Peer Plus Education & Training Advocates

What Peer Plus Education & Training Advocates does

Peer Plus Education and Training Advocates is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in December 2002 by Phyllis L. Rodgers and headquartered at 818 E. 63rd Street, Suite #144, Chicago, Illinois. The organization identifies underserved populations across the Chicago metropolitan area and the broader Midwest and delivers culturally sensitive health education programs, wellness support services, non-medical education, training, and workshops covering cancer awareness, chronic disease prevention (asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, HIV), and emotional resilience. Since inception, Peer Plus reports engaging 4,500+ participants through community events, seminars, health fairs, screenings, and educational programs, and has earned recognized credentials including its founder's 2016 PCORI Ambassador certification, 2017 Patient Brigade membership at the University of Illinois Cancer Center, and a 2024 Certificate of Recognition from Dementia Dignified Academy.

Operationally, Peer Plus is a volunteer-powered nonprofit governed by a voluntary board of directors and supported by a network of community-based partnerships with health centers, free clinics, hospitals, social service agencies, churches, and academic medical centers. Its revenue model rests entirely on philanthropic giving, corporate sponsorships, and event-based fundraising (including ticketed events such as National Cancer Survivors Day at $50 per person), with all programs and services provided free of charge to participants. Sponsorship and partnership relationships span major healthcare and life-sciences counterparties, including Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Walgreens, Aetna Insurance, Amgen, Exact Sciences/Cologuard, the University of Chicago Medicine, the University of Illinois Cancer Center, Northwestern University (ARCC), City of Hope, Humana Health, AARP Foundation Experience Corps, JenCare, Oak Street Health, and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Recurring community events include Chat & Chew, the Women's Health Symposium, Paint the Church Pink, EmpowerHER, Survivors' Celebration, Release the Silence African American Conference on Alzheimer's and dementia, and Black History Month events, all delivered through direct community engagement rather than digital distribution channels.

Name

Peer Plus Education & Training Advocates

Legal name

Peer Plus Education and Training Advocates

Website

https://peerpluscares.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Peer Plus Education and Training Advocates is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2002 that delivers free, culturally sensitive health education, wellness support, and community events to underserved populations across Chicago and the Midwest, with a focus on cancer awareness, chronic disease prevention, and emotional resilience.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Health Education Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Health, Prevention & Health Education (BPAGACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

Keywords

• Community health education
• Culturally sensitive programming
• Chronic disease prevention
• Cancer awareness outreach
• Nonprofit wellness services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

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. Donations and Philanthropic Giving: Peer Plus is financially supported through fundraising, donations and philanthropic giving from sponsors and individual donors
2. Event-Based Fundraising: Revenue generated through ticketed events such as the National Cancer Survivors Day celebration ($50 per person), Chat & Chew events, and other community fundraising events

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Peer Plus Education and Training Advocates is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free, culturally sensitive health education programs, wellness support services, training workshops, and community events for underserved populations across Chicago and the Midwest. Its programming focuses on cancer awareness, chronic disease prevention (asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, HIV disease), and emotional resilience, delivered through partnerships with health centers, free clinics, hospitals, and social service agencies.

