What REDgen does

REDgen is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in summer 2013 in Shorewood, Wisconsin, in response to a cluster of youth suicides in the North Shore of Milwaukee area, including the death of thirteen-year-old Abby Goldberg. The organization delivers an evidence-based, peer-to-peer mental health and resilience program to middle and high school students, with 35 active school chapters across 13 counties in Wisconsin and Illinois, 1,200+ trained peer leaders, and a reported reach of 32,000+ youth impacted. Its core product is the Roots of Resilience curriculum, developed in collaboration with youth, academic experts, and resilience researchers, delivered through weekly student-led chapter meetings supported by adult Chapter Advisors. The program is paired with QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide prevention gatekeeper training, which Peer Leaders receive each fall under license from the QPR Institute. REDgen is led by Executive Director Lisamarie Arnold with a small staff of approximately 8 supported by a large volunteer base including chapter advisors, peer leader instructors, and QPR trainers. Co-founders Abe and Beverly Goldberg remain active in community outreach.

The organization's business model combines three revenue streams: (1) tax-deductible donations from individuals, foundations, and organizations (the organization states that 100% of donations fund program work), accepted online via a Kindful donation platform and by mail; (2) a nominal annual subscription fee paid by each host school for chapter access to the curriculum, peer leader swag, advisor workshops, training events, recruitment materials, and ongoing support (schools are directed to grants and outside funding to cover this fee); and (3) event sponsorships for the annual Art of Resilience showcase, with tiered packages ranging from $500 (Enthusiast) to $10,000+ (Arts Laureate). Go-to-market is community-led: chapters are adopted through word-of-mouth among school professionals, advisor referrals, and inbound web inquiries. Distribution is regional (Southeastern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois) and supplemented by community events (Art of Resilience, speaker series in partnership with University School of Milwaukee and Boswell Book Company) and curated online resource libraries for youth, parents, and crisis intervention. Annual impact reporting provides outcome metrics such as 81% participant relevance, 90% engagement, 96% cultural respect, 87% comfort sharing, and 98% identity acceptance. REDgen is governed by a board of directors, is independently held with no parent company, and has no disclosed institutional funding rounds, M&A activity, or international footprint.

Name

REDgen

Legal name

REDgen

Website

https://redgen.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

REDgen is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers an evidence-based, peer-to-peer youth resilience and suicide prevention program through 35 school chapters across Wisconsin and Illinois, training 1,200+ student peer leaders and serving middle and high school students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mental Health and Resilience Education Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Suicide Prevention, Self-Harm Prevention & Threat Assessment Programs (EDAKAMAI)

Keywords

• Youth mental health
• Peer-to-peer resilience
• Suicide prevention training
• School-based prevention
• Community mental wellness

Headquarters

HQ city

Shorewood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, REDgen relies primarily on donations from individuals, foundations, and organizations. The organization states that 100% of donations go towards their work. Donations can be made online through their Kindful platform or via mail.
2. School Chapter Fees: REDgen charges a nominal annual fee to host a school chapter. The fee covers access to the Roots of Resilience curriculum, Peer Leader swag, Chapter Advisor workshops, training events, recruitment materials, and support. REDgen directs schools to grants and funding sources to help cover this cost.
3. Event Sponsorships: REDgen generates revenue through event sponsorships for the annual Art of Resilience event, with sponsorship tiers ranging from $500 (Enthusiast Level) to $10,000+ (Arts Laureate). Partners receive recognition through program ads, website placement, signage, and social media.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

REDgen operates an evidence-based peer-to-peer youth mental health and resilience program delivered through 35 school-based chapters across 13 counties in Wisconsin and Illinois. The Roots of Resilience curriculum, developed in collaboration with youth, academic experts, and resilience researchers, is delivered by trained student Peer Leaders and adult Chapter Advisors who meet weekly to build resilience, purpose, and connection. The program integrates QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide prevention gatekeeper training and is reinforced by the annual Art of Resilience showcase, community speaker events, and curated mental health resources.

