Tools for Peace

What Tools for Peace does

Tools for Peace is a Pasadena-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2000 by The Venerable Lama Chödak Gyatso Nubpa (1951-2009). The organization delivers evidence-based mindfulness and social-emotional learning (SEL) programs — including afterschool clubs, in-school curricula, an annual Summer Teen Camp, a tiered Compassionate Leadership Certification, and public mindfulness workshops — to underserved youth, primarily within the Los Angeles Unified School District, and to adults through partner venues and virtual channels. Programs are guided by the proprietary Shi-Tro Mandala framework, a Tibetan art-based blueprint that structures the curriculum around three steps: Becoming Aware, Broadening Perspective, and Compassion-in-Action. Supporting assets include the registered "Stop, Breathe & Think" workbook and a tiered leadership certification that converts program alumni into facilitators and paid instructors.

The business model is donation-driven and community-led: the organization generates revenue through individual donations, charitable contributions, corporate sponsorships, and grants, with no fee-for-service pricing for participants. Disclosed donation tiers for the annual Summer Teen Camp include $1,000 (full camper scholarship), $150 (camp materials), and $50 (camp t-shirts), against a $3,000 stated camp-support goal. Distribution is anchored by long-standing partnerships with L.A.C.E.R. Afterschool Programs (operating weekly TFP clubs at multiple LAUSD campuses), Children's Hospital Los Angeles (curriculum co-development since 2017), the University of California Riverside Emotional Regulation Lab (impact research), and the Western Justice Center (camp venue). The organization is led by Executive Director Mayme Donsker, supported by a small staff of 1-10 employees and a Board of Directors that includes k.d. lang (Board Member Emeritus), with no parent company, institutional investors, or equity funding.

Name

Tools for Peace

Legal name

Tools for Peace

Website

http://www.toolsforpeace.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social-Emotional Learning & Mindfulness Education Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Behavioral & Social-Emotional Support (ABA, PBIS, Counseling) (EDAJAKAE)

Keywords

• Mindfulness education programs
• Social emotional learning
• Youth wellness programs
• Compassion training services
• School based programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Pasadena

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Tools for Peace generates revenue primarily through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and charitable contributions from foundations. The organization solicits monthly gifts and one-time donations to support mindfulness-based social-emotional learning programs for underserved children and youth.
2. Summer Camp Scholarships: Donor-funded scholarships enable youth to attend the annual Summer Teen Camp regardless of financial situation, with specific donation tiers supporting camp materials, t-shirts, and full camper scholarships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tools for Peace is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers evidence-based mindfulness and social-emotional learning programs primarily to underserved youth, built on its proprietary Shitro Mandala curriculum. Offerings include afterschool and in-school clubs at LAUSD partner schools, an annual week-long Summer Teen Camp in Pasadena, a tiered Compassionate Leadership Certification for youth, and public mindfulness workshops for organizations and adults delivered in California, Minnesota, and virtually.

Product overview

Tools for Peace is a single unified nonprofit organization offering multiple interconnected mindfulness and social-emotional learning programs. Its core offerings include School-Based Programs (afterschool clubs and in-school programs at LAUSD schools), the annual Summer Teen Camp (a week-long day camp for teens in Pasadena), the Compassionate Leadership Certification (a tiered program progressing from Peer Mentors to Junior Facilitators to Facilitators), Public Mindfulness Programs (workshops for organizations), and the Tools for Peace Curriculum based on the Shi-Tro Mandala framework. These programs collectively guide participants—from youth in schools to teens at camp to adults in corporate settings—through mindfulness activities, personal reflection, and group discussion using the same evidence-based curriculum.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School-Based Programs Afterschool clubs and in-school mindfulness programs delivered in partnership with L.A.C.E.R. Afterschool Programs at Los Angeles public schools, teaching TFP's social-emotional learning curriculum to middle and high school students.
• Summer Teen Camp Annual week-long day camp for teens ages 13-18 held at Maxwell House in Pasadena, CA, featuring mindfulness workshops, meditation, music enrichment, yoga, art, and the opportunity to earn a Compassionate Leader Certificate.
• Compassionate Leadership Certification A tiered leadership development program for youth including Peer Mentors (middle school), Junior Facilitators (high school alumni), and Facilitators (trained alumni) with mentorship and paid opportunities to lead TFP clubs.
• Public Mindfulness Programs Mindfulness-based workshops, trainings, and ongoing series for organizations, available in-person in California and Minnesota and virtually, for both youth and adults.
• Tools for Peace Curriculum (Shitro Mandala Framework) An evidence-based step-by-step curriculum using the Shi-Tro Mandala blueprint to teach mindfulness and compassion skills through three steps: Becoming Aware, Broadening Perspective, and Compassion-in-Action. Available for classrooms, afterschool programs, summer camps, and adult workshops.

Quantifiable outcome

• Students who complete the program earn a Compassionate Leader Certificate and receive a full scholarship to the annual summer teen camp
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 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

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partnership since 2017 developing mindfulness-based social emotional learning curriculum for elementary schools with Dr. Sammy Lee Elementary School.
• L.A.C.E.R. Afterschool ProgramscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNearly decade-long partnership with Literacy, Arts, Culture, Education, Recreation (L.A.C.E.R.), operating weekly Tools for Peace clubs at multiple LAUSD campuses. L.A.C.E.R. provides infrastructure and access to students for TFP's mindfulness curriculum integration.
• Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership since 2017 developing mindfulness-based social emotional learning curriculum for elementary schools. CHLA conducts research measuring curriculum impact on participants' social and emotional development. TFP also provides workshops for pediatric staff.
• University of California, Riverside - Emotional Regulation LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing research partnership to conduct scientific studies measuring effects of School-Based Programs and Annual Summer Teen Camp on youth participants.
• Western Justice CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWestern Justice Center's Maxwell House serves as the location for the Annual Summer Teen Camp, providing a peaceful, natural environment for program activities.
• Irving STEAM Magnet SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLAUSD partner school hosting Tools for Peace afterschool clubs and programs.
• Hubert Howe Bancroft Middle SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLAUSD partner school hosting Tools for Peace afterschool clubs and programs.
• Thomas Starr King Middle SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLAUSD partner school hosting Tools for Peace afterschool clubs and programs.
• Joseph LeConte Middle SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLAUSD partner school hosting Tools for Peace afterschool clubs and programs.
• Dr. Sammy Lee Medical and Health Science Magnet Elementary SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLAUSD partner school where TFP curriculum is implemented during class time in partnership with Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
• Northern Light Middle SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLAUSD partner school hosting Tools for Peace programs.
• Beyond the Bell - Los Angeles Unified School DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLAUSD afterschool program initiative hosting TFP mindfulness workshops and programs.
• Inner-City ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLos Angeles arts education organization hosting TFP mindfulness workshops.
• Norton Simon MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPasadena museum hosting TFP mindfulness workshops and trainings.
• Hammer MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWestwood, Los Angeles museum hosting TFP mindfulness workshops.
• Occidental CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEagle Rock, Los Angeles college hosting TFP mindfulness programs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mindful Schools: Oakland-based 501(c)(3) that trains educators and provides mindfulness curricula to K-12 schools, directly competing with Tools for Peace in the same California school district footprint and SEL methodology.
• Inner Explorer: Nonprofit delivering daily audio-guided mindfulness sessions to K-12 classrooms nationwide with a similar evidence-based SEL approach; competes for the same school-district SEL contracts.
• Committee for Children (Second Step): Seattle-based nonprofit publishing the widely adopted Second Step SEL curriculum for K-8 schools; directly competes with Tools for Peace for LAUSD and district-wide SEL adoption.
• MindUP (Goldie Hawn Foundation): Mindfulness-based SEL program for K-12 students, founded by Goldie Hawn, providing evidence-based curricula and teacher training; overlapping audience and methodology with Tools for Peace.
• Random Acts of Kindness Foundation: Nonprofit providing free kindness and SEL resources for schools, aligning closely with Tools for Peace's compassion-action curriculum and serving overlapping educator audiences.

Broad incumbents

• CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning): The leading national SEL framework and advocacy organization; sets the standards that Tools for Peace's curriculum is measured against and influences district SEL procurement decisions.
• Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence (RULER): Yale-affiliated research and SEL training center behind the widely adopted RULER approach; competes at the higher-education partnership level that Tools for Peace accesses through UC Riverside.
• Headspace for Education: Commercial mindfulness company's K-12 offering; competes with Tools for Peace in the school mindfulness space but at significantly larger scale with a digital product layer.

Emerging players

• Compassion Institute: Nonprofit offering evidence-based compassion training programs for educators, youth, and organizations; shares Tools for Peace's compassion-focused mission and partial methodology overlap.
• Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute: Nonprofit offering mindfulness and emotional intelligence curricula originally developed at Google; competes for the same corporate professional development segment that Tools for Peace addresses via Public Mindfulness Programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ToolsforPeace
• Facebookfacebook.com/toolsforpeace
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3358971

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Tools for Peace