F3

What F3 does

F3 Nation, Inc. is a Charlotte, North Carolina-based nonprofit founded on January 1, 2011 that operates free, peer-led outdoor workout groups for men across 549 regions in 24+ countries and 48 U.S. states, with 6,623 scheduled workouts per week. The organization's core product is the F3 workout experience — a 45-minute session that combines fitness, fellowship and faith, follows five operating principles (free, open to all men, held outdoors, peer-led, ends with a Circle of Trust), and is delivered entirely through volunteer-led regions called Area of Operations (AOs). Beyond physical fitness, F3 has built a proprietary leadership curriculum called QSource (with 43+ points organized across Disruption, Language, Group, Leadership Development Process, Preparedness, and the Get/Live/Lead/Leave Right quadrants), supported by two published books (Freed to Lead, Q Source), an exercise database (Exicon), and a terminology guide (Lexicon). Technology infrastructure is lightweight but operationally important: member-built Slack applications (QSignups, Slackblast, Weaselbot) scaled to hundreds of regions for organizing workout leaders (Qs) and tracking attendance, and a newer F3 Nation Slackbot and an interactive locations map (map.f3nation.com) provide a unified discovery and communication layer.

F3 is governed by an 11-member Board of Directors (including a Chairman and Advisory Council) under a Shared Leadership Team led by Nant'an (CEO) Frank Schwartz, with a paid Executive Director (John Horton, CFRE) handling fundraising. The organization monetizes only tangentially: workouts are permanently free with no dues or membership fees, while donations flow through a 501(c)(3) philanthropic arm (F3 Foundation, Inc., Federal ID 45-5109140), supplemented by merchandise sales through F3Gear.com (books, apparel, accessories). Corporate giving tools include Givebutter for online donations and Double the Donation for matching gifts. Customer acquisition is almost entirely grassroots — personal invitations between members ("EH'ing"), word-of-mouth, the locations map, and earned media appearances on Men's Health, Order of Man and Art of Manliness. The customer base segments into three personas: men of all ages/fitness levels seeking community, men pursuing leadership development, and men in recovery/transition (addiction, grief, mental health).

Name

F3

Legal name

F3 Nation, Inc.

Website

https://f3nation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

F3 Nation is a nonprofit operating free, peer-led outdoor workout groups for men across 549 regions and 24+ countries, combining fitness with a proprietary QSource leadership curriculum and fellowship-focused community, funded via donations and merchandise sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Men's Fitness and Leadership Community

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHSADABAC

Outdoor Fitness & Park Bootcamps

Home & Personal Services/Fitness, Wellness & Personal Training/Group Fitness & Bootcamps

SECONDARYHSADABAB

Strength & Conditioning Bootcamps

Home & Personal Services/Fitness, Wellness & Personal Training/Group Fitness & Bootcamps

SECONDARYHSADABAH

Functional Fitness / Cross-Training Groups

Home & Personal Services/Fitness, Wellness & Personal Training/Group Fitness & Bootcamps

Keywords

• Peer-led fitness workouts
• Male community leadership
• Outdoor workout groups
• Nonprofit fitness community
• Leadership development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations/Philanthropy: F3 generates revenue through donations to its philanthropic arm, F3 Foundation, Inc., a registered 501(c)(3) organization. Donations are tax-deductible and support the mission to plant, grow and serve small workout groups for men. The organization accepts checks, donor advised fund (DAF) contributions, stock gifts, and corporate matching gifts.
2. Merchandise Sales (F3Gear.com): Sales of F3 branded merchandise including workout gear, books (Freed to Lead, Q Source), and accessories through the F3Gear online store.
3. Regional Event Fundraising Support: F3 partners with regional events to help accelerate the 3rd F (Faith), supporting local fundraising efforts while reducing administrative burden for regions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

F3 operates free, peer-led outdoor workout groups for men across 549 regions in 24+ countries, held rain or shine with no membership fees. The workouts culminate in a Circle of Trust and integrate a structured leadership development curriculum (QSource) covering personal, family, and community leadership principles.

