National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance

What National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance does

National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, Inc. (NAAFA) is a U.S.-based 501(c)(4) social welfare organization founded in 1969 and headquartered at PO Box 61586, Las Vegas, Nevada, with stated operations in the United States and the United Kingdom. NAAFA advocates to end body-size discrimination and serves fat and larger-bodied people, their families, and allies across areas including employment, healthcare, education, transportation (notably air travel), public accommodations, and housing. Its primary segments are fat and larger-bodied individuals, allies and supporters, and the intersectional fat-and-disabled community.

NAAFA's product surface is built around advocacy, education, and community resources rather than technology. Offerings include the Campaign for Size Freedom (a joint legislative initiative with FLARE, the Fat Legal Advocacy, Rights and Education Project), the Community Voices Blog, a monthly electronic newsletter, the NAAFA Chronicles historical archive, the Dr. Paul Ernsberger Research Scholarship, healthcare provider guides, fat travel resources, the annual Fat Liberation Month programming, an anti-racism resource series, and a webinar series hosted by Executive Director Tigress Osborn. Distribution is digital and direct: a Squarespace-hosted website (naafa.org), social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube, plus email and event channels. There are no mobile apps, APIs, or proprietary software products.

The organization is funded primarily through individual donations and a recurring monthly giving program called POD (Passionate Ongoing Donor), supplemented by one-time gifts and restricted grants such as the Unitarian Universalist Fund for a Just Society's support of the Campaign for Size Freedom. NAAFA is governed by a Board of Directors (chaired by Amanda Cooper) and operates day-to-day with a small staff of 11–50 led by Executive Director Tigress Osborn (appointed 2020, the first Executive Director in over 20 years), Administrative Director Darliene Howell, Advocacy Coordinator Anna Ardelean, and Blog Editor Samantha Puc. Notable recent milestones include the Minneapolis passage of Bill 00563 adding height and weight as protected classes, a favorable Massachusetts Judiciary Committee vote on S.1249/H.1919, and inclusion of Tigress Osborn on TIME's 2024 TIME100 Health list.

Name

National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance

Legal name

National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, Inc

Website

https://naafa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NAAFA is a U.S.-based 501(c)(4) social welfare organization founded in 1969 that advocates to end body-size discrimination through education, community programs, and the Campaign for Size Freedom legislative initiative with FLARE.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Las Vegas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: NAAFA generates revenue through donations from individuals and organizations. The primary recurring revenue stream is the POD (Passionate Ongoing Donor) program where members give monthly. One-time donations are also accepted. The Campaign for Size Freedom is funded in part by the Unitarian Universalist Fund for a Just Society.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

NAAFA is a nonprofit social justice organization that advocates for fat people and fights size-based discrimination through education, community support, and legislative advocacy. Its core offerings include the Campaign for Size Freedom (a legislative initiative co-led with FLARE), the Community Voices Blog, monthly newsletter, healthcare provider guides, fat travel resources, the Dr. Paul Ernsberger Research Scholarship, and the NAAFA Webinar Series, all funded through donations and member contributions.

Product overview

NAAFA is a multigenerational, intersectional social justice organization that offers an integrated suite of advocacy programs, educational content, and community resources centered on ending size discrimination. The core offerings include the Campaign for Size Freedom (legislative advocacy), the NAAFA Community Voices Blog (editorial content), the monthly NAAFA Newsletter (publications), the NAAFA Chronicles archive (historical documentation), the Dr. Paul Ernsberger Research Scholarship (grant program), Healthcare Provider Guides (educational resources), Fat Travel Resources (advocacy guides), and the NAAFA Webinar Series (educational presentations). These programs work together to advance NAAFA's mission of education, advocacy, and support for fat people through both direct community engagement and systemic change efforts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Campaign for Size Freedom A landmark legislative advocacy initiative led by NAAFA and FLARE (Fat Legal Advocacy, Rights and Education Project) to outlaw height and weight discrimination through legislation at state and local levels.
• NAAFA Community Voices Blog An editorial blog featuring essays, resource guides, healthcare content, media roundups, and community perspectives on fat liberation and rights.
• NAAFA Newsletter A monthly electronic publication updating the community on NAAFA plans, programming, legislation, anti-racism resources, media roundups, and advocacy news.
• NAAFA Chronicles A comprehensive archive of historic NAAFA newsletters dating from 1970 to 1989, documenting the fat acceptance and fat activist movement history.
• Dr. Paul Ernsberger Research Scholarship A $2,500 scholarship program supporting graduate students conducting research on weight bias, metabolic syndrome, and the medical harm caused by diet obsession.
• Healthcare Provider Guides PDF guides including the Guide for Healthcare Providers with Fat Clients, Guide for Measuring Blood Pressure for Fat Patients, and GLP-1 Medications guidance.
• Fat Travel Resources Curated resources and advocacy materials helping larger-bodied travelers navigate airline policies, find accessible accommodations, and understand their rights.
• Anti-Racism Resources Monthly curated educational resources exploring the intersection of racism and anti-fatness, supporting community education on dismantling systemic racism.
• NAAFA Webinar Series Virtual presentations featuring activists, scholars, and artists from the fat community covering topics like fat liberation, legislation, and intersectional activism.

