American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Save Lives and Bring Hope to Those Affected by Suicide
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Talk Saves Lives
Talk Saves Lives is a community-based presentation that covers the general scope of suicide, the research on prevention, and what people can do to fight suicide.Attendees will learn the risk and warning signs of suicide, and how together, we can help prevent it.
More Than Sad
More Than Sad has taught over a million students and educators how to be smart about mental health. There are three modules for this program - high school students, parents, and educators.High School StudentsThis program teaches teens to recognize the signs of depression in themselves and others, challenges the stigma surrounding depression, and demystifies the treatment process.ParentsThis program teaches parents how to recognize signs of depression and other mental health problems, initiate a conversation about mental health with their child, and get help. TeachersThis program teaches educators to recognize signs of mental health distress in students and refer them for help. The program complies with the requirements for teacher education suicide prevention training in many states.
safeTALK
safeTALK is a training that prepares anyone over the age of 15 to identify persons with thoughts of suicide and connect them to suicide first aid resources. Most people with thoughts of suicide invite help to stay safe. Alert helpers know how to use these opportunities to support that desire for safety. As a safeTALK-trained suicide alert helper, you will be better able to:•Move beyond common tendencies to miss, dismiss or avoid suicide;•Identify people who have thoughts of suicide;•Apply the TALK steps (Tell, Ask, Listen and KeepSafe) to connect a person with suicide thoughts to suicide first aid, intervention caregivers.
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)
Virtually anyone age 18 or older, regardless of prior experience or training, can become an ASIST trained caregiver. ASIST is the world’s leading suicide intervention workshop. During the two-day interactive session, participants learn risk factors and warning signs for suicide and how to intervene and help prevent the immediate risk of suicide.Participants must attend both days and will receive a certificate upon completion of the workshop. CEUs are available by completing an online exam following the workshop.
Survivor Outreach Program
Peer Support for Survivors of Suicide LossYou are not alone. AFSP offers resources to help loss survivors cope, connect, and heal in time. Our trained peer support volunteers are all suicide loss survivors who know firsthand how difficult it can be to find your way in the aftermath of a suicide. Upon request, they are available to speak with you by phone, in person (limited availability), by video call (Google Hangout, Skype, Facetime), or via email.When you contact us to request a visit, we will ask you some questions about your loss so that we may match you with a suitable volunteer who has experienced a similar loss. Your peer support volunteer will contact you to schedule a visit at a convenient time and, in the case of in-person visits, at a comfortable location of your choice.
Where we work
Awards
External reviews

Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Total number of grants awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Academics
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of public events held to further mission
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of State Capitol Days each year?
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of Survivor Days each fall?
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of Talk Saves Lives programs delivered this year?
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Talk Saves Lives
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
AFSP is the voluntary health organization that gives those affected by suicide a nationwide community empowered by research, education and advocacy to take action against this leading cause of death.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
AFSP is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide. AFSP creates a culture that’s smart about mental health by engaging in the following core strategies:
-Funding scientific research
-Educating the public about mental health and suicide prevention
-Advocating for public policies in mental health and suicide prevention
-Supporting survivors of suicide loss and those affected by suicide in our mission
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We have local AFSP Chapters 50 states, to deliver programs in communities across the country. We have a Scientific Council comprised of the top researchers in the field to evaluate our grants and chart the course for the future of suicide research. We've set up healing conferences all over the country, and keep a list of support groups for survivors of suicide loss. Our Out of the Darkness Walks have changed the conservation about suicide with now hundreds of thousands of people walking or sponsoring walkers to put a stop to this preventable loss of life.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since its founding in 1987, AFSP has:
-Mobilized & connected tens of thousands of people who have lost a family member, loved one, or friend to suicide
-Reached thousands of individuals who are at risk for suicide, as well as those who love and care for them
-Attracted the participation of members of the scientific and clinical communities, who conduct groundbreaking research on suicide and its prevention with support from AFSP
-Established local chapters in all 50 states
-Educated hundreds of local communities about suicide and how to prevent it
-Created a public policy and lobbying arm by merging successfully with an existing national policy organization, thus enabling AFSP to press for legislation and policies at the federal, state and local levels that advance the goal of preventing suicide
-Substantially increased our funding from individual donors, including the thousands of highly motivated individuals who participate in our Out of the Darkness Walks
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Board of directorsas of 06/29/2022
James Compton
American Airlines (retired)
Term: 2019 - 2022
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
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Gender identity
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Sexual orientation
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Disability
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