Families Anonymous

What Families Anonymous does

Families Anonymous is a 12-step fellowship nonprofit organization founded in 1971 in California by a group of concerned parents seeking ways to address substance abuse and addiction in their children. The organization serves parents, grandparents, siblings, spouses, significant others, and other family members and friends of individuals with current, suspected, or former drug, alcohol, or related behavioral issues. Headquartered at the World Service Office in Des Plaines, Illinois (701 Lee St., Suite 670), FA operates a global fellowship with member groups in more than 14 countries, including the United States, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom, and is governed by an elected World Service Board of Directors serving two-year terms.

The organization's core offerings center on peer support delivered through in-person meetings, virtual Zoom meetings, hybrid meetings, phone meetings, and an email-based E-Meeting discussion group that sustains over 700 active members and exchanges more than 2,000 messages per month. Its product catalog spans 50+ English titles and 13+ Spanish titles, including foundational pamphlets (#1001), the daily reader 'Today A Better Way' (#1015), the Twelve Step Workbook (#1019), and the recently released #1041 'Rewards of Recovery: Exploring the Twelve Promises.' Additional outputs include commemorative medallions, Serenity Prayer cards, USB audio editions, the bi-monthly Serenity Messenger newsletter, an annual World Service Convention, and educational audio/video recordings. There is no proprietary technology platform; the organization does not operate an app, and its digital footprint is limited to its website, online literature store, email listserv, and social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Families Anonymous generates revenue entirely through the sale of recovery literature (priced from $0.50 to $15.00) and voluntary member donations, in adherence to its Seventh Tradition, which explicitly prohibits accepting outside contributions from any source. Membership is free, all meetings are free to attend, and starter kits for new groups are provided at no charge. The organization holds 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status and is supported by 11–50 paid staff at the World Service Office. Control rests with the membership through elected board members, with no parent company, no external funding, and no venture capital ownership.

Name

Families Anonymous

Legal name

Families Anonymous, Inc.

Website

https://familiesanonymous.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Families Anonymous is a 12-step nonprofit fellowship founded in 1971 supporting families and friends of those with substance use or behavioral addictions. It operates through in-person, virtual, and email-based meetings across 14+ countries, funded by member donations and literature sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Peer Support and Recovery Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Parent Support Groups & Peer Networks (EDACALAG), Parent Mental Health, Stress Management & Wellness Programs (EDACALAJ)

Keywords

• Peer support groups
• Twelve step fellowship
• Family recovery support
• Addiction recovery literature
• Nonprofit support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Plaines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Literature Sales: Sale of recovery literature including books, pamphlets, workbooks, medallions, cards, and meeting materials through an online store. Revenue supports the World Service Office operations.
2. Member Donations: Voluntary donations from members, member groups, and intergroups. Groups are encouraged to donate surplus funds. Individual donations are tax-deductible as FA is a 501(c)(3) organization. Single-event donations accepted for gratitude, celebratory, or memorial purposes.
3. No External Funding: Traditions specifically prohibit accepting outside contributions from any source. All costs must come from literature sales and member donations only.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Families Anonymous operates a 12-step fellowship program for family members and friends of individuals with drug, alcohol, or related behavioral issues. The organization provides peer support through in-person, virtual, and phone meetings worldwide, and sells a catalog of recovery literature (books, pamphlets, workbooks, medallions, cards, and meeting materials) to support its program.

Product overview

Families Anonymous is a 12-step fellowship organization offering support to families and friends of those with substance use or behavioral issues. The organization provides a portfolio of recovery-related products centered around its core literature catalog containing 50+ English titles and 13+ Spanish titles. Key offerings include the #1001 FA Basic Pamphlet (foundational reading containing Twelve Steps and Traditions), #1015 Today A Better Way daily readings book (the primary program text), #1019 Twelve Step Workbook (personal recovery exercises), and #5003 Suggested Meeting Format (group leadership guide). Additional products span commemorative medallions, Serenity Prayer cards, audio materials on USB drive, and group materials. The organization supports members through in-person and virtual meetings, an email-based E-Meeting discussion group with over 700 active members, the bi-monthly Serenity Messenger newsletter, and annual World Service Conventions. E-resources provide digital materials for new groups and public outreach. Spanish-language literature is available for international members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• #1001 FA Basic Pamphlet

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Learn to Cope: Peer-support network for families dealing with opioid and other substance addiction, founded in Massachusetts. Comparable mission and family-focused peer-support format, with a stronger emphasis on naloxone education and harm reduction.
• Nar-Anon Family Groups: 12-step fellowship for families of narcotics addicts, organized and structured almost identically to FA. Directly comparable in program design, anonymity conventions, and volunteer-led meeting model, though narrows the substance focus.
• Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters: The closest direct peer — a 12-step fellowship of the same vintage and structure, but focused specifically on families of alcoholics. Operates a near-identical model of free meetings, literature sales, and self-supporting traditions, making it the most natural benchmark for FA's operations.
• Alateen: Part of the Al-Anon family specifically for teenage members of families affected by a parent's alcoholism. Comparable in the 12-step teen/family-support niche and overlapping with FA's Parents of Adolescents segment.
• Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA): 12-step recovery fellowship for adults who grew up in alcoholic or otherwise dysfunctional homes. Highly comparable in fellowship structure, literature program, and donation-funded model, but addresses a different life-stage population.
• Families Against Narcotics: Community-based nonprofit offering family support, education, and prevention programming around opioid and substance addiction. Directly comparable family-of-addicts focus, with overlapping meeting and advocacy functions, though smaller and regionally concentrated.
• Grief Recovery After Substance Passing (GRASP): Peer-support organization specifically for those who have lost a loved one to substance use or overdose. Directly comparable to FA's bereavement support segment and to its peer-led meeting format, though narrower in scope.

Broad incumbents

• Partnership to End Addiction: Large, well-resourced national nonprofit providing resources, helpline, and personalized support for families impacted by addiction. Comparable target audience but operates as a professionally staffed, grant-funded organization rather than a volunteer 12-step fellowship.

Emerging players

• SMART Recovery Family & Friends: Science-based, secular alternative to 12-step family support, offering online meetings and tools for families affected by addiction. Comparable target audience but uses a non-spiritual methodology and a more digital-first delivery model, representing the modern alternative FA competes against.
• The Addict's Parent: Smaller peer-support organization for parents of addicted children, founded after personal loss. Comparable niche and family-support intent to FA's Parents of Adolescents segment, with a more digital and storytelling-driven engagement model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@FamiliesAnonymousOfficial
• Facebookfacebook.com/familiesanonymousofficial
• Instagraminstagram.com/familiesanonymousofficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/families-anonymous-inc

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 Families Anonymous