Heritage Community Services

What Heritage Community Services does

Heritage Community Services is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit incorporated in South Carolina in 1995 that develops, certifies, and distributes evidence-based abstinence education curricula under its flagship Heritage Keepers brand. Its core product is the Heritage Keepers Abstinence Education curriculum — Level I (450 minutes, grades 6-12) and Level II (600 minutes, grades 9-12) — built on Stan Weed's Predictors of Sexual Behavior Model, the Heritage Process Model, and a multi-typology sensitivity approach that addresses seven levels of student sexual experience. Supplementary offerings include Heritage Keepers Life Skills Education (five curricula, twelve lessons each), Sex, Lies and Hook-Ups books for teens and parents, Professional Certification Training (3-day, $1,400/person or $13,000 flat fee on-site), Community Authorization Training (12-hour webinar, $500/person), Monitoring and Consultation Services, Regional MeetUps, and the Healthy Family Formation Coalition advocacy network.

The revenue model combines copyrighted curriculum material sales (Teacher Kits at $350, Level II kits at $100, student manuals at $12.50–$14, parent/teen books at $15–$25) with professional training services and grant-funded program delivery. All sales are gated on a signed Memorandum of Understanding and educator certification, creating a controlled distribution model. Heritage sells primarily to schools, youth-serving agencies, government grantees, and faith- and community-based organizations, with operations across 11 US states/territories plus St. Lucia from offices in Charleston, SC (headquarters) and Corpus Christi, TX (HYFS-TX regional office). The organization claims more than 300,000 teens served since 1998 across 700+ schools and agencies, with a 2011 HHS-supported quasi-experimental study of 2,215 students in 41 South Carolina schools demonstrating a 67% lower sexual initiation rate among program students versus matched controls. Heritage Keepers is the only abstinence-until-marriage program on the US HHS list of 41 evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs, with current annual medical accuracy approvals and ongoing Title V Section 510 compliance certification.

Name

Heritage Community Services

Legal name

Heritage Community Services

Website

https://heritageservices.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Heritage Community Services is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that develops and distributes the evidence-based Heritage Keepers abstinence education curricula, certification training, and supporting parent and life skills resources to schools, youth-serving agencies, and community organizations across 11 US states/territories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Abstinence and Sexual Risk Avoidance Education

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Education (SPED) & Inclusive Curriculum Materials (EDAGAAAE)

Keywords

• Abstinence education programs
• Sexual risk avoidance education
• Youth character education curricula
• Educator certification training
• Teen pregnancy prevention programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Charleston

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Heritage Keepers Curricula and Materials Sales: Heritage sells curriculum materials (Teacher Kits, Student Manuals, books) exclusively to agencies/organizations that have signed a Memorandum of Understanding and whose educators have completed required certification training. Materials are copyrighted and may not be duplicated without written permission.
2. Professional Certification Training: Heritage offers 3-day professional certification training for educators who will teach Heritage Keepers curricula with government or foundation funding, in public schools, or when the program is being evaluated. Training is priced per person at Heritage's Charleston location or as a flat fee for on-site training at client locations.
3. Community Authorization Training: A 12-hour online webinar-based training for individuals or agencies providing Heritage Keepers privately or without government/foundation support. Offered for $500/person for those not yet certified, with a $500 credit toward live training if attended within a year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Heritage Community Services sells copyrighted abstinence education curricula and companion certification training to schools, government agencies, and youth-serving organizations under signed Memoranda of Understanding. Core products are the Heritage Keepers Abstinence Education Level I (grades 6–12, 450 minutes) and Level II (grades 9–12, 600 minutes), supported by a Life Skills Education program, parent/teen educational books (Sex, Lies & Hook-Ups), and monitoring/consultation services grounded in a proprietary 20+ year evaluation methodology.

Product overview

Heritage Community Services offers a comprehensive suite of abstinence education programs built around its core Heritage Keepers curriculum platform. The primary offering is the Heritage Keepers Abstinence Education Level I (grades 6-12) with 450 minutes of high-impact instruction, supplemented by Level II (grades 9-12) and five Life Skills Education maintenance curricula. The company also provides supporting resources including the Sex, Lies and Hook-Ups books for teens and parents, along with Professional Certification and Community Authorization Training programs. Services include Monitoring and Consultation, Regional MeetUps technical assistance, and the Healthy Family Formation Coalition advocacy network. All programs are grounded in evidence-based methodology with proven behavioral outcomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Heritage Keepers: The primary program brand for abstinence education curricula and trainings offered by Heritage Community Services. Includes Heritage Keepers Abstinence Education, Heritage Keepers Life Skills Education, Heritage Keepers Teen Education, and Heritage Keepers Parent Education.

