5 Healthy Towns Foundation

What 5 Healthy Towns Foundation does

5 Healthy Towns Foundation is a private, tax-exempt Michigan foundation established in 2009 following the merger of Chelsea Community Hospital with Saint Joseph Mercy Health System. It serves Chelsea, Dexter, Grass Lake, Manchester, and Stockbridge through four wellness centers, five community wellness coalitions, grants, and health programs. Reported scale includes more than 400,000 wellness-center visits annually, 7,000+ members, 50 community programs, 210+ coalition-funded programs, and 90+ coalition members.

Service delivery combines facility-based and community-based access. The wellness centers provide fitness equipment, pools, classes, and, at Chelsea and Dexter, medically integrated programs; MyFitRx supports people managing or transitioning from cancer, cardiac, pulmonary, diabetes, orthopedic, and weight-related conditions. OneBigConnection.org adds a digital directory, action teams, events, and mental-health resources, while Working Well extends programming to employers and additional initiatives cover teens, seniors, safe routes to school, literacy, substance-abuse prevention, and disability-inclusive fitness. The disclosed technology surface is limited: no proprietary technology, mobile app, or API is reported.

The foundation's funding model is endowment-led rather than venture-funded. It received a $25 million initial endowment, reports approximately $42 million in charitable and non-charitable assets, follows a 5% spending rate on non-charitable assets, and uses investment earnings to support approximately $1 million in annual community funding. It also generates recurring membership dues at the wellness centers and ancillary facility-rental and fundraising-event income. Examples of pricing include teen memberships of $46 per month at Chelsea and Dexter and $23 per month in Stockbridge, free nonprofit and government facility access, and fee-based business rentals. The organization reaches users directly through memberships, digital content, coalitions, and community events; no annual operating-revenue or profitability data is disclosed.

Name

5 Healthy Towns Foundation

Legal name

5 Healthy Towns Foundation

Website

https://5healthytowns.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Short description

5 Healthy Towns Foundation is a Michigan nonprofit that operates four wellness centers, funds community wellness initiatives, and coordinates coalitions serving residents of Chelsea, Dexter, Grass Lake, Manchester, and Stockbridge through memberships, grants, and events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Wellness Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Health, Prevention & Health Education (BPAGACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Group Fitness, Personal Training & Wellness Coaching (EDALAIAE)

Keywords

• Community wellness programs
• Nonprofit health foundation
• Wellness center memberships
• Fitness and prevention services
• Community grantmaking

Headquarters

HQ city

Chelsea

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns: The foundation was initially funded with $25,000,000 from the legacy of Chelsea Community Hospital. This principal is invested in the market, and returns (earnings) are used to grant funds to wellness-related projects. The foundation follows a spending rate equal to 5% of non-charitable assets.
2. Wellness Center Memberships: Revenue generated from membership fees at Chelsea, Dexter, Manchester, and Stockbridge Wellness Centers. Membership provides access to fitness facilities, pools, classes, and other amenities.
3. Facility Rentals: Revenue from renting wellness center spaces to businesses, for-profit organizations, and for special events. Non-profit and government organizations receive free or discounted access.
4. Farm to Table Event Fundraising: Annual Farm to Table Fabulous Feast events generate revenue through ticket sales, sponsorships, and silent auctions. Proceeds support farmers markets in the five communities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

5 Healthy Towns Foundation operates four community wellness centers and a portfolio of more than 50 health, fitness, and prevention programs serving residents of Chelsea, Dexter, Grass Lake, Manchester, and Stockbridge, Michigan. Its core services include wellness center memberships, supervised fitness and clinical exercise programs (such as MyFitRx and Fitness for Life), employer wellness offerings (Working Well), community coalitions, and grant-funded prevention initiatives such as Safe Routes to School and the Big Red Barrel drug-disposal program.

