Sanar Institute
Sanar Institute is a Newark, New Jersey-based nonprofit founded in 2015 that provides free trauma-specific therapy, training, and organizational wellness services to survivors of interpersonal violence and the professionals who serve them.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersNewark, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Sanar Institute does
Sanar Institute (legally Sanar Wellness Institute) is a Newark, New Jersey-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2015 that delivers trauma-specific clinical services, training, and organizational consulting to address the impact of interpersonal violence, including sex and labor trafficking, sexual violence, domestic violence, and image-based abuse. The organization operates through a three-pronged service model: a Wellness Center providing free individual therapy, group support, community workshops, and survivor-leader sessions in English and Spanish (in-person near Newark Penn Station and via a HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform); a Thrive Training and Education program offering customized curriculum development, certificate-based learning, and technical assistance to state, federal, nonprofit, and NGO stakeholders; and a Workplace Wellness program selling organizational assessments, coaching, and vicarious-trauma support to mission-driven employers. Clinical modalities include EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, DBT skills, Trauma-Sensitive Yoga, Expressive Arts, Narrative Therapy, IFS, and Animal-Assisted Therapy, delivered primarily by licensed social workers (LCSW, LMSW, LSW) with graduate specializations in Violence Against Women and Children.
Revenue is sourced from individual and corporate donations (including monthly recurring contributions via PayPal), government and private grants (notably the U.S. Office of Victims of Crime for Project TRUST), and fee-based professional services for Workplace Wellness and Thrive training engagements. All direct therapeutic services are provided at no cost to clients. Cumulative fundraising since 2015 exceeds $4 million, supporting delivery of 16,000+ therapeutic sessions, 650+ survivors directly served, 3,500+ professionals reached through training, and 500+ organizations engaged. The organization also maintains a proprietary resource library, including a downloadable Toolkit for Building Survivor-Informed Organizations, a Promising Practices Report co-developed with Polaris, and a first-of-its-kind online trauma-informed curriculum built through Project TRUST with USCRI and Brandeis University.
Governance is founder-led under Co-CEOs Kate Keisel (co-founder) and Sarah Lott (Wellness Center CEO), with Jessica Mora as Clinical Director since 2018. The clinical and operational team of 20+ includes licensed clinicians, bilingual resiliency specialists, program managers, and MSW fellows. Geographic reach extends beyond the U.S. into East Asia, Latin America, West Africa, and South Asia through training and technical-assistance engagements, while the Wellness Center remains anchored in Newark. The organization is actively operating and piloting the Thrive Learning Portal for scaled online training delivery.
Sanar Institute firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sanar Institute
- Legal name
- Sanar Wellness Institute
- Website
- https://sanar-institute.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Sanar Institute is a Newark, New Jersey-based nonprofit founded in 2015 that provides free trauma-specific therapy, training, and organizational wellness services to survivors of interpersonal violence and the professionals who serve them.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sanar Institute industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mental Health Services (Trauma Recovery & Survivor Support)
- NAICS
- Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (62142)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Peer Support, Recovery Coaching & Sober Living Services (HLAFACAN)
Keywords
Where Sanar Institute is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Newark
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Sanar Institute business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: Individual, corporate, and community donations through PayPal and other channels. Monthly recurring donation options available. The organization emphasizes that donations keep programs free and guarantee no one is turned away due to inability to pay.
- Grant Funding: Grant funding from government and private sources. Since 2015, Sanar has raised over $4 million to expand healing services in underserved communities. Sources include U.S. Office of Victims of Crime grants.
- Training and Education Services: Customized training, workshops, and technical assistance provided to organizations including government agencies, nonprofits, and corporations. Services include trauma-conscious training, vicarious trauma support, and professional development programs.
- Workplace Wellness Programs: Customized organizational wellness training, assessments, and coaching services for teams exposed to secondary and vicarious trauma. Includes case consultations, group coaching, organizational assessments, and individual support sessions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Free | Free therapeutic services for survivors of interpersonal violence |
| Other | Custom | Training and education services for organizations |
| Other | Custom | Workplace wellness programs for organizations |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Sanar Institute product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sanar Institute delivers free, trauma-specific therapeutic services to survivors of interpersonal violence at its Newark-based Wellness Center, including individual therapy, group therapy, EMDR, and AEDP modalities. It also delivers paid organizational offerings through the Thrive Initiative (training and education) and Workplace Wellness programs designed for staff at anti-trafficking, advocacy, and mission-driven organizations.
Product overview
Sanar Institute operates as a nonprofit offering a three-pronged service model: the Wellness Center provides direct trauma-specific therapeutic services (individual therapy, group therapy, workshops, survivor support); Thrive Training and Education delivers certificate programs, issue-specific training, and customized workshops on trauma-conscious practices; and Workplace Wellness provides organizational assessments, coaching, and support for professionals exposed to vicarious trauma. These services are supported by the Thrive Learning Portal (password-protected training platform), resource toolkits, and exercise-based healing resources. All Wellness Center services are provided at no cost to clients.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Wellness Center Free trauma-specific therapy services for survivors of interpersonal violence (including sex trafficking and sexual violence), delivered in English and Spanish via in-person sessions at the Newark, NJ Wellness Center and via a HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform. Modalities include Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), EMDR, and group therapy. Intake begins with a free 20-minute consultation; referrals are accepted from the National Human Trafficking Hotline, hospitals, and partner agencies.
- Thrive Initiative (Training and Education) Training and education program for mission-driven and survivor-serving organizations, featuring the Trauma-Conscious Engagement Curriculum (a 14-module online, self-paced course) and tailored group training engagements. The curriculum has been delivered across the U.S., East Asia, Latin America, and West Africa.