Products and services

• Heritage Keepers Abstinence Education Level I Primary abstinence education curriculum for grades 6–12 providing 450 minutes of high-impact instruction to equip and empower adolescents to abstain from sexual activity outside of marriage. Sold as a copyrighted Teacher Kit ($350 + S&H, available in English, Spanish, French Canadian, and Hawaii/American Samoa editions) only to agencies with a signed MOU and certified educators.
• Heritage Keepers Abstinence Education Level II Follow-up abstinence education curriculum for grades 9–12 providing 600 minutes of additional high-impact instruction taught after Level I. Sold as a $100 + S&H Teacher Kit add-on; cannot be purchased without a complete Level I Teacher Kit.
• Heritage Keepers Life Skills Education Maintenance program with five separate curricula containing twelve lessons each on character development and avoiding risky behaviors, taught in flexible schedules (weekly, biweekly, monthly). Student Manuals are sold separately at $14.00 each + S&H (minimum order 30).
• Sex, Lies and Hook-Ups: A Teen's Guide for Fighting Back (book) Book providing teens with skill-building tools to abstain from sex, covering values, goals, media influences, protective boundaries, and commitment to abstinence. Sold at $15/each + S&H.
• Sex, Lies and Hook-Ups: A Parent's Guide for Fighting Back (book) Book and resource kit designed to empower parents to teach abstinence, including a manual for parents, a manual for students, and online access to seven professionally produced videos. Sold at $25/each + S&H.
• Monitoring and Consultation Services Technical assistance, implementation monitoring, and evaluation consultation provided to agencies implementing Heritage Keepers programs, including the proprietary Stan Weed pre/post educator-effectiveness survey with feedback returned within four weeks of curriculum completion.
• Professional Certification Training Required 3-day certification training for educators teaching Heritage Keepers with government or foundation funding, in public schools, or when the program is being evaluated. Priced at $1,400 per agency for up to 5 people at Charleston HQ ($13,000 flat fee for unlimited participants on-site at client locations). Includes one Heritage Keepers I Teacher Kit per trainee.
• Community Authorization Training 12-hour online webinar-based authorization training for individuals or agencies providing Heritage Keepers privately or without government/foundation support, priced at $500 per person (with $500 credit toward live training if completed within a year). Available free for individuals previously certified via Options 1 or 2 within five years.

Quantifiable outcome

• Heritage program students initiate sexual activity at a rate 67% lower than well-matched non-program students one year after program completion (2011 study, 2,215 students, 41 SC schools).
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Institute for Research and EvaluationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Led by Stan Weed, PhD, the Institute for Research and Evaluation served as the independent third-party evaluator for Heritage Keepers programs. Conducted the 2011 study that secured Heritage's placement on the HHS evidence-based list, as well as the 2005 study and other evaluations. Dr. Weed received no compensation for the 2011 analysis. The institute was chosen for its long history evaluating abstinence education programs.
• Mathematica Policy ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007Conducted an independent, systematic review of programs effective in reducing teen pregnancy, STIs, and related sexual risk behaviors on behalf of HHS. Also conducted the 2007 study of the Heritage Keepers Life Skills Education program. Reviewed the 2011 study by Stan Weed for inclusion on the HHS evidence-based list. Paid directly by the Federal government for their evaluation role.
• US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHHS, through its Office of Adolescent Health and Office of Population Affairs, placed Heritage Keepers on the federal list of 41 evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs in 2012. HHS oversees the abstinence education grant programs (Title V Section 510, SRAE, CAE, PREP) that fund Heritage implementations. HHS contracts with Mathematica and Child Trends for program reviews.
• Medical Institute for Sexual Health (MISH)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA nationally recognized agency specializing in medically accurate information related to teen sex. Has reviewed and approved Heritage Keepers for medical accuracy each year since 2013 (most recently summer 2019). Also contributed Dr. Joshua Mann (Professor and Chair, Dept of Preventive Medicine, University of Mississippi) and Dr. Joe McIlhaney (Ob/Gyn, founder of MISH) to curriculum development.
• ASCEND (formerly National Abstinence Education Association)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerASCEND reviewed and approved the Heritage Keepers curriculum for meeting all federal Title V, Section 510 requirements for sexual risk avoidance education, with the most recent approval in Spring 2023. Also provides Sexual Risk Avoidance Specialist training as part of Heritage's Professional Certification curriculum.
• Child TrendsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Mathematica Policy Research under a contract with HHS to conduct independent, systematic reviews of teen pregnancy prevention programs. Assessed and rated the rigor of program impact studies and described the strength of evidence supporting different program models for the HHS evidence-based list.
• Pal-TechminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompleted medical accuracy review and approval of Heritage Keepers materials in 2022 through a contract with the US Department of Health and Human Services to review all funded Sexual Risk Avoidance programs.
• Darkness to LightmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeritage Community Services has been a Partner in Prevention with Darkness to Light every year since 2012. Darkness to Light provides the Stewards of Children Sexual Abuse Prevention training that Heritage Educators receive during certification. Heritage Educators are trained as Mandated Reporters of abuse.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/abstinenceworks
• Facebookfacebook.com/HeritageKeepers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heritagecommunityservices

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Heritage Community Services