Preventionfirst , Inc.

What Preventionfirst , Inc. does

PreventionFIRST!, operating as Prevention First, Inc., is a Cincinnati-based 501(c)-style nonprofit founded in 1996 to reduce youth substance use and behavioral health risks across the Greater Cincinnati tri-state area of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Originally incorporated as the Coalition for a Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati by Former Senator Rob Portman, Ohio First Lady Emeritus Hope Taft, Rev. Dr. Damon Lynch, and Former P&G Chairman John Pepper, the organization rebranded to PreventionFIRST! in 2026 to mark 30 years of continuous operation. Its operations are organized into three programmatic centers: the Center for Prevention Science (research and data), the Center for Community Engagement (coalition support and training), and the Center for Prevention Action (topic-specific initiatives on prescription drugs, cannabis, alcohol, gambling, and youth leadership).

The organization's core technical asset is the PF! Student Survey, a biennial youth survey instrument administered through the Sogolytics online survey platform that captures demographics, substance use patterns, gambling behavior, and lifestyle factors across every invited school in the tri-state region. This dataset, accumulated over 20+ years, is used by school districts and community coalitions to benchmark substance use trends and evaluate the effectiveness of prevention programs. Complementary offerings include free capacity-building webinars delivered via Zoom (with continuing education credit for prevention professionals) and free membership services for 25+ regional substance abuse prevention coalitions, including automatic affiliation with the Ohio Statewide Prevention Coalition Association (SPCA).

Prevention First's business model is that of a typical community-serving nonprofit: all services are provided at no cost to members or webinar attendees, and revenue is generated through corporate sponsorships, grants, and community contributions. Disclosed sponsors include Raymond James, KMK Law, and Cinergy. With a headcount in the 11–50 range, the organization has no disclosed revenue, no parent company, no venture or private equity backing, and operates under the governance of a Board of Directors.

Name

Preventionfirst , Inc.

Legal name

PreventionFIRST!

Website

https://prevention-first.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Prevention First is a Cincinnati-based nonprofit that delivers youth substance abuse prevention programs across the Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana tri-state area through three centers: prevention science research, coalition support, and prevention action initiatives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Substance Abuse Prevention Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Educational Services (61), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Substance Use Prevention & Student Assistance Programs (School-Based) (EDAKAMAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Substance Use Disorder Prevention & Recovery Services (BPAGACAE), Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM)

Keywords

• Substance abuse prevention
• Youth behavioral health
• Community coalition building
• Prevention science research
• Capacity building training

Headquarters

HQ city

Norwood

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Sponsorships and Grants: Prevention First operates as a nonprofit organization, likely funded through sponsorships, grants, and community contributions. The organization lists sponsors on its website including Raymond James and KMK Law.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Prevention First delivers youth substance abuse prevention programs, community coalition support, and data-driven prevention research across Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Its core offerings include the biennial PF! Student Survey administered to tri-state schools, free capacity building webinars with continuing education for prevention professionals, and a network of 25+ member coalitions linked to expert guidance on formation, funding, policy, evaluation, and sustainability, organized across three centers (Prevention Science, Community Engagement, Prevention Action).

Product overview

PreventionFIRST! operates as a comprehensive nonprofit prevention organization with three interconnected centers offering a portfolio of prevention-focused programs and services. The core offerings include the biennial PF! Student Survey (a data collection tool for schools and communities), Capacity Building Webinars (professional development for prevention professionals), and a Member Coalition Network (connecting local coalitions to resources and guidance). The three centers—Center for Prevention Science (research/data), Center for Community Engagement (outreach/coalitions), and Center for Prevention Action (topic-specific initiatives)—work together to address youth substance abuse across the tri-state area of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Center for Prevention Science: Focuses on research, data collection through the PF! Student Survey administered every other year, and evidence-based prevention strategies.
• Center for Community Engagement
• Center for Prevention Action
• PF! Student Survey
• TrainingHUB!

Products and services

• PF! Student Survey A biennial youth behavioral health survey administered to schools across the Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana tri-state area. It collects data on demographics, substance use, gambling, and lifestyle behaviors that school districts and communities use to understand local substance use patterns and evaluate existing prevention policies and programs.
• Capacity Building Webinars Free one-hour training webinars delivered to prevention and public health professionals that introduce emerging trends, new research, innovative strategies, and community success stories, with continuing education hours awarded to attendees.
• Member Coalitions A free membership network of local substance abuse prevention coalitions linked to expert guidance on formation, funding, policy, evaluation, and sustainability, with Ohio-based coalitions also affiliated to the Ohio Statewide Prevention Coalition Association (SPCA).

Quantifiable outcome

• 25+ member coalitions supported across Ohio and Kentucky
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Ohio Statewide Prevention Coalition Association (SPCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOhio-based member coalitions of Prevention First are also members of the Ohio Statewide Prevention Coalition Association, providing statewide representation and networking opportunities for regional substance abuse prevention coalitions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Partnership to End Addiction: National nonprofit (formerly The Partnership at Drugfree.org) delivering family support, resources, and youth substance-use prevention programming. Closely comparable in mission and parent/community focus.
• SAFE Project: National nonprofit focused on substance-use prevention and recovery, including youth and community coalition models. Highly comparable mission, programming structure, and policy-advocacy orientation.
• Foundation for a Drug-Free World: Global nonprofit distributing drug-prevention education materials and curricula to schools and communities. Comparable youth-focused delivery mechanism via classroom and community channels.
• Drug-Free America Foundation: Nonprofit advocating evidence-based substance-abuse prevention and policy reform. Comparable advocacy and prevention-education orientation though more policy-leaning than community-coalition led.
• PRIDE (Parent Resource Institute for Drug Education) / PRIDE Youth Programs: Long-standing youth substance-abuse prevention organization providing curricula and training to schools and communities. Directly comparable mission and school-based delivery model.

Emerging players

• Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD): Youth-led organization focused on preventing destructive behaviors including substance use, delivered through school chapters. Comparable student-led school-based prevention approach to Prevention First's youth leadership programming.
• Robert Crown Education Center: Regional education organization delivering substance-use prevention curricula and youth surveys to schools. Directly analogous school survey + evidence-based curriculum delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD): Established nonprofit combining victim advocacy, youth education, and policy reform on substance-impaired driving. Comparable nonprofit mission, school-based programming, and policy-advocacy orientation.
• National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD): National nonprofit with affiliate network structure across states providing prevention, education, and advocacy. Analogous affiliate/coalition infrastructure to Prevention First's member network.
• Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA): National umbrella for substance-use prevention coalitions. Closest functional peer to Prevention First's Member Coalition model but operates at national scale with significantly larger resources and federal grant access.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PrevFIRST
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/PreventionFIRSTCincy
• Facebookfacebook.com/Preventionfirstcinti
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/preventionfirst

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Preventionfirst , Inc.