TOMPKINS COUNTY MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION

What TOMPKINS COUNTY MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION does

Tompkins County Mental Health Association (MHA) is a 501c3 nonprofit founded circa 1956 and headquartered in Ithaca, New York, that delivers free peer-run mental health and recovery services to residents of Tompkins County. Its core offerings include one-on-one peer counseling, family support, justice and recovery support, a social drop-in program, the CarePath navigation program, Mental Health First Aid training, Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP), and online mental health screening delivered via Mental Health America's third-party platform. Service delivery is human-mediated by Peer Support Specialists with lived experience of mental health and/or substance use challenges, and is offered in person and over Zoom.

The organization's business model is donation- and grant-funded, with all services provided at no cost to participants. Revenue sources include individual donations, community grants, and recognition awards such as the James J. Byrnes Award from the Community Foundation of Tompkins County. There is no proprietary technology platform; the organization operates a standard nonprofit web presence and leverages Zoom for virtual programming and embedded third-party screening tools. Operating scale is small, with a staff of 1-10 employees.

Strategically, the organization has deepened its institutional footprint through embedded relationships with Tompkins County Court, Family Treatment Court, Probation, and the Wellness and Recovery Court, positioning peer support within mandated judicial workflows. It has also expanded its service scope to include substance use and recovery support, and has received state-level political recognition through a 2025 NYS Assembly Citation and an MHANYS Affiliate Spotlight. Geographic scope remains confined to Tompkins County, with no evidence of multi-county or statewide expansion.

Name

TOMPKINS COUNTY MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION

Legal name

Mental Health Association in Tompkins County

Website

https://mhaedu.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tompkins County Mental Health Association is a 501c3 nonprofit in Ithaca, New York, founded circa 1956, that provides free peer-run mental health and recovery support services to residents of Tompkins County through counseling, court-linked programs, and community education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Mental Health Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAFABAC

Outpatient Mental Health & Counseling Clinics

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Healthcare Providers & Systems/Ambulatory & Outpatient Care Centers

SECONDARYBPAGADAK

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

Keywords

• Peer support services
• Mental health counseling
• Community mental health
• Recovery support programs
• Nonprofit mental health

Headquarters

HQ city

Ithaca

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501c3 nonprofit organization, MHA relies on public donations. The organization states all donations are tax deductible as permitted by law. Donation portal available through Zeffy platform.
2. Community Foundation Awards: The organization receives recognition awards that include monetary distributions to local charities. In 2025, more than $12,000 was distributed to local charities through the James J. Byrnes Awards program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Mental Health Association in Tompkins County provides free peer support mental health services including one-on-one peer counseling, family support, justice and recovery support, social drop-in programs, and care coordination through CarePath. All services are delivered at no cost by trained Peer Support Specialists who draw on lived experience to provide emotional support, practical skills training, and resource navigation to individuals, families, and justice-involved individuals in Tompkins County.

Product overview

The Mental Health Association in Tompkins County operates as a single, unified peer-support service organization offering multiple interconnected mental health programs. The core portfolio includes peer counseling, family support, justice and recovery support, social drop-in services, and CarePath coordination—all delivered through a peer-support model drawing on lived experience. The organization also provides educational programs including Mental Health First Aid training and Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP), alongside an online mental health screening tool for self-assessment. These services function together to provide advocacy, support services, and education for Tompkins County residents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Peer Counseling One-on-one peer counseling services provided by Peer Support Specialists who offer emotional support, share knowledge, teach practical skills, and connect individuals with mental health resources.
• Family Support Support services for families who are caring for or raising a child facing social, emotional, developmental, substance use, or behavioral challenges.
• Justice and Recovery Support Support services for individuals with mental health and/or substance use challenges who are involved in the criminal justice system.
• Social Drop-In A stigma-free space for individuals with mental health challenges to connect, socialize, and get help navigating community resources.
• CarePath A care coordination and navigation service helping individuals access mental health resources and support.
• Mental Health First Aid Training program teaching skills to de-stigmatize, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use, offering immediate concrete support.
• Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP) A wellness program that helps individuals develop personal strategies for maintaining mental health and managing challenges.

Quantifiable outcome

• No-cost mental health services removing financial barriers to care
• +1 more outcomes

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

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tompkins County CourtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMHA provides peer advocacy services to individuals in the court system. Josephine Gibson has become an indispensable resource and partner to the Tompkins County Court.
• Family Treatment CourtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntegrated substance use and recovery services into the peer advocacy model collaborating with the Family Treatment Court to support families involved in the court system.
• Office of ProbationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides peer support services to individuals on probation, helping bridge gaps between the justice system and mental health care.
• City of Ithaca Wellness and Recovery CourtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership providing peer-based support services for participants in the City's specialty court focused on wellness and recovery.
• Healthcare AgenciescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with other healthcare agencies to integrate substance use and recovery services into the peer advocacy model. Part of a broader healthcare ecosystem in Tompkins County.
• Workforce Development ProgramsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with workforce development programs to provide peer support and career pathway opportunities for individuals in recovery.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA): Peer-led support organization for individuals living with mood disorders, with local chapter model. Directly comparable as a peer-support-driven nonprofit offering free support groups and education.
• SMART Recovery: Peer-led addiction recovery support program that MHA Tompkins County itself hosts locally. Comparable as a free, peer-facilitated recovery support model with both in-person and virtual groups.
• Vibrant Emotional Health: Nonprofit operating the 988 NYC crisis line and community mental-health programs in New York. Comparable as a New York-based nonprofit delivering free, peer-adjacent mental health support and care-navigation services.
• Mental Health Association of New York State (MHANYS): State-level umbrella organization of which MHA Tompkins County is an affiliate. Directly comparable as a peer-support and advocacy nonprofit serving New York communities with similar mental-health education and policy missions.

Broad incumbents

• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): The largest U.S. grassroots mental-health advocacy nonprofit, operating affiliate and peer-support programs nationally. Comparable mission, peer-led support model, and family-education programming.
• Mental Health America: National nonprofit whose online screening tools MHA Tompkins County actively links to. Operates an affiliate network similar to MHATC and shares the community-based mental-health education and screening mission.

Regional players

• Tompkins County Mental Health Services (county government clinic): Government-operated outpatient mental-health clinic serving the same Tompkins County catchment. Directly comparable as a peer outpatient provider in the same geography, though it operates as a clinical (not peer-led) service.
• Family Service of Chemung County (or comparable NY family-services nonprofit): Regional New York nonprofit providing family support, counseling, and peer-adjacent services in an adjacent county. Comparable as a community-based nonprofit offering free family and individual support services in upstate New York.

Emerging players

• Active Minds: Nonprofit focused on mental-health awareness and peer support, primarily in higher-education settings. Comparable mission around destigmatization and peer-led engagement, though targeted at a younger demographic.
• The Jed Foundation: Nonprofit protecting emotional health and preventing suicide among teens and young adults. Comparable in mental-health education, peer-support advocacy, and community program design, with overlap in MHA's family/youth support work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/mhaedu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mental-health-association-in-tompkins-county

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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