Community Action for Healthy Living, Inc.

What Community Action for Healthy Living, Inc. does

Community Action for Healthy Living, Inc. (CAHL) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) coalition headquartered at 513 W. College Ave., Suite 420D, Appleton, Wisconsin, that has operated for over two decades focused on substance misuse prevention and community health education across Northeast Wisconsin. The organization delivers its mission through three functional pillars — Educate, Advocate, and Empower — providing school-based prevention programs, policy advocacy campaigns including Real Talks Wisconsin, Tobacco 21, and Wisconsin Wins, and resource toolkits targeting youth, families, educators, public health departments, and law enforcement. CAHL does not develop or sell technology products, software platforms, or AI systems; its operational backbone is a community coalition model that distributes science-based educational content, advocacy materials, and prevention programming at no charge through an established partner network.

CAHL's business model is grant-dependent. As a privately held nonprofit operating with approximately 6 staff, it is funded primarily through grants and public-sector support, and all services are provided free of charge to recipients. Its go-to-market is community-led and partnership-driven: outreach is conducted through regional school district collaborations, county and city public health department partnerships, healthcare provider relationships with ThedaCare, Ascension Calumet Hospital, and Rogers Behavioral Health, and law enforcement alliances including the Appleton Police Department and Brown County Sheriff's Office. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors led by Chris Wardlow (President) and Jack Pautz (Secretary), with day-to-day operations managed by Executive Director Emma Kane, MPH, and Prevention Manager Abby Wuest.

On March 20, 2026, CAHL announced it would officially close its doors following a thorough evaluation of long-term sustainability, citing the loss of critical funding and grants. The closure marks the end of a more than 20-year operating history and illustrates the concentration risk inherent in a coalition model whose entire operating base depends on a narrow set of grant relationships.

Name

Community Action for Healthy Living, Inc.

Legal name

Community Action for Healthy Living, Inc.

Website

https://cahlinc.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Community Action for Healthy Living, Inc. is a Wisconsin-based nonprofit 501(c)(3) coalition that has provided substance misuse prevention education, policy advocacy, and community programming to youth, schools, public health departments, and law enforcement across Northeast Wisconsin for over 20 years, operating entirely on grant funding with no fee-based services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Substance Misuse Prevention Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGACAC

Community Health, Prevention & Health Education

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Health & Medical Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPADAIAL

Community Health, Health Promotion & Behavior Change (SBCC)

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Global Health & Population Programs

SECONDARYBPAIAJAC

Health Promotion, Prevention & Community Health Programs

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Public Health Administration & Regulation

SECONDARYEDAJAIAG

Student Wellness & Prevention Programs (Substance Use, Sexual Health, Bullying)

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/K–12 Student Health, Safety & Wellbeing Services (Counseling, Mental Health, SEL, Safeguarding)

Keywords

• Substance misuse prevention
• Youth health education
• Community health coalition
• Tobacco prevention advocacy
• Policy advocacy campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

Appleton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants and Funding: CAHL is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) coalition that operates primarily through grants and public funding. The organization announced its closure citing loss of critical funding and grants as a primary reason for shutting down on March 20, 2026.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Community Action for Healthy Living (CAHL) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) coalition serving Northeast Wisconsin that delivers substance misuse prevention services through three program pillars: Educate (school-based prevention programs and youth engagement), Advocate (policy campaigns such as Tobacco 21 and Smoke-Free Air initiatives), and Empower (resources, toolkits, and referrals for families, educators, and community partners). All services are provided free of charge to the community through coalition partnerships with schools, public health departments, healthcare providers, law enforcement, and community organizations.

