Strengthening Families Foundation

What Strengthening Families Foundation does

Strengthening Families Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, founded in 1982 to disseminate the Strengthening Families Program (SFP), an evidence-based family skills training program originally developed by Dr. Karol Kumpfer, Ph.D., under a National Institute on Drug Abuse research grant (1982–1986) consisting of 12 randomized control trials. The foundation sells the SFP Home-Use DVD and equivalent online lessons at $5 each, including SFP 7-17 as the flagship product, with additional age-adapted versions (SFP 0-3, SFP 3-5, SFP 6-11, SFP 12-16). It also supports a 10–14 week facilitated group class curriculum distributed through Lutra Group, Inc. and implemented across schools, family services agencies, homeless shelters, refugee communities, and juvenile courts in the US and 36–38 foreign countries.

The program's core technology is a structured video-based curriculum: an 11-part series of 30-minute lessons with a brain-development introduction, built-in "pause and practice" segments, downloadable handouts, and English/Spanish audio tracks, delivered via DVD mail order and an online lessons portal. Functional capabilities emphasize parenting skills, youth social skills, family communication, emotional regulation, and substance abuse prevention, validated by randomized control trials with up to 10-year follow-up and recognized by NIDA, OJJDP, SAMHSA, Cochrane Collaboration, DoED, CSAP, and WHO.

The foundation operates as a volunteer-governed nonprofit with 1–10 staff and an unpaid board led by Executive Director Jaynie Litster Brown and Director of Research and Evaluation Karol L. Kumpfer, Ph.D. Revenue comes from $5 DVD sales, $5/year online subscriptions, and tax-deductible donations; bulk pricing ($4/DVD) supports institutional case-lot orders. Distribution combines direct-to-consumer e-commerce, self-serve online access, and community-led delivery through institutional partners, with awareness supported by MADD collaboration, state prevention workgroups, and national conference presentations.

Name

Strengthening Families Foundation

Legal name

Strengthening Families Foundation

Website

https://strengtheningfamiliesfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Strengthening Families Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1982 that sells the evidence-based Strengthening Families Program, a $5 video-based family skills training curriculum for parents and youth, delivered via DVD, online lessons, and group classes across schools, agencies, courts, and 36+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Family Skills Training and Substance Abuse Prevention Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family Engagement & Take-Home Learning Materials (Home Packs, Parent Guides) (EDACAJAL), Family Engagement & Parent-Facing Early Learning Content (EDAGACAJ), Family & Parenting Education (Family Literacy, Parenting Skills) (EDAAAFAF)

Keywords

• Family skills training
• Substance abuse prevention
• Parenting education programs
• Evidence-based prevention
• Family relationship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City

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. DVD Sales: Sale of physical DVD copies of the Strengthening Families Program for home use and institutional deployment. Sold in small quantities and case lots (100 DVDs) to families, agencies, and organizations.
2. Online Lesson Subscription: One-year access to online SFP lessons available in English or Spanish for $5.
3. Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting the nonprofit mission to provide addiction prevention skills to families.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Strengthening Families Foundation sells and distributes the Strengthening Families Program (SFP), an evidence-based family skills training curriculum that teaches parenting skills, youth social skills, and family relationship skills to prevent youth substance abuse. The core product is the SFP Home-Use DVD (7-17 Years), an 11-part video series with English and Spanish audio tracks and downloadable handouts, supplemented by online lesson access ($5/year), age-specific program versions (SFP 0-3, 3-5, 6-11, 12-16), and a 10-14 week in-person SFP 7-17 Group Class Curriculum for institutional facilitators.

