The Joy Project

What The Joy Project does

The Joy Project is a Minnesota-based nonprofit organization that provides free, survivor-led peer support and educational resources for individuals affected by eating disorders and their support networks. The organization operates primarily through a WordPress website (joyproject.org), virtual support group delivery via Zoom, and an active blog and podcast ecosystem. Its core offerings include free weekly drop-in support groups (originally held in person at University Lutheran Church of Hope in Minneapolis and now conducted virtually), the 'Eating Disorders Off Topic' podcast distributed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio, and a categorized blog library covering Eating Disorders 101, Tools for Recovery, ED News & Discussion, Special Topics, and For Support People.

The organization's business model is donation-based rather than commercial. All services, resources, and support groups are provided free of charge, with no registration required for content access. Revenue is generated through voluntary donations processed via PayPal, with preset contribution tiers ranging from $5 to $1,000. The organization maintains an 11-person team and is based in St. Paul, Minnesota (mailing address) with historical in-person meeting space in Minneapolis. Strategic partners include the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), Nalgona Positivity Pride (for harm reduction content), and Twin Cities treatment providers The Emily Program and Beyond Rules Recovery for referral ecosystem integration.

The technology footprint is deliberately minimal: no proprietary software, no mobile app, no public API, and no AI/ML components. Distribution relies on organic content marketing across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn, supplemented by community event participation (e.g., NEDA Care Fair). The organization also publishes original survey-based research on eating disorder recovery experiences and explicitly advocates for intersectional, harm-reduction-oriented perspectives that differentiate its editorial positioning from clinically-led treatment providers.

Name

The Joy Project

Legal name

The Joy Project

Website

https://joyproject.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Joy Project is a Minnesota-based, survivor-led nonprofit that provides free weekly peer support groups, educational blog content, and a podcast for individuals affected by eating disorders and their support networks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Eating Disorder Peer 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

Eating Disorder Recovery Nutrition Support (HSADAFAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Peer Support, Recovery Coaching & Sober Living Services (HLAFACAN)

Keywords

• Eating disorder support
• Peer support groups
• Mental health advocacy
• Community-based recovery
• Survivor-led nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: The Joy Project is a nonprofit organization that relies primarily on charitable donations from individuals to fund its operations. The website features a donation form with preset amounts ($5, $10, $25, $50, $75, $100, $250, $500, $1,000) processed through PayPal, with options for anonymous giving. There is no fee for participation in support groups or access to educational resources.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Joy Project is a survivor-led nonprofit that delivers free, weekly drop-in peer support groups (in-person in Minneapolis and virtually via Zoom), educational content series on eating disorders (Eating Disorders 101, Tools for Recovery), and a survivor-hosted podcast called "Eating Disorders Off Topic." All services, resources, and support groups are provided free of charge, with the organization's operations funded by individual charitable donations processed through PayPal.

