Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program

What Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program does

Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program, founded in 1994 by Dale and Dar Emme following the death of their son Mike Emme, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operated under The Light for Life Foundation International. The organization is dedicated to preventing suicide through leadership, awareness, and education, with its mission articulated as making suicide prevention accessible to everyone regardless of professional training. Headquartered within Hidden Lake Secondary School in Westminster Public Schools (Colorado), the program has reached over 1.5 million youth across 5,000+ schools and churches in the United States and 47 countries over its 30-year history.

The core product suite comprises three trademarked programs: Ask 4 Help!® wallet-sized cards that serve as a voice for youth in crisis, Be A Link!® community gatekeeper training for adults, and an Elementary K-5 curriculum that instills help-seeking behavior upstream. A 2-day Train the Trainer certification program ($435 for adults, $335 for youth/students/seniors/military, $175 for re-certification every two years) builds a distributed network of certified trainers authorized to deliver Ask 4 Help! and Be A Link! trainings. The technology is fundamentally non-clinical, peer-based curriculum grounded in safe-messaging prevention practices, with no AI/automation layer evident in the delivery model.

Revenue is generated through five streams: training fees, merchandise sales (Ask 4 Help! cards, pins, decals, lanyards, Link Bear 3.0), annual membership dues, chapter establishment and renewal fees ($50-$750 tiered by chapter type), and donations via the Zeffy platform and Colorado Gives Day. Distribution occurs through a chapter network of 30+ chapters across 17+ U.S. states and international locations (Canada, Australia, Zambia, Scotland, Northern Ireland), an e-commerce storefront, the certified trainer network, and an International Youth Council for ages 14-23 that provides grassroots advocacy. Customer segments span schools and educational institutions (primary), community organizations and churches, youth and teens, parents and families, suicide loss survivors, and K-5 children.

Name

Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program

Legal name

The Light for Life Foundation Int'l/Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program

Website

https://yellowribbon.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers peer-based suicide prevention training, trademarked Ask 4 Help!® cards, and gatekeeper certification programs to youth, schools, churches, and communities across 47 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Suicide Prevention Education and Training Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (624110), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Crisis Response & Threat Assessment (Suicide Prevention, Violence Prevention) (EDAJAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Crisis Intervention & Suicide Prevention Services (EDALAFAD), Suicide Prevention, Self-Harm Prevention & Threat Assessment Programs (EDAKAMAI), Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Programs & Supports (EDAJAIAC)

Keywords

• Suicide prevention programs
• Community gatekeeper training
• Mental health education
• Youth awareness training
• Peer support training

Headquarters

HQ city

Westminster

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Training Fees: Revenue from 2-day Train the Trainer certification programs. Adults pay $435, Youth/Students/60+/Military pay $335, and re-certification costs $175. Trainers are certified to conduct Ask 4 Help! and Be A Link! trainings within their communities.
2. Merchandise Sales: Online store selling Ask 4 Help! cards, Yellow Ribbon merchandise (pins, decals, lanyards, bracelets), the Yellow Ribbon Bear (Link 3.0), and educational materials including CDs, DVDs, flash drives and digital downloads.
3. Membership Dues: Annual membership showing commitment to suicide prevention. Members receive discounts on merchandise, rights to use Yellow Ribbon materials, chapter representation on International Chapter Council, and website listing.
4. Chapter Fees: New chapter establishment fees: 501(c)(3) chapters $750, Multi-Site chapters $300, Single Site chapters $150, Youth/Club chapters $50. Chapters must renew annually with membership and annual report.
5. Donations: Donations accepted through Zeffy platform and Colorado Gives Day. Individual contributions support the organization's mission to prevent suicide and provide education and resources.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program delivers community-based suicide prevention through the Ask 4 Help!® wallet cards and the Be A Link!® gatekeeper training curriculum for youth, adults, and children in grades K-5. The organization also operates a 2-day Train the Trainer certification program, a chapter network with tiered membership, an annual membership program, and a merchandise store. All offerings follow recognized safe messaging prevention practices and emphasize peer-based, non-clinical intervention.

