HUGG

What HUGG does

HUGG (Healing Untold Grief Groups) is an Irish registered charity founded in 2017 by Fiona Tuomey following the suicide death of her daughter Milly. The organization operates as Ireland's national suicide bereavement organization, providing peer-led support to adults bereaved by suicide. Core service offerings include facilitated support groups, a telephone support line (01 513 4048), pop-up grief cafés, walking groups, creative workshops (including the Say Their Name memorial quilt), and educational webinars. Specialized programs include Safe Harbour (children aged 3-7 bereaved by suicide) and HUGG Men (men-only peer support). All services are delivered free of charge by trained volunteers and a small staff team (~14 people) who all share personal lived experience of suicide loss.

HUGG does not develop proprietary technology products; its operational infrastructure consists of a website, email systems, online registration forms, and social media channels used for outreach and community engagement. The organization holds the Charities Institute of Ireland Triple Lock Standard for governance and is the primary non-government recipient of HSE National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) funding. HUGG also conducts research, including co-production of Ireland's first National Suicide Bereavement Survey (AfterWords, 2022, 2,400+ responses) with the National Suicide Research Foundation, and contributes to national policy through Connecting for Life 2026-2035.

HUGG's revenue model is non-commercial. All services are free to beneficiaries. Income is generated through statutory grants (primarily HSE NOSP), individual donations, fundraising events (Memory Meadow, abseiling challenges, marathons), and corporate philanthropy (Partners in Hope program). The go-to-market approach is community-led: HUGG reaches beneficiaries through self-referral, GP and healthcare professional referrals, community organization signposting, and digital/earned media (including coverage on RTÉ Radio 1, The Ray D'Arcy Show, Irish Times, and podcasts). In 2025, HUGG launched a five-year strategy ('Connection and Hope: Transforming Lives Together') explicitly targeting underserved populations including men, young adults, LGBTQ+ communities, the Traveller community, and older adults.

Name

HUGG

Legal name

Healing Untold Grief Groups

Website

https://hugg.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HUGG is Ireland's national suicide bereavement nonprofit, founded in 2017, providing free peer-led support groups, telephone support, and community programs to individuals bereaved by suicide, delivered by staff and volunteers with lived experience.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Suicide Bereavement Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Hospice-Affiliated/Independent) (HLADAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD), Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGAEAH)

Keywords

• Suicide bereavement support
• Peer support groups
• Bereavement counseling
• Postvention services
• Grief support charity

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Grants and Government Funding: HUGG receives core funding from the HSE National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP), which confirmed additional funding for 2026. The organization also receives support through government and statutory funding channels. Grants and donations form the primary revenue stream enabling the charity to provide free services.
2. Donations and Fundraising: HUGG accepts charitable donations from individuals, corporations, and philanthropic organizations. The organization runs various fundraising initiatives including the Memory Meadow (virtual flower planting), event-based fundraising (abseiling challenges, marathons, HUGG in a Mug moments), and general donation appeals. All services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries.
3. Philanthropy and Corporate Partnerships: HUGG actively cultivates corporate partnerships and philanthropy relationships, offering organizations opportunities to support suicide bereavement services. The organization maintains a 'Partners in Hope' program for corporate collaborators.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

HUGG (Healing Untold Grief Groups) provides free, peer-led suicide bereavement support services to adults in Ireland who have lost someone to suicide. Its core offering centres on facilitated in-person support groups led by trained volunteers with lived experience, complemented by a telephone support line, pop-up grief cafés, walking groups, creative memorial workshops, and specialized programs for men (HUGG Men) and children aged 3-7 (Safe Harbour). All services are provided at no cost and are designed to reduce isolation, support post-traumatic growth, and address the 10x elevated suicide risk among suicide-bereaved populations.

Product overview

HUGG is Ireland's national suicide bereavement organization providing a coordinated portfolio of peer support services for those bereaved by suicide. The core offering centers on HUGG Suicide Bereavement Support Groups (peer-led groups facilitated by trained volunteers with lived experience) and a Telephone Support Line (offering compassionate listening and peer connection). These are complemented by community-based programs including Pop-up Cafés for informal social connection, HUGG Walks combining outdoor activity with peer support, and Say Their Name creative memorial workshops. Specialized offerings include Safe Harbour (supporting children aged 3-7 bereaved by suicide) and HUGG Men (a dedicated support group for men). Educational resources, webinars, Memory Meadow memorial service, and advocacy initiatives complete the service ecosystem, all grounded in postvention principles that recognize the 10x heightened suicide risk among the bereaved.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HUGG Men: Dedicated suicide bereavement support group led by men for men.
• Safe Harbour
• HUGG Walks
• HUGG Suicide Bereavement Pop-up Cafés
• Say Their Name: Suicide Loss Memorial Quilt

