What The Light Inside does

The Light Inside is a US nonprofit organization (EIN 47-4172718) founded in 2021 by Joh Jarvis, a former Australian Broadcasting Corporation senior executive who practiced Vedic Meditation from 2006. The organization delivers on-site Vedic Meditation training programs to incarcerated individuals and corrections staff inside US correctional facilities, with active programs in New York (including Rikers Island) and North Dakota (North Dakota State Penitentiary, James River Correctional Center, and Heart River Correctional Center for women). The founding story traces from Jarvis's 2018 volunteer work at Rikers Island, where she trained 20 men before the pandemic paused jail volunteer programs, through the 2021 formalization of the nonprofit and a 2025 milestone of 300+ individuals trained. The organization plans to expand to two California prisons (Stockton and Calipatria) in 2026.

The core product is a standardized four-day training program consisting of 90-minute daily sessions delivered by teachers who have completed 2,000+ hours of Vedic Meditation training. The technique is designed to be simple and effortless so that participants can self-administer it after the initial training, and the organization supplements in-person delivery with online follow-up meditation meetings. Research and evaluation are led by Dr. Tom O'Connor, whose prior work at the Oregon Department of Corrections and current role on the National Institute of Corrections Pretrial faculty provide regulatory credibility and a research backbone. Strategic partnerships include the Compassion Prison Project, Why Not Prosper (re-entry support), and an Insight Timer connection through board member Nicho Plowman.

The revenue model is donations and charitable contributions; TLI does not publicly disclose pricing and does not appear to charge correctional departments for program delivery. The stated long-term vision is to standardize meditation training in all US correctional facilities. The marketing approach is predominantly earned media (ABC Australia, Channel 10 Australia, Sydney Morning Herald, Spectrum NY1) plus direct outreach to corrections facility representatives, with a newsletter subscription and a donation page as the primary online engagement channels.

Name

The Light Inside

Legal name

The Light Inside

Website

https://the-lightinside.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Light Inside is a 2021 US nonprofit that delivers on-site Vedic Meditation training to incarcerated individuals and corrections staff in US correctional facilities, active in New York and North Dakota with planned California expansion in 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corrections Rehabilitation Services

NAICS

Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Guided Meditation Instruction (1:1 & Group) (HSADAJAA)

Keywords

• Meditation training programs
• Correctional facility wellness
• Prison rehabilitation services
• Mindfulness training
• Recidivism reduction programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The Light Inside is a nonprofit organization (EIN: 47-4172718) that relies on donations for funding. The organization states 'Donations are tax deductible in accordance with applicable tax laws' and is seeking financial support to expand their meditation training programs to more correctional facilities across the US.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Light Inside delivers in-person Vedic Meditation training programs inside U.S. correctional facilities for incarcerated individuals, formerly incarcerated people, and corrections officers/staff. Training is delivered as 90-minute sessions per day over four consecutive days by expert teachers trained for 2,000+ hours in Vedic Meditation, after which participants can practice the technique independently for life. Programs are supported by regular online follow-up meditation meetings.

Product overview

The Light Inside offers a single service offering: Vedic Meditation training programs for the corrections system. The core program trains incarcerated individuals and corrections staff in Vedic Meditation technique through in-person sessions at correctional facilities. The training is delivered as 90-minute daily sessions over four consecutive days, after which participants can continue practicing independently. Programs are delivered at facilities in New York, North Dakota, and planned expansion to California in 2026.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vedic Meditation Training Program
• Online Follow-Up Meditation Meetings

