Breathe Southern California

What Breathe Southern California does

Breathe Southern California is a 501(c)-style nonprofit organization founded in 1903 in Los Angeles, originally as the Los Angeles Society for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis, and currently operating with 38 staff from its headquarters at 5858 Wilshire Blvd. The organization delivers lung health education, asthma management, and clean air programs to underserved communities across Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties. Its core offerings include the BEAM (Breathe Easier Asthma Management) at-home asthma program, the Lung Power and Breathe Easier workshop series, the O24ALL youth environmental education curriculum, lung health screenings, and a portfolio of environmental programs spanning EV adoption, clean transportation, building decarbonization, green jobs workforce development, climate resilience, wildfire preparedness, and the BlueSky LA community mapping initiative. The organization does not develop proprietary technology products; its technology footprint consists of a Squarespace-hosted website, an Instagram social channel, an email newsletter via Constant Contact, and an interactive StoryMap developed in partnership with Climate Cents for BlueSky LA.

Breathe Southern California operates a hybrid nonprofit revenue model combining individual and corporate donations (processed via Zeffy), corporate sponsorships (e.g., SoCalGas funding O24ALL, Electrify America and ProLogis supporting Breath of Life events), grants from government agencies (California Energy Commission, CA Department of Health Care Services) and private foundations, and reimbursable clinical services through California's CalAIM Community Supports framework. Under CalAIM, Breathe Southern California is a contracted Community Support provider for asthma remediation with Health Net, IEHP, L.A. Care Health Plan, and Molina Healthcare in LA and San Bernardino counties, with a $7,500 per-patient lifetime maximum. Services to Medi-Cal members are provided at no cost to patients; other programs are offered free to community participants as educational and outreach services.

The organization maintains a substantial partnership ecosystem, including multi-year relationships with the Port of Hueneme, California Air Resources Board, South Coast Air Quality Management District, California State University Northridge, the Asthma Coalition of Los Angeles County, Friends of Ballona Wetlands, and an active advocacy footprint including support for SB 793 (statewide flavored tobacco ban) and the Commercial Harbor Craft Regulation Coalition. Cumulative reported impact metrics (2021–2026) include 15,147 lung disease screenings, 65,000+ community members reached through outreach, 5,000 trees planted, and 400+ volunteers engaged. The organization holds a Charity Navigator four-star rating, a GuideStar Platinum Seal, and an ICA Seal of Excellence.

Name

Breathe Southern California

Legal name

Breathe Southern California

Website

https://breathesocal.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1903

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Breathe Southern California is a 1903-founded Los Angeles nonprofit delivering lung health education, asthma management, and clean air programs to underserved communities across Southern California, funded by donations, grants, corporate sponsorships, and Medi-Cal reimbursements under California's CalAIM program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Health and Environmental Advocacy Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Offices of Other Health Practitioners (6213)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Asthma & Allergy-Related Pulmonary Care (HLAKANAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

COPD & Chronic Bronchitis Management (HLAKANAE), Pulmonary Rehabilitation Programs (HLADAJAK)

Keywords

• Lung health programs
• Asthma management services
• Clean air advocacy
• Environmental education
• Community health outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles, California

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 Contributions: Individual and corporate donations through online platforms (Zeffy) and direct contributions support the organization's programs and operations.
2. Program Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors underwrite community programs including environmental improvements, health education, lung screenings, and non-toxic cleaning workshops.
3. Grants and Foundation Funding: Grant funding from government agencies (California Energy Commission, CA Dept of Health Care Services/CalAIM) and foundations supports specific programs and research initiatives.
4. Medi-Cal Community Supports (BEAM Program): Asthma remediation services covered under CalAIM through Medi-Cal managed care plans (Health Net, IEHP, L.A. Care, Molina Healthcare) with no cost to patients. Covers up to $7,500 lifetime maximum per patient.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Breathe Southern California is a nonprofit that delivers community-based lung health and environmental programs across Southern California. Its lung health offerings include the BEAM at-home asthma management program for Medi-Cal patients, the Lung Power and Breathe Easier educational workshops, vaping prevention education, and free community lung health screenings. Its environmental offerings include BlueSky LA (an interactive StoryMap and community greening initiative), air quality education, clean transportation and EV awareness programs, green jobs workforce development, healthier buildings decarbonization, climate resilience, energy efficiency, and wildfire preparedness. All services are provided free of charge to participants.

Product overview

Breathe Southern California offers a portfolio of community health and environmental programs focused on clean air and lung health. The organization operates a unified platform of educational and intervention services organized into two main categories: Lung Health Programs (including BEAM asthma management, Lung Power workshops, Breathe Easier workshops, vaping prevention, and lung health screenings) and Environmental Programs (including BlueSky LA community mapping, air quality education, EV awareness, clean transportation, green jobs workforce development, healthier buildings, climate resilience, energy efficiency, and wildfire preparedness). These programs work together to provide education, resources, screenings, and direct interventions to underserved communities across Southern California.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Breathe Easier™: Lung health workshop program for adults and seniors providing lung resources and spirometer testing
• BEAM (Breathe Easier™ Asthma Management)
• Lung Power™
• O24ALL®
• BlueSky LA
• End Diesel Now

Products and services

• BEAM (Breathe Easier Asthma Management) An at-home asthma management program offering personalized services including air purifiers, asthma/allergy-friendly cleaning products, dust covers, and one-on-one asthma education for Medi-Cal patients in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties. Free for Medi-Cal members under CalAIM Community Supports, with up to a $7,500 lifetime maximum per patient.
• Lung Power Workshop

