Karis Community

What Karis Community does

Karis Community is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1976 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado. It operates the Empowerment Program, a residential therapeutic community for adults aged 21 and older managing serious and persistent mental illness (depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder) and co-occurring substance use disorders. The model is rooted in post-WWII evidence that communal environments accelerate recovery from trauma; residents participate in democratic decision-making, including voting on new admissions, alongside weekly structured support groups, individual check-ins, and on-site peer support staffed around the clock.

The organization delivers services at its main facility at 1361 Detroit Street (built 1925, capacity 15 Empowerment residents) and at the Stepping Stone Cottage (launched 2015, capacity 7 program graduates) at $685/month — a fee positioned roughly 15x below comparable private programs ($10,000+/month). Its core technology and product surface is the care model itself, not software: structured weekly groups (Recovery Support, Evidence-Based Intervention, Structure Support, Healthy Relationships, Community Meeting, Mindfulness, Life Essentials), a democratic applicant-screening process, and an Alumni Group for ongoing peer support. Back-office technology is limited to Bloomerang for donation processing and a WordPress-based web presence; no mobile app, API, or AI/ML capabilities are present.

Revenue is diversified across residential program fees, individual donations (including a monthly giving circle), corporate sponsorships at tiered levels (Hope & Healing, Empowerment, Grace, Community), foundation grants (The Colorado Health Foundation, The Colorado Trust, Caring for Denver Foundation across 2021, 2022, 2025), and annual fundraising events. The 50th anniversary Spring Fundraiser in May 2026 raised a record ~$120,000. The Hope & Healing Infrastructure Campaign launched in late 2025 with a $150,000 goal for trauma-informed facility upgrades (~$64,000 raised as of May 2026). Go-to-market is referral-driven via Colorado mental health providers (WellPower, Jefferson Center, AllHealth Network, Heartland Mental Health, Community Reach Center, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless), supplemented by family/self-referrals and community events, with the organization explicitly open to out-of-state referrals.

Name

Karis Community

Legal name

Karis Community

Website

https://kariscommunity.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Karis Community is a Denver-based nonprofit founded in 1976 that operates the Empowerment Program, a residential therapeutic community serving adults with serious mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders at $685/month, alongside the Stepping Stone Cottage transitional house for program graduates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Mental Health Services

NAICS

Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities (62322), Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities (6232), Community Housing Services (62422), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Mental Health Treatment Centers (HLAFACAC)

Keywords

• Transitional housing
• Mental illness treatment
• Therapeutic community
• Residential recovery program
• Peer support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Residential Program Fees: Monthly rent of $685 from Community Members covering housing, meals, utilities, supplies, programming, and 24-hour staff availability. Primary recurring revenue stream.
2. Individual Donations: Direct donations from individuals via cash, check, credit card, or online portal (Bloomerang). Includes monthly giving circle for recurring donors.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Sponsorship revenue from annual spring fundraiser with Hope & Healing, Empowerment, Grace, and Community sponsor levels.
4. Grant Funding: Support from foundations including The Colorado Health Foundation, The Colorado Trust, and others for specific programs and initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Karis Community is a nonprofit that operates a community-oriented residential program (the Empowerment Program) for adults managing serious and persistent mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders. It provides affordable transitional housing, peer support, mental health services, and life-skills programming at $685/month to help residents reduce hospitalizations and move toward independent living.

Product overview

Karis Community operates a single, unified residential mental health program called the Empowerment Program, supplemented by three supporting services: the Stepping Stone Cottage (transitional housing for graduates), the Alumni Group (ongoing peer support for former residents), and Weekly Support Groups covering recovery, evidence-based interventions, structure, relationships, mindfulness, and life essentials. The organization also uses Bloomerang for donation management. Services are provided at 1361 Detroit Street, Denver, CO at $685/month, significantly below comparable programs costing $10,000+/month.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Empowerment Program: The core residential program providing community-oriented support for adults managing serious and persistent mental illness as well as co-occurring substance use disorders.
• Stepping Stone Cottage

Products and services

• Empowerment Program A community-oriented residential program for adults managing serious and persistent mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders, providing individual check-ins, six weekly support group meetings, evening community meals, household supplies, utilities, onsite peer support, and mental health services at $685/month.
• Weekly Support Groups Six weekly support group meetings including Recovery Support Group, Evidence-Based Intervention Group, Structure Support Group, Healthy Relationships Group, Community Meeting, Mindfulness Group, and Life Essentials Group for Community Members.
• Stepping Stone Cottage A transitional living house operated since 2015 providing housing for seven program graduates ready to practice coping and life skills in a less-structured environment, with an onsite Peer Specialist serving as both Peer and Property Manager.
• Alumni Group Weekly support meetings facilitated by a Peer Support Specialist for program graduates, with optional individual check-ins with the Executive Director or Program Manager for ongoing case management support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces psychiatric hospitalizations by 80% during program participation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• WellPowercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental health partner organization providing coordinated care for Community Members requiring additional mental health services.
• Jefferson Center for Mental HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental health partner organization providing coordinated care for Community Members.
• AllHealth NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental health partner organization providing coordinated care for Community Members.
• Heartland Mental HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental health partner organization providing coordinated care for Community Members.
• Community Reach CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental health partner organization providing coordinated care for Community Members.
• Colorado Coalition for the HomelesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner addressing housing instability and providing comprehensive services for homeless individuals, including those with mental health challenges.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fountain House: The originator of the Clubhouse International therapeutic community model for adults with serious mental illness. Directly comparable to Karis's Empowerment Program in philosophy, peer-led governance, and residential community approach, though operating at much larger national scale across multiple sites.

Regional players

• AllHealth Network: Colorado community mental health center serving the south Denver metro. Listed as a core referral partner and offers residential, outpatient, and crisis mental health services to comparable populations.
• Jefferson Center for Mental Health: Colorado community mental health center serving Jefferson County and the Denver metro. Core referral partner of Karis; provides overlapping residential and outpatient mental health services to similar populations.
• Community Reach Center: Adams County, Colorado community mental health center. Strategic referral partner to Karis; offers residential mental health and substance use treatment to overlapping populations in the Denver metro.
• Colorado Coalition for the Homeless: Denver-based nonprofit providing housing and supportive services for individuals experiencing homelessness, many of whom have co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders. Strategic partner of Karis with overlapping service population.
• WellPower (formerly Mental Health Center of Denver): Denver-based comprehensive mental health provider that is both a strategic referral partner to Karis and a competitor for the same population. Provides outpatient, residential, and crisis services for adults with serious mental illness in the same metro.

Emerging players

• Heartland Center for Behavioral Change: Provides residential and outpatient mental health and substance use services with a focus on community-based recovery. Comparable to Karis in mission and population served, operating across Kansas and Missouri.
• Second Chance Center: Aurora, Colorado-based nonprofit providing reentry, housing, and mental health support services to formerly incarcerated individuals with serious mental illness. Comparable residential and community integration model in the same regional market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KarisCommunity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/karis-community

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors1 record

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 Karis Community