INTERNATIONAL FORGIVENESS INSTITUTE

What INTERNATIONAL FORGIVENESS INSTITUTE does

The International Forgiveness Institute (IFI) is a Madison, Wisconsin-based non-profit organization founded in 1994 by Dr. Robert Enright, a University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher widely credited with pioneering the scientific study of forgiveness. IFI develops and disseminates forgiveness education curricula spanning Pre-K through Grade 12, the Enright Forgiveness Inventory (EFI) family of validated psychological assessment tools (including the Enright Group Forgiveness Inventory and the Enright Forgiveness Motivation Inventory), books, training videos delivered through its InnerChange platform, and an APA-certified continuing education course for mental health professionals. Its core intellectual property rests on decades of peer-reviewed forgiveness research and the proprietary Enright Process Model of forgiveness therapy.

IFI operates as a diversified revenue non-profit. Income streams include sales of curricula, books, and manuals; licensing of the EFI through Mind Garden Publishing; CE course fees distributed via the American Psychological Association; InnerChange video subscriptions; donations; and grant funding including support from the John Templeton Foundation for medical forgiveness research. The organization serves a broad customer base spanning K-12 schools, mental health professionals, faith communities, corrections facilities, end-of-life care providers, senior citizen programs, and the general public, with active programs in more than 30 countries and country-specific social media presence supporting international rollout.

Name

INTERNATIONAL FORGIVENESS INSTITUTE

Legal name

International Forgiveness Institute

Website

https://internationalforgiveness.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The International Forgiveness Institute is a Madison, Wisconsin-based non-profit founded in 1994 by Dr. Robert Enright that develops forgiveness education curricula (Pre-K–12), validated psychological assessments (Enright Forgiveness Inventory family), books, training videos, and APA-certified CE courses for schools, mental health professionals, faith communities, corrections, and the general public across 30+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Forgiveness Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Remedial & Academic Intervention Programs (Reading/Math Recovery) (EDAJAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Diagnostic & Adaptive Assessment Content (Skills/Readiness) (EDAGADAJ), Special Education (SPED) & Inclusive Curriculum Materials (EDAGAAAE)

Keywords

• Forgiveness education
• Social emotional learning
• Psychology research tools
• Therapy training materials
• Character education curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales (Books, Curriculum, Manuals): IFI generates revenue through the sale of forgiveness education curriculum guides (Pre-K through 12th grade), books authored by Dr. Enright, forgiveness intervention manuals, instructional DVDs/videos, and forgiveness research tools. Products are available through the IFI online store.
2. Continuing Education (CE) Course: Online home study continuing education course offering 15 CEU credits to licensed psychologists through APA certification. Also beneficial for ministers, psychiatrists, social workers, nurses, and professional counselors.
3. Research Tool Licensing: Enright Forgiveness Inventory (EFI-60) available for purchase/licensing through Mind Garden publishing house. Scales are used by researchers and clinicians worldwide.
4. Donations and Charitable Contributions: IFI operates as a not-for-profit organization relying on donations from benefactors and investors to support forgiveness education programs, particularly in Belfast, Northern Ireland and Madison, Wisconsin where materials are provided free to schools.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

IFI develops and disseminates evidence-based forgiveness education curricula (Pre-K through 12th grade), proprietary research assessment instruments (the Enright Forgiveness Inventory family), therapy training materials, and continuing education courses based on Dr. Robert Enright's 20-step Process Model of Forgiveness. The non-profit sells books, manuals, curricula, instructional videos, and research tools through its own website store and partner distributors, and provides free children's resources and program delivery in schools worldwide.

Product overview

The International Forgiveness Institute offers a comprehensive suite of forgiveness education and therapy resources centered on Dr. Robert Enright's Process Model of Forgiveness. The core offerings include: forgiveness education curricula (Pre-K through 12th grade) with both standard and Christian editions; validated research assessment tools including the Enright Forgiveness Inventory family (EFI-30, Self-Forgiveness Inventory, Group Forgiveness Inventory, Children's and Adults versions, and Motivation Inventory); professional training materials including books (Forgiveness Is a Choice, 8 Keys to Forgiveness, The Forgiving Life, Forgiveness Therapy), training videos, and an APA-certified 15 CEU Online Continuing Education Course; specialized programs such as the Anti-Bullying Forgiveness Program, The Journey of Forgiveness for end-of-life care, and family guides; and free children's resources. These products form an integrated ecosystem for delivering forgiveness education in schools, therapeutic settings, and homes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Forgive4Peace: A Florida-based non-profit partner organization whose mission is to promote forgiveness education at home, at school and at work for the sake of world peace.
• Forgiveness University

