NoSo Connection Collective

What NoSo Connection Collective does

NoSo Connection Collective is a youth-led nonprofit founded in 2020 by Maddie Freeman and headquartered in Santa Barbara, California, operating as a fiscally sponsored project of Public Works Alliance. The organization's mission is to empower young people to reclaim control over their time, attention, and wellbeing in the digital age, with programming spanning digital wellness education, social media literacy, AI literacy, and community-based mindfulness. Its flagship initiative is the annual No Social Media November campaign, a month-long detox challenge with flexible participation tiers (full delete, partial delete, or digital wellness tips). The organization serves K-12 schools, universities, families, and youth mental health organizations across 33 countries, and runs complementary programs including the Digital Wellbeing School Program, NoSo Lite (free classroom resources), the AI School Program and AI Detox Challenge, the Youth Leader Initiative, in-person mindfulness events, guest speaking engagements, and an annual art competition.

The portfolio is delivered without any proprietary technology platform or software product. Distribution is content- and event-driven: a website (nosonovember.org), social media channels, email newsletters, school partnerships, university collaborations (notably McGill University Centre for Media, Technology, and Democracy), and community gatherings such as Mindful Nights, meditation sessions, and 5K runs. There is no native mobile app, no API, and no SDK. Credibility is anchored in brand recognition (Forbes 30 Under 30, Education 2025; Morgan Stanley Alliance for Children's Mental Health Innovation Award 2025; Young Innovator in Behavioral Health; LookUp Innovator Grant; McGill Youth Fellow).

The business model is grant- and donation-funded. Core educational programs and the NoSo Lite classroom materials are provided free of charge to schools. Guest speaking engagements are the only meaningful commercial revenue line, offered at low-cost and flexible pricing. Funding comes from individual donations and grants/sponsorships from organizations including LookUp/The Social Dilemma, Headspace, Watson Institute, 1stBank, and Krom Kendama. The organization does not pursue profitability; scale is measured in participant reach (thousands of youth engaged, 33 countries served) rather than revenue.

Name

NoSo Connection Collective

Legal name

NoSo Connection Collective

Website

https://nosonovember.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NoSo Connection Collective is a youth-led nonprofit founded in 2020 that delivers digital wellness, social media literacy, and AI education to K-12 schools, universities, families, and youth mental health organizations across 33 countries through free curricula, awareness campaigns, and community mindfulness events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Digital Wellness Education

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Education & Learning Differences Virtual Tutoring Platforms (EDANAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community/Group Chat Platforms (BPAMACAH)

Keywords

• Digital wellness education
• Social media literacy
• Youth mental health
• Digital detox programs
• Mindfulness community events

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Barbara

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: NoSo Connection Collective operates as a nonprofit and relies on donations from individuals and grants from organizations. Revenue is primarily grant-funded through partnerships with organizations like LookUp (The Social Dilemma's initiative) and sponsorships from companies like Headspace, 1stBank, Krom Kendama, and Watson Institute.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NoSo Connection Collective is a youth-led nonprofit that delivers digital wellness programming to help young people reclaim attention from addictively-designed technology. Its core offerings are the No Social Media November movement and the AI Detox Challenge (month-long behavioral change campaigns), a Digital Wellbeing School Program and an AI School Program (free research-backed curricula delivered to K-12 schools), in-person community mindfulness events, a Youth Leader Initiative cultivating young changemakers, and paid guest speaking engagements.

Product overview

NoSo Connection Collective is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of interconnected digital wellness programs centered on two flagship month-long challenges: the No Social Media November movement and the AI Detox Challenge. The core offering is complemented by an AI School Program delivering responsible AI education to high schools, a Digital Wellbeing School Program providing research-backed mental health resources, and the Youth Leader Initiative cultivating young changemakers. Additional offerings include in-person mindfulness community events, guest speaking services, free school resources (NoSo Lite), participant art competitions, and comprehensive detox guidance materials. The organization operates as a collective rather than a traditional product company, with programming designed for K-12 schools, teen groups, universities, and the general public across 33 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• No Social Media November Movement A month-long digital wellness challenge that empowers teen groups and families to modify their relationship with social media through three flexible participation options: fully deleting apps, partially deleting, or using digital wellness tips to make phones less addictive. Reaches participants across 33 countries.
• AI Detox Challenge A one-month or shorter break program from generative AI chatbot usage, offering three participation methods: All In (full 30-day detox), Short Detox (1 day to 2 weeks), and Work Option (keep one professional app while deleting others).