Quantifiable outcome

• NAAFA gathered over 1,000 signatures on their petition to Southwest Airlines
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• FLARE (Fat Legal Advocacy, Rights and Education Project)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFLARE is a project of the law office of Brandie Solovay. FLARE co-leads the Campaign for Size Freedom with NAAFA, working to outlaw height and weight discrimination through legislative advocacy at state and local levels.
• Bigger Bodies BostonsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBigger Bodies Boston is a local fat activism and community organization working closely with NAAFA and the Campaign for Size Freedom on passing the Massachusetts bill to ban discrimination based on size (S.1249/H.1919).
• AllGo AppminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAllGo is a review app where plus-size people rate the comfort and accessibility of public spaces. Listed as a resource in NAAFA's Other Resources section.
• Friendly Like Me AppminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAn app helping people with disabilities and people of size find businesses that can accommodate non-average bodies. Listed as a resource in NAAFA's Other Resources section.
• National Plus GuideminorGTM or Marketing PartnerA database of plus-friendly and plus-owned businesses. Listed as a resource in NAAFA's Other Resources section.
• Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerASDAH is a non-profit organization with international membership committed to Health At Every Size (HAES) principles. Listed as a related fat organization resource.
• Council on Size and Weight DiscriminationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by former NAAFA board members, this organization works to change public policies and people's attitudes concerning body weight. Listed as a related fat organization resource.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH): ASDAH is a non-profit with international membership promoting Health At Every Size (HAES) principles and is explicitly listed by NAAFA as a related fat-organization resource. Both organizations advocate for size acceptance within overlapping fat communities, making ASDAH a directly comparable peer.
• Obesity Action Coalition (OAC): OAC is a national non-profit advocating for individuals affected by obesity through education, advocacy, and support. It is a directly comparable peer addressing weight-based discrimination and policy, though from a medical-model orientation rather than fat-acceptance.
• Council on Size and Weight Discrimination: Founded by former NAAFA board members, this organization works to change public policies and attitudes concerning body weight. It is a directly comparable advocacy peer operating in the same fat-rights mission space with overlapping historical leadership.
• Body Positive (Be Body Positive): Be Body Positive is a non-profit focused on body image education and ending body-based discrimination, operating in a directly overlapping body-acceptance advocacy space. It is a mission-aligned peer focused on education and community rather than legislative protected-class expansion.
• Bigger Bodies Boston: Bigger Bodies Boston is a local fat activism and community organization that works closely with NAAFA on the Campaign for Size Freedom. It is a directly comparable grass-roots community peer addressing fat acceptance and Massachusetts size-discrimination legislation.

Broad incumbents

• NAACP: NAACP is a legacy US civil-rights non-profit that pursued protected-class legislation, intersectional advocacy, and mass membership engagement. It is structurally comparable to NAAFA's protected-class advocacy and intersectional community organizing, though at vastly greater scale.
• Human Rights Campaign (HRC): HRC is a major US civil-rights advocacy non-profit working on legal protections (including protected-class expansion) and corporate engagement. Its multi-state legislative, public-affairs, and corporate-engagement playbook closely mirrors NAAFA's Campaign for Size Freedom model.
• GLAAD: GLAAD is a longstanding non-profit media advocacy organization advancing LGBTQ acceptance through campaigns and policy work. It is structurally comparable to NAAFA as a high-profile advocacy non-profit using petitions, media monitoring, and legislative campaigns, even though its cause area differs.

Emerging players

• National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA): NEDA is a large non-profit focused on eating-disorder prevention and support that operates in an adjacent body-image and weight-stigma mission space. It overlaps with NAAFA on diet-culture critique and weight bias in healthcare but frames through a clinical lens rather than a fat-liberation lens.

Others

• Dove (Self-Esteem Project): Dove's Self-Esteem Project and Real Beauty campaigns are major corporate-led initiatives against body-based discrimination and for body acceptance. While a for-profit brand rather than a non-profit peer, it operates in an overlapping cultural-advocacy mission and represents an adjacent corporate participant in NAAFA's broader ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/naafaofficial
• Facebookfacebook.com/EqualityAtEverySize
• Instagraminstagram.com/NAAFAOfficial
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@NAAFA/videos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/naafaofficial

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance