Hi, How Are You Foundation

What Hi, How Are You Foundation does

Hi, How Are You Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2018 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, that educates young adults on mental health through creative content, events, and community programs. The organization operates with a small team of approximately 9 employees and is inspired by the legacy of singer-songwriter and visual artist Daniel Johnston, including his iconic 1983 Austin mural. Its primary audience is college students aged 18-24, with secondary audiences including student housing providers, corporate sponsors, and the general public. The foundation's core programs include the Happy Habits curriculum (six science-backed daily practices), a Peer to Peer Support video series, the annual Thriving College Student Index Survey, ACL Interviews conducted at Austin City Limits Music Festival, Start the Conversation guides, and the annual Hi How Are You Day concert event. The organization has no proprietary technology platform; its technical surface consists of a Squarespace-hosted website, a givebutter.com donation page, and a hellomerch.com merchandise storefront.

The foundation's go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, anchored by a flagship partnership with the College Student Mental Wellness Advocacy Coalition — a coalition of 24 student housing providers — which provides institutional access to more than 850,000 college students across 200+ communities nationwide. American Campus Communities serves as the official hero sponsor, and recurring annual events at Austin venues (Paramount Theatre, Emo's Austin) drive both fundraising and brand visibility. Hi, How Are You Day (January 22) is officially recognized by both the City of Austin and the State of Texas. Revenue is generated through tax-deductible donations, event ticket sales, merchandise, and corporate sponsorships, with no pricing model applied to its mental health resources, which are provided free to the public.

Name

Hi, How Are You Foundation

Legal name

Hi, How Are You Foundation Inc

Website

https://hihowareyou.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hi, How Are You Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Austin, Texas that educates young adults on mental health through creative content, events, and community programs, reaching 850,000+ college students via a 24-member student housing coalition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Advocacy & Youth Wellness

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

Keywords

• Mental health advocacy
• Youth wellness programs
• Peer support resources
• Mental health education
• Nonprofit mental wellness

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

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: Tax-deductible donations through givebutter.com platform to support mental health resources and programs for young adults worldwide.
2. Event Tickets: Ticket sales for annual Hi How Are You Day concerts at venues like Paramount Theatre and Emo's Austin. The 2025 event raised funds to continue providing mental health resources.
3. Merchandise Sales: Sales of Hi How Are You Project merchandise including apparel through hellomerch.com. A Texas Playboys fundraiser event raised over $5,000 for the organization.
4. Corporate Sponsorships: Hero sponsors (American Campus Communities), media partners, and event sponsors provide financial support and in-kind contributions. American Campus Communities is the official hero sponsor.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Hi, How Are You Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that educates young adults worldwide on mental health through creative content, events, and community programs, inspired by Daniel Johnston's iconic Austin mural and legacy. The foundation delivers an integrated portfolio of programs including the science-backed Happy Habits daily practices, Peer-to-Peer Support video series, annual Thriving College Student Index Survey, ACL Interviews, Start the Conversation guides, and the annual Hi How Are You Day celebration, reaching more than 850,000 college students nationwide.

Product overview

Hi, How Are You Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that educates young people worldwide about mental health and well-being through creative content, events, and community-building programs. Inspired by Daniel Johnston's Austin mural, the organization delivers mental wellness through an integrated portfolio: the Happy Habits program (six science-backed daily practices), a Peer to Peer Support Video Series, the annual Thriving College Student Index Survey, ACL Interviews (mental health conversations with festival artists), Start the Conversation guides, the Links to Resources for Help directory, and the annual Hi How Are You Day event. These programs work together to promote mental wellness, encourage open conversation, and reduce stigma around mental health among young adults, reaching more than 850,000 college students nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Happy Habits A core program offering six simple, science-backed daily practices that make it easier for anyone to nurture mental well-being every day, forming a practical roadmap for feeling connected, balanced, and resilient. Targeted at young adults and college students seeking daily protective mental wellness habits.
• Peer to Peer Support Video Series A bite-sized video series providing tools to navigate college life, including mental health tips, identifying common mental health struggles, and ways to support friends and community. Targeted at college students and young adults for peer-to-peer mental wellness support.
• Thriving College Student Index Survey An annual mental health and wellness survey conducted in partnership with the College Student Mental Wellness Advocacy Coalition, involving tens of thousands of college students across the nation. Designed as a research program to surface insights into student mental wellness trends.
• ACL Interviews One-on-one conversations about mental health with artists backstage at Austin City Limits Music Festival, produced in partnership with Medicinal Media and University of Texas at Austin Moody College of Communication. Targeted at young adults and festival audiences to destigmatize mental health through artist-led storytelling.
• Start the Conversation Guides and resources for starting meaningful conversations about mental health, including mental health facts, warning signs, conversation starters, and professional referral guidance. Targeted at parents, family members, peers, and the general public supporting young adults.
• Links to Resources for Help A comprehensive directory of mental health resources including emergency contacts (National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Crisis Text Line), student mental health resources, online therapy, and mobile wellness apps. Targeted at young adults and college students seeking professional and crisis support.
• Hi How Are You Day Annual celebration of the life and legacy of Daniel Johnston, officially recognized by the City of Austin and State of Texas, promoting mental health awareness through music and conversation at Austin venues such as Paramount Theatre and Emo's Austin. Targeted at Austin-area audiences, sponsors, and the broader mental health advocacy community.
• Hello Merch Official merchandise storefront offering Hi, How Are You Project branded apparel and items through hellomerch.com. Sales support the foundation's mental health mission; targeted at supporters, fans of Daniel Johnston, and the general public.

Quantifiable outcome

• 64% of college dropouts leave due to mental health related reasons
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• American Campus CommunitiesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmerican Campus Communities is the official hero sponsor of the Hi How Are You Project. They partner with the organization to provide mental health resources and programming to their student residents across their portfolio of student housing properties nationwide.
• College Student Mental Wellness Advocacy CoalitionflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of 24 leading student housing providers with more than 850,000 student residents in over 200 markets. The partnership conducts the annual Thriving College Student Index Survey and provides mental health best practices to students across the country.
• Medicinal MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered backstage at Austin City Limits Music Festival 2023 to produce ACL Interviews - one-on-one conversations about mental health with festival artists.
• Austin City LimitscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe ACL Interviews series was produced in partnership with Austin City Limits, with hosting by Kendall Washington & Guido Peluffo and production support from the UT Austin Moody College of Communication and Bevo Video Productions.
• University of Texas at Austin Moody College of CommunicationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner providing production support for the ACL Interviews series through student involvement and resources.
• EndeavorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner on the website, supporting the mission to promote mental health awareness and foster compassion in conversations.
• Regions BankcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for Hi How Are You Day events (2022, 2023) and Happy Habit-A-Thon (2021), providing financial support for mental health programming.
• The Ector TheatreminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored Hi How Are You Day events (2022, 2023), located in Odessa, Texas.
• Thompson AustinminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for Hi How Are You Day 2023, providing venue support for the event.
• Giant NoiseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPR and marketing partner for Hi How Are You Day events (2022, 2023).
• Qello Concerts by StingrayminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLive-stream partner for Hi How Are You Day 2022, broadcasting the event globally to share festivities worldwide.
• Estes AudiologyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for Hi How Are You Day 2023, supporting mental health awareness event.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bring Change to Mind: Nonprofit co-founded by Glenn Close that runs youth-focused mental health awareness programs in high schools and colleges through peer-to-peer conversations, similar to HHAYP's Peer to Peer Support video series and stigma-reduction mission.
• Active Minds: National nonprofit dedicated to mental health awareness and education for college students, with peer-to-peer programs, student-led chapters, and campus-based outreach—directly mirroring HHAYP's college-student mental wellness focus and awareness-driven mission.
• Born This Way Foundation: Lady Gaga-affiliated nonprofit focused on youth mental health and kindness, building peer support networks and resources for young people aged 15-24—an adjacent youth mental wellness mission with a celebrity/arts-driven brand identity.
• The Jed Foundation (JED): Leading nonprofit protecting emotional health and preventing suicide among college students through campus programs, the JED Campus initiative, and mental health resource partnerships—highly comparable to HHAYP's college-student mental wellness programs and partnership-distributed content model.

Emerging players

• Backline (Music Industry Mental Health): Nonprofit providing mental health resources specifically to music industry professionals and their families. Shares HHAYP's music-industry partnership model and focus on mental wellness for a defined community, but at much smaller scale.
• MusiCares: Music industry nonprofit providing mental health and addiction recovery support, with an annual Person of the Year gala and high-profile artist partnerships—comparable to HHAYP's music-event-driven mental health mission and corporate/sponsor fundraising model.
• The Trevor Project: Nonprofit providing crisis intervention and mental health support to LGBTQ+ young people, operating peer-to-peer digital channels and large-scale awareness campaigns—adjacent youth mental health peer-support model with different demographic focus.

Broad incumbents

• NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness): One of the largest U.S. grassroots mental health organizations providing education, support groups, and advocacy across all age groups. Differs from HHAYP by serving a broader age range and offering more clinical referral infrastructure, but competes for the same donor and awareness pool.

Others

• Foundation for Art Theory (art-and-mental-health adjacent): Placeholder listing skipped - no clear comparable organization identified beyond those above. Final peer is supplanted by the following: Hopelab (technology-focused nonprofit investing in youth mental health solutions), which shares HHAYP's young-adult mission with a digital-first delivery model.
• Crisis Text Line: Large-scale mental health support nonprofit offering 24/7 text-based crisis counseling with thousands of volunteer counselors. Closely related as a youth-oriented mental health support infrastructure, but provides crisis intervention rather than awareness/education.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hhay

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 Hi, How Are You Foundation