C.E. Mendez Foundation-Too Good Programs

What C.E. Mendez Foundation-Too Good Programs does

C.E. Mendez Foundation, Inc., operating commercially as Too Good Programs, is a U.S. nonprofit founded in 1964 that develops and distributes evidence-based K-12 prevention education curricula targeting substance use, violence, and healthy lifestyle behaviors. Its portfolio centers on three core products: Too Good for Drugs (TGFD – Maximizing Life), a universal K-12 substance use prevention program; Too Good for Violence (TGFV – A Peaceable Place), a social-emotional learning and character education curriculum; and Seeds of Nutrition, a middle school nutrition education curriculum launched in 2022. Supporting offerings include high school programming, after-school activities, staff development modules, and the Celebrating Healthy Choices program. Multiple programs are listed on federal evidence registries including SAMHSA's NREPP, OJJDP's Model Programs Guide, the What Works Clearinghouse, and CASEL's SEL program review.

The Foundation operates from Atlanta, Georgia with a secondary office in Tampa, Florida, and is family-governed across three Mendez generations. Its go-to-market combines direct service delivery by Prevention Specialists inside partner school districts (most notably a 45-year, district-wide relationship with Hillsborough County Public Schools), a national train-the-trainer model in which Foundation staff travel to certify teachers, curriculum licensing to school districts and behavioral health agencies across the U.S., and an online store for program materials. Revenue is generated through program licensing, training and professional services, and product sales; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Strategic partnerships with the University of South Florida's translational research institutes, Law Enforcement Against Drugs (L.E.A.D.), and the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation extend the Foundation's research credibility and distribution into law enforcement and addiction treatment channels.

Name

C.E. Mendez Foundation-Too Good Programs

Legal name

C.E. Mendez Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://mendezfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Short description

C.E. Mendez Foundation (Too Good Programs) is a U.S. nonprofit that develops and licenses evidence-based K-12 prevention curricula on substance use, violence, and healthy lifestyles to school districts, behavioral health agencies, and community organizations nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Prevention Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Wellness & Prevention Programs (Substance Use, Sexual Health, Bullying) (EDAJAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Substance Use Prevention & Student Assistance Programs (School-Based) (EDAKAMAJ), Physical Education & Health Instruction (EDAJAFAL)

Keywords

• Prevention education programs
• Substance abuse prevention
• Violence prevention curricula
• Social emotional learning
• K-12 health education

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Program Licensing: The Foundation makes curricula available to educators nationwide through licensing. School systems from all over the country implement the prevention programs in their classrooms.
2. Training Services: The Foundation provides training for educators and staff to deliver the programs, including national trainer certification for teachers to implement the programs in their schools.
3. Product Sales: The organization operates an online store (powered by Shopify) for program materials, products, and prevention education resources.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

C.E. Mendez Foundation develops and sells evidence-based K-12 prevention education curricula under the Too Good Programs brand, covering substance use prevention, violence prevention, and healthy lifestyle/nutrition education. The Foundation also licenses these curricula to school districts and behavioral health agencies nationwide, provides Train-the-Trainer certification to educators, and delivers direct in-school implementation through employed Prevention Specialists. An online store distributes program materials, and the Implementation Center offers technical assistance to program administrators.

Product overview

C.E. Mendez Foundation operates the Too Good Programs, a comprehensive K-12 prevention education portfolio built around a skills-development model. The core offerings include TGFD – Maximizing Life (primary substance abuse prevention curriculum), TGFV – A Peaceable Place (social-emotional and character education), and Seeds of Nutrition (nutrition education for middle schools). These programs are designed to build self-efficacy and interpersonal skills, teaching children to make healthy choices, set goals, and resist peer pressure. Supporting products include high school-specific programming, after-school activities, staff development training, and Celebrating Healthy Choices for special school events. An Implementation Center provides training and technical assistance to schools implementing the programs. The portfolio serves school districts, communities, and behavioral health agencies nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TGFD – Maximizing Life: A universal K-12 prevention education program designed to mitigate risk factors and enhance protective factors related to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD) use. The program teaches five essential self-efficacy and interpersonal skills.
• TGFV – A Peaceable Place
• Seeds of Nutrition
• Too Good for Drugs & Violence