Product overview

The Strengthening Families Foundation offers the Strengthening Families Program (SFP), an evidence-based family skills training program consisting of multiple products: the core SFP Home-Use DVD (7-17 Years) and its online equivalent providing 11 video lessons for home use at $5; the SFP 7-17 Group Class Curriculum for facilitated in-person sessions; and age-specific sub-products including SFP 0-3, SFP 3-5, SFP 6-11, and SFP 12-16 programs. The DVD versions include English and Spanish audio tracks with downloadable handouts. All products are designed to prevent youth substance abuse and strengthen family relationships through skill-based training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SFP Home-Use DVD (7-17 Years) An 11-part, low-cost ($5) video-based parenting and youth skills program for families to watch together, featuring eleven 30-minute lessons plus an introduction lesson on brain development. Includes downloadable handouts, tracking sheets, and audio tracks in both English and Spanish. Designed for families with children ages 7-17 to use at home for substance abuse prevention and family relationship strengthening.
• SFP 7-17 Online Lessons Online streaming access to the SFP 7-17 Years lessons available for $5 per year access in English or Spanish. Includes free downloadable handouts and tracking sheets and delivers the same content as the Home-Use DVD through the strengtheningfamilieslessons.org portal.
• SFP 7-17 Group Class Curriculum A 10-14 week in-person class version with separate parent, teen, and child lessons followed by family practice sessions. Includes curricula for parents, teens, children, and family practice components. Designed for institutional facilitators at schools, family services agencies, and community organizations.
• SFP 0-3 Years Program Age-specific version of the Strengthening Families Program for families with children ages 0-3 years, focusing on early childhood development and parenting skills.
• SFP 3-5 Years Program Age-specific version of the Strengthening Families Program for families with children ages 3-5 years.
• SFP 6-11 Years Program Age-specific version of the Strengthening Families Program for families with children ages 6-11 years.
• SFP 12-16 Years Program Age-specific version of the Strengthening Families Program for families with children ages 12-16 years.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced binge drinking rates from 12.6% to 6.4% in one year among 8th graders
• +2 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Lutra Group, Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLutra Group, Inc. serves as authorized distributors and trainers for the Strengthening Families Program. Dr. Henry O. Whiteside, Development Director, is president of Lutra Group and travels worldwide to conduct SFP group leader training workshops with his team of international trainers.
• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)coreOthersOriginal developer Dr. Karol Kumpfer received NIDA research grant (1982-1986) that consisted of 12 randomized control trials. SFP is listed in NIDA Red Book as one of 10 evidence-based programs.
• OJJDP (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention)coreOthersOJJDP's Strengthening America's Families Initiative directed by Dr. Kumpfer to locate and disseminate evidence-based family interventions nationwide. SFP is one of seven replicated programs.
• SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)coreOthersSFP is listed as a SAMHSA Model Program (2000). Dr. Kumpfer served as director of DHHS/SAMHSA Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) in Washington, D.C. from 1998 to 2000.
• United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)coreOthersDr. Kumpfer conducted global search for evidence-based family interventions for UNODC Compendium. Produced UNODC (2009) Guide to Implementing Family Skills Training Programmes for Drug Abuse Prevention.
• Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerExecutive Director Jaynie Brown joined MADD after the death of a baby grandson by a drunk driver. She serves as legislative lobbyist for Utah MADD. Art Brown is president of Utah MADD and former MADD national board member.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Child Trends: Child Trends is a nonprofit research organization studying children and families, comparable to SFP as an evidence producer working on family functioning and youth outcomes, but as a research/thematically aligned participant rather than a direct competitor.
• Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD): MADD is a direct GTM partner and referral channel that shares SFP's youth substance-abuse prevention goal from a policy and public-awareness angle, rather than operating an evidence-based curriculum.

Direct peers

• Botvin LifeSkills Training: Botvin LifeSkills Training is a classroom-based substance abuse prevention program for school-age youth, comparable to SFP as an evidence-based, scalable curriculum licensed to schools for adolescent prevention.
• Triple P (Positive Parenting Program): Triple P is the world's most widely disseminated evidence-based parenting program, offering tiered interventions to prevent child behavioral and emotional problems - directly comparable to SFP as an evidence-based, parent-focused skills training curriculum.
• The Incredible Years: Incredible Years is a series of evidence-based parent, child, and teacher training programs targeting conduct problems and social-emotional development, closely analogous to SFP in mission, age range, and RCT-validated outcomes.
• Guiding Good Choices (formerly Preparing for the Drug-Free Years): Guiding Good Choices is a family-based drug prevention program aimed at parents of adolescents; it overlaps with SFP in target audience, family-skills approach, and substance-abuse prevention outcomes.

Emerging players

• Search Institute: Search Institute researches positive youth development and developmental assets, and hosts/facilitates the Guiding Good Choices program; it is adjacent to SFP as a research-driven youth and family intervention resource.

Broad incumbents

• Partnership to End Addiction: Partnership to End Addiction is a national nonprofit delivering prevention, treatment, and family support resources for substance use - overlapping with SFP's family-focused prevention mission but operating more broadly across the addiction continuum.
• Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation: Hazelden Betty Ford is a large addiction treatment and prevention provider with a published prevention curriculum for youth; it is comparable to SFP's prevention mission but covers a much broader treatment and education portfolio.
• Center on Addiction (formerly CASA Columbia): Center on Addiction is an established national research and policy organization addressing substance use and its consequences; comparable to SFP as a prevention-focused entity working at population scale rather than as a packaged curriculum.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/strengthening-families-foundation---org

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Strengthening Families Foundation