Wings of Purpose

What Wings of Purpose does

Trails of Purpose is a Virginia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2019 that provides free mental health services to active-duty military, veterans, first responders, and their families. Its service portfolio centers on equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP) using a groundwork-based methodology—participants engage in grooming, leading, and bonding exercises with horses rather than riding—as well as individual therapy, group therapy, marriage counseling, and family therapy. All services are offered at no charge, with no insurance required, and health records are kept fully internal with no sharing with military commands. The organization operates from two farm locations in the Hampton Roads region: Amber Acres Farm in Chesapeake (2400 Carolina Rd) and a second location in Virginia Beach (1628 Mill Landing Rd).

The organization is funded almost entirely through donations and grants, with cumulative fundraising exceeding $1,600,000 since 2019 and merchandise sales (hoodies, t-shirts, hats, mugs, stickers) serving as a supplementary revenue stream. Its go-to-market motion is community-led: referrals flow through veteran networks, military command awareness, word-of-mouth, and earned media coverage (NBC News, WTKR, WAVY, The Virginian-Pilot, NPR, WHRO, 13 News Now). The clinical team comprises roughly 10+ licensed counselors and equine specialists (LPC-S, LCSW, ESMHL credentials represented), supported by counseling graduate students. Operational scale signals include over 25,000 counseling hours served cumulatively since inception and 4,000+ service hours logged in 2025 alone.

From a business-model perspective, Trails of Purpose has no traditional revenue mechanics—it generates no fees from service recipients, has no insurance billing, and offers no premium tiers. Demand-side evidence (Navy SEALs, USAF captains, disabled veterans, military spouses cited in testimonials) and supply-side capacity (two physical farm locations, a team of licensed clinicians) indicate an operationally constrained nonprofit with regional reach rather than a scalable commercial enterprise. There is no disclosed intellectual property, no formal partnerships or alliances, and no AI or digital technology component to the service delivery model.

Name

Wings of Purpose

Legal name

Trails of Purpose

Website

https://trailsofpurpose.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Trails of Purpose is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing free equine-assisted psychotherapy and traditional mental health counseling to active-duty military, veterans, first responders, and their families in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Adventure Therapy & Therapeutic Wilderness Programs (THAAAOAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Adaptive & Special Needs Personal Training (HSADAAAL)

Keywords

• Equine-assisted therapy
• Mental health counseling
• Veteran support services
• Military family services
• Nonprofit therapy

Headquarters

HQ city

Chesapeake

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Trails of Purpose is a nonprofit organization that provides all services at no charge to participants. Revenue is generated through donations and fundraising efforts. The organization has raised over $1,600,000 since 2019.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including hoodies, t-shirts, mugs, hats, and stickers to supporters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Trails of Purpose is a nonprofit organization that delivers free equine-assisted psychotherapy and traditional mental health counseling services (individual, group, marriage, and family therapy) to military service members, veterans, first responders, and their families. Services are 100% sponsored with no insurance or fees required, delivered by licensed clinicians at two farm-based locations in Virginia. Supplementary offerings include a Mental Fitness Handbook and branded merchandise as fundraising mechanisms.

Product overview

Trails of Purpose is a nonprofit mental health organization offering a unified portfolio of equine-assisted psychotherapy and traditional counseling services. The core offerings include Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy (groundwork-based approach using horses for trust-building and communication exercises), Individual Therapy, Group Therapy (typically 2-hour horse-focused sessions), and Marriage/Family Therapy—all provided at no charge to military service members, first responders, and their families. Supplementary resources include a Mental Fitness Handbook and newsletter subscription. The organization also sells branded merchandise as a fundraising mechanism.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 25,000 counseling hours served since 2019
• +2 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

Feature1 record

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Eagala: Professional association setting the global standard for Equine-Assisted Growth, Learning, and Psychotherapy. A leading incumbent serving practitioners and programs using the same equine-assisted modality as Trails of Purpose.
• Semper Fi & America's Fund: National nonprofit providing immediate and ongoing support to injured service members, veterans, and families. Comparable in targeting post-9/11 military with case-managed mental health and family wellness support.
• Soldier On: Nonprofit providing housing, recovery, and career services to veterans, including mental health programming. A broad incumbent in veteran services with overlap on trauma support and family wellness.
• Wounded Warrior Project: One of the largest U.S. veteran-focused nonprofits, offering mental health programs among broader physical, financial, and employment services. A broad incumbent serving a similar population but across much wider scope.
• Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS): National nonprofit providing bereavement support and resources to military families. Comparable in serving military families navigating trauma and loss, though focused on grief rather than equine therapy specifically.

Direct peers

• Give an Hour: National nonprofit providing free mental health services to military members, veterans, and their families. Directly comparable in mission and free-service model, though delivered via traditional talk therapy rather than equine-assisted methods.
• Hearts & Horses Therapeutic Riding Center: Therapeutic riding center providing equine-assisted services to individuals with disabilities, trauma survivors, and veterans. Comparable in service modality and clinical approach to Trails of Purpose, though not exclusively military-focused.
• Cohen Veterans Network: National network of mental health clinics providing free, confidential care to post-9/11 veterans and families. Comparable in targeting military mental health with confidential, no-cost clinical services and strong credentialing standards.
• BraveHearts Therapeutic Riding and Educational Center: One of the largest equine therapy programs in the U.S., explicitly serving veterans, active military, and first responders. Directly comparable to Trails of Purpose in mission, target population, and equine-assisted service delivery model.

Others

• PATH International: Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship, the leading credentialing body and industry association for equine-assisted services. An adjacent ecosystem player providing certifications, standards, and program accreditation relevant to ToP's modality.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/trailsofpurposeveterans
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/trails-of-purpose
• Instagraminstagram.com/trailsofpurpose

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Wings of Purpose