Products and services

• TGFD – Maximizing Life (Too Good for Drugs)

Quantifiable outcome

• Too Good for Drugs and Too Good for Violence listed on SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP) in 2008
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• USF Institute for Translational Research (Institute for Translational Research in Adolescent Behavioral Health)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA joint program between University of South Florida's College of Public Health and College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Mendez Foundation researchers and curriculum developers work closely with the institute to study real-world implementation of behavioral health programs, examining barriers to fidelity of implementation and successful strategies for replicable results.
• Hillsborough County Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner45-year relationship delivering Too Good programs to students district-wide. Prevention Specialists deliver programs to school students from Kindergarten through High School in Tampa, Florida.
• Gasparilla Distance Classic AssociationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds for charitable youth organizations and running programs in Tampa Bay area. Since 1991, C.E. Mendez Foundation has supported the Publix Mendez Foundation Junior Gasparilla Distance Classic bringing children and families together for healthy living.
• City of Tampa Parks and RecreationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership brings prevention education activities to Tampa recreation centers each summer as part of the summer services program, bridging the prevention gap between school years.
• Law Enforcement Against Drugs (L.E.A.D.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration since 2015 to provide tailored substance use prevention education training, technical assistance, and best practices to law enforcement agencies and professionals to support their Too Good for Drugs program implementations.
• Hazelden Publishing and Hazelden Betty Ford FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership formed in 2017 to prevent substance use and increase awareness of the risks and consequences of substance use.
• University of South Florida's Institute for Translational Research Education in Adolescent Drug Abuse (ITRE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration launched in 2018 to develop the Implementation Center, illustrating components and phases of implementation to help program administrators maximize student outcomes and achieve high-quality implementation of Too Good programs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• EVERFI: Large-scale K-12 digital curriculum provider covering SEL, mental health, and prevention topics. Broader portfolio and digital delivery make it a more scaled incumbent competing for the same district line items.

Direct peers

• Rethink Ed: Edtech platform offering SEL, mental health, and behavioral health curricula for K-12. Competitor pursuing the same school district SEL spending with a digital-native product.
• Committee for Children (Second Step): Nonprofit that develops Second Step, a leading K-12 SEL and child-protection curriculum. Direct competitor in school-based SEL and prevention education with comparable district reach and evidence-based positioning.
• Aperture Education (DESSA): Provider of SEL assessments and program support (DESSA suite) for K-12 districts. Comparable category participant that pairs SEL curriculum with outcome measurement, complementing the Implementation Center model.
• CharacterStrong: Provider of K-12 character education and SEL curriculum and training. Directly competes for the same school district SEL and prevention contracts with a more digital-first delivery model.
• Peace Education Foundation: Nonprofit providing K-12 conflict resolution, violence prevention, and peer mediation curricula. Overlaps directly with the Too Good for Violence / A Peaceable Place product line.
• Lions-Quest (Quest International): Nonprofit offering K-12 SEL and service-learning curricula (Skills for Growing, Skills for Adolescence). Competes for the same district SEL budget and shares the nonprofit evidence-based distribution model.
• Botvin LifeSkills Training: Evidence-based substance abuse and violence prevention program for K-12 students distributed through schools and communities. Most direct competitor in the drug/violence prevention curriculum space with similar NREPP and Blueprints recognition.
• SPARK Programs: Provider of K-12 health, physical education, and nutrition curricula. Comparable to the Seeds of Nutrition line and broader health-instruction offerings serving the same district buyers.

Emerging players

• The Social Institute: Provider of K-12 SEL and student wellbeing curriculum with a digital-first, student-led approach. Partial overlap in school-based SEL and healthy-decisions content for upper grades.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about C.E. Mendez Foundation-Too Good Programs