Paxis Institute
Paxis Institute is a Tucson-based nonprofit founded in 1998 that delivers evidence-based behavioral and prevention-science programs, anchored by the PAX Good Behavior Game and PAX Tools, to schools, state agencies, and youth-serving organizations across the U.S. and select international markets.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersTucson, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Paxis Institute does
Paxis Institute is a Tucson, Arizona-based nonprofit founded in 1998 that develops and disseminates evidence-based behavioral and prevention-science programs for schools, communities, government agencies, and youth-serving organizations. The organization's portfolio is anchored by two core products: the PAX Good Behavior Game (PAX GBG), a trauma-informed classroom-based behavioral intervention for K-12 students built around team-based game mechanics and positive reinforcement, and PAX Tools, a modular set of behavioral strategies adapted for human-services professionals, youth-development settings, community educators, youth workers, caregivers, and women in recovery. Supporting programs include PAX Heroes (for students with more intensive behavioral needs), PAX Next Steps, PAX Partner (implementation support), and Reward & Reminder (a community prevention strategy targeting underage tobacco, vaping, and alcohol sales).
The underlying methodology is built on four foundational pillars: a trauma-informed approach, teaching behavior as a skillset, creating nurturing environments, and being a reliable and consistent adult. The evidence base comprises over 250 peer-reviewed publications, and external validation by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy reports $64.36 in societal savings per $1 invested and $11,797 net benefit per participant. The organization distributes training through live virtual, in-person, and self-paced online formats, supplemented by digital resource libraries accessed via role-based keys. Paxis operates as a contract- and grant-funded nonprofit rather than a venture-backed entity, with named multi-year statewide implementations across Texas, Ohio, Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas, and Washington, and a smaller international footprint spanning Canada, Sweden, Estonia, Ireland, Australia, and Belgium. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; customers are directed to contact Paxis directly, consistent with a relationship-driven, contract-based go-to-market motion targeting state health, education, and behavioral-health agencies as well as nonprofits such as Boys & Girls Club alliances.
Paxis Institute firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Paxis Institute
- Legal name
- PAXIS Institute
- Website
- https://paxis.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Paxis Institute is a Tucson-based nonprofit founded in 1998 that delivers evidence-based behavioral and prevention-science programs, anchored by the PAX Good Behavior Game and PAX Tools, to schools, state agencies, and youth-serving organizations across the U.S. and select international markets.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Paxis Institute industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Behavioral Health Training Services
- NAICS
- Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (61)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Virtual Classroom Management, Moderation & Behavior Tools (EDAFABAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Virtual Tutoring & Academic Intervention (K–12) (EDAJADAH)
Keywords
Where Paxis Institute is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tucson
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Paxis Institute business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Training Services: PAXIS Institute generates revenue through providing training programs including PAX Good Behavior Game initial training, PAX Tools training, and various specialized training modules. Training is delivered in live virtual, in-person, and self-paced online formats with varying durations from 2.5 to 8 hours.
- Materials and Resources: The organization generates revenue through educational materials, implementation guides, digital toolkits, and resource portals for trained professionals. Access keys provide entry to digital resource libraries for different user roles including teachers, partners, community educators, and youth workers.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Paxis Institute product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PAXIS Institute develops and delivers evidence-based, trauma-informed training programs—principally the PAX Good Behavior Game (PAX GBG) for classrooms and PAX Tools for adults working with youth. Programs are sold as multi-format training (live virtual, in-person, self-paced online) and accompanying materials to schools, state agencies, community organizations, and caregivers, with implementation supported through state-level partnerships.
Product overview
PAXIS Institute offers a suite of evidence-based prevention programs centered around two core products: PAX Good Behavior Game (GBG) and PAX Tools. PAX GBG is a trauma-informed classroom behavior management program with variants for Early Childhood (ages 3-5), K-12 general, and Adolescent (grades 7-12) settings. PAX Tools provides behavioral support strategies with specialized modules for Human Services professionals, Youth Development settings, Community Educators, Youth Workers, Caregivers, and New Beginnings (recovery settings). Supporting programs include PAX Partner, PAX Heroes, PAX Next Steps, and Reward & Reminder (a community prevention strategy for retail compliance). The organization also maintains an evidence base of over 250 peer-reviewed publications demonstrating outcomes across academic achievement, mental health, substance use reduction, and youth development.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- PAX Good Behavior Game (PAX GBG): A trauma-informed, evidence-based classroom behavior management program for teachers and educators.
- PAX Tools
- PAX Heroes
- PAX Partner
- Reward & Reminder
Quantifiable outcome
- Students in PAX classrooms demonstrated higher scores on statewide standardized math and reading tests than peers
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Paxis Institute
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Paxis Institute technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Paxis Institute partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC)coreTexas HHSC implemented a statewide, school- and community-based PAX initiative from 2020 to 2025, training more than 11,000 individuals. This multi-year partnership demonstrates how state agencies can leverage evidence-based prevention to address public health challenges.
- New Mexico Office of Substance Abuse Prevention (OSAP)coreSince 2019, OSAP has led statewide implementation of schoolwide PAX with over 4,000 educators trained, expanding to include community-based PAX Tools with focus on early childhood and tribal communities.
- Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS)coreKansas made PAX training available statewide to schools and community organizations from 2023-2025, training 633 educators and 731 participants. Kansas was one of the first states to pilot a youth-led PAX prevention initiative.
- Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction ServicescoreOhio's Department supported the first statewide scale-up of PAX from 2017-2025, working with multiple partners to train more than 20,000 individuals across schools, families, and community programs.
- Ohio Boys & Girls Club AlliancecorePartner in Ohio PAX implementation providing population-level prevention support across the state's Boys & Girls Club network.
- Nationwide Children's HospitalcorePartner in Ohio PAX implementation supporting trauma-informed, evidence-based strategies accessible to schools, families, and community-based programs.
- Arizona Governor's Office of Youth, Faith, and Families (GOYFF)coreLead funder and partner in Arizona PAX programming from 2019-2025, supporting cross-agency collaboration for wide-reaching prevention infrastructure.
- Arizona Department of EducationcorePartner in cross-agency collaboration making PAX programming available to educators and communities across Arizona.
- Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS)corePartner in funding and implementing PAX programming across Arizona from 2019-2025, training more than 13,000 individuals.
- Washington Boys & Girls Club AlliancecoreThrough leadership and funding from the Washington BGC Alliance, all Boys & Girls Club staff statewide received PAX Tools training, resulting in reduced youth depression symptoms after 8 weeks.
- Johns Hopkins Center for PreventioncorePAXIS Institute founder Dennis D. Embry co-leads prevention research at Johns Hopkins Center for Prevention, collaborating on over 50 major prevention projects across the U.S. and Canada.
- University of ManitobaminorAcademic partner collaborating with PAXIS Institute on prevention research initiatives.
- University of South CarolinaminorAcademic research partner working with PAXIS Institute on prevention science initiatives.
- SAMHSA/CSAP Expert PanelcorePAXIS Institute founder Dennis D. Embry serves on the SAMHSA/CSAP expert panel, providing guidance on national substance abuse prevention policy.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Paxis Institute competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Search Institute: Nonprofit that develops research-based frameworks (Developmental Assets) for youth development; overlaps with PAX in evidence-based youth programming targeting schools and communities.
- Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation: Addiction treatment and recovery organization with prevention programming; overlaps with PAX Tools for New Beginnings and recovery-oriented state contracts.
Direct peers
- Committee for Children: Nonprofit that develops SEL and violence-prevention curricula (Second Step) for K-12 schools; competes directly with PAX GBG for state and district contracts with comparable evidence-based positioning.
- Botvin LifeSkills Training: Evidence-based substance abuse and violence prevention program for schools and youth, also backed by decades of research; competes for the same state prevention funding pool as PAX.
- Incredible Years: Evidence-based parent, teacher, and child training programs targeting behavior management in young children; overlaps with PAX GBG's classroom intervention focus and PAX Tools for Caregivers.
- Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS): Widely adopted school-wide framework for behavioral intervention; competes for the same K-12 behavioral health funding and district adoption decisions as PAX GBG.
Broad incumbents
- CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning): Field-building organization that sets SEL standards and frameworks; influences which programs districts adopt, shaping PAX's competitive environment without directly selling curriculum.
Regional players
- Boys & Girls Club of America: National youth development organization; while not a curriculum provider, it is a major channel partner for PAX Tools adoption in out-of-school-time settings across multiple states.
Others
- RAND Corporation: Research institution conducting prevention and behavioral health studies that shape state policy; serves as a research authority and potential collaborator similar to PAX's Johns Hopkins partnership.
- Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development: University of Colorado registry that rates and certifies youth programs based on rigorous evidence; functions as both influencer and gatekeeper for state-level program adoption decisions affecting PAX.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Paxis Institute social profiles
Digital presencePaxis Institute financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Paxis Institute leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Paxis Institute funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Paxis Institute M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Paxis Institute
What does Paxis Institute do?
PAXIS Institute develops and delivers evidence-based, trauma-informed training programs—principally the PAX Good Behavior Game (PAX GBG) for classrooms and PAX Tools for adults working with youth. Programs are sold as multi-format training (live virtual, in-person, self-paced online) and accompanying materials to schools, state agencies, community organizations, and caregivers, with implementation supported through state-level partnerships.
Is Paxis Institute a public or private company?
Paxis Institute is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Paxis Institute founded?
Paxis Institute was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Paxis Institute based?
Paxis Institute is headquartered in Tucson, United States, in the North America region.
How does Paxis Institute make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Training Services are the primary driver. The others are materials and Resources.
Who are Paxis Institute's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Search Institute and Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. Direct peers are Committee for Children, Botvin LifeSkills Training, Incredible Years and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) is listed as a broad incumbent. Boys & Girls Club of America is listed as a regional player. Others are RAND Corporation and Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development.
Does Paxis Institute have an API?
No public API is recorded for Paxis Institute.
What industry is Paxis Institute in?
Paxis Institute's product category is Behavioral Health Training Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFABAK, Virtual Classroom Management, Moderation & Behavior Tools, with a secondary code of EDAJADAH, Virtual Tutoring & Academic Intervention (K–12). Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 8200.