The Link Foundation AOD

What The Link Foundation AOD does

The Link Foundation AOD is a registered Australian charity founded in 2023 and headquartered in Penrith, New South Wales, that delivers free counselling and support services to individuals and families affected by substance use. The organisation operates four core service pillars: individual counselling, family counselling, community support groups, and training/education workshops, supplemented by crisis hotline access and referral pathways to Lifeline, Beyond Blue and ADIS. Operations span approximately 25 communities across New South Wales (concentrated in Penrith, Hawkesbury and Bankstown), with reported impact of 750+ individuals/families served and 2,500+ counselling sessions delivered.

The Link Foundation AOD does not develop or deploy proprietary technology; it is a service-based nonprofit with a small leadership team of roughly six people, including qualified counsellors, a psychotherapist, a senior case manager and a CPA treasurer. Its business model relies entirely on charitable donations (tax-deductible above AUD $2) and implied government or community grant funding typical of the Australian AOD nonprofit sector, as services are provided at no cost to end users. Distribution occurs through direct service delivery, community partnerships (e.g., the Penrith Panthers workshop program), and inbound referrals from national crisis helplines, with a community-led, word-of-mouth go-to-market motion.

The organisation positions itself around a trauma-informed, person-centred, harm-reduction philosophy, explicitly leveraging the lived family experience of its founders to differentiate from purely clinical AOD providers. There is no disclosed revenue, no headcount expansion signal beyond the founding team, no institutional funding rounds, and no M&A, licensing or technology platform activity in the source data.

Name

The Link Foundation AOD

Legal name

The Link Foundation AOD

Website

https://linkfoundationaod.org.au

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Link Foundation AOD is an Australian registered charity that provides free individual, family and community counselling plus education workshops to people affected by substance use, primarily across New South Wales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Addiction Recovery and Counselling Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Substance Use Recovery & Harm Reduction Support Services (BPAGAEAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Substance Use Disorder Prevention & Recovery Services (BPAGACAE), Peer Support, Recovery Coaching & Sober Living Services (HLAFACAN)

Keywords

• Addiction counselling services
• Substance use support
• Family recovery counselling
• Community mental health
• Trauma-informed therapy

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney (Greater Western Sydney area)

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: The organization is a registered charity accepting tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations. Donation amounts suggested: $25, $50, $100, $250, or custom amounts. All donations over $2 are tax-deductible in Australia.
2. Government/Community Grants: Implied revenue through community service delivery. Programs run in partnership with community organizations (e.g., Penrith Panthers) suggest grant-funded or subsidized service delivery model typical of Australian nonprofit AOD sector.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Link Foundation AOD is a registered Australian charity providing free alcohol and other drug (AOD) counselling and recovery support to individuals, families, and communities affected by substance use. Its core offering comprises four service pillars — one-on-one individual counselling, family counselling, community support (including group counselling), and training/education workshops — delivered across NSW communities including Penrith, Hawkesbury, and Bankstown. All services are provided at no cost to clients, funded by tax-deductible donations and (implied) community grants.

Product overview

The Link Foundation AOD is a registered charity offering a unified set of free support services for individuals and families affected by substance use in Australia. The organization provides four core service pillars: Individual Counselling (1-on-1 sessions), Family Counselling (for families impacted by substance use), Community Support (group counselling and peer connections), and Training & Education (workshops and learning programs). Additional support includes a donation platform for public contributions and a 24/7 hotline for crisis support. Services are delivered across multiple communities in New South Wales including Penrith, Hawkesbury, and Bankstown areas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Counselling One-on-one counselling sessions that help individuals affected by substance use understand their thoughts and feelings and find their own path to change. Provided free of charge by qualified AOD counsellors and psychotherapists.
• Family Counselling Counselling and support for families affected by a loved one's substance use, focused on rebuilding trust and creating safe spaces for shared recovery. Provided free of charge.
• Community Support Group counselling sessions and community programs that connect clients with others on a similar recovery journey and build lasting supportive friendships. Delivered in NSW communities including Penrith, Hawkesbury, and Bankstown.
• Training & Education Workshops Workshops and learning programs delivered in partnership with community organizations (e.g., Penrith Panthers) to help participants better understand addiction and learn practical ways to help themselves and loved ones.

Quantifiable outcome

• 75% of people recover with proper support - recovery is the most likely outcome
• +1 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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Penrith PanthersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership supporting drug and alcohol education workshops for community members. Link Foundation AOD ran a drug & alcohol workshop in support of Penrith Panthers community initiatives. This represents a community outreach and education partnership rather than formal business collaboration.
• LifelinecoreOthersCrisis support referral relationship. Link Foundation AOD is listed as a resource by Lifeline (13 11 14), with mutual referral pathways for people experiencing substance use crises.
• Beyond BluecoreOthersCrisis support referral relationship. Link Foundation AOD is referenced as a resource by Beyond Blue (1300 224 636) for mental health and substance use support.
• ADIS (Alcohol and Drug Information Service)coreOthersCrisis support referral relationship. Link Foundation AOD is listed as a resource by ADIS (1800 250 015), Australia's national alcohol and other drug helpline.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Turning Point: Leading Australian AOD treatment, research, and clinical service provider. Comparable as a service-and-research organization delivering AOD counselling and family support, though with a stronger clinical and research orientation than Link Foundation's lived-experience model.
• Lives Lived Well: Australian nonprofit providing free or low-cost AOD and mental health counselling, family support, and recovery programs across multiple states. Comparable as a regional/community AOD service provider with similar service pillars (individual counselling, family support, community groups) and Australian geographic spread.
• Hello Sunday Morning: Australian charity supporting individuals to change their relationship with alcohol through peer-led, lived-experience programs. Highly comparable as an Australian AOD nonprofit that pairs lived-experience storytelling with structured support pathways, addressing the same audiences as Link Foundation AOD.
• Family Drug Support (FDS): Australian charity providing 24/7 support specifically to families of people affected by substance use. Directly comparable as an Australian nonprofit delivering family-focused AOD support, counselling, and education - one of the four core service pillars of Link Foundation AOD.
• Ted Noffs Foundation: Australian nonprofit delivering AOD counselling, residential rehabilitation, and community programs, with deep lived-experience methodology. Comparable as a registered charity AOD service provider operating across NSW, with similar mix of individual counselling, family support, and community workshops.
• Alcohol and Drug Foundation (ADF): Australia's largest national AOD prevention and support nonprofit, delivering community education, family support, and harm reduction programs. Directly comparable to Link Foundation AOD as an Australian charity providing free AOD counselling and educational services to individuals and families, though at much larger national scale.
• SMART Recovery Australia: Australian arm of SMART Recovery, providing peer-led mutual support groups for people experiencing addictive behaviours. Comparable as a non-clinical, peer-support-focused AOD organization offering group recovery programming aligned to Link Foundation's community support pillar.
• Odyssey House: Established Australian nonprofit providing AOD counselling, residential rehabilitation, and family services. Comparable as an Australian AOD-focused charity that addresses individual and family recovery through trauma-informed programming, operating in overlapping NSW geographies.

Emerging players

• ReachOut Australia: Australian online mental health nonprofit providing peer-support and self-help resources, including for young people experiencing substance use concerns. Adjacent peer operating in digital and community AOD/mental health support channels with comparable personas but primarily web-delivered rather than face-to-face counselling.

Broad incumbents

• Uniting NSW.ACT: Large Australian community services nonprofit operating across aged care, disability, mental health, and AOD services. Comparable as a service provider addressing family and individual AOD and mental health needs in NSW, though AOD is one of many service lines rather than the sole focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-link-foundation-aod

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Link Foundation AOD