Council on Accreditation

What Council on Accreditation does

The Council on Accreditation (COA) is an independent, US-based nonprofit founded in 1977 and headquartered in New York. It operates one of the recognized accreditation frameworks for human and social service organizations and community behavioral health programs in the United States. Its core product is the COA Accreditation program, in which organizations are evaluated against a comprehensive framework that, as of the most recent review cycle, comprises 972 standards spanning governance, service delivery, and operational quality. Accreditation is delivered through multi-day on-site reviews conducted by trained reviewers, with organizations such as Wayfinder Family Services achieving full reaccreditation with zero deficiencies. Since 2022, COA has expanded its framework by adding 178 new standards, raising the compliance threshold for accredited entities.

COA monetizes through two primary revenue streams. The first is accreditation services, a recurring, fee-based stream in which organizations pay for initial and ongoing accreditation assessments, with multi-day on-site reviews serving as the core delivery mechanism. The second is training and consulting, primarily channeled through Social Current, COA's premier partner organization, which delivers accredited training, introductory webinars, on-demand virtual courses, and consulting to help organizations prepare for and maintain accreditation. COA's customer base is segmented vertically, targeting nonprofits and human/social service organizations seeking external validation of quality, governance, and service delivery. Marketing and distribution are weighted toward partner-channel referrals, free introductory webinars, and content marketing via Social Current's Knowledge and Insights Center. The business model is structured as nonprofit, with no public listing, no funding rounds, no M&A activity, and no disclosed financial figures in the source material.

Name

Council on Accreditation

Website

https://coanet.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Council on Accreditation is a US nonprofit founded in 1977 that accredits human and social service organizations and community behavioral health programs against 972 standards via multi-day on-site reviews, monetizing through accreditation fees and partner-delivered training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Service Accreditation

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Accreditation Standards, Benchmarking & Framework Organizations (EDADACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Accreditation Evaluation, Peer Review & Site-Visit Organizations (EDADACAI), Healthcare Licensing, Accreditation & Credentialing Boards (HLAJACAC)

Keywords

• Accreditation services
• Human services standards
• Social service accreditation
• Nonprofit compliance review
• Organizational accreditation

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Accreditation Services: COA provides accreditation services to nonprofits and human service organizations through a rigorous evaluation process including on-site reviews. Organizations pay for the accreditation assessment and ongoing compliance reviews.
2. Training and Consulting Services: Through partner organizations like Social Current, COA offers training programs and consulting services related to accreditation preparation and compliance.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Council on Accreditation (COA) is an independent nonprofit accrediting body that evaluates and accredits human service organizations and community behavioral health programs. It assesses applicant organizations against a comprehensive standards framework (972 standards as of the most recent review cycle) through multi-day on-site peer reviews and ongoing compliance monitoring, awarding reaccreditation to organizations such as Wayfinder Family Services that meet all standards with zero deficiencies. COA also supports accreditation preparation through training and consulting delivered via partner intermediaries such as Social Current.

Product overview

The Council on Accreditation (COA) is an accrediting body that evaluates and accredits human service organizations and community behavioral health programs. COA operates a standards-based accreditation model where organizations are assessed against a comprehensive set of criteria. The organization added 178 standards since the 2022 review cycle, raising the bar for accreditation. COA partners with intermediary organizations like Social Current to deliver accreditation services. Note: Limited source data available from COA's own digital properties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• COA Accreditation Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Zero deficiencies on all 972 standards

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Social CurrentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial Current is the premier partner for COA Accreditation, providing training, consulting, and support services. They offer introductory webinars, on-demand virtual courses, and comprehensive support to help organizations understand and achieve COA accreditation. Social Current serves as a catalyst for the social sector, helping organizations commit to continuous improvement and evidence-based practices.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• International Organization for Standardization (ISO): ISO develops and certifies against international management system standards (e.g., ISO 9001) that some human-services organizations adopt instead of sector-specific accreditation like COA — representing an alternative accreditation pathway.
• National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA): NCQA accredits managed behavioral healthcare organizations and health plans, overlapping with COA's behavioral health accreditation niche and applying similar peer-review/standards-based models.
• The Joint Commission: The Joint Commission is a major healthcare and behavioral health accreditation body with deep brand recognition and broader scope than COA, including hospital and ambulatory care accreditation that overlaps COA's behavioral health footprint.

Direct peers

• Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP): HFAP accredits hospitals and behavioral health facilities, including mental health and substance abuse programs — directly competing for behavioral health accreditation customers that COA also targets.
• URAC: URAC accredits health and human services programs including behavioral health and case management, competing for similar organizational customers as COA under a peer-review/standards model.
• CARF International: CARF International is one of the leading accreditors of human and social service organizations, including behavioral health, aging services, and child and youth services — directly overlapping COA's core accreditation market.
• Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC): AAAHC provides accreditation across ambulatory and community-based health settings, with overlap to COA's community behavioral health and outpatient human services accreditation footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/coa_news
• Facebookfacebook.com/councilonaccreditation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/80388

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Council on Accreditation