzn-2SbhX-A
• Facebookfacebook.com/pfwarriorrs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pf-warriors
• Instagraminstagram.com/pfwarriors

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about PF Warriors