Trillium Institute
Trillium Institute is a Grand Rapids, Michigan-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that educates medical professionals and the public on palliative care through an HPM fellowship program, community presentations, the Palliative Matters podcast, and scholarship support, operating as a division of Trillium Living.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersGrand Rapids, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Trillium Institute does
Trillium Institute is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit public charity headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a wholly owned division of Trillium Living. Founded in 2015 by Dr. John Mulder (who served as Executive Director until his death in May 2025), the institute's mission is to build a community in which all people living with serious illness have access to high quality palliative resources. It delivers this mission through a portfolio of educational programs: the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program (running annually since 2009 under the sponsorship of Trinity Health Grand Rapids Graduate Medical Education Department), the Palliative Matters podcast (4+ seasons on major audio platforms), community education presentations, a $1,000 scholarship for students pursuing Grand Valley State University's Palliative and Hospice Care Certificate, and the Palliative Medicine Roundtable for local hospice and palliative physicians. Following Dr. Mulder's death, Dr. Joel Phillips assumed the Senior Director role.
The institute serves two primary audiences: medical professionals and trainees (physicians, residents, fellows, medical and nursing students) and the general public (patients, families, and community members facing life-defining illnesses). Its core technology consists of curricula, training programs, and a podcast — there is no proprietary software platform. The business model is donation-driven: the organization relies on charitable contributions (preset amounts of $25–$100 plus custom donations) and a designated scholarship fund, with operations supplemented by in-kind support from Trinity Health Grand Rapids, Faith Hospice, Holland Home, MSU College of Human Medicine, and other regional partners. Revenue, pricing for training programs, and donor totals are not publicly disclosed.
The organization operates with a lean team of 6 employees from a Grand Rapids headquarters, with clinical training delivered through partner sites across West Michigan (hospitals, hospices, assisted living, skilled nursing facilities, and private homes) and a partner ambulatory palliative clinic at 2100 Raybrook St. SE. Its go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: education is delivered through lectures, workshops, seminars, mentoring, conferences (NHPCO, AAHPM, McGill), and the ECHO virtual series with Michigan Center for Rural Health. Following the 2025 leadership transition, organizational continuity is being maintained under Dr. Phillips with no disclosed changes to program scope or partnerships.
Trillium Institute firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Trillium Institute
- Legal name
- Trillium Institute
- Website
- https://trilliuminstitute.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Trillium Institute is a Grand Rapids, Michigan-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that educates medical professionals and the public on palliative care through an HPM fellowship program, community presentations, the Palliative Matters podcast, and scholarship support, operating as a division of Trillium Living.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Trillium Institute industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Palliative Care Education and Training
- NAICS
- Health Care and Social Assistance (62), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)
- SIC
- Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011), Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Palliative Care, Hospice & Serious Illness Support (BPAGACAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Palliative Care Clinics & Outpatient Programs (HLADAHAF), Hospice & Palliative Care Care Coordination / Navigation (HLADAHAK)
Keywords
Where Trillium Institute is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Grand Rapids
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Trillium Institute business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: Trillium Institute is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit public charity. The organization relies on donor contributions to fund its operations, educational programs, scholarship, and fellowship support. The institute began with initial funding from donors committed to improving palliative care resources in West Michigan. Donation options include preset amounts ($25, $50, $75, $100) and custom amounts, with a designated Trillium Institute Scholarship Fund.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Trillium Institute product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Trillium Institute provides palliative care education and training through a hospice and palliative medicine fellowship program, medical school curricula, community education presentations, a scholarship for palliative care certification students, a physician roundtable, and the Palliative Matters podcast. Programs cover communication skills, pain and symptom management, advanced care planning, and disease process understanding for physicians, residents, fellows, nursing students, and community members.
Product overview
Trillium Institute is a palliative care education and training organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs including the Palliative Matters Podcast, Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program, Scholarship for palliative care certificate students, Community Education Programs, Resources for Medical Professionals, Palliative Medicine Roundtable, and patient story testimonials. The institute serves as an educational resource center focused on improving palliative care access through education, training, and community outreach, operating as a division of Trillium Living.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Palliative Matters Podcast: A podcast featuring insights from Palliative & Hospice Care physicians, exploring the world of palliative care through real-life examples to address issues of those facing life-limiting illness and provide resources for patients, loved ones, and medical professionals.
Products and services
- Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program Graduate medical education training program in hospice and palliative medicine offered in collaboration with Trinity Health Grand Rapids, training physicians to become palliative care specialists with rotations across hospitals, hospices, and healthcare resources in West Michigan.
- Palliative Matters Podcast
Quantifiable outcome
- Fellowship program has graduated specialists annually since 2009, with graduates placed in hospice, palliative care, and healthcare leadership roles across the U.S.
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Trillium Institute
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Trillium Institute technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Trillium Institute partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Trinity Health Grand RapidscoreTrinity Health Grand Rapids serves as the sponsoring institution for the Hospice and Palliative Medicine fellowship program under its Graduate Medical Education Department. Multiple hospitals, hospices, and healthcare resources collaborate in this fellowship program. Dr. Joel Phillips serves as Program Director and also as a physician with Trinity Health.
- Faith Hospice CarecoreFaith Hospice Care is a partner organization of Trillium Institute, providing clinical training sites for fellows and palliative care services in West Michigan. Dr. Patrick Fitzgibbon serves as Medical Director for Faith Hospice. Faith Palliative Services operates the ambulatory clinic at 2100 Raybrook St. SE, Suite 100, Grand Rapids, MI.