Product overview

REDgen is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating a single unified program focused on building youth resilience through peer-to-peer mental health education. The core offering is the Roots of Resilience evidence-based curriculum, delivered through school-based REDgen Chapters staffed by trained Peer Leaders and adult Chapter Advisors. The organization supplements its chapter program with community events (Art of Resilience annual showcase, Speaker Events), QPR suicide prevention training, and curated resource libraries for youth, parents, and community members. All components work together to improve youth mental well-being, reduce stigma, and prevent crisis through connection, education, and peer support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Roots of Resilience: The evidence-based peer-to-peer curriculum developed by REDgen that equips students with resilience skills through weekly school chapter meetings.
• Art of Resilience

Products and services

• Roots of Resilience The evidence-based peer-to-peer curriculum used in REDgen School Chapters. Students and staff advisors meet weekly to build personal resilience, explore purpose, strengthen connections, and foster a culture of care within their school.
• REDgen Chapter Program Student-led school-based chapters that empower young people to move from surviving to thriving through peer-to-peer mental health education. Each chapter requires an adult Chapter Advisor and includes Peer Leaders who receive QPR gatekeeper training, with schools paying a nominal annual fee for curriculum access and support.
• Art of Resilience REDgen's annual event featuring a showcase of artwork created by Peer Leaders (students) as a visual reflection of youth mental health journeys, with tiered sponsorship opportunities ranging from Enthusiast Level ($500) to Arts Laureate ($10,000+).
• Speaker Events Community educational events featuring national-level speakers, hosted in partnership with organizations like University School of Milwaukee and Boswell Book Company, covering topics related to mental health, resilience, parenting, and youth well-being.

Quantifiable outcome

• 32,000+ youth impacted by programming
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University School of MilwaukeecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Enthusiast level sponsor and co-host of community speaker events. University School of Milwaukee partners with REDgen for national-level speaker presentations and hosts theater space for community education events.
• Rogers Behavioral HealthminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Enthusiast level sponsor for Art of Resilience 2026. Rogers Behavioral Health provides mental health expertise and financial support for youth mental health programming.
• Boswell Book CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for hosting speaker events. Boswell Book Company collaborates with REDgen and University School of Milwaukee for free community author/speaker events.
• QPR InstitutecoreTechnology or IntegrationREDgen provides QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) training for suicide prevention, licensed through the QPR Institute. Peer Leaders receive QPR gatekeeper training each fall semester.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Bring Change to Mind: Bring Change to Mind runs youth-led High School Program clubs that train student leaders to reduce stigma and open conversation about mental health. It overlaps REDgen's peer-to-peer model and youth mental health focus, though it emphasizes stigma reduction and dialogue rather than formal resilience curriculum.
• Active Minds: Active Minds is a youth-led nonprofit creating mental health chapters primarily on college and high school campuses to promote awareness and reduce stigma. It is comparable to REDgen's peer-led school chapter model and youth mental health focus, but skews older (college-heavy) and operates nationally.

Broad incumbents

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP): AFSP is the largest U.S. nonprofit dedicated to suicide prevention, funding research, advocacy, and education programs including school-based initiatives. It is a broad incumbent that competes for the same donor and school-partner mindshare as REDgen, even though it does not deliver a direct peer-led school curriculum.
• Jed Foundation (The Jed Foundation / JED): The Jed Foundation is a leading national nonprofit focused on youth and young adult mental health and suicide prevention, with both school- and population-level programs. It overlaps REDgen's mission across K–12 and college-aged youth, but operates at a far larger, national scale with broader programming beyond peer-led resilience.
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): NAMI is the largest grassroots mental health organization in the U.S., with affiliate-led education, support, and advocacy programs including NAMI On Campus and Ending the Silence for schools. It competes with REDgen for the same parent/educator audience and shares resource-list overlaps (NAMI is referenced on REDgen's resources page).

Direct peers

• Jason Foundation: The Jason Foundation provides youth and young adult suicide prevention programming, including the A Friend Asks app and school curricula. It is closely comparable to REDgen because both deliver school-based prevention education and resources to students, parents, and educators.
• Sources of Strength: Sources of Strength is the closest direct peer: an evidence-based, school-based peer-led youth suicide prevention and resilience program. It is directly comparable to REDgen's Roots of Resilience chapters because both rely on trained student Peer Leaders plus adult advisors to deliver prevention messaging in middle and high schools.
• Erika's Lighthouse: Erika's Lighthouse provides school-based teen depression and mental health programming through curricula, parent education, and student leadership programs. It is comparable to REDgen because both are nonprofits delivering evidence-informed school curricula that build student awareness, peer support, and educator capability.

Others

• QPR Institute: The QPR Institute is the licensor of the Question, Persuade, Refer suicide prevention gatekeeper training that REDgen delivers. It is directly comparable as the upstream training provider whose methodology REDgen embeds; treated as an enabling/technology partner rather than a competitor.
• PREPARE Foundation: PREPARE is a community-based suicide prevention program aimed at reducing access to lethal means and increasing help-seeking. While not a direct competitor, it is thematically adjacent to REDgen's prevention, resource-aggregation, and community-education mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/REDgenOrg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/redgen
• Instagraminstagram.com/redgen_org

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 REDgen