Product overview

The Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program® operates as a non-profit organization offering a comprehensive suite of suicide prevention products and programs centered around its flagship Ask 4 Help!® Cards and Be A Link!® Training programs. The core offerings include: the Ask 4 Help!® Cards, which serve as a voice for youth in crisis; Ask 4 Help!® Suicide Awareness Training for youth/teens; Be A Link!® Suicide Prevention Training for adults; and specialized Elementary Training for children K-5. The organization also provides a 2-Day Train the Trainer Program for certification, manages a Chapter Program with multiple membership tiers, offers Youth Council membership for ages 14-23, and sells branded merchandise including the Link Bear (now in its 3rd generation). All programs follow recognized safe messaging prevention practices and emphasize help-seeking behavior, warning signs, risk/protective factors, and resource identification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ask 4 Help!: Suicide awareness training program and wallet cards designed to help youth ask for help when they cannot find the words.
• Be A Link!

Products and services

• Ask 4 Help!® Cards

Quantifiable outcome

• 94% of participants agreed training provided tools and resources to function as a LINK for suicide prevention
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered founding and core.

• Hawarden, Iowa CommunityfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1994Yellow Ribbon's pilot site launched in Hawarden, Iowa in October 1995. Three nearby towns along with 17 churches, local schools, mental/public health agencies, and first responders came together to launch the first Yellow Ribbon Chapter. This collaborative model became the foundation for all subsequent chapters.
• Compass Behavioral HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompass Behavioral Health in Dodge City, Kansas began a Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program. Program Supervisor Richard Falcon serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of Yellow Ribbon. The program has saved many lives throughout Western Kansas.
• Westminster Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYellow Ribbon's physical office is located within Hidden Lake Secondary School in Westminster Public Schools, Colorado. This partnership provides facility space for the international headquarters.
• International Chapter NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of 30+ chapters across U.S. states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Wisconsin) and international locations (Zambia, Australia, Canada, Northern Ireland, Scotland). Chapters serve as local extensions distributing cards, conducting trainings, and organizing events.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• The Trevor Project: Adjacent youth-focused crisis and suicide prevention organization (specializing in LGBTQ+ youth) with a digital-first model (chat/text hotline) and school programs. Comparable youth suicide prevention mission but differentiated delivery (digital crisis services vs. community training).

Direct peers

• LivingWorks (SafeTALK / ASIST): Direct peer providing evidence-based suicide prevention gatekeeper training (SafeTALK) and intervention skills training (ASIST). Competes for the same school, community, and church training budgets as Yellow Ribbon.
• Sandy Hook Promise: Peer organization delivering K-12 violence and suicide prevention awareness programs (Say Something, Safety Matters) via school-based trainer networks. Comparable school focus, training-the-trainer model, and broad district adoption strategy.
• Sources of Strength: Peer suicide prevention program built around peer-leader models in middle and high schools. Comparable youth-led prevention approach, school channel, and trainer certification model.
• The Jason Foundation: Direct peer dedicated to youth suicide prevention and awareness through school-based education, trainer programs, and curriculum packages. Highly comparable mission, target market (K-12 / youth), and distribution approach.
• QPR Institute: Direct competitor offering gatekeeper training for suicide prevention (Question, Persuade, Refer) for schools, workplaces, and communities. Closely comparable curriculum, audience, and channel model to Yellow Ribbon's Be A Link! and Ask 4 Help! trainings.
• Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE): Long-standing peer providing suicide prevention education, gatekeeper training (safeTALK), and survivor support programs. Directly comparable curriculum and target audience to Yellow Ribbon.

Others

• Born This Way Foundation: Adjacent youth mental wellness nonprofit co-founded by Lady Gaga, focusing on kindness, mental health resources, and youth peer support. Theme-related (youth mental health) but not a direct training competitor.

Broad incumbents

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP): Broad incumbent and largest U.S. nonprofit solely dedicated to suicide prevention. Provides Talk Saves Lives trainings, advocacy, research funding, and survivor support — overlapping with Yellow Ribbon on community education, training, and survivor resources.
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): Broad incumbent in mental health education and advocacy providing community education programs (e.g., Ending the Silence for youth) and support groups. Overlaps with Yellow Ribbon on youth mental health awareness and gatekeeper-style training delivery.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/YellowRibbonA4H
• Instagraminstagram.com/yellowribbonsuicideprevention
• Xx.com/YellowRibbonA4H
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yellow-ribbon-suicide-prevention-program

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program