Mental Health Grace Alliance

What Mental Health Grace Alliance does

Mental Health Grace Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2011 by Joe Padilla and neuroscientist Dr. Matthew Stanford to address the lack of mental health support within Christian communities. Headquartered in Woodway, Texas, the organization provides free Christ-centered mental health support groups, recovery resources, and church-based mental health ministry training worldwide, with all digital resources and online leader training offered at no cost and supported by donor contributions. The organization serves a dual customer base: churches, ministries, schools, and community organizations that adopt the curriculum and train volunteer facilitators, and the individuals, couples, families, and youth who participate in Grace Groups for anxiety, depression, trauma, and other mental health challenges.

The core product portfolio comprises four evidence-informed curricula: Living Grace (introductory adult support), Redefine Grace (youth and young adults), Family Grace (caregivers and family members), and Thrive (a 20-week comprehensive recovery program). These are delivered through free digital workbooks, a 50-minute Grace Academy leader training course, online and in-person Grace Groups, and affordable hard-copy workbooks via Amazon. Resources are available in English, Spanish, and Chinese. The Whole-Health Through Grace model addresses physical, mental, spiritual, and relational dimensions, positioning the groups as discipleship experiences that complement rather than replace professional clinical care. Four published outcome studies document effectiveness across the Living Grace, Living Hope, Thrive, and Clergy Training programs.

The business model is donor-funded with a freemium product structure: individual donors and ministry partners provide the operating revenue, digital resources and training are given away free, and a modest revenue stream is generated through Amazon hardcopy workbook sales. The go-to-market approach is community-led, leveraging existing church networks as distribution points where volunteer facilitators launch groups using free downloadable materials. The organization has scaled to 30,000+ participants across 1,300+ groups in 58+ countries, with international partnerships such as Baptist Oi Kwan Social Service in Hong Kong and ApostolicVoice Education Trust in Zambia supporting localized adoption and translation efforts.

Name

Mental Health Grace Alliance

Legal name

Mental Health Grace Alliance

Website

https://mentalhealthgracealliance.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mental Health Grace Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free Christ-centered mental health support groups, curricula, and church-leader training, serving churches, ministries, and individuals across 58+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-Based Mental Health Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Social Assistance (624)

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), Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGAEAH)

Keywords

• Christian mental health support
• Faith-based support groups
• Mental health ministry training
• Peer-led recovery programs
• Church-based mental health

Headquarters

HQ city

Waco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donor Contributions: Donor-supported 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Contributions from individuals and organizations fund free digital resources, training, and operations. Federal ID: 27-3845241.
2. Workbook Sales: Affordable hard-copy workbooks available through Amazon. Digital workbooks are provided free. Value savings cited: $500 per leader for training, $75 annual subscription value for leader support, $48 for workbooks.
3. Free Digital Resources: All digital resources including workbooks, guides, devotionals, and leader training are provided free. The organization gives away over $29,000 monthly in free resources.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Mental Health Grace Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free Christ-centered mental health support group curricula (Living Grace, Redefine Grace, Family Grace, and Thrive), facilitator training through Grace Academy, and complementary digital workbooks, guides, devotionals, and webinars. Resources are delivered to individuals, families, churches, ministries, and mental health professionals worldwide, and all digital materials and leader training are free with hard-copy workbooks sold via Amazon.

Product overview

Mental Health Grace Alliance is a Christian mental health non-profit organization offering a portfolio of free evidence-informed products and services centered on mental health discipleship. The core offerings include four interconnected support group curricula: Living Grace (for adults), Redefine Grace (for youth/teens), Family Grace (for family members/caregivers), and Thrive (a more comprehensive 20-week in-depth recovery course). These curricula are delivered through in-person and online Grace Groups facilitated by trained volunteer leaders using free digital workbooks. The organization also provides complementary free resources including educational guides, devotionals, blog articles, webinars, and church leader training (Mental Health 101). All digital resources and training are provided free of charge, with affordable hard-copy workbooks available through Amazon. The model is designed to complement professional mental health treatment, not replace it.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Grace Groups: Free Christ-centered mental health (discipleship) support groups including Living Grace, Family Grace, and Redefine Grace programs
• Thrive
• Grace Academy
• Living Grace
• Family Grace
• Redefine Grace

Products and services

• Living Grace
• Redefine Grace
• Family Grace
• Thrive
• Grace Academy
• Mental Health 101 for Church Leaders
• Grace Groups Network

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced mental health symptoms among Living Grace group participants
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Baptist Oi Kwan Social Service (BOKSS) Hong KongcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Since 2021, BOKSS has implemented several Living Grace mutual groups to support mental wellness through church partnerships and Integrated Community Centres for Mental Wellness. Program has shown significant positive impact with 94% of surveyed participants reporting improved overall well-being. 300 handbook copies printed. New collaborations include translating Family Grace and Redefine Grace into additional languages.
• ApostolicVoice Education Trust (AVET)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAVET facilitates Living Grace groups in Lusaka, Zambia. Represents one of many local church and ministry partners worldwide distributing Grace Alliance resources through community-based groups.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pure Desire Ministries: Faith-based nonprofit providing group-based recovery curricula and church-partnered support programs, with a focus on trauma, addiction, and mental health. Closely comparable as a Christ-centered, church-distributed group support organization.
• Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF): Faith-based nonprofit providing biblical counseling training, resources, and materials for churches and individuals. Closely comparable to MHGA in its integration of Christian theology with mental health support and church-based distribution model.
• Stephen Ministries: St. Louis-based nonprofit that equips lay caregivers in congregations to provide one-on-one Christian care, including for those experiencing mental health challenges. Comparable mission of training lay leaders in churches to deliver Christ-centered support.

Emerging players

• Give an Hour: Nonprofit mobilizing mental health professionals to provide free services to underserved communities. Comparable mission of expanding mental health access via nonprofit and volunteer networks, though uses licensed clinicians rather than lay leaders.

Broad incumbents

• American Bible Society: Faith-based nonprofit distributing Christian resources globally across multiple languages. Comparable donor-supported nonprofit model with global distribution of faith-based content and translation infrastructure.
• Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ): Large global Christian ministry with programs touching on student mental health, discipleship, and faith-based support. Comparable as a global faith-based nonprofit using curriculum and volunteer networks, though broader in mission.
• Tim Tebow Foundation: Faith-based nonprofit operating faith-oriented programs including mental health-related outreach, with a focus on bringing faith and community resources to vulnerable populations. Broader scope but similar Christian nonprofit donor-funded model.
• Compassion International: Large faith-based nonprofit operating globally with programs that include trauma and mental health support for children and families. Comparable as a Christian nonprofit with multinational reach and donor-funded operations.
• Focus on the Family: Large, established Christian nonprofit offering resources on marriage, parenting, and family topics including mental health. Broader in scope than MHGA but shares the same faith-based family and mental health resource distribution model.

Others

• Kaiser Permanente Thriving Communities: Large integrated healthcare organization with community-based mental health and faith-community partnership programs. Relevant adjacent comparator for scale of community-based mental health distribution and partnership models.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/thegracealliance
• Instagraminstagram.com/thegracealliance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mental-health-grace-alliance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Mental Health Grace Alliance