- Holland HomecoreHolland Home is a partner organization of Trillium Institute, one of the oldest Christian retirement communities in West Michigan. Dr. Mulder served as medical director at Holland Home and the institute collaborates on senior care and palliative services.
- Michigan State University College of Human MedicinecoreMSU College of Human Medicine is an academic partner where Dr. Mulder served as Director of the Division of Palliative Medicine. The institute provides training for MSU medical students (required rotations for 2nd year students) and residents. Dr. Fitzgibbon serves as Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine with MSU-CHM.
- Grand Valley State UniversitycoreGVSU offers the inter-professional Palliative and Hospice Care Certificate program. Trillium Institute partners with GVSU by offering a $1,000 scholarship for students pursuing this certificate. The institute's HPM Lecture Series involves collaboration with geriatrics and addiction medicine fellowship programs at GVSU.
- Atrio Home CareminorAtrio Home Care is listed as a partner organization of Trillium Institute, appearing in the partners section on the community education page. Atrio provides home care services in West Michigan.
- Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC)minorCAPC is listed as a partner/resource organization. Dr. Mulder was featured in CAPC's spotlight series in 2016. CAPC provides resources and advocacy for palliative care access.
- National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO)minorNHPCO is listed as a partner organization. Dr. Mulder spoke at the NHPCO 2023 Annual Leadership Conference and participated in NHPCO events. NHPCO provides educational resources and advocacy for hospice and palliative care.
- American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM)minorAAHPM is listed as a partner organization. Dr. Mulder received the AAHPM PDIA Palliative Medicine Community Leadership Award in 2019. AAHPM is the professional membership organization for hospice and palliative medicine physicians.
- Michigan Center for Rural HealthminorThe Michigan Center for Rural Health collaborated with Trillium Institute to deliver the Palliative Medicine ECHO Series, providing virtual educational sessions on topics such as care partner support, communication, and cancer care in rural settings.
- Caring Circle (Spectrum Health Lakeland)minorDr. Jason Beckrow, DO, co-host of the Palliative Matters podcast, serves as Medical Director for Caring Circle at Spectrum Health Lakeland. This partnership provides clinical collaboration and podcast content contributions.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Trillium Institute competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC): National palliative care training and technical assistance organization providing curricula and toolkits to clinicians. Directly comparable to Trillium Institute's mission of palliative care education and training, and is listed as a Trillium partner organization.
- CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care: California State University-based institute offering palliative care professional training, community education, and certificate programs. Closely comparable in scope to Trillium's fellowship and certificate scholarship offerings.
- VitalTalk: Nonprofit focused on clinician communication skills training for serious illness conversations. Comparable to Trillium's curriculum focus on communication skills, advanced care planning, and serious-illness training.
- End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC): National nursing education program providing palliative and end-of-life care training curricula. Comparable to Trillium's fellowship and nursing-focused community education programs.
Regional players
- Pallium Canada: Canadian palliative care education organization offering interprofessional courses and Learning Essential Approaches to Palliative Care (LEAP). Highly comparable in educational mission, but operates primarily in Canada.
Broad incumbents
- Hospice Foundation of America: Established national nonprofit providing hospice and end-of-life education to the public and professionals. Operates in the same broad palliative/hospice education space as Trillium but with longer history and national scope.
- American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM): Professional membership organization for hospice and palliative medicine physicians and a Trillium partner. Provides broader professional society services (certification, advocacy, conferences) that overlap Trillium's medical professional training mission.
- National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO): Largest U.S. nonprofit representing hospice and palliative care providers, also a Trillium partner. Comparable in advocacy and educational mission, but at national industry-association scale rather than regional training institute.
Others
- National Palliative Care Research Center (NPCRC): Research-focused organization advancing palliative care science. Thematically adjacent to Trillium's mission but focused on research and policy rather than direct training delivery.
- National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care: Coalition that establishes clinical practice guidelines and quality standards for palliative care. Ecosystem participant adjacent to Trillium's clinical training and quality-improvement educational content.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Trillium Institute social profiles
Digital presenceTrillium Institute financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Trillium Institute leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Trillium Institute funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Trillium Institute M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Trillium Institute
What does Trillium Institute do?
Trillium Institute provides palliative care education and training through a hospice and palliative medicine fellowship program, medical school curricula, community education presentations, a scholarship for palliative care certification students, a physician roundtable, and the Palliative Matters podcast. Programs cover communication skills, pain and symptom management, advanced care planning, and disease process understanding for physicians, residents, fellows, nursing students, and community members.
Is Trillium Institute a public or private company?
Trillium Institute is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Trillium Institute founded?
Trillium Institute was founded in 2015.
Where is Trillium Institute based?
Trillium Institute is headquartered in Grand Rapids, United States, in the North America region.
How does Trillium Institute make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Charitable Contributions.
Who are Trillium Institute's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC), CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care, VitalTalk and End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC). Pallium Canada is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Hospice Foundation of America, American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) and National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). Others are National Palliative Care Research Center (NPCRC) and National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care.
Does Trillium Institute have an API?
No public API is recorded for Trillium Institute.
What industry is Trillium Institute in?
Trillium Institute's product category is Palliative Care Education and Training. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGACAK, Palliative Care, Hospice & Serious Illness Support, with a secondary code of HLADAHAF, Palliative Care Clinics & Outpatient Programs. Its NAICS code is 62 and its SIC code is 8000.