What Healing Breakthrough does

Healing Breakthrough is a U.S.-based 501(c) nonprofit organization founded in 2022 to drive equitable access to evidence-based mental health treatments for veterans, specifically MDMA-Assisted Therapy (MDMA-AT) and psilocybin-assisted therapy for PTSD and treatment-resistant depression. Its mission is operationalized through three pillars: (i) collaborating with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to advance psychedelic-assisted therapy research — including designing, developing, and facilitating 5 of the 8 privately-funded MDMA-AT research studies at the VA and directly funding two of them — (ii) educating federal legislators and policymakers on psychedelic science and advocating for expanded VA research and access, and (iii) providing peer support, education, and grassroots advocacy coordination to veterans and their families. The organization has secured bipartisan congressional support (19 U.S. Senators and 61 House Members), mobilized 730+ veterans from all 50 states and 14 Veteran Service Organizations (including Wounded Warrior Project, DAV, and VFW), and serves as a leading federal voice on veteran psychedelic therapy policy.

The organization operates without a commercial product or service revenue model. Funding is derived from individual donations (collected via Donorbox) and grants, including co-funded research with the Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative and direct grants to the VA National Center for PTSD (NCPTSD). Healing Breakthrough does not develop, manufacture, or sell technology products; its "technology" consists of advocacy infrastructure (grassroots call-to-action systems, a website at healingbreakthrough.org, social media accounts including @HBVeterans on X and LinkedIn), and its primary value-creation mechanism is influence over federal policy, VA research, and FDA regulatory decisions rather than software or hardware output.

Healing Breakthrough is led by Executive Director Juliana Mercer (U.S. Marine Corps veteran with 16 years of service, including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan) and was previously led by Executive Director Dr. Jason Pyle (Army veteran), with Eva McGarry as Communications Strategist. The organization is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and is a program of Heroic Hearts Project. Its strategic priorities were validated by bipartisan congressional recognition in 2024 (Veterans Mental Health Leadership Awards) and by direct FDA engagement — including an AdCom hearing on June 4, 2024 and a Complete Response Letter on August 9, 2024 — positioning the organization to continue shaping federal psychedelic policy despite recent regulatory setbacks.

Name

Healing Breakthrough

Legal name

Healing Breakthrough

Website

https://healingbreakthrough.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Healing Breakthrough is a U.S. nonprofit founded in 2022 that advocates for veteran access to MDMA-Assisted Therapy and psilocybin therapy through the VA, coordinates a national grassroots advocacy network, and funds and facilitates clinical research on PTSD and treatment-resistant depression.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Veteran Mental Health Advocacy

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Substance Use Disorder Prevention & Recovery Services (BPAGACAE)

Keywords

• Veteran mental health advocacy
• Psychedelic-assisted therapy
• PTSD treatment access
• Federal policy advocacy
• Nonprofit veteran services

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropic Funding: Healing Breakthrough is a nonprofit organization that raises funds through donations via donorbox.org and other channels. The organization also receives grant funding from organizations such as the Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative to conduct and support MDMA-AT research studies at the VA.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Healing Breakthrough is a nonprofit advocacy organization that drives equitable access to evidence-based psychedelic-assisted therapies, specifically MDMA-Assisted Therapy (MDMA-AT) and psilocybin-assisted therapy, for U.S. veterans suffering from PTSD and treatment-resistant depression. The organization works through federal legislative advocacy, VA research collaboration, and grassroots mobilization of veteran advocates to expand access to these treatments within the VA healthcare system, while providing peer support and education to veterans and their families.

Product overview

Healing Breakthrough is a nonprofit veteran advocacy organization, not a technology product company. It does not offer commercial products or services. The organization focuses on driving equitable access to evidence-based mental health treatments (specifically MDMA-Assisted Therapy) for veterans through the VA healthcare system by collaborating with federal agencies, educating policymakers, and providing peer support to veterans. The organization's activities include advocacy, research funding facilitation, and grassroots advocacy coordination rather than technology product development or delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grassroots Advocacy Initiative Structured grassroots advocacy program that trains and coordinates veteran and family advocates to meet with federal lawmakers, respond to rapid call-to-action alerts, and provide video or written testimony to drive bipartisan legislative support for psychedelic therapy access through the VA.
• Veteran Peer Support and Education Program Education and peer support offering that empowers veterans, mental health providers, family members, and other key stakeholders with resources and education around psychedelic therapy, and builds social support systems for veterans and their loved ones pre- and post-treatment.
• VA MDMA-AT Research Funding and Facilitation Program Program through which Healing Breakthrough designs, develops, facilitates, and funds MDMA-Assisted Therapy research studies conducted at the Department of Veterans Affairs. The organization has facilitated five of the eight privately-funded MDMA-AT research studies at the VA and funded two of the eight directly, including a grant to the VA National Center for PTSD for a first-of-its-kind clinical feasibility and safety study led by Dr. Paula Schnurr.