Product overview

Community Action for Healthy Living (CAHL) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) coalition serving Northeast Wisconsin that operates as a community health organization rather than a technology product company. The organization provides substance misuse prevention services through three primary program areas: Education (school-based programs, educational materials, youth engagement), Advocacy (policy campaigns, community organizing such as Tobacco Bars and Smoke-Free Air initiatives), and Empowerment (resources for families, educators, and community partners). CAHL does not offer discrete technology products, software platforms, or modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Educate Program School-based substance misuse prevention programs and youth engagement services, including evidence-based classroom presentations and teacher training delivered in partnership with school districts across Northeast Wisconsin.
• Advocate Program Policy advocacy campaigns and community organizing initiatives, including the Smoke-Free Air Law community action toolkit, Tobacco 21 support, Wisconsin Wins, and local efforts to extend smoking restrictions around public facilities.
• Empower Program Resources, toolkits, and referrals for families, educators, and community partners, including connections to quit resources such as the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line and Real Talks Wisconsin educational materials.

Quantifiable outcome

• Developed community action toolkit to rally support against proposed changes that would weaken Wisconsin's Smoke-Free Air Law
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Appleton Health DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic health department partner collaborating on community health initiatives and substance misuse prevention efforts in the Appleton area.
• Brown County Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty public health department partner working on tobacco, alcohol, and substance-related issues in Brown County.
• Outagamie County Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty public health department partner collaborating on community health and prevention initiatives in Outagamie County.
• Alliance for Wisconsin YouthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide coalition partner working to prevent substance misuse among Wisconsin youth.
• ThedaCareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare system partner contributing to community health and prevention efforts.
• Ascension Calumet HospitalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare provider partner supporting substance misuse prevention and community health initiatives.
• Rise TogetherminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization partner focused on prevention and recovery support.
• Appleton Area School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary school district partner for delivering school-based prevention education programs and youth engagement initiatives.
• Kaukauna Area School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool district partner for prevention education programs and school-based initiatives.
• Kimberly High SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool partner for youth prevention education and engagement programs.
• Appleton Police DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw enforcement partner collaborating on tobacco and substance-related policy and community safety initiatives.
• Brown County Sheriff's OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw enforcement partner for community-based substance misuse prevention and policy advocacy.
• Wisconsin Department of Health ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner for Real Talks Wisconsin campaign and Tobacco 21/Wisconsin Wins educational programs.
• Heart of the Valley Prevention PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal prevention coalition partner working on community health initiatives.
• Rogers - Behavioral HealthminorOthersBehavioral health provider partner offering resources and referrals for treatment and recovery services.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA): National umbrella for community drug-free coalitions; operates a broader scope but uses the same coalition-building playbook CAHL applied at the regional level.
• Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids: National advocacy organization focused on reducing tobacco use, especially among youth — overlapping CAHL's Tobacco 21 and Smoke-Free Air policy work.
• Partnership to End Addiction: National nonprofit addressing adolescent substance use through education, resources, and advocacy — comparable prevention-and-family-support orientation to CAHL.
• American Lung Association: National health organization running tobacco control and Smoke-Free Air initiatives that overlap with CAHL's Wisconsin advocacy work.
• Truth Initiative: National public health organization running youth-focused tobacco and vaping prevention campaigns, comparable in mission to CAHL's vaping and tobacco education.

Direct peers

• Heart of the Valley Prevention Partnership: Local Fox Valley prevention coalition overlapping CAHL's service geography and partner network on alcohol, tobacco, and substance misuse prevention.
• Alliance for Wisconsin Youth: Statewide Wisconsin coalition focused on preventing youth substance misuse — directly comparable mission and operating model, and an existing CAHL partner.
• Rise Together: Wisconsin-based nonprofit focused on substance use prevention and recovery support; similar community-coalition model targeting the same youth population as CAHL.

Others

• Wisconsin Department of Health Services: State agency partner for Real Talks Wisconsin, Tobacco 21, and Wisconsin Wins programs — directly funds and co-delivers prevention programming that CAHL executed at the regional level.

Emerging players

• CATCH Global Foundation: Provider of evidence-based child and youth health curricula delivered through schools — comparable school-based prevention distribution model to CAHL's educator partnerships.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CAHL.WIS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-action-for-healthy-living

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Community Action for Healthy Living, Inc.