What PERIOD does

PERIOD. (legal name: Period, Inc.) is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 47-2438066) founded in 2014 in Portland, Oregon, by Nadya Okamoto and Vincent Forand. The organization works to eradicate period poverty and the social stigma surrounding menstruation through three programmatic pillars: Advocacy (drafting and supporting state and federal legislation to expand access to period products in schools, shelters, and correctional facilities, and to end the tampon tax), Education (authoring and distributing open-source menstrual health curriculum used by students, teachers, school nurses, coaches, and community leaders), and Service (distributing free menstrual products to individuals and partner organizations through a distributed network). PERIOD. runs a network of 150+ youth-led chapters across more than 40 U.S. states and 20+ countries, certifies youth activists through an advocacy bootcamp, publishes the annual State of the Period Study (co-commissioned with Thinx since 2019), and convenes Period Action Day each October as a global day of mobilization.

The organization's "product surface" is intentionally non-technological: it consists of curriculum modules (e.g., Athletes and Periods, Periods in Prison, Planet-Positive Periods, Introduction to Menstruation), annual research publications, branded merchandise sold through a Bonfire storefront, a partner-published children's book ("A Kids Book About Periods" with Jessica Biel, DK Publishing) generating a 5% royalty back to PERIOD., and a 2024-launched affiliated 501(c)(4) — the Period Action Fund — that supports candidates and laws advancing menstrual equity. There is no proprietary software, app, API, or AI/ML capability documented; technology enablement is limited to standard organizational tools, social media channels, and a Medium-hosted blog called The Rag.

PERIOD.'s business model is donation-funded: revenue streams include individual giving (monthly and one-time), corporate sponsorships and campaign sponsorships (with Thinx, Pfizer, Sumitomo Pharma, Motrin, Vella Bioscience, and others on the Corporate Advisory Leader Board), grants, product donations-in-kind from corporate partners, merchandise sales, and book royalty income. All programmatic services to beneficiaries are provided free of charge; no pricing tiers, paid customers, or commercial contracts exist. The organization employs a small core staff of approximately 6–8 people led by Executive Director Jennifer Herrera (appointed December 2025) and Deputy Director Damaris Pereda, with governance provided by a 10+ member Board of Directors and a Youth Advisory Council of 6–8 activists aged 16–21.

Name

PERIOD

Legal name

Period, Inc.

Website

https://period.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PERIOD. is a Portland-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 2014, that works to end period poverty and stigma through youth-led advocacy, open-source menstrual health education, and direct distribution of period products via 150+ chapters across 40+ U.S. states and 20+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Menstrual Health Advocacy and Education Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Social Advocacy Organizations (813319)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (BPAGABAF)

Keywords

• Menstrual health advocacy
• Period poverty eradication
• Menstrual equity education
• Youth-led nonprofit
• Period product distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

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, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: PERIOD. accepts cash donations from individuals, including monthly giving programs and one-time contributions. Donations support program work in advocacy, education, and service.
2. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors provide financial support through campaign sponsorships, Period Action Day sponsorships, annual programmatic support, workplace campaigns, matching gifts, and product donations.
3. Merchandise Sales: Sale of PERIOD. branded merchandise including t-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs through Bonfire storefront. Proceeds support the mission.
4. Book Partnership Revenue: 'A Kids Book About Periods' partnership with Jessica Biel and DK Publishing. 5% of every book sold goes back to PERIOD. to help end period poverty and stigma.
5. Product Donations: In-kind donations of menstrual products from corporate partners and individuals. Products are distributed to communities in need through the service network.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

PERIOD. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that eradicates period poverty and stigma through three program pillars: Advocacy (policy reform to make period products free and untaxed in schools, shelters, and prisons), Education (free, open-source menstrual health curriculum), and Service (distribution of free period products through 150+ youth-led chapters). The organization also publishes the annual State of the Period Study research and operates the Period Action Day global day of action and the Period Action Fund 501(c)(4) advocacy arm.

Product overview

PERIOD. is a youth-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 47-2438066) working to eradicate period poverty and stigma through three core programmatic pillars: Advocacy, Education, and Service. The organization operates programs including an annual State of the Period Study research publication, open-source menstrual health curriculum, a network of 150+ youth-led chapters distributing period products, the Period Action Fund political action arm, and annual events like Period Action Day and Youth Champion Awards. The organization also publishes The Rag blog and maintains a Youth Advisory Council for governance. Key educational offerings include specialized curriculum on athletes and periods, menstrual health in prisons, and sustainable menstruation. Partnerships include Thinx, Pfizer, Sumitomo Pharma, Thurman Perry Foundation, and Aisle, with 5% of 'A Kids Book About Periods' sales benefiting the organization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advocacy Program Policy-focused initiative that drafts, passes, and implements laws to increase access to period products in schools and public places and to end the tampon tax, including federal legislation tracking, state policy maps, and advocacy bootcamp training.
• Educational Curriculum and Resources Open-source, stigma-busting menstrual health curriculum including workshops on menstruation basics, menstrual equity in U.S. schools, athletes and periods, period poverty in correctional facilities, and sustainable menstruation. Free for students, athletes, teachers, coaches, school nurses, and community leaders.
• Service Program (Period Product Distribution) Distributes free menstrual products—period packs to pallets—through a network of 150 youth-led chapters in 40+ U.S. states and 20+ countries, and to partner nonprofits, shelters, food banks, schools, and community organizations for last-mile delivery to people in need.
• State of the Period Study Annual research publication co-commissioned with Thinx that tracks period poverty and stigma among U.S. teenage students—the only publicly available study monitoring the impact of period poverty on this population.
• Period Action Day Annual global day of action held on the second Saturday of October to mobilize activists worldwide for menstrual equity awareness and policy change.
• Chapter Program Network of 150+ youth-led chapters in 40+ U.S. states and 20+ countries that advance menstrual equity in local communities through product drives, educational events, and policy advocacy.
• A Kids Book About Periods Children's book about menstruation co-authored with Jessica Biel, published by DK as part of the 'A Kids Book About' series, designed to empower children with positive information about menstrual cycles; 5% of every book sold is contributed back to PERIOD.

