Stepping Out, Inc.

What Stepping Out, Inc. does

Stepping Out, Inc. is a faith-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Morristown, Tennessee, founded in 1992 by Patrice Puglise as Stepping Out Ministries and incorporated under its current name in 2003. The organization delivers a portfolio of life-skills, emotional-intelligence, parenting, anger-management, financial-literacy, and pre-employment curricula to adults, families, at-risk youth, court-referred clients, and incarcerated individuals. Its flagship intellectual property is A.P.T. — Automatic Positive Thinking, a positive psychology intervention whose name is registered as a service mark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (2013) and whose instructional materials are copyrighted. Other notable programs include (WO)MEN Managing Emotions Non-Violently (state-certified by the Tennessee Domestic Violence State Coordinating Council), SAMHSA-approved Anger Management, the evidence-based Nurturing Parenting Program, Dollars and Sense financial education, and faith-based curricula such as Renew Your Mind, Battlefield of the Mind, and I Am.

Programs are delivered free of charge to participants through a multi-channel footprint spanning the organization's headquarters at 3441 West Andrew Johnson Highway, county-wide classes across six East Tennessee Lakeway Area counties (Hamblen, Cocke, Jefferson, Grainger, Hawkins, and Claiborne), institutional settings including the Hamblen County Jail, and partnerships with faith-based organizations and community centers. Curriculum reach has historically extended out-of-state into Virginia and via A Queen's Banquet events into Florida, California, and Mississippi.

The organization operates a hybrid funding model combining individual tax-deductible donations processed via PayPal, government grants (notably a grant contract with the State of Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, plus historical federal capacity-building and state coalition grants), corporate sponsorship of annual fundraising events (Turkey Trot 5K, Rise Up Higher Gala, Canine Carnival), and ongoing United Way agency support. Distribution is driven by referrals from the Hamblen County Court System, Tennessee Department of Children Services, faith-based networks, and word of mouth. Governance is provided by a 7-member Board of Directors; day-to-day operations are led by Executive Director Laura Moore with a small staff of three plus volunteers. The founder Patrice Puglise passed away March 29, 2019.

Name

Stepping Out, Inc.

Legal name

Stepping Out, Inc.

Website

https://steppingoutinc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Stepping Out, Inc. is a faith-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Morristown, Tennessee that delivers free life-skills, parenting, anger-management, and emotional-intelligence curricula to at-risk adults, families, court-referred clients, and incarcerated individuals across six East Tennessee counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-Based Nonprofit Community Education

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Readiness, Career Pathways & Youth Employment Nonprofits (BPAGADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Student Wellness & Prevention Programs (Substance Use, Sexual Health, Bullying) (EDAJAIAG), Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits (BPAGADAL)

Keywords

• Faith-based education
• Life skills training
• Nonprofit community programs
• Positive thinking classes
• Family counseling services

Headquarters

HQ city

Morristown

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 Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization (EIN# 62-1805992), Stepping Out accepts tax-deductible donations through PayPal and other channels.
2. Government Grants: Funded under a Grant Contract with the State of Tennessee, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. Also received federal grants for capacity building and state grants for coalitions.
3. Fundraising Events: Annual events including Turkey Trot 5K and Rise Up Higher Gala with corporate sponsors at various levels (Sprint, Trot, Lollygag, Gold, Silver, Bronze).

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Stepping Out, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) faith-based nonprofit that delivers free curricula and structured classes designed to help individuals and families build life skills, healthy relationships, and positive decision-making. Its program catalog includes Automatic Positive Thinking (A.P.T.), (WO)MEN Managing Emotions Non-Violently, Anger Management, Parenting, Dollars and Sense, and Renew Your Mind, all taught from a faith-based perspective to community participants in East Tennessee.

Product overview

Stepping Out, Inc. is a faith-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of educational and life-skills programs. The organization provides programs across three categories: Emotional Intelligence (including (WO)M.E.N. Managing Emotions Non-Violently, A.P.T. Automatic Positive Thinking, Renew Your Mind, and Anger Management), Practical/Physical Thriving (including Dollars and Sense, Parenting, and Spic-N-Span), and Spiritual Maturity (including I Am, Battlefield of the Mind, and Heart of the Problem). Additional services include job training programs (Christian Women's Job Corp, Christian Men's Job Corp, Working Wise), youth programs (Chamber of Youth), and community coalitions (Hamblen County Substance Abuse Coalition). The flagship A.P.T. program holds a service mark with the USPTO. Programs are delivered through classes, workshops, and events including the annual A Queen's Banquet.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Automatic Positive Thinking (A.P.T.)
• (WO)MEN Managing Emotions Non-Violently
• Anger Management
• Parenting
• Dollars and Sense
• Renew Your Mind