Products and services

• Forgiveness Education Curriculum (Pre-K through 12th Grade) Comprehensive forgiveness education curriculum with grade-level guides for Pre-K through 12, including 12-16 lesson plans covering respect, inherent worth, empathy, and forgiveness concepts; available in standard and Christian editions. Target customers: K-12 schools, teachers, and districts.
• Enright Forgiveness Inventory-30 (EFI-30) A 30-item self-report scale measuring the degree to which one person forgives another who has hurt them deeply and unfairly, widely used by researchers and clinicians worldwide; available at no cost.
• Enright Forgiveness Inventory for Adults (EFI-60) A 60-item validated scale taking 12-15 minutes to complete, measuring forgiveness with scores ranging from 60 to 360; distributed via Mind Garden publishing.
• Enright Forgiveness Inventory for Children (EFI-C) A 30-item scale presented orally to assess children's degree of forgiveness toward one person for one hurtful event; now also available in Urdu.
• Enright Self-Forgiveness Inventory (ESFI) A 30-item scale featuring six subscales measuring positive/negative affect, thoughts, and behavior toward the self, plus pseudo self-forgiveness measurement, based on forgiveness as a moral virtue.
• Enright Group Forgiveness Inventory A validated inventory for measuring forgiveness at the group or community level, newly published in 2021.
• Enright Forgiveness Motivation Inventory A research instrument for assessing an individual's motivation to forgive.
• Forgiveness Therapy: An Empirical Guide for Resolving Anger and Restoring Hope A book by Dr. Robert Enright and Dr. Richard Fitzgibbons published by APA in 2015, providing empirical foundations and clinical applications of forgiveness therapy for psychologists, counselors, and helping professionals.
• Forgiveness Is a Choice: A Step-by-Step Process for Resolving Anger and Restoring Hope Dr. Enright's comprehensive book outlining the 20-step Process Model of Forgiveness organized into four phases (Uncovering, Decision, Work, and Outcome/Deepening) for individual readers.
• 8 Keys to Forgiveness Dr. Enright's condensed hands-on guide walking readers through the forgiveness process in 8 key steps with focus on self-forgiveness and interpersonal forgiveness for general adult readers.
• The Forgiving Life: A Pathway to Overcoming Resentment and Creating a Legacy of Love Dr. Enright's book offering scientifically supported guidance to help people forgive those who have acted unfairly and inflicted emotional hurt, for general readers.
• Exploring Forgiveness A collection of essays with interdisciplinary focus on conceptual, theoretical, and practical issues of forgiveness, edited by Drs. Robert Enright and Joanna North, with a foreword by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
• Helping Clients Forgive: An Empirical Guide to Resolving Anger and Restoring Hope First collaborative book of Dr. Enright and Dr. Fitzgibbons (2000) covering empirical foundations and clinical applications across various client presentations for mental health practitioners.
• Online Continuing Education Course (Forgiveness Therapy) APA-certified online home study course offering 15 CEU credits to licensed psychologists, based on the Forgiveness Therapy book, covering empirical foundations and clinical applications; also open to ministers, psychiatrists, social workers, nurses, and professional counselors.
• Forgiveness Training Video (DVD/VHS) 100-minute training video distributed by APA featuring Dr. Robert Enright and Dr. Richard Fitzgibbons discussing and demonstrating their forgiveness-centered approach to psychotherapy.
• Forgiveness Therapy in Practice Video 100-minute video program demonstrating Dr. Enright's approach to forgiveness therapy with a female client who feels hurt by her mother; for clinician training.
• The Anti-Bullying Forgiveness Program Intervention manual for grades 4-9 designed to reduce bullying behavior by targeting inner rage through forgiveness, with 8 lessons of 30-60 minutes each; for schools and counselors.
• A Family Guide to Forgiveness Education Easy-to-use parents' guide for teaching primary-age children (ages 6-9) about forgiveness through story, discussion, and activities.
• Strengthening Families Manual Parent guide with stories and eight lessons for older children in grades 5-8, designed to implement forgiveness strategies in the home.
• The Journey of Forgiveness: An Educational Program for Persons at the End of Life Educational manual designed to help dying persons forgive, based on Dr. Enright's process model of forgiveness, for use by counseling professionals with end-of-life patients.
• Children's Forgiveness Books (Rising Above the Storm Clouds; The Tiger in the Tall Grass) Free children's forgiveness books including 'Rising Above the Storm Clouds' and 'The Tiger in the Tall Grass' by Mary Lou Coons, designed to teach forgiveness to children.

