Tennessee Community Health Worker Association

What Tennessee Community Health Worker Association does

The Tennessee Community Health Worker Association (TNCHWA) is a Tennessee-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, established in 2021 with roots in a 2016 predecessor collaborative, that operates as the primary statewide membership, training, and accreditation body for Community Health Workers (CHWs) in Tennessee. Its core offerings are a competency-based CHW Training Program — a 103-hour initial curriculum plus a 40-hour advanced curriculum delivered through self-paced online modules and virtual peer learning — and a CHW Program Accreditation framework co-developed with TennCare and aligned to NCQA standards, covering seven standards including recruitment, scope of work, training, supervision, and evaluation. The organization also runs individual ($20-$35) and tiered organizational ($250-$750) memberships, with 130+ trainees enrolled and 15+ programs accredited to date.

The business model is grant-dependent with diversifying revenue streams: a three-year $3M HRSA grant (in its final year) executed in partnership with Vanderbilt School of Nursing and the Rural Health Association of Tennessee; a Healing Trust capacity-building grant; Johnson & Johnson Race to Health Equity funding channeled through the Southeast CHW Network; membership dues; and tax-deductible donations processed via Stripe. Distribution combines self-serve digital signup on tnchwa.org with enterprise-style engagements with health systems (Methodist Le Bonheur, Siloam Health, Vanderbilt UMC) and government partnerships (TennCare, Tennessee Department of Health, Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance). Go-to-market is hybrid across product-led training cohorts, community-led convenings anchored by a CHW-majority board, and event-driven activation through the Southeast CHW Network Summit and annual conference.

Name

Tennessee Community Health Worker Association

Legal name

Tennessee Community Health Worker Association

Website

https://tnchwa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tennessee-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving as the primary statewide membership, training, and accreditation body for Community Health Workers, offering a 103+40 hour competency-based training program, NCQA-aligned program accreditation, and tiered memberships across Tennessee.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Health Workforce Development

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAIACAK

Local Public Health & Human Services Administration

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Local/Municipal Government Administration

Keywords

• Community health workers
• Workforce development
• Health worker training
• Nonprofit association
• Program accreditation

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from individual CHWs and allies ($20/year or $35/2 years) and organizational memberships ($250-$750/year based on size tier). Membership provides voting privileges, directory access, webinars, training discounts, and job posting benefits.
2. HRSA Grant Funding: Three-year grant from Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in partnership with Vanderbilt University School of Nursing and Rural Health Association of Tennessee. The $3 million grant funds the Community Health Worker Training Program of Tennessee, training up to 90 people per year.
3. The Healing Trust Grant: Resilient Families grant from The Healing Trust (private foundation in Middle Tennessee) awarded in Fall 2024, focused on organizational capacity building in five Tennessee counties: Bedford, Davidson, Maury, Montgomery, and Rutherford.
4. Southeast CHW Network Funding: Funding from Center for Community Health Alignment at University of South Carolina (Johnson and Johnson's Race to Health Equity initiative) awarded July 2024 to support membership program launch, website updates, and newsletter/social media platforms.
5. Donations: Tax-deductible donations accepted via Stripe platform from supporters of CHW workforce advancement and health equity mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Tennessee Community Health Worker Association (TNCHWA) is a statewide 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports the Community Health Worker (CHW) workforce in Tennessee. It delivers a CHW Training Program, offers accreditation for CHW programs, and provides individual and organizational memberships to build a recognized, sustainable CHW workforce across the state.

Product overview

TNCHWA operates as a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of programs to support and empower Community Health Workers in Tennessee. The core offerings consist of the CHW Training Program of Tennessee, a competency-based training program with initial (103 hours) and advanced (40 hours) components delivered through online modules and virtual peer learning, and the CHW Program Accreditation, a statewide accreditation program developed with TennCare and NCQA covering seven core program standards. Additionally, TNCHWA provides membership programs for individual CHWs and allies ($20-$35/year) as well as organizational memberships for hospitals, clinics, nonprofits, and community-based organizations (Tier 1: $250/year; Tier 2: $750/year).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CHW Training Program Standardized training program that prepares individuals for the Community Health Worker role, providing a recognized credentialing pathway for aspiring and current CHWs in Tennessee.
• CHW Program Accreditation Accreditation service for healthcare and community-based organizations operating Community Health Worker programs, validating program quality against statewide standards.
• Individual Membership Membership option for individual community health workers and aspiring CHWs, providing access to the statewide network, resources, and professional community.
• Organizational Membership Membership option for healthcare organizations, community-based programs, and other entities engaged in CHW workforce activities in Tennessee.

