What Project Connection does

Project Connection is a Utah-based nonprofit mental health organization founded in August 2018 by Lennie Knowlton and four therapist friends to address community-level barriers to accessing trauma-informed therapy. Headquartered at 2655 S. Lake Erie Drive, Suite B in West Valley City, it operates satellite therapy offices inside select Salt Lake County schools (across at least the Murray and Canyons school districts) and delivers services exclusively within Salt Lake County. The organization was built around the thesis that "connection is the foundation of mental health," integrating traditional clinical therapy with community-based social prescribing.

Its core product surface comprises (1) Therapy — evidence-based, trauma-informed individual, family, and group counseling delivered by licensed clinicians (CMHC, LCSW, LMFT) trained in EMDR, DBT, CBT, IFS, ART, ACT, Play Therapy, Sand Tray, somatic, person-centered, and attachment-based modalities; (2) Social Prescribing — a Link-Worker-mediated service that connects clients with community activities, volunteer mentors ("Hens"), and peer groups; (3) Programs including Youth Club respite care for children ages 7-18 with mental health diagnoses, school-based therapy, the 9-month 3-phase Critical Time Intervention (CTI) for in-patient care transitions, and therapeutic Groups + Events; and (4) the Project Connection Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arm that funds scholarships for unfunded and underfunded clients via a model in which a portion of every self-pay or insurance-paid session is directed to the Foundation.

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: insurance reimbursements across a broad panel of Utah Medicaid managed-care plans (SL County Optum, Select Health Integrated, Molina Integrated, Health Choice Utah) and commercial carriers (Aetna, Cigna, BCBS, United Healthcare, PEHP, DMBA, EMI, Meritain, UMR, Molina); per-session self-pay; and donations plus scholarship funding routed through the Project Connection Foundation. GTM is sales-led, relying on direct outreach, school partnerships, community referrals, and a website-driven intake funnel (phone (385) 441-4900, [email protected]). The organization employs 11-50 staff with a structured leadership team including a CEO (Lennie Knowlton, CMHC/CDWF), CFO (Dawn Benson, MBA/LCSW), Clinical Director (Emily Dixon, CMHC), and dedicated managers across Youth Club, Social Prescribing, School Services, Intake, and Clinical Supervision.

Name

Project Connection

Legal name

Project Connection

Website

https://projectconnection.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Project Connection is a Utah-based nonprofit that delivers evidence-based, trauma-informed mental health therapy, social prescribing, school-based counseling, youth respite, and Critical Time Intervention services to individuals, families, and students across Salt Lake County, funded by insurance, self-pay, and its 501(c)(3) Foundation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Therapy Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)

Keywords

• Mental health therapy
• Trauma-informed counseling
• Social prescribing services
• Youth respite care
• School-based therapy

Headquarters

HQ city

West Valley City

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Insurance Reimbursements: Project Connection is an enrolled provider with many health plans including Medicaid (SL County Optum, Select Health Integrated, Molina Integrated, Utah Medicaid, Health Choice Utah Integrated), Aetna, Cigna, DMBA, EMI, Meritain Health, Molina, PEHP, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Select Health, UMR, and United Healthcare. Revenue is generated through insurance claim reimbursements for therapy sessions.
2. Self-Pay: Direct client payments for therapy services not covered by insurance or for clients without insurance coverage.
3. Donations to Project Connection Foundation: The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. A portion of every self-pay or insurance paid session helps fund mental health services for unfunded or underfunded individuals. Donations support scholarship programs.
4. Scholarship Funding: Reduced-fare services provided to individuals who are unfunded or underfunded, funded through the Project Connection Foundation scholarship program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Project Connection is a nonprofit mental health organization that delivers evidence-based, trauma-informed individual, group, and family therapy services in West Valley City and Salt Lake County, Utah, complemented by a Social Prescribing program that connects clients to community resources, groups, and volunteer mentors. Its specialized offerings include the Youth Club respite program for children ages 7-18 with mental health diagnoses, school-based therapy satellites in select Salt Lake County schools, and a 9-month Critical Time Intervention program for individuals transitioning from inpatient mental health care.