Product overview

F3 (Fitness, Fellowship, Faith) is a free, peer-led fitness and leadership community for men offering outdoor workout groups across 549 regions with 6,623+ scheduled workouts weekly. The core product is the F3 Workout Groups, supplemented by the QSource leadership curriculum (including Freed to Lead and Q Source books), the Exicon exercise database, and Lexicon terminology guide. Additional offerings include member transformation stories, the F3 Gear merchandise store, annual reports, and philanthropic giving through the F3 Foundation. F3 is described as 'a leadership group masked as a workout group' and operates as a nonprofit with a mission to plant, grow, and serve small workout groups for the invigoration of male community leadership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• F3 Foundation: The philanthropic arm of F3 Nation, Inc., a registered 501(c)(3) organization (Federal ID # 45-5109140) that manages donations and charitable giving.
• F3 Gear

Products and services

• F3 Workout Groups Free, peer-led outdoor workout groups for men held rain or shine, following five core principles: free of charge, open to all men, held outdoors, peer-led, and ending with a Circle of Trust (CoT). Available across 549 regions with 6,623+ scheduled workouts weekly.
• QSource Leadership Curriculum F3's integrated leadership philosophy and manual covering five foundations (Disruption F1, Language F2, Group F3, LDP F4, Preparedness F5) and four quadrants (Get Right Q1, Live Right Q2, Lead Right Q3, Leave Right Q4). Contains 43+ detailed points for personal and community leadership development.
• Freed to Lead Book Second-edition leadership training book for new and veteran F3 PAX members, covering leadership principles and practices drawn from F3's curriculum.
• Q Source Book Physical book version of F3's leadership philosophy and QSource curriculum, available as a signed copy through the F3 Gear store.
• F3 Gear Store E-commerce store (F3Gear.com) selling F3 branded merchandise including books, apparel, and accessories for members and supporters.
• F3 Foundation Giving Program Philanthropic giving program enabling tax-deductible donations to F3 Foundation, Inc. (501(c)(3)) via check, donor advised fund (DAF), stock gifts, and corporate matching gifts through partners like Double the Donation and Givebutter.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6,623 free workouts per week across 549 regions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• F3 Regions (25+ local chapters)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerF3 partners with nearly 25 F3 regions across the country to help them Accelerate the 3rd F (Faith) through their event fundraising program. This partnership helps regions reduce administrative work and financial liability while focusing on raising funds and putting on events.
• MudgearminorOthersFeatured partner brand shown on F3 Nation website footer. Mudgear appears as a partner brand for F3 merchandise/gear needs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Promise Keepers: National faith-based men's ministry focused on male leadership and spiritual growth through events and small groups. Highly comparable to F3's Faith pillar and male-leadership mission, but event-driven and donation-funded rather than anchored in weekly free workouts.
• Orangetheory Fitness: Large group-fitness franchise offering coach-led, heart-rate-based workouts in a membership model. Overlaps with F3 in group-format conditioning workouts, but is paid, indoor, and not peer-led or community-owned.
• The Mankind Project: Long-standing men's personal development organization running peer-led groups, retreats, and leadership trainings. Comparable to F3 in mission of male community leadership and brotherhood, but typically uses paid programs and weekend intensives rather than free outdoor fitness as the entry point.
• CrossFit: Global functional fitness brand built around affiliated gyms, community, and a shared workout methodology. Overlaps with F3 in functional, group-based training and strong community culture, but is paid, facility-based, and uses a formal certification and affiliate model.

Direct peers

• November Project: Free, peer-led, outdoor workout community that meets in parks across many cities. Closely comparable to F3 in core offering (no-cost group fitness, word-of-mouth invitations, decentralized local groups) but co-ed and without F3's faith/leadership curriculum overlay.

Emerging players

• GORUCK: Rucking-based fitness brand with a strong community and event component (including GrowRuck, which intersects with F3 leadership). Comparable in serving a male, mission-driven, peer-led community, but operates around a paid gear and events model rather than free weekly workouts.
• Iron Tribe Fitness: Boutique group fitness franchise built around community, accountability, and coached strength-and-conditioning sessions. Comparable to F3 in group conditioning format and brotherhood culture, but operates paid gym facilities rather than free outdoor workouts.
• Fit Father Project: Online coaching and content business targeting busy men seeking weight-loss and fitness transformations. Comparable to F3 in serving men pursuing physical and life transformation, but is a paid digital program rather than a free, locally organized peer community.
• Order of Man: Media platform (podcast, content, courses) focused on masculine identity, leadership, and personal development. Comparable to F3 in audience (men seeking leadership and brotherhood) and content distribution (F3 has appeared on the podcast), but is a content/media business rather than a workout community.

Regional players

• Men's Shed: Australia/UK-based movement of community men's sheds providing fellowship, skills-sharing, and informal wellness support. Comparable to F3 in mission of male community and peer-led groups, but is primarily workshop/craft-based rather than fitness-anchored and operates predominantly outside the U.S.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/F3Nation
• Facebookfacebook.com/fitnessfellowshipfaith
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/f3
• Instagraminstagram.com/f3nation_official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 F3