Product overview

Peer Plus Education and Training Advocates is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that operates as a community health education and wellness service provider, not a technology product company. The organization offers a portfolio of health education programs, wellness support services, training workshops, and community events focused on cancer awareness, chronic disease prevention, and emotional resilience. Key programs include Health Education Programs, Wellness Support Services, and Training/Workshops. The organization also hosts recurring community events including Chat & Chew, Women's Health Symposium, Release the Silence African American Conference, Paint the Church Pink, EmpowerHER, Survivors' Celebration, and Black History Month events. These programs are delivered through partnerships with health centers, hospitals, and social service agencies across the Chicago and Midwest area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Health Education Programs Culturally sensitive health education programs addressing cancer awareness, chronic disease prevention (asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, HIV disease), and emotional resilience for underserved populations in Chicago and the Midwest. Delivered free of charge via volunteer staff and partner networks.
• Wellness Support Services Free, compassionate wellness support providing health education, psychosocial services, and workshops to individuals and families across Chicago and the Midwest.
• Training and Workshops Non-medical education, training, and related workshops provided to community members on health topics and wellness.
• Health Screening Referrals Referrals for health screenings and related services in partnership with community health centers for underserved communities.
• Chat & Chew Event Annual community ticketed celebration honoring National Cancer Survivors' Day featuring cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, entertainment, raffles, auctions, and live music for cancer survivors and advocates.
• Women's Health Symposium Health education event focused on women's health issues featuring panel discussions with healthcare professionals and community leaders.
• Release the Silence African American Conference Annual conference designed to help the community address Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, geared toward caregivers, future caregivers, and healthcare professionals.
• Paint the Church Pink Breast cancer awareness event held at churches to promote cancer education and early detection within the community.
• EmpowerHER Women's empowerment event focusing on health education and community support for women.
• Survivors' Celebration Event celebrating cancer survivors and their journeys, part of National Cancer Survivors Day recognition.
• Black History Month Event Community event celebrating Black History Month with educational and wellness programming.
• Community Health Fairs Community health fairs providing educational materials, brochures, screenings, and connections to health services for underserved populations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Engaged 4,500+ participants since inception in 2002
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• U.S. Food & Drug AdministrationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2020Historic partnership formed in February 2020 during Black History Month to co-host community forum 'A Conversation about the Facts, Figures and Cultural Diversity in Oncology,' emphasizing the urgent need for people of all colors to participate in clinical trials
• Janssen PharmaceuticalscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerValued partnership for healthcare initiatives and community health programs
• Aetna InsuranceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHealthcare partnership providing sponsorship and support for community wellness initiatives
• WalgreensminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHealthcare partnership for community wellness outreach and education
• AmgenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum sponsor for cancer awareness and community health programs
• University of Illinois Cancer CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey sponsor and partner for National Cancer Survivors Day events and patient brigade membership with PCORI partnership; provides conference coverage for American Society of Preventive Oncology events
• The University of Chicago MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor for community health and wellness events including cancer survivors day programs
• Exact Sciences Corporation / CologuardminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for cancer screening awareness programs and community events
• Bernie Mac FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for sarcoidosis awareness and fundraising events
• Equal HopeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partner organization focused on health equity
• Northwestern University (ARCC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlatinum sponsor providing support through Center for Community Health
• Project KennedyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum sponsor for community health initiatives
• Healing Tree Community FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum sponsor for community wellness programs
• City of HopeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum sponsor for cancer care and community health programs
• Humana HealthminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for community health and wellness initiatives
• JenCareminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHealthcare partnership for community wellness outreach
• Oak Street HealthminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHealthcare partnership for senior community wellness programs
• AARP Foundation Experience CorpsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for volunteer and community service programs

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Prevent Cancer Foundation: National nonprofit focused on cancer prevention and early detection through community education and outreach. Direct peer in cancer-awareness mission and community-education delivery model, though operating nationally.
• Howard Brown Health: Chicago-based community health center serving medically underserved populations with culturally responsive care, education, and wellness services. Direct peer in mission, geography, and target-population focus, though operating with a clinical-care delivery model.
• Equal Hope: Chicago-based nonprofit focused on eliminating breast and cervical cancer disparities in African American communities. Directly comparable as a health-equity nonprofit in the same geography with overlapping cancer-awareness mission; also a documented partner of Peer Plus.

Regional players

• The Resurrection Project: Chicago-based nonprofit serving Latino communities with community wellness, education, and health-equity programs. Comparable as a culturally rooted Chicago-area community organization focused on health and education for underserved populations.
• YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago: Chicago-area community wellness organization offering health education, chronic-disease prevention (diabetes, hypertension), and senior wellness programs. Regional peer serving the same geography and overlapping chronic-disease/wellness education mission.

Broad incumbents

• American Cancer Society: Large national nonprofit offering cancer awareness, patient support, and community education. Overlaps with Peer Plus's cancer-awareness and survivor-celebration programs but with vastly greater resources, brand reach, and research-funding capability.
• American Heart Association: National nonprofit focused on cardiovascular disease prevention and chronic-disease education. Comparable to Peer Plus's chronic-disease-prevention programs (high blood pressure, diabetes) but with national reach and corporate-sponsor scale.
• Susan G. Komen: National breast cancer awareness and education nonprofit with deep sponsor networks and community event programming. Comparable in mission focus (breast cancer education/survivorship) and event-driven community model, but operates nationally at much greater scale.
• Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: National nonprofit dedicated to blood cancer research, education, and patient support. Comparable to Peer Plus's cancer-awareness and survivor-support programming but operating nationally with substantially larger fundraising and research infrastructure.
• National Urban League: National civil-rights and health-equity organization serving African American communities with health education and advocacy programs. Comparable in target population and health-equity mission, though broader in scope and much larger in scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/peerplusETA

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Peer Plus Education & Training Advocates