Quantifiable outcome

• 68% of teachers observed decreased student anger; 95% saw improved classroom functioning after implementing forgiveness curriculum in Milwaukee schools
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Forgive4PeacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlorida-based non-profit organization (formerly called Possumus International) partnering with IFI on various international peace initiatives. Rosemary Kite is Founder and President. Their mission is to promote forgiveness education at home, at school, and at work for the sake of world peace.
• University of Wisconsin-MadisoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Robert Enright is a Professor of Educational Psychology at UW-Madison where he conducts all forgiveness research. The university provides academic infrastructure and credibility for 35+ years of scientific studies.
• American Psychological Association (APA)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAPA distributes Dr. Enright's training videos 'Forgiveness' and 'Forgiveness Therapy in Practice.' Also publishes related books including 'The Forgiving Life' and offers CE course accreditation.
• Mind Garden PublishingmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublishing house distributing the Enright Forgiveness Inventory (EFI-60) and providing scoring services for clinical and research applications worldwide.
• Institute for Marital HealingmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by Dr. Richard Fitzgibbons, this organization has co-authored 'Forgiveness Therapy: An Empirical Guide for Resolving Anger and Restoring Hope' with Dr. Enright. Co-developed marriage and forgiveness therapy approaches.
• Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education (NICIE)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership with NICIE to expand Forgiveness Education to integrated schools in Belfast, Northern Ireland where Catholic and Protestant students attend together. Includes teacher training workshops.
• Stranmillis University College, BelfastmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for international forgiveness education research project funded by John Templeton Foundation, including schools in Belfast, Israel, and Philippines.
• Mar Elias Educational Institutions, Ibillin, IsraelmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEight high school teachers provide Forgiveness Education training at Mar Elias Elementary and High School, reaching approximately 600 students in Galilee, Israel.
• Metro Manila Christian Church and Hope WorldwidemajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership for forgiveness education programs in the Philippines providing protection, education, and health services to poor Filipino children.
• Aristotle University of ThessalonikiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Dr. Peli Galiti in training teachers in Greece on forgiveness education curriculum.
• Puppets for Peace FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by Mary Lou Coons, this organization creates puppet shows and resources (including children's books 'Rising Above the Storm Clouds' and 'The Tiger in the Tall Grass') to teach forgiveness to children.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• EVERFI: Digital K-12 SEL and character education platform (acquired by Blackbaud). Same customer base (K-12 schools and districts) and mission, but delivers via digital platform rather than teacher-led curriculum.
• Committee for Children: Large nonprofit publisher of the Second Step SEL curriculum used in tens of thousands of K-12 classrooms. Operates in the same SEL/character education category as IFI but with substantially greater scale, digital product delivery, and district-level contracts.

Direct peers

• Character.org: National nonprofit that certifies K-12 schools and districts as 'Schools of Character' and promotes social-emotional/character education curricula. Directly comparable to IFI in mission, target market (K-12 schools), and nonprofit delivery model.
• Mind Garden: Publishing house that distributes the Enright Forgiveness Inventory (EFI-60) and other psychological assessments to clinicians and researchers worldwide. Direct peer in the assessment-instrument licensing business.
• Hope for the Heart: Christian counseling organization that publishes biblically-based forgiveness study guides and books. Direct overlap with IFI's faith-based forgiveness content (Christian edition curriculum and faith-community segment), serving the same faith-community buyer.

Emerging players

• Move This World: PreK-12 SEL curriculum provider focused on social-emotional skill development through video and classroom activities. Targets the same SEL buyer as IFI but with a more digital, scalable delivery model.
• Facing History and Ourselves: Nonprofit providing K-12 curriculum on historical empathy, civic responsibility, and social-emotional learning, with significant overlap in intergroup-conflict and forgiveness themes (notably Northern Ireland and Holocaust education). Same customer base and pedagogical approach.

Others

• Greater Good Science Center (UC Berkeley): Academic research and practice center producing evidence-based content on happiness, empathy, and forgiveness. Comparable in scientific credibility and forgiveness-related content but operates from a university rather than as a curriculum-distributing nonprofit.
• CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning): Defines the dominant U.S. SEL framework that K-12 districts adopt. IFI's forgiveness curriculum is implicitly positioned within CASEL's competency framework, making CASEL an adjacent ecosystem participant and standards-setter rather than a direct competitor.
• Making Caring Common (Harvard Graduate School of Education): Harvard-based initiative producing research and K-12 resources on character development, empathy, and ethical engagement. Adjacent academic peer producing comparable evidence-based resources for the same educator audience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@internationalforgivenessinst
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-forgiveness-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 INTERNATIONAL FORGIVENESS INSTITUTE