Young People in Recovery

What Young People in Recovery does

Young People in Recovery (YPR) is a national 501c3 nonprofit, founded in 2010 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado, that delivers peer recovery support services and life-skills programming to youth and young adults in or seeking recovery from substance use disorder. The organization operates through three product pillars: (1) a network of 54 free community chapters across 19 states hosting all-recovery meetings, pro-social events, and educational workshops; (2) three proprietary, peer-led life-skills curricula — EPIC for adults 18+, Phoenix exclusively for criminal-justice-involved adults, and My Future Is EPIC for adolescents 14-18 — which are licensed to treatment centers and criminal-justice agencies; and (3) a national advocacy program that engaged 622 initiatives across the 2026 legislative session and supported 9+ federal bills. Complementary content products include the Recovery Corner podcast and a harm reduction toolkit distributed free of charge, with bilingual English/Spanish delivery via a dedicated Spanish-language website.

Underlying technology is fundamentally programmatic rather than platform-native: chapter operations run on a Salesforce-based admin stack, service delivery is in-person and virtual via chapter-hosted meetings (including LGBTQ+ Rainbow Recovery and Spanish-language formats), and curricula are packaged as licensable curricula rather than software products. No public API, SDK, or AI/ML capabilities were disclosed. The technology differentiator is domain specialization — each curriculum is designed for a discrete sub-population (adults in treatment, justice-involved adults, at-risk youth), and EPIC and Phoenix are positioned as evidence-informed.

The revenue model is a multi-stream nonprofit blend. Individual donations and recurring giving tiers (e.g., $25/mo "Agent of Change," $50/mo "Founder," $125/mo "Sponsor") underwrite free chapter services; foundation and corporate grants — including a $3M unrestricted gift from MacKenzie Scott in 2022 — provide operating capital, formalized through the Founders Circle corporate giving society with tiers ranging from $10,000 (Recovery Trailblazer) to $100,000 (Recovery Champion). State and federal government funding (SAMHSA-linked grants and state block grants) and fee-based licensing of EPIC/Phoenix/My Future Is EPIC to treatment centers and criminal-justice agencies contribute the remaining flows. Pricing for chapter participants is zero; pricing for licensing and corporate sponsorship is negotiated or tiered but undisclosed publicly. Go-to-market is community-led — grassroots chapters drive participant acquisition and donor engagement, while licensing partnerships drive B2B revenue.

Name

Young People in Recovery

Legal name

Young People in Recovery

Website

https://youngpeopleinrecovery.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Young People in Recovery is a Denver-based 501c3 nonprofit that delivers peer-led life-skills curricula and 54 free community chapters across 19 states to support youth, young adults, and criminal-justice-involved individuals in recovery from substance use disorder.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Behavioral Health and Addiction Recovery Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (62142), Child and Youth Services (62411), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Peer Support, Recovery Coaching & Sober Living Services (HLAFACAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Substance Use Recovery & Harm Reduction Support Services (BPAGAEAO), Substance Use Disorder Prevention & Recovery Services (BPAGACAE)

Keywords

• Peer recovery support
• Substance use disorder
• Life-skills curriculum
• Addiction recovery programs
• Recovery community chapters

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individuals supporting the YPR mission
2. Foundation and Corporate Grants: General operating support from foundations and corporations through the Founders Circle and other giving programs
3. Government Funding: State block grants and potential federal SAMHSA funding through state partnerships
4. Program Licensing: Life-skills curriculum programs (EPIC, Phoenix, My Future Is EPIC) licensed to treatment centers and criminal justice agencies for a fee determined based on partner need

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Young People in Recovery (YPR) is a national nonprofit that delivers peer recovery support services and life-skills programming for young people affected by substance use disorder. Its core offerings include a network of 54 community chapters in 19 states that host free all-recovery meetings and pro-social events, and three proprietary life-skills curricula — EPIC for adults in treatment, Phoenix for criminal justice-involved adults, and My Future Is EPIC for at-risk youth aged 14-18 — which YPR licenses to treatment centers and criminal justice agencies.