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• McGill University Centre for Media, Technology, and DemocracycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for AI workshops and research collaboration. The organization participates as a Youth Fellow in McGill's programs. This partnership provides research credibility and academic validation for the organization's educational approach to digital wellness.
• LookUp (The Social Dilemma's Initiative)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLookUp is The Social Dilemma's initiative focused on combating tech addiction. NoSo Connection Collective is a grant winner and partner, receiving funding and organizational support. This partnership connects the organization to a broader network of digital wellness advocates and provides credibility through association with The Social Dilemma brand.
• HeadspaceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHeadspace serves as a sponsor for community events. As a leading meditation and mindfulness app, Headspace's sponsorship aligns with NoSo's mission of promoting mindfulness and digital wellness.
• Watson InstituteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWatson Institute provides sponsorship support. Watson Institute focuses on developing future leaders and entrepreneurs, aligning with NoSo's youth empowerment mission.
• 1stBankminorGTM or Marketing Partner1stBank is a local/regional sponsor for events. Community banking support for the organization's programs and events.
• Krom KendamaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerKrom Kendama sponsors community events, providing product or financial support for programming. Aligns with NoSo's focus on mindfulness and physical activity as alternatives to screen time.
• Public Works AlliancecoreOthersPublic Works Alliance is the fiscal sponsor for NoSo Connection Collective, providing nonprofit administrative infrastructure, 501(c)(3) status, and back-office support. Based in Santa Barbara, California.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Calm: Leading consumer meditation and wellness app comparable to NoSo's mindfulness events and Headspace's sponsorship role. Represents the scaled commercial version of the mindfulness space NoSo operates in at community-event level.
• Headspace: Major meditation and mindfulness app and a current NoSo sponsor. Adjacent to NoSo's mindfulness programming, with overlapping audience but operating as a commercial scaled product rather than a nonprofit movement.
• Common Sense Media: Established nonprofit providing digital literacy, media ratings, and curriculum for kids and families. A much larger incumbent in the same digital wellness space where NoSo operates, with K-12 school programs as a core offering.

Direct peers

• Accountable Tech: Advocacy nonprofit working to hold Big Tech accountable and reform social media's impact on youth mental health and democracy. Comparable mission and advocacy positioning, though more policy-focused than NoSo's grassroots school programming.
• Center for Humane Technology: Advocacy organization focused on the harms of attention-extracting technology and Big Tech accountability. Highly comparable mission space to NoSo, operating at policy and public-awareness levels rather than direct school delivery.
• Wait Until 8th: Parent-led movement encouraging families to delay smartphone ownership for kids until 8th grade. Comparable as a youth-focused grassroots movement addressing youth tech harms, though focused specifically on smartphone ownership rather than social media use or AI.
• LogOff Movement: Youth-led digital wellness movement focused on social media breaks and screen time reduction. Closely comparable to NoSo's core No Social Media November concept, operating a parallel detox-challenge model.
• LookUp (The Social Dilemma's Initiative): LookUp is the youth digital wellness initiative spun out of The Social Dilemma documentary. Directly comparable to NoSo as both target teen social media use and digital wellness, and NoSo is itself a LookUp grant winner.
• Social Media Victims.org: Nonprofit advocating for families affected by social media harms and pushing for legal and policy reform. Highly comparable advocacy positioning and youth mental health focus, though more litigation/policy oriented than NoSo's education-first approach.

Emerging players

• Design It For Us: Youth-led nonprofit advocating for safer social media design and holding platforms accountable. Comparable in being youth-led and focused on tech harms, with overlapping grassroots advocacy tactics similar to NoSo.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/nosonovember
• Facebookfacebook.com/nosonovember
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@NoSoNovember
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nosoconnection

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 NoSo Connection Collective