Quantifiable outcome

• Participants develop accountability for behavior, active problem solving skills, and focus on opportunities rather than failures
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• GuideStarminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStepping Out is listed on GuideStar (now Candid), a platform for nonprofit information and transparency. The GuideStar badge is displayed on their website showing their profile as a registered 501(c)(3) organization (EIN# 62-1805992).
• Alliance for Better NonprofitscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStepping Out serves as a founding Board Member for the Alliance for Better Nonprofits, a regional nonprofit support organization.
• Citizen TribuneminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a business partner on the Stepping Out website.
• Government Agencies and Judicial SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with government agencies and the judicial system for referrals and program delivery. Hamblen County Court System refers clients; programs delivered in Hamblen County Jail. Funded under Grant Contract with State of Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
• Faith-Based OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with faith-based organizations for referrals and program delivery. Worked with Faith Based Initiative (FBI) through Department of Children Services on special video and project.
• University of TennesseecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Tennessee conducted evaluation of The A.P.T. Company, completing 3rd pilot study. Partnered to present A.P.T. to positive psychologist in Los Angeles, California. This research partnership validates program effectiveness.
• Hamblen County Health DepartmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Hamblen County Health Department for C.O.Y. (Chamber of Youth) events through Meth Tennessee grant.
• Communities Against Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStepping Out created Chamber of Youth (C.O.Y.) through a grant with CADCA.
• Morristown Housing Authority / HUDminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStepping Out was approved by HUD, Washington DC, to set up its office in a four-bedroom unit within the Morristown Housing Authority.
• WCRK/WMTN RadiominorGTM or Marketing PartnerRadio station partnership for the first Strawberry Shake 5k & Fun Walk as opening for the Hamblen County Strawberry Festival.
• Tennessee Domestic Violence State Coordinating CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe (WO)MEN Managing Emotions Non-Violently program is certified through this council, enabling the organization to serve domestic violence perpetrators.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• YWCA USA: National nonprofit delivering domestic violence intervention, women's empowerment, and life-skills programming. Comparable to Stepping Out's (WO)MEN program, women's-focused curricula (A Queen's Banquet), and community-based supportive services, though at substantially larger national scale.
• Salvation Army: A large faith-based social services organization delivering addiction recovery, life-skills, workforce, and family programs across the U.S. Comparable faith-based community-service operating model, though at significantly larger scale and broader geographic reach than Stepping Out's six-county East Tennessee footprint.
• Volunteers of America: A national faith-rooted human-services nonprofit operating behavioral health, housing, and workforce programs. Comparable to Stepping Out's (WO)MEN Managing Emotions Non-Violently, anger management, and supportive-services portfolio, with broader scale and a more developed government-contract infrastructure.
• Catholic Charities USA: A nationwide faith-based social services network providing counseling, family support, and behavioral-health programs. Comparable faith-rooted operating model and similar program mix (parenting, life-skills, counseling, substance-abuse support), though at a national scale well beyond Stepping Out's regional scope.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth development nonprofit delivering after-school programming, life-skills, and prevention curricula to at-risk youth. Comparable to Stepping Out's Chamber of Youth (C.O.Y.) program and its substance-abuse prevention partnership with CADCA, though operating at a substantially larger youth-focused national scale.

Direct peers

• National Fatherhood Initiative: Provides evidence-based fatherhood and parenting curricula used by nonprofits, corrections, and human-service agencies nationwide. Directly comparable to Stepping Out's Nurturing Parenting Program and Parenting classes, with similar evidence-based approach and partnerships with judicial systems.
• Celebrate Recovery: A nationwide Christ-centered 12-step recovery program addressing hurts, habits, and hangups through faith-based curriculum. Highly comparable to Stepping Out's faith-integrated life-skills and behavioral-change model (A.P.T., Renew Your Mind, Battlefield of the Mind), serving similar participant populations seeking emotional and spiritual growth.
• Alpha USA: Runs the Alpha Course, a widely deployed Christian life-skills and relationship curriculum used by churches and faith-based organizations globally. Comparable to Stepping Out's faith-based small-group curricula (I Am, Heart of the Problem, Battlefield of the Mind) targeting similar adult learners seeking spiritual and practical growth.
• Baptist Children's Homes & Family Ministries (Christian Women's Job Corps): Operates the national Christian Women's Job Corps (CWJC) network, which is the same workforce-readiness model Stepping Out adopted locally. Directly comparable in curriculum (life-skills, job readiness, financial literacy) and faith-based delivery to women in transition, making it the closest model peer for Stepping Out's CWJC program.

Regional players

• Goodwill Industries of East Tennessee: Regional nonprofit providing workforce development, job training, and life-skills services across the same East Tennessee geography. Directly comparable to Stepping Out's CWJC, CMJC, Working Wise, and Dollars and Sense programs in target population and regional reach, though delivered through a secular retail-funding model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Stepping Out, Inc.