Product overview

The Joy Project is a nonprofit survivor-led organization providing peer support and advocacy for individuals affected by eating disorders. The organization operates a single unified platform offering free weekly drop-in support groups (conducted virtually via Zoom), comprehensive educational content through its Eating Disorders 101 and Tools for Recovery programs, a podcast called 'Eating Disorders Off Topic,' and an active blog with community resources. The organization also conducts and publishes survey-based research on eating disorder recovery experiences. All services are free and focused on community-based support rather than clinical treatment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Weekly Drop-In Support Groups Free, weekly drop-in support groups for individuals recovering from eating disorders, meeting Mondays 6:30-8:00pm CST. Originally held at University Lutheran Church of Hope in Minneapolis (601 13th Ave SE) and currently conducted virtually via Zoom; open to anyone affected by eating disorders or body image issues, including friends and family.
• Eating Disorders 101 Educational content series covering basic facts about eating disorders, including myths vs. realities, diagnostic criteria, normal eating guidance, and insurance navigation. Targeted at individuals with eating disorders, support persons, and the broader community.
• Tools for Recovery Recovery-focused content category including grounding techniques, automatic reactions guidance, hunger awareness tools, and recovery resources for individuals in active recovery from eating disorders.
• Eating Disorders Off Topic Podcast Podcast hosted by Joy and Adam, both eating disorder survivors, discussing controversial and personal subjects related to eating disorders with honesty and humor. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio. Targeted at individuals affected by eating disorders and the broader community.
• Eating Disorder Blog Blog content covering news, personal perspectives, ED news and discussion, support resources, and special topics related to eating disorders and recovery. Organized into thematic categories including Eating Disorders 101, Tools for Recovery, For Support People, Personal Perspectives, Special Topics, and News.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Nalgona Positivity PrideminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Joy Project sources harm reduction content and education from Nalgona Positivity Pride, a grassroots organization that provides intersectional eating disorder resources and education. Much of the harm reduction resource page was created from a webinar developed and presented by Gloria Lucas of Nalgona Positivity Pride.
• Beyond Rules RecoveryminorOthersBeyond Rules Recovery is listed as a Twin Cities area treatment resource by The Joy Project. It offers in-person and virtual support groups for individuals with disordered eating and body image issues, including adolescent groups and supporter groups. The organizations share a referral relationship within the local eating disorder support ecosystem.
• The Emily ProgramminorOthersThe Emily Program is listed as a Twin Cities area eating disorder treatment resource by The Joy Project, with locations in St. Paul and St. Louis Park, Minnesota. The organizations share a resource referral relationship within the local eating disorder treatment ecosystem.
• National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Joy Project participated in the NEDA Care Fair, a community-centered event dedicated to spreading awareness, providing resources, and supporting individuals affected by eating disorders. The organization's team (Nefiso Abdi, Hodo Mohamed, Eliza Vu, Abyan Ahmed) represented The Joy Project at this national event.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Nalgona Positivity Pride: A grassroots nonprofit providing intersectional eating-disorder resources and education for BI&POC communities; directly comparable because Joy Project sources harm-reduction content from it and serves a substantively overlapping audience.
• The Body Positive: A nonprofit advancing body liberation and eating-disorder prevention through education and community; relevant because both organizations overlap on body-positivity, fat-liberation, and weight-stigma awareness content aimed at similar audiences.
• ANAD (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders): A longstanding nonprofit providing ED helpline, support groups, and education; directly comparable in mission (free support and education for individuals with EDs) and donation-funded nonprofit structure.
• National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA): The largest US eating-disorder awareness and advocacy nonprofit; comparable to Joy Project because both run free public education, awareness events (Care Fair), and community support functions, with overlap in target audience and educational content.
• Project HEAL: A nonprofit offering peer-driven access to eating-disorder treatment funding and community support; comparable as a peer-support-centric, donation-funded ED recovery nonprofit serving similar audiences to Joy Project.
• Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association (MEDA): A nonprofit offering free and low-cost ED support groups, education, and advocacy; comparable to Joy Project in serving individuals with EDs and their support persons with community-based, non-clinical programs.

Emerging players

• Equip Health: A virtual-first ED treatment provider using evidence-based family-based treatment delivered via telehealth; comparable as a tech-enabled, virtual ED-care organization targeting similar demographics and overlapping referral ecosystems with Joy Project.

Regional players

• The Emily Program: A specialized ED treatment provider headquartered in the Twin Cities with locations in St. Paul and St. Louis Park; Joy Project lists it as a referral partner, making it a directly comparable regional ED-care peer with overlapping service geography.

Broad incumbents

• Center for Discovery: A national ED and mental-health treatment provider with residential and outpatient programs; comparable incumbent serving the same broader ED population, though with a fully clinical rather than peer-support model.
• Eating Recovery Center: A national network of inpatient, residential, and partial-hospitalization ED treatment programs; comparable as a high-resource incumbent operating in the same ED care space, though it serves a clinically different segment than Joy Project's free peer support.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thejoyproject
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheJoyProjectMN
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-joy-project
• Instagraminstagram.com/the_joyproject

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 The Joy Project