Products and services

• HUGG Suicide Bereavement Support Groups Peer-led in-person suicide bereavement support groups facilitated by trained volunteers with lived experience of suicide loss. Groups offer connection, shared understanding and mutual support for adults in Ireland who have lost someone to suicide, with specialized men-only (HUGG Men) and general mixed groups meeting in communities nationwide.
• HUGG Telephone Support Line

Quantifiable outcome

• Postvention support reduces heightened suicide risk among the bereaved (10x higher than general population)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

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

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HSE National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary government funder of HUGG's suicide bereavement support services. NOSP confirmed additional funding for 2026 to strengthen HUGG's capacity to expand services. HUGG participates in national suicide prevention strategy development and consultation processes.
• National Suicide Research Foundation (NSRF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Ireland's first National Suicide Bereavement Survey (AfterWords, 2022) with over 2,400 responses. Ongoing research partnership for evaluation of HUGG support services and suicide bereavement research in Ireland.
• HSE IrelandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced the 'Safe Harbour' illustrated storybook for children bereaved by suicide. HSE Dublin and Midlands and HSE NOSP provided support and funding for the project. HUGG staff and volunteers contributed to content development.
• Pieta HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated as partner in developing the 'Safe Harbour' illustrated storybook for children bereaved by suicide. Both organizations work in complementary areas of suicide prevention and bereavement support in Ireland.
• Barnardos IrelandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated as partner in developing the 'Safe Harbour' illustrated storybook for children bereaved by suicide, bringing expertise in childhood bereavement support.
• Irish Childhood Bereavement Network (part of Irish Hospice Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated as partner in developing the 'Safe Harbour' illustrated storybook for children bereaved by suicide, providing expertise in childhood bereavement care and support.
• Mental Health ReformminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHUGG works with Mental Health Reform, Ireland's leading coalition on mental health, on advocacy for coroner's court reform and suicide prevention policy improvements.
• Indecon Economic ConsultantsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConducted independent research for HUGG on the underestimation of suicide rates in Ireland. Used statistical techniques to estimate the true rate of suicide based on international comparisons.
• University College Dublin (UCD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on post-traumatic growth research after suicide loss. HUGG volunteer Mark Creegan worked with UCD researchers on secondary analysis of the AfterWords survey data.
• University College Cork (UCC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHUGG supports UCC research on men's experiences of coping after suicide loss and factors influencing uptake of support services among men bereaved by suicide.
• Connecting for Life (National Suicide Reduction Strategy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHUGG participates in Ireland's national suicide and self-harm reduction strategy (Connecting for Life 2026-2035), contributing to policy development and implementation at national level.
• Charities Institute of IrelandminorOthersHUGG is a member of the Charities Institute of Ireland, maintaining Triple Lock Standard certification for governance, fundraising, and management.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Jigsaw: Irish youth mental health charity supporting young people aged 12-25. Comparable as an Ireland-based mental health nonprofit with youth focus, though HUGG addresses a different life stage (bereaved adults) and trigger (suicide loss).
• ISPCC Childline: Ireland's 24-hour support line for children and young people. Comparable as a national Ireland-based nonprofit providing emotional support services, particularly adjacent to HUGG's Safe Harbour children's bereavement programme.

Direct peers

• Pieta House: Ireland's largest suicide and self-harm support charity, operating crisis helplines and therapy services. Direct peer given overlapping suicide-loss and bereavement support remit in the same Irish market, with whom HUGG already co-developed the Safe Harbour storybook.
• Console (now part of Pieta): Originally founded as a dedicated postvention (suicide bereavement) charity in Ireland, subsequently merged into Pieta House. Closely comparable given identical mission and history, now operating under Pieta's broader umbrella.
• Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide: UK-based charity dedicated specifically to supporting those bereaved by suicide through peer-led groups, helpline, and online resources. Closest direct peer given shared mission, peer-led model, and suicide-bereavement focus.

Broad incumbents

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: Largest US nonprofit dedicated to suicide prevention and loss support, with research, advocacy, and bereavement programs. Comparable as a national-scale suicide-bereavement organisation with research-led credibility, though much larger and US-focused.
• Samaritans Ireland: Ireland branch of the international Samaritans organisation providing 24/7 emotional support via phone and other channels. Comparable as a national crisis-support service in Ireland, though broader in scope beyond bereavement specifically.
• Irish Hospice Foundation: Ireland's national charity for hospice and bereavement support, including the Irish Childhood Bereavement Network. Peer given overlapping bereavement remit and shared role in national bereavement policy and childhood-loss programming.

Emerging players

• LivingWorks: International suicide prevention training provider focused on intervention skills (ASIST, safeTALK). Comparable as a peer-support-adjacent organisation operating in the suicide prevention space, though commercial and training-led rather than bereavement-specific.
• Crisis Text Line: International nonprofit providing text-based crisis support. Comparable as an emerging peer-led, technology-enabled mental health crisis service model relevant to HUGG's telephone and digital support evolution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HUGGIreland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/huggireland
• Instagraminstagram.com/huggireland

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 HUGG