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Vanderbilt University School of NursingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Lead academic partner on the $3 million HRSA-funded Community Health Worker Training Program of Tennessee. The program trains up to 90 CHWs per year and is in its final year of a three-year grant. Vanderbilt provides the training infrastructure, instructional design, and program administration. TNCHWA's Training Coordinators deliver virtual peer learning sessions.
• Rural Health Association of TennesseecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partner in the HRSA-funded Community Health Worker Training Program of Tennessee alongside Vanderbilt and TNCHWA, bringing rural health expertise and network access to the training initiative.
• TennCare (Tennessee Medicaid Program)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTennCare supports TNCHWA's CHW Program Accreditation initiative as the state's Medicaid program, providing funding and policy alignment for standardizing CHW programs across Tennessee.
• National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCQA partnered with TNCHWA to develop the CHW Program Accreditation process, bringing expertise in creating infrastructure, establishing requirements, training onsite reviewers, and compiling results. Together they created standards and review processes for CHW programs.
• UnitedHealthcaresupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnitedHealthcare provides support enabling TNCHWA to expand training opportunities for new and current CHWs in Tennessee.
• Medical University of South CarolinasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeads the PREFER (PaRtnEring to build understanding oF gEnomics Responsibly) Community Health Worker Genomics Research Education Program, a collaboration of CHW associations in four Southern states including TNCHWA, creating a virtual course on genetics and community participation in genetic services.
• Southeast CHW Network (Center for Community Health Alignment)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunded by Johnson and Johnson's Race to Health Equity initiative, the Center for Community Health Alignment at USC Arnold School of Public Health supports CHW associations including TNCHWA with funding to launch membership programs, update websites, and create communication platforms.
• Meharry-Vanderbilt AlliancesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner that convened the initial 2016 roundtable on CHWs and provided programmatic and funding support during the 2016-2020 collaborative phase before TNCHWA's establishment as an independent organization.
• Tennessee Department of HealthsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner in the Tennessee Community Health Worker Collaborative that preceded TNCHWA; continues to participate through board representation and program collaboration.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MHP Salud: MHP Salud is a national nonprofit that implements, evaluates, and disseminates CHW programs, with deep expertise in CHW training, supervision, and program design. It is a direct peer to TNCHWA in terms of CHW workforce development and capacity building for community-based organizations.
• Center for Community Health Alignment (USC): The Center for Community Health Alignment at the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health hosts the Southeast CHW Network and is explicitly named in TNCHWA's data as a direct funder through the Johnson & Johnson Race to Health Equity initiative. It convenes CHW associations across Southern states and shares TNCHWA's training, accreditation, and capacity-building mandate.
• National Association of Community Health Workers (NACHW): NACHW is the national membership association for CHWs in the United States, providing workforce advocacy, training standards, and policy representation. Like TNCHWA, NACHW operates a CHW-majority governance model and serves as the convener of state-level CHW associations, making it the direct national peer to TNCHWA's state-level mission.
• Migrant Clinicians Network: Migrant Clinicians Network is a national clinical organization that trains and supports CHWs serving migrant and underserved communities. It is a direct peer to TNCHWA in CHW workforce training, advocacy, and continuing education, with overlapping funder bases.
• MCD Global Health: MCD Global Health is an international public health organization that develops and implements CHW training curricula and programs domestically and globally. It shares TNCHWA's training-program-development and community-health-workforce capacity-building mandate and competes for similar grant funding.
• Sinai Urban Health Institute: Sinai Urban Health Institute is a research and program center focused on CHW-led interventions to address health disparities in Chicago. It shares TNCHWA's CHW training, evaluation, and health-equity focus and serves as a comparable academic-affiliated CHW capacity builder.
• Penn Center for Community Health Workers: Based at the University of Pennsylvania, the Penn CHW Center is a leading research and training center that develops, tests, and disseminates CHW intervention models. It shares TNCHWA's workforce development, training, and evidence-building mission at a national level, and is a comparable model for CHW training infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/tnchwa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tennessee-community-health-worker-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/tnchwa

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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Frequently asked questions about Tennessee Community Health Worker Association