Product overview

5 Healthy Towns Foundation operates a platform of community wellness services centered around four physical wellness centers (Chelsea, Dexter, Manchester, Stockbridge) combined with digital platforms (OneBigConnection.org) and grant-funded community programs. The core offering consists of medically integrated fitness facilities providing supervised programs like MyFitRx, supplemented by wellness coalitions coordinating interventions, workplace wellness (Working Well), and youth programs including Safe Routes to School, Teen Membership, and Fitness for Life. The foundation also runs community-building events like the Farm to Table Fabulous Feast and publishes Connected Magazine. The digital platform OneBigConnection.org serves as a virtual hub for resources, action teams, and mental health support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• One Big Thing: Collaborative initiative launched in 2019 with Michigan Medicine/Family Medicine, St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea, Washtenaw County Community Mental Health, and 5HF Community Wellness Coalitions to promote positive mental health practices and decrease mental health crisis situations.
• 5H Community Read
• OneBigConnection.org
• Connected Magazine
• Working Well

Products and services

• Community Wellness Centers Four membership-based community fitness and wellness facilities offering group classes, supervised exercise, and wellness programming to residents of Chelsea, Dexter, Manchester, Stockbridge, and Grass Lake, Michigan.
• MyFitRx Supervised Fitness Program Supervised fitness program designed for individuals with medical conditions or chronic disease risk factors who require guided exercise programming.
• Working Well Employer Wellness Program Workplace wellness program marketed to local employers that provides employee fitness and wellness benefits through the foundation's wellness centers.
• OneBigConnection.org Virtual Community Platform Online virtual community platform that connects residents across the five served communities with wellness programs, events, and resources.
• Fitness for Life Program Fitness program offered through the foundation's wellness centers to help community members build sustainable exercise habits.
• Teen Membership Wellness center membership category for teenagers aged 14-17, providing age-appropriate access to facilities and programming.
• Connected Magazine Community magazine published by the foundation to communicate wellness programming, events, and stories to residents of the five served communities.
• Farm to Table Fabulous Fundraising Event Signature annual ticketed fundraising event that raises money for the foundation's community wellness programs.
• Community Wellness Coalitions Coalition-based network of 90-plus partner organizations across the five served communities that collaborate to deliver 210-plus funded community health and prevention programs.
• Facility Rentals Fee-based rental of the foundation's wellness center facilities to outside groups and organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 400,000 wellness center visits annually with 7,000+ members
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Chelsea Hospital Nutrition Department and Timber Creek FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Partnership to design 8-week wellness program (Wellness Connection) with weekly themes exploring dimensions of well-being.
• Manchester Area Senior Citizens Council (MASCC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 20245HF and Manchester Wellness Coalition granted $10,000 to MASCC to support building a permanent home for senior community services. Funds used as local match for Patronicity funding challenge with MEDC.
• City of Chelsea and Chelsea School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2023Pilot teen membership program partnership subsidizing $15 teen passes for summer access to wellness centers and school gymnasiums.
• Recovery Opioid Overdose Team (ROOT) and Home of New VisionminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 20235HF partnered with ROOT and Home of New Vision to increase awareness about opioid risks and improve harm reduction measures, providing free Narcan and fentanyl test strips at Chelsea Wellness Center.
• Aberdeen BikeminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 August 2022Partnership for Back to School Wellness Day providing free bike safety checks, helmet fittings, and safety certification for youth.
• One Big Thing Initiative PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2021One Big Thing is a collaborative initiative launched in 2019 with Michigan Medicine/Family Medicine, St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea, Washtenaw County Community Mental Health, and 5HF Community Wellness Coalitions to promote positive mental health practices and decrease mental health crisis in communities.
• HR CollaborativeminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 March 2021Michigan-based executive search firm engaged to conduct national CEO search for 5HF following Amy Heydlauff's retirement.
• Stockbridge Wellness CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration between Stockbridge Wellness Coalition, Chelsea Wellness Center, and 5HF to operate the Stockbridge Wellness Center.
• Manchester Community SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManchester Wellness Center transitioned to Manchester Community Schools operation, funded through memberships and 5HF grants at no cost to taxpayers or schools.
• St. Louis CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFitness for Life program partnership with St. Louis Center to increase physical fitness for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities living within Chelsea area.
• Silver Maples Inc. (formerly Brio Living Services)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner5HF continues as co-sponsor of Silver Maples of Chelsea senior living community alongside Silver Maples Inc., following ownership restructuring in June 2023.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat3 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/5healthytowns
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/5-healthy-towns-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about 5 Healthy Towns Foundation