What Harmony Institute does

Harmony Institute is a Florida-based nonprofit organization founded in 1998 by James L. Lentz and Martha E. Lentz, with a stated mission to promote human health and well-being through the interaction of people, animals, and the environment. The Institute's operational premise is the design and study of residential communities that facilitate routine human-animal-nature interactions, exemplified by its 11,000-acre Town of Harmony development in Osceola County, Florida, of which the first 1,000-acre phase was constructed with 70% of land preserved as natural open space, two 500-acre lakes (Buck Lake), dark sky lighting, pocket parks, a geothermal-heated pool, and a one-mile highway underpass enabling walk-to-school access. Its core offering is structured around the proprietary B.A.R. (Build, Activate, Research) framework, which combines community design, model program activation, and longitudinal health research modeled on the Framingham Heart Study conducted by the National Institutes of Health and Boston University.

The Institute's product surface consists of three elements: (1) human-animal-nature interaction research programs designed to evaluate long-term health and education benefits for residents; (2) community development initiatives promoting the Harmony design template; and (3) an educational video library showcasing the community's features. Revenue is derived entirely from contributions and donations; no pricing model, donation tiers, or financial figures are disclosed, and the organization's donate page was under construction at the time of data collection.

The Institute is governed by a Board of Directors that includes former Florida Governor Bob Martinez, Dr. Anthony J. Catanese (President Emeritus of Florida Institute of Technology and Florida Atlantic University), landscape architect Barry H. Rymer, healthcare executive Kenneth Peach, municipal investment banker Michael C. Stewart, and attorney Lawrence R. Williams Jr. Operational leadership comprises CEO James L. Lentz, COO Tyler E. Dumont, and Chief Program Officer Martha E. Lentz. Research governance is supported by the Harmony Institute Community Advisory Board (HICAB), which advises on community features and the initiation of community studies, with academic input from Purdue University's Center of Applied Ethology and Human-Animal Interaction. The organization has no disclosed external parent, no venture or private equity ownership, and no subsidiaries.

Name

Harmony Institute

Legal name

Harmony Institute

Website

https://harmonyinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Harmony Institute is a Florida-based nonprofit that designs and studies residential communities integrating human-animal-nature interactions, operating the 11,000-acre Town of Harmony as a living laboratory for longitudinal health research modeled on the Framingham Heart Study.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Contributions and Donations: The institute accepts contributions and donations from supporters. The donate page was under construction at the time of data collection, with a 90% construction status noted. Interested contributors are directed to use the contact form to reach out.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Harmony Institute is a nonprofit organization that promotes human health and well-being through the interaction of people, animals, and the environment. It conducts long-term research programs modeled after the Framingham Heart Study, using its purpose-built 11,000-acre Town of Harmony community in Florida as a living laboratory. Its work follows the proprietary B.A.R. (Build the Environment, Activate Model Programs, Research Outcomes) framework, supported by an academic advisory board (HICAB) and educational video content.

Product overview

The Harmony Institute is a non-profit organization (not a technology product company) that promotes human health and well-being through human-animal-nature interactions. Its offerings consist of research programs evaluating health benefits, community development initiatives based on the Town of Harmony model (a 11,000-acre planned community with nature-preserving design), and educational video content. The organization operates on the 'B.A.R.' approach: Build the Environment, Activate Model Programs, and Research Outcomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Human-Animal-Nature Interaction Research Programs Long-term research programs designed to evaluate the health and education benefits for residents who have routine access to human-animal-nature interactions within a designed community environment, modeled after the Framingham Heart Study.
• Community Development Initiatives
• Harmony Institute Video Library

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

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

• HICAB (Harmony Institute Community Advisory Board)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Institute's academic advisory board comprising experts who recommend features and amenities for the community. HICAB advises both the Institute and Developer throughout initial planning and program implementation. The board includes community studies initiation for evaluating health benefits of human-animal-nature interactions.
• National Institutes of HealthflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferenced as a model partnership from the Framingham Heart Study. NIH collaborated with Boston University and other institutions to study cardiovascular disease over 50+ years. The Harmony Institute seeks similar voluntary research collaboration to study health benefits of human-animal-nature interactions.
• Boston UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative institution referenced from the Framingham Heart Study model, partnering with NIH to conduct long-term cardiovascular research. The Institute aims to establish similar collaborative research relationships.
• Purdue University, Center of Applied Ethology and Human-Animal InteractioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlan M. Beck, Sc.D. from Purdue University is cited as a supporting expert, recognizing the importance of exploring human-animal-nature interaction benefits in society.
• Osceola CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe development partnered with Osceola County to accommodate both a middle and high school, and worked with the county and Florida Department of Transportation to finance and construct the highway underpass walkway for pedestrian safety.
• Florida Department of TransportationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Osceola County to finance and construct the one-mile highway underpass walkway to ensure safety of Harmony children walking to school.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pet Partners: A nonprofit organization that trains and registers therapy animal teams and advocates for the human-animal bond in healthcare and community settings. Comparable to Harmony Institute in promoting structured human-animal interactions as a health intervention.
• Green Chimneys: A nonprofit that combines animal-assisted therapy, educational programs, and residential services for at-risk youth. Comparable to Harmony Institute in blending animal interaction, human well-being, and a community/residential setting.
• Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI): A nonprofit research foundation that funds and disseminates scientific research on the health benefits of human-animal interaction. Direct peer to Harmony Institute given its parallel mission of generating evidence on the human-animal bond.

Others

• Trust for Public Land: A nonprofit focused on creating parks and protecting land for communities, with deep municipal-government partnership experience. Comparable on the land-preservation and community-partnership dimensions.
• RAND Corporation: A large nonprofit research institution producing policy and health research. Comparable as an established nonprofit research organization, though operating at dramatically greater scale across many policy domains.
• Conservation Fund: A nonprofit that works at the intersection of conservation and economic development, acquiring and managing land for environmental outcomes. Adjacent to Harmony Institute's land-preservation and community-development work.
• Congress for New Urbanism: An advocacy and education organization promoting walkable, mixed-use neighborhood design. Thematically aligned with Harmony Institute's walk-to-school, mixed-use community design philosophy.

Broad incumbents

• Urban Land Institute: A research and education nonprofit focused on land use and real estate development practice. Comparable to Harmony Institute's community-design mission at a much broader scale across the built environment industry.
• The Nature Conservancy: One of the largest environmental nonprofits, focused on land and water conservation globally. Overlaps with Harmony Institute's nature-preservation and land-stewardship mission, but at vastly greater scale and geographic breadth.
• National Geographic Society: A large nonprofit supporting exploration, science education, and conservation storytelling. Comparable as a science-and-nature-focused nonprofit that funds research and public education, though much larger and broader in scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=JteQ5D27CXo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/theharmonyinstitute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Harmony Institute