Product overview

Young People in Recovery (YPR) is a national nonprofit organization that provides peer recovery support services for youth and young adults in recovery from substance use disorder. YPR operates through three interconnected service pillars: (1) Community-based Chapters offering all-recovery meetings, pro-social events, advocacy, and peer support across 54 chapters in 19 states; (2) Three Life-Skills Curriculum Programs (EPIC for adults in treatment, Phoenix for criminal justice-involved adults, and My Future Is EPIC for at-risk youth ages 14-18); and (3) Advocacy initiatives at local, state, and federal levels. The organization also produces the Recovery Corner podcast and distributes free harm reduction resources. All chapter activities and programs are offered free of charge to participants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EPIC (My Recovery is EPIC): A peer-led, life skills curriculum for adults 18+ who are in recovery from substance use disorder or who are in treatment.
• Phoenix
• My Future Is EPIC
• Recovery Corner

Products and services

• EPIC (My Recovery Is EPIC) Peer-led, evidence-informed life-skills curriculum offered exclusively by YPR to treatment centers and social service agencies for adults aged 18+ in recovery from substance use disorder or in treatment. EPIC stands for Engaged, Peer Developed, Individualized, Community-Centered.
• Phoenix Program Peer-led, evidence-informed life-skills curriculum offered exclusively by YPR to criminal justice organizations, drug courts, diversion courts, reentry programs, probation, and parole for criminal justice-involved adults aged 18+ who struggle with problem substance use.
• My Future Is EPIC Life-skills curriculum program designed for 14- to 18-year-olds who are misusing substances, at high-risk for developing substance use disorder, or who already identify as being in recovery.
• YPR Chapters Community-based chapters across 19 states that provide free peer-to-peer services for young people in or seeking recovery, including all-recovery meetings, pro-social events, educational workshops, advocacy, and life-skills building activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Participants improve dedication to their individualized recovery program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• American UniversityminorOthersAmerican University's public policy graduate program studied YPR's Recovery-Ready Communities model as an academic research project. The findings are documented in a capstone report.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Faces & Voices of Recovery: Faces & Voices of Recovery is the leading national recovery advocacy and peer-support organization, championing all recovery pathways. Closely comparable to YPR's national peer-led recovery community, advocacy, and inclusive approach to multiple recovery pathways.
• SMART Recovery: SMART Recovery is a nonprofit that runs peer-led mutual-support meetings and self-help programs for people with addictive behaviors. Comparable as a peer-led recovery support organization offering free meetings and structured curriculum to individuals nationwide.
• The Phoenix: The Phoenix builds sober active communities for people in recovery, offering peer-led fitness, social, and creative events. Directly comparable to YPR's chapter model: both target people in recovery (especially younger adults), rely on peer-led programming, and offer free community events nationwide.

Broad incumbents

• Recovery Centers of America: Recovery Centers of America operates inpatient and outpatient addiction treatment facilities across the US. Touches YPR's same patient population (people seeking SUD treatment) and similar geographic markets, though primarily a treatment operator rather than peer-support community.
• Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA): CADCA is the leading national membership organization for community drug-prevention coalitions, focused on substance use prevention, advocacy, and youth leadership. Comparable as a nonprofit operating at the intersection of prevention, community mobilization, and federal policy advocacy.
• Shatterproof: Shatterproof is a national nonprofit that combats the addiction crisis through advocacy, evidence-based treatment, and family support. Comparable national-scale advocacy + recovery-support mission, though with a much larger program footprint and dedicated policy operation.
• Partnership to End Addiction: Partnership to End Addiction (formerly Partnership for Drug-Free Kids) is a national nonprofit focused on substance use prevention, treatment, and family support. Overlaps with YPR on youth/family-facing SUD support and national advocacy; broader scope and longer history.
• Caron Treatment Centers: Caron Treatment Centers is a long-standing nonprofit addiction treatment provider operating nationwide with dedicated programming for adolescents, young adults, and families. Compares to YPR on the youth/young adult SUD segment and the role of family in recovery, though primarily a clinical provider.
• Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation: Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is one of the largest US addiction treatment and recovery organizations, also creating curricula (i.e., COR-12, Living in Balance) licensed to providers. Overlaps with YPR via treatment-center curriculum licensing and recovery support, though primarily residential/clinical.

Emerging players

• Students for Sensible Drug Policy: Students for Sensible Drug Policy is a youth-led nonprofit that organizes students on drug policy reform and harm reduction. Comparable to YPR's youth engagement, harm reduction resources, and policy advocacy focus, though university-based rather than community-chapter based.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/YngPplRecover
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC_a0bJgDPc9uj1nYRjkN37g
• Facebookfacebook.com/youngpeopleinrecovery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/young-people-in-recovery
• Instagraminstagram.com/yngpplrecovery

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Young People in Recovery