Product overview

Project Connection is a mental health therapy and social prescribing organization offering a integrated suite of services centered on the belief that connection is the foundation of mental health. The core offerings include Therapy (evidence-based and trauma-informed individual, group, and family counseling), Social Prescribing (person-centered community connection through Link Workers), and specialized Programs including Youth Club (respite care for children ages 7-18), School-Based Therapy (satellite offices in schools), Critical Time Intervention (9-month transition support), and Groups + Events (therapeutic community activities). The organization operates an Employee Portal for internal staff access and is supported by the Project Connection Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds services for underserved populations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Connection Project: A trauma-informed, evidence-based approach providing a trusted therapeutic framework combined with empathy and validation to help clients challenge themselves and create paths to meeting their goals.

Products and services

• Therapy Evidence-based, trauma-informed individual, group, and family mental health therapy provided by licensed clinicians skilled in EMDR, DBT, CBT, IFS, and other therapeutic modalities. Intended for adults, adolescents, children, couples, and families in Salt Lake County experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, PTSD, OCD, panic, intrusive thoughts, relationship issues, or life transitions.
• Social Prescribing Person-centered program that connects individuals with community activities, groups, and relationships tailored to their lifestyle, interests, values, and special needs, supported by Link Workers and volunteer mentors known as "Hens." Intended for therapy clients seeking connection, purpose, and well-being outside the therapy room.
• Youth Club Respite care program providing children and adolescents ages 7-18 with mental health diagnoses opportunities to build relationships, experience community, connect with nature, and engage in service activities. Intended for families seeking structured therapeutic recreation and caregiver respite.
• School-Based Therapy Programs Satellite therapy offices operating within select Salt Lake County schools (including Murray and Canyons districts) that deliver trauma-informed clinical interventions during school hours with collaboration from school teams. Intended for K-12 students who face scheduling or transportation barriers to off-site therapy.
• Critical Time Intervention (CTI) Evidence-based 9-month, 3-phase case management program supporting individuals transitioning from inpatient mental health care by increasing access to formal resources and establishing informal community connections. Intended for inpatient discharge planners, case managers, and clients needing structured post-discharge continuity.
• Groups + Events Therapeutic groups, classes, and events designed to offer opportunities for therapeutic connection aligned with specific client needs. Intended for current and prospective clients seeking community-based therapeutic engagement beyond one-on-one sessions.
• Project Connection Foundation

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 years of combined therapeutic experience across the team
• +1 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Project Connection FoundationcoreOthersProject Connection Foundation is an approved 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization associated with Project Connection. The Foundation accepts donations and scholarship applications to help provide mental health services and community connections for accessible mental health treatment. A portion of every self-pay or insurance paid session helps fund mental health services for unfunded or underfunded individuals. Donations can be made at projectconnection.foundation.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Odyssey House of Utah: Salt Lake City nonprofit providing behavioral health, substance use, and community re-entry programming. Comparable as a Utah nonprofit addressing mental health and transition-to-community populations.
• Valley Behavioral Health: Salt Lake City-based nonprofit providing outpatient mental health, substance use, and community-based services across Salt Lake County. Directly comparable in geography, payer mix, and nonprofit community-mental-health model.
• Wasatch Behavioral Health: Utah community mental health provider offering therapy, case management, and crisis services. Comparable as a Utah-based, mission-driven outpatient mental health organization serving similar client populations.
• NAMI Utah: Utah affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, providing support groups, education, and advocacy for individuals with mental health conditions. Comparable as a Utah-based mental health support nonprofit with overlapping audience.

Emerging players

• Charlie Health: Virtual intensive outpatient program (IOP) for adolescents and young adults with mental health conditions. Comparable in serving youth with mental health diagnoses through structured programming, including school-aged clients similar to Youth Club and school-based therapy.
• Brightside Health: Telehealth mental health provider offering therapy and psychiatry with insurance acceptance. Comparable as a therapy provider for anxiety and depression with payer-network reach into Medicaid and commercial plans.

Broad incumbents

• Talkspace: Online therapy and psychiatry platform accepting insurance. Comparable therapy modality mix for the same client conditions, but competes as a national digital incumbent rather than a community-embedded nonprofit.
• Huntsman Mental Health Institute (University of Utah): Large academic mental health provider in Salt Lake City offering therapy, inpatient, and crisis services. Comparable therapy offerings but as a much larger, institutionally backed incumbent serving the same Utah market.
• BetterHelp: Largest scaled online therapy platform. Comparable as a therapy provider to individuals for anxiety, depression, and trauma, but competes on convenience and price rather than community-rooted, in-person care.

Others

• Open Path Collective: Nonprofit network connecting clients to therapists at reduced rates. Comparable in mission of expanding access to affordable mental health care, though distributed rather than community-based.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/projectconnection

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

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 Project Connection