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ individuals trained as of 2025
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Compassion Prison ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Light Inside partners with the Compassion Prison Project's 'Step Inside The Circle' initiative, which highlights the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the flow-on effect to society. The initiative emphasizes the importance of care, not punishment, in healing trauma. This partnership aligns with The Light Inside's mission to bring meditation to correctional facilities.
• Why Not Prosper, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by Rev. Dr. Michelle Anne Simmons, Why Not Prosper helps previously incarcerated women transition back into society. Rev. Simmons serves on The Light Inside's Advisory Board. The organization is featured in the 'Working With' section of The Light Inside's website, indicating a collaborative relationship in supporting incarcerated women through meditation and re-entry programs.
• National Institute of CorrectionsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Tom O'Connor, The Light Inside's Research & Evaluation Director, assists the National Institute of Corrections with implementation of pretrial reform across the US as a member of its Pretrial faculty. This connection provides The Light Inside with high-level credibility in the criminal justice system and potential pathway to scaling programs nationally.
• Insight TimercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard member Nicho Plowman is co-founder of Insight Timer, one of the largest global online mental health communities with more than 20 million users. Through this connection, The Light Inside has access to technology platforms and expertise in meditation/wellness scaling, as well as potential integration with larger meditation ecosystems.
• New York City Department of CorrectionsflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Light Inside delivers meditation training programs at Rikers Island jail complex, one of the largest and most challenging jail systems in the country. This is a direct service partnership where The Light Inside provides meditation programs to incarcerated individuals and staff within NYC DOC facilities.
• North Dakota Department of CorrectionsflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Light Inside delivers programs at North Dakota State Penitentiary, James River Correctional Center, and Heart River Correctional Center for women. These are ongoing facility partnerships for delivering meditation training to incarcerated people and corrections staff.
• Oregon Department of CorrectionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Tom O'Connor previously led the Oregon Department of Corrections' Religious Services, developing the Oregon model of humanistic, spiritual, and religious prison chaplaincy that reduced recidivism. This connection provides research validation and a proven model framework for The Light Inside's approach.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Calm: A leading consumer meditation and sleep app with broad institutional and employer partnerships. While not corrections-specialized, it represents the same meditation/mindfulness category and competes for the same mental wellness and self-regulation use cases.
• Maharishi Foundation (Transcendental Meditation movement): The originating organization of the Vedic Meditation lineage in which TLI's teachers are trained. It is a broad incumbent in Vedic Meditation instruction with a far larger global teacher network and serves as the upstream credentialing and brand lineage for TLI's technique.
• Headspace: A global consumer meditation and mental wellness app that has run documented programs in corrections settings. It competes for institutional corrections mind-body budgets with a scalable digital platform and substantially larger brand and user base than TLI.

Others

• National Institute of Corrections: A U.S. federal agency that provides training, technical assistance, and policy guidance to state and local corrections systems. Dr. Tom O'Connor's Pretrial faculty role connects TLI to NIC's national influence channels, positioning it as a policy/governance stakeholder rather than a direct competitor.
• Insight Timer: A global meditation and wellness community platform with 20M+ users, co-founded by TLI board member Nicho Plowman. It is an ecosystem and platform partner rather than a direct competitor, providing potential digital distribution for TLI's trainees post-release.
• Why Not Prosper: A nonprofit supporting reentry of previously incarcerated women, founded by TLI advisory board member Rev. Dr. Michelle Anne Simmons. It is a partner in the reentry ecosystem adjacent to TLI's incarcerated population mission rather than a direct competitor in facility-based training.

Direct peers

• Liberation Prison Yoga: A nonprofit that has been teaching yoga and mindfulness inside U.S. prisons and rehabilitation centers since 2003. It competes for the same correctional facility mind-body intervention niche as TLI and serves an overlapping beneficiary base.
• Prison Mindfulness Institute: A nonprofit dedicated to providing mindfulness training and resources to incarcerated individuals, corrections staff, and aftercare programs. It is a direct peer in prison-based mindfulness instruction and shares TLI's target customers and intervention modality.
• Compassion Prison Project: A nonprofit that operates inside U.S. correctional facilities to address adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma, including through its 'Step Inside The Circle' initiative. It is both a strategic partner and a directly comparable mission-aligned organization delivering trauma-healing programming to incarcerated populations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-light-inside

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 The Light Inside