Quantifiable outcome

• Covered over 6.5 million menstrual cycles since 2014
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• ThinxflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThinx is a primary strategic partner, co-commissioning the annual State of the Period Study with PERIOD. since 2019. The partnership drives research on period poverty, co-marketing campaigns, and product donation programs. Thinx is also represented on PERIOD.'s Corporate Advisory Leader Board.
• Pfizer / Sumitomo PharmacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPfizer and Sumitomo Pharma co-developed educational resources including the 'Period Poverty and Menstrual Equity in U.S. Schools' curriculum for school nurses and the Uterine Health Guide. Partners represented on Corporate Advisory Leader Board.
• Alliance for Period SuppliescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance for Period Supplies is a key partner providing state-by-state policy tracking on period products in schools and tampon tax. Together they co-lead the National Coalition to End Period Poverty.
• Thurman Perry FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create comprehensive 4-Part Workshop curriculum on Period Poverty and Menstrual Equity in U.S. Correctional Facilities.
• Aisle / Green PeriodsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Aisle and Green Periods to create 'Planet-Positive Periods' toolkit on sustainable menstruation, including curriculum, facilitator guides, and social media assets.
• Jessica Biel / DK Publishing / A Kids Book AboutcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerJessica Biel co-authored 'A Kids Book About Periods' with PERIOD. Published by DK, 5% of every book sold supports PERIOD. The book aims to empower children with positive information about menstrual cycles.
• Multnomah Athletic Foundation / The Beauty InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create 'Athletes and Periods' curriculum helping student athletes manage menstrual cycles and normalize menstrual health in training.
• MadamiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create 'The Glossary for the Global Menstrual Movement,' celebrating diverse terms to describe menstrual experiences.
• Period Action FundcoreOthersPeriod Action Fund is PERIOD.'s affiliated 501(c)(4) organization created in 2024 to support candidates and laws promoting menstrual equity. Donations to Period Action Fund are not tax deductible.
• Vella BioscienceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVella Bioscience announced partnership with PERIOD. in May 2026, including $15,000 cash donation and ongoing giveback model donating menstrual care kits with each subscription purchase.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• I Support the Girls: U.S. nonprofit collecting and distributing period products (and bras) to people experiencing homelessness and poverty; directly comparable service-side mission and product-distribution model.
• The Pad Project: Period poverty nonprofit founded in 2014 with a focus on education, advocacy, and product distribution; comparable in mission, age, and use of documentary/earned media to drive fundraising.
• Alliance for Period Supplies: U.S.-based nonprofit distributing period products through a national network of partner organizations; co-leads the National Coalition to End Period Poverty with PERIOD., making it the closest operating and mission peer.
• Days for Girls: Global nonprofit addressing period poverty through reusable pad production and menstrual health education, with a distributed volunteer chapter model internationally — directly comparable in mission and operational shape.

Others

• Thinx: Period underwear brand and PERIOD.'s flagship research and corporate partner; adjacent rather than competitive, but the most strategically entangled commercial player in PERIOD.'s network.
• Aunt Flow: Commercial period product supplier operating a 'buy one, donate one' model and serving schools and businesses; listed as a PERIOD. corporate partner, making it an adjacent supplier rather than a peer nonprofit.
• National Diaper Bank Network: U.S. nonprofit network addressing diaper and period product insecurity through member banks; co-authored period product research with Alliance for Period Supplies, making it an adjacent enabling organization in PERIOD.'s coalition ecosystem.

Regional players

• AFRIpads: Ugandan social enterprise manufacturing reusable menstrual pads and running education programs across sub-Saharan Africa; comparable mission focus but operates a product-led enterprise model in a different geography.
• Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE): Rwanda-based social enterprise tackling period poverty through local pad manufacturing and education; comparable in combining product distribution with advocacy but focused on East Africa rather than U.S./global.
• Bloody Good Period: UK-based menstrual equity nonprofit distributing period products to those in need; comparable mission and product-distribution model but operates exclusively in the UK rather than competing in PERIOD.'s U.S. core market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@PERIODmovement/playlists
• Instagraminstagram.com/periodmovement
• Xx.com/periodmovement

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 PERIOD