What Arizona Heart Foundation does

Arizona Heart Foundation (AHF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1974 and headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, that operates across three program lines: community cardiovascular screenings delivered at no cost to the public, the School of Cardiac & Vascular Ultrasound, and a medical reference publication catalog. The School of Cardiac & Vascular Ultrasound — ABHES-accredited and licensed by the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education — trains sonographers at Phoenix and (since August 2023) Tucson campuses, with an 88% graduate placement rate and more than 500 alumni placed since 1982. A forthcoming AHF Imaging Center is expected to add a paid diagnostic imaging service, extending the foundation beyond donated and tuition-funded activity.

The foundation's revenue mechanics combine tuition from ultrasound cohorts, proceeds from medical reference book sales, philanthropic donations underwriting the complimentary screenings, and — once operational — imaging service fees. Paula Banahan serves as President and CEO, and the organization operates with a 1–10 employee footprint. Recent strategic activity has been concentrated in 2023, including a Tucson campus launch, a fall Phoenix session addition, the Congenital Echocardiographer's Pocket Reference publication, and broadcast media partnerships with Fox 10 and AZFamily 3TV to drive screening awareness.

Operationally, AHF is a small, mission-driven nonprofit whose scale and competitive position are anchored by regulatory accreditation of its training program, an established alumni pipeline into Arizona healthcare employers, and roughly five decades of brand recognition in the Phoenix market. Its growth levers are capacity expansion (multi-campus, multi-cohort training) and service-line diversification (paid imaging), while its constraints are a thin staff and dependence on donations to subsidize the free community screening program.

Name

Arizona Heart Foundation

Legal name

Arizona Heart Foundation

Website

https://azheartfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Arizona Heart Foundation is a Phoenix-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers complimentary cardiovascular screenings, operates an ABHES-accredited School of Cardiac & Vascular Ultrasound in Phoenix and Tucson, publishes medical references, and is launching a paid imaging center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cardiovascular Health Education and Screenings

NAICS

Diagnostic Imaging Centers (621512), Educational Support Services (611710), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Cardiac Diagnostic Centers (Echo/Stress Testing/Holter) (HLAFAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ambulatory Cardiology Diagnostic & Procedure Centers (Non-hospital-based) (HLAFABAK), EKG/ECG Technician & Cardiac Monitoring (EDAOAJAD)

Keywords

• Cardiovascular screening services
• Cardiac ultrasound education
• Sonography training programs
• Diagnostic imaging services
• Community heart health

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Educational Programs - School of Ultrasound: Revenue from tuition fees for the 12-month accelerated Cardiac & Vascular Ultrasound program at Phoenix and Tucson campuses, with 88% graduate placement rate.
2. Diagnostic Imaging Services: Low-cost diagnostic imaging services at the AHF Imaging Center for patients with provider referrals.
3. Bookstore - Medical Publications: Sale of medical reference publications including 'Congenital Echocardiographers Pocket Reference' and 'Echocardiographer's Pocket Reference' books.
4. Community Screenings: Complimentary cardiovascular screenings provided free of charge to community members, funded through donations and partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Arizona Heart Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides complimentary cardiovascular screenings to community members, operates an accredited School of Cardiac & Vascular Ultrasound training program at Phoenix and Tucson campuses, plans to offer low-cost diagnostic imaging services through its AHF Imaging Center, and publishes medical reference books for sonographers. Its offerings combine free community-based heart disease prevention services with tuition-based healthcare professional education.

Product overview

The Arizona Heart Foundation offers a portfolio of interconnected services focused on cardiovascular health through four pillars: education, specialization, community outreach, and access to care. The core offerings include complimentary cardiovascular screenings for early detection, educational programs through its School of Cardiac & Vascular Ultrasound (with campuses in Phoenix and Tucson), diagnostic imaging services, and published reference materials. The complimentary screenings provide non-invasive heart health assessments, while the school trains future sonographers to support the growing demand for cardiac diagnostics. These offerings work together to improve cardiovascular outcomes by making heart health knowledge accessible and developing skilled healthcare professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Complimentary Cardiovascular Screenings Free cardiovascular risk screenings and heart health assessments offered to community members for early detection and prevention of heart disease, including blood pressure measurement, ultrasound imaging of key arteries, and heart rhythm evaluation.
• Cardiac & Vascular Ultrasound Program Accelerated 12-month training program preparing students for cardiac sonography work in various medical settings, including 1,678 clock hours with 800+ clinical hours in real healthcare environments.
• Vascular & DMS Ultrasound Program Vascular ultrasound diagnostic medical sonography training program that complements the cardiac ultrasound program for comprehensive cardiovascular imaging education.
• Congenital Echocardiographer's Pocket Reference Reference book published by AHF in 2023, drafted and edited by 33 leading sonographers from across the country, serving as a comprehensive resource for advancing knowledge of congenital heart disease.
• Echocardiographer's Pocket Reference Reference publication available through the AHF Bookstore supporting echocardiography education and practice for sonographers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 88% graduate placement rate for sonography program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Fox 10minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 September 2023Local Phoenix television station that helped raise awareness about complimentary heart scans offered by AHF students through news coverage in September 2023.
• AZFamilyminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 September 2023Local news outlet that broadcast segments about AHF's complimentary heart scan services, helping reach broader audiences across Arizona.
• Thrush's ProcessingminorOthersGenerous donor of pig hearts for hands-on anatomy education at the ultrasound program. Pig hearts used for dissection activities help students better understand anatomical structures.
• Local Tucson HospitalscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExternship partner for the Tucson ultrasound program, providing 800+ clinical hours in real medical settings for student training and career preparation.
• Local Tucson Medical OfficescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerClinical externship sites where ultrasound program students gain hands-on experience working alongside healthcare professionals.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Brookline College: Arizona-based private college with diagnostic medical sonography / ultrasound programs. Competes with AHF for sonography applicants in the same regional market and shares a tuition-based, accelerated healthcare training model.
• Pima Medical Institute: Arizona-based private college with multiple diagnostic medical sonography / ultrasound programs and clinical externship networks. Directly comparable to AHF's School of Cardiac & Vascular Ultrasound in geography, modality focus, and career-oriented healthcare training.
• GateWay Community College: Phoenix-based community college operating diagnostic medical sonography and cardiovascular sonography programs with clinical placements. Direct competitor for cardiac ultrasound students in the same Phoenix labor market.

Others

• Larry King Cardiac Foundation: Nonprofit providing cardiac care support and screening access to underserved populations. Thematically comparable nonprofit cardiac-health mission but does not operate an ultrasound training school or imaging center.
• Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography: Professional association representing sonographers, with accreditation, certification, and continuing-education functions. Comparable in that it serves the same cardiac sonography workforce that AHF trains, but as an enabling/professional-society peer rather than a direct competitor.

Emerging players

• Mended Hearts: Nonprofit organization supporting patients with heart disease through peer support, education, and community outreach. Smaller in scale than AHA but pursues a community-based cardiovascular education and screening mission comparable to AHF.
• WomenHeart: National nonprofit focused on women and heart disease awareness, education, and support. Comparable community-outreach and education-driven nonprofit model and similar mission of raising awareness for an underserved cardiovascular segment.

Broad incumbents

• American Heart Association: Large national nonprofit focused on cardiovascular health education, awareness, and research funding. Operates much broader scope than AHF but competes for the same donor dollars, awareness mindshare, and community cardiovascular-screening mission space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@WixStudio
• Facebookfacebook.com/WixStudio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arizona-heart-foundation
• Xtwitter.com/WixStudio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Arizona Heart Foundation