Quantifiable outcome

• 15,147 lung disease screenings provided (2021-2026)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Port of HuenememajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Breathe Southern California is helping develop a zero-emissions blueprint for the Port of Hueneme by engaging stakeholders in Ventura County, meeting with stakeholders, producing engagement reports, and disseminating relevant information.
• Climate CentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlueSky LA is a partnership between Breathe Southern California and Climate Cents to improve air quality, mitigate heat, and reduce climate emissions of the greater Los Angeles area through the BlueSky LA program featuring an interactive StoryMap and community greening efforts.
• SoCalGascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoCalGas is a program sponsor helping make O24ALL environmental education program possible in communities. O24ALL empowers youth in underserved communities with health education tools to improve indoor and outdoor environments and manage lung health risks.
• California State University Northridge, Health Equity and Research Education CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBreathe SoCal partnered with CSUN for the Sun Valley Local Community Emissions Reduction Plan Initiative. The partnership conducts air quality assessment of Sun Valley community to develop a Local Community Emissions Reduction Plan (L-CERP).
• Sun Valley Neighborhood CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Sun Valley L-CERP project, working with Breathe SoCal and CSUN to establish a community advisory committee to identify and address community air quality priorities.
• California Air Resources Board (CARB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBreathe SoCal participates in the Commercial Harbor Craft Regulation Coalition working to ensure stricter regulations regarding commercial crafts and a swift transition to zero-emissions harbor crafts.
• Asthma Coalition of Los Angeles CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBreathe SoCal is a member of the Asthma Coalition of Los Angeles County, a collective voice for policy and systems change to prevent, minimize, and manage the burden of asthma.
• L.A. Families Fighting Flavored TobaccocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBreathe SoCal is a member organization working to pass ordinances that ban the sale of flavored tobacco throughout L.A. County and supported SB 793 which banned flavored tobacco products statewide.
• South Coast AQMD (Air Quality Management District)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBreathe SoCal collaborates with South Coast AQMD on air quality monitoring and residential air filtration programs, providing resources to communities affected by the Lineage warehouse fire.
• Friends of Ballona WetlandsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBreathe SoCal partners with Friends of Ballona Wetlands for community habitat restoration events to restore the last coastal wetland in Los Angeles.
• Electrify AmericamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Breath of Life community events featuring health resources and clean transportation education. Electrify America supports zero-emission vehicle showcases and community engagement events.
• ProLogismajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner for Breath of Life community health and clean transportation events, supporting community engagement on clean air and EV adoption.
• California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCalAIM allows community-based organizations to provide healthcare-related services through Community Supports. Breathe SoCal provides asthma remediation as a Community Support under CalAIM.
• Health NetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedi-Cal managed care plan contracted with Breathe SoCal for BEAM asthma management program services.
• Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedi-Cal managed care plan contracted with Breathe SoCal for BEAM asthma management program services in San Bernardino County.
• L.A. Care Health PlancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedi-Cal managed care plan contracted with Breathe SoCal for BEAM asthma management program services in Los Angeles County.
• Molina HealthcarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedi-Cal managed care plan contracted with Breathe SoCal for BEAM asthma management program services.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Coalition for Clean Air: California-focused nonprofit advocating for clean air policies, including vehicle emissions standards and zero-emission transitions. Directly overlaps with Breathe SoCal's BlueSky LA, EV adoption, clean transportation, and CARB-aligned advocacy work, competing for similar California air-quality grants and corporate sponsorships.
• Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America: The leading U.S. patient advocacy organization for asthma and allergies, focused on education, research, advocacy, and community support. AAFA overlaps directly with Breathe SoCal's BEAM and Lung Power asthma programs and competes for similar donor, foundation, and corporate-partner dollars.
• American Lung Association in California: The state-level branch of the American Lung Association, operating lung-health programs, advocacy, and research across California. It is the most direct statewide peer, overlapping with Breathe SoCal on asthma, COPD, clean-air policy, and youth education initiatives in the same geography.

Broad incumbents

• Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): A major U.S. environmental advocacy group with active California air-quality, clean transportation, and climate programs. NRDC competes for corporate ESG sponsorships, foundation grants, and policy-influence funding that Breathe SoCal also pursues.
• Environmental Defense Fund: A large national environmental advocacy organization working on air quality, climate, and energy issues. EDF competes with Breathe SoCal for philanthropic and foundation funding on California air-quality and clean-transportation policy advocacy.
• American Lung Association: The national lung-health nonprofit and former umbrella affiliate of Breathe SoCal (which broke off from the national network in 2006). Both operate lung-health education, advocacy, and research programs and overlap heavily on asthma, COPD, and clean-air missions, but ALA operates nationally and has a far larger fundraising base.

Regional players

• Sierra Club Foundation (Angeles Chapter): Regional environmental organization active in the greater Los Angeles area on air quality, climate, and clean transportation advocacy. Competes for community engagement, event sponsorships, and volunteer bases in Southern California.

Emerging players

• Parents for Clean Air (or California Asthma Partners): California-based asthma advocacy and education coalition working to reduce the burden of asthma in underserved communities. Comparable in mission to Breathe SoCal's BEAM and Lung Power programs, focused on systems change, school-based services, and Medi-Cal/CHP populations.

Others

• South Coast Air Quality Management District: California's largest air-pollution control agency, which Breathe SoCal partners with on air-quality monitoring and residential filtration programs. Not a competitor but a closely related ecosystem participant shaping the same regulatory and funding environment.
• Health Net: One of the four Medi-Cal managed care plans contracted with Breathe SoCal for BEAM services. It is a payer/customer rather than a competitor but is materially relevant as a counterpart to the BEAM business model and as a benchmark for California Medi-Cal strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/p/DbEArLqGoHq
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/breathesocal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Breathe Southern California