Quantifiable outcome

• 87% of MDMA-AT participants experienced clinically significant reduction in PTSD symptoms two months post-treatment
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Heroic Hearts ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 July 2024Healing Breakthrough and Heroic Hearts Project co-host press conferences on Capitol Hill, issue joint statements on FDA decisions, and collaborate on veteran advocacy for MDMA-AT access. The two organizations co-hosted a press conference on July 10, 2024, bringing together veterans and congressional lawmakers to urge FDA approval of MDMA-AT.
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The VA issued a Request for Applications (RFA) in January 2024 to study psychedelic compounds for treating veteran PTSD and depression — the VA's first direct investment in psychedelic research. Healing Breakthrough designed, developed, and facilitated five of eight privately-funded MDMA-AT research studies at the VA, and funded two directly. VA Under Secretary Dr. Shereef Elnahal appeared alongside Executive Director Dr. Jason Pyle at the Horizons conference.
• VA National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (NCPTSD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Healing Breakthrough granted funding to the VA's National Center for PTSD to assess the feasibility and safety of MDMA-AT in a first-of-its-kind clinical research study led by NCPTSD Executive Director Dr. Paula Schnurr.
• Wounded Warrior Project, Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner14 Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) including Wounded Warrior Project, DAV, and VFW provided supportive testimony to the FDA Advisory Committee and signed onto letters supporting MDMA-AT approval. Over 730 veterans from all 50 states signed onto these letters.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Wounded Warrior Project: Wounded Warrior Project is one of the largest veteran service organizations and a Healing Breakthrough coalition partner that signed onto supportive FDA letters. It is comparable as a broad veteran advocacy and support organization, though much larger and serving a wider mental health and recovery mission.
• Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW): VFW is one of the largest congressionally-chartered veteran service organizations and a Healing Breakthrough coalition partner on FDA advocacy. It is comparable as a broad incumbent VSO with federal policy engagement and a national veteran membership base.
• Disabled American Veterans (DAV): DAV is a major Veteran Service Organization listed as one of the 14 VSOs supporting Healing Breakthrough's FDA advocacy. It is comparable as a broad incumbent veteran advocacy organization with federal policy engagement capabilities.
• Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA): IAVA is a major veteran advocacy organization focused on policy and benefits for post-9/11 veterans, including mental health. It is comparable as a policy-driven veteran advocacy peer, though broader in scope than Healing Breakthrough's psychedelic-therapy-specific mission.

Emerging players

• Beckley Foundation: Beckley Foundation is a UK-based nonprofit that funds and conducts psychedelic research and policy reform. It is comparable as an international peer in psychedelic advocacy and research funding, though it operates at a broader geographic and topic scope.
• Compass Pathways: Compass Pathways is a mental health care company developing psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression — the same indication Healing Breakthrough supports for veterans. It is comparable as a peer pursuing psychedelic-assisted therapy through clinical trials and FDA pathways.
• Usona Institute: Usona Institute is a nonprofit medical research organization sponsoring psilocybin clinical trials for major depressive disorder. It is comparable as a peer nonprofit advancing psychedelic therapy through FDA-recognized research pathways that Healing Breakthrough's advocacy aligns with.

Direct peers

• Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS): MAPS is the nonprofit that sponsored the MDMA-AT clinical trials Lykos submitted for FDA approval. It is the parent organization of the underlying therapy protocol Healing Breakthrough advocates for, making it a direct peer in the psychedelic-assisted therapy ecosystem.
• Heroic Hearts Project: Heroic Hearts Project is a veteran-focused nonprofit that supports military veterans seeking psychedelic therapy options, including through international retreats. It is Healing Breakthrough's closest peer and active co-advocacy partner, co-hosting Capitol Hill press conferences and joint statements on FDA MDMA-AT decisions.
• Lykos Therapeutics (formerly MAPS Public Benefit Corporation): Lykos Therapeutics is the pharmaceutical company that submitted the MDMA-AT NDA to the FDA. It is the entity directly affected by the FDA's 2024 Complete Response Letter and the regulatory partner whose approval pathway Healing Breakthrough's advocacy is designed to support.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HBVeterans
• Facebookfacebook.com/healingbreakthrough
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/healing-breakthrough
• Instagraminstagram.com/juliana__mercer

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Healing Breakthrough