- Workplace Wellness Organizational program for staff at survivor-serving and mission-driven organizations, addressing vicarious trauma and burnout through the Clinical Resiliency Program and the Trauma-Informed Leadership Cohort. Designed for nonprofits, advocacy groups, anti-trafficking and anti-violence organizations, and corporations supporting survivor-serving staff.
Quantifiable outcome
- 16,000+ therapeutic sessions provided
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Sanar Institute
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Sanar Institute technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Sanar Institute partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- 3 Strands Global FoundationcorePartner organization in Sanar's Workplace Wellness program ecosystem. 3 Strands Global Foundation focuses on human trafficking prevention and survivor support.
- PolariscorePartner organization in Sanar's Workplace Wellness program ecosystem. Polaris is a leader in the global fight to eradicate modern slavery and human trafficking.
- National Human Trafficking HotlinecorePartner organization in Sanar's Workplace Wellness program ecosystem. The Hotline connects victims and survivors to critical services.
- BarkminorPartner organization in Sanar's Workplace Wellness program ecosystem. Bark provides safety tools for families and organizations.
- Transgender Law CentercorePartner organization in Sanar's Workplace Wellness program ecosystem. The center focuses on legal advocacy for transgender and gender-nonconforming communities.
- USCRI (U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants)coreCollaborative partner in Project TRUST, a grant collaboration between Sanar Institute, USCRI, and Brandeis University's Institute for Economic and Racial Equity. Sanar served as lead subject matter expert.
- Brandeis University - Institute for Economic and Racial EquitycoreCollaborative partner in Project TRUST, providing research and academic support for the first-of-its-kind online trauma-informed curriculum for the anti-trafficking field.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Sanar Institute competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- GEMS (Girls Educational & Mentoring Services): New York-based nonprofit providing direct services and advocacy for commercially sexually exploited and trafficked girls and young women. Comparable to Sanar's Wellness Center in offering survivor-centered, trauma-specific therapeutic and educational services.
- Sanctuary for Families: New York City nonprofit providing shelter, clinical services, and legal advocacy for survivors of domestic violence, sex trafficking, and related forms of gender-based violence. Closely overlaps Sanar's interpersonal-violence mission and clinical/therapeutic service mix.
- Thistle Farms: Nonprofit social enterprise in Nashville offering residential recovery, therapy, and employment to women survivors of trafficking, prostitution, and addiction. Comparable to Sanar on survivor-centered trauma recovery programming.
- Polaris: National leader in anti-trafficking that operates the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline and runs survivor-services programs. Directly comparable to Sanar on mission (combating human trafficking and supporting survivors) and overlapping funder/partner network; co-developed Sanar's Promising Practices report.
- A21: Global anti-human-trafficking nonprofit operating across multiple continents with prevention, protection, and prosecution programs. Comparable to Sanar on international training footprint and survivor-care mission.
- My Life My Choice: Boston-based program providing prevention, intervention, and survivor-mentor services for commercially sexually exploited youth. Comparable to Sanar on trauma-informed survivor services and survivor-leader/peer-support model.
- Restore NYC: New York-based nonprofit that supports survivors of sex trafficking through housing, counseling, education, and economic empowerment. Directly comparable to Sanar's holistic survivor-services model and culturally responsive approach.
Broad incumbents
- National Human Trafficking Hotline (Polaris-operated): Federally funded national hotline and referral network connecting trafficking victims to services. Functions as a primary referral channel that feeds survivors into Sanar's Wellness Center and a broader peer ecosystem in the anti-trafficking field.
- International Rescue Committee: Large international humanitarian nonprofit serving refugees and survivors of conflict and violence, including trauma-informed mental health programming. Broader than Sanar but overlapping in serving immigrant survivors of interpersonal violence and providing training to anti-trafficking/anti-violence stakeholders.
Emerging players
- Trauma-Informed Oregon (and similar TIC training orgs): Statewide initiative providing training, consultation, and organizational change support for trauma-informed care across health and social-service systems. Closely comparable to Sanar's Thrive Training and Education line in delivering TIC curriculum and technical assistance.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sanar Institute social profiles
Digital presenceSanar Institute financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sanar Institute leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Sanar Institute funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sanar Institute M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sanar Institute
What does Sanar Institute do?
Sanar Institute delivers free, trauma-specific therapeutic services to survivors of interpersonal violence at its Newark-based Wellness Center, including individual therapy, group therapy, EMDR, and AEDP modalities. It also delivers paid organizational offerings through the Thrive Initiative (training and education) and Workplace Wellness programs designed for staff at anti-trafficking, advocacy, and mission-driven organizations.
Is Sanar Institute a public or private company?
Sanar Institute is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Sanar Institute founded?
Sanar Institute was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Sanar Institute based?
Sanar Institute is headquartered in Newark, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sanar Institute make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Contributions are the primary driver. The others are grant Funding, training and Education Services and workplace Wellness Programs.
Who are Sanar Institute's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are GEMS (Girls Educational & Mentoring Services), Sanctuary for Families, Thistle Farms, Polaris, A21, My Life My Choice and Restore NYC. Broad incumbents are National Human Trafficking Hotline (Polaris-operated) and International Rescue Committee. Trauma-Informed Oregon (and similar TIC training orgs) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Sanar Institute have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sanar Institute.
What industry is Sanar Institute in?
Sanar Institute's product category is Mental Health Services (Trauma Recovery & Survivor Support). Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAEAD, Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services, with a secondary code of HLAFACAN, Peer Support, Recovery Coaching & Sober Living Services. Its NAICS code is 621420 and its SIC code is 8300.