# Hope Squad **Type:** venture **Status:** Draft **Confidence:** Medium **Tier:** C **Focus:** peer suicide prevention, school mental health, gatekeeper training, Provo, Hope 4 Utah **Roles:** program-project-management, marketing-communications, people-operations **Stage:** Nonprofit program founded in Provo schools; national expansion self-reported since Timpview High pilot **Primary Location:** Provo, UT **Utah Location:** Provo, UT (headquarters); school-based programs nationwide per self-report **Region:** Provo **Domain:** health-bio **Ownership:** nonprofit **Website:** https://hopesquad.com **Identifiers:** ein=90-0969731 **Map Location:** 5455 N River Run Dr, Provo, UT 84604 **Coordinates:** 40.3398, -111.6385 **Location Precision:** exact **Location Source:** https://hopesquad.com/mission-history **Updated:** 2026-08-11 **Needs-reviewed:** 2026-08-11 **Pull:** *A Provo-born peer gatekeeper model that trains nominated students to spot classmates in crisis — now self-described as operating in thousands of schools across the U.S. and Canada.* **Relates:** cites [Source: Hope Squad — Official Website](hope-squad-official-website.md) · https://greatutah.work/pages/hope-squad-official-website.md · https://hopesquad.com/ **Relates:** cites [Source: Hope Squad — Mission & Story Page](hope-squad-mission-history.md) · https://greatutah.work/pages/hope-squad-mission-history.md · https://hopesquad.com/mission-history **Relates:** cites [Source: Hope Squad — Research Page](hope-squad-research-page.md) · https://greatutah.work/pages/hope-squad-research-page.md · https://hopesquad.com/research **Relates:** cites [Source: IRS Form 990 Record — Hope 4 Utah](hope-4-utah-form-990-record.md) · https://greatutah.work/pages/hope-4-utah-form-990-record.md · https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/900969731 ## Summary **Hope Squad** is a school-based **peer suicide-prevention** program founded by **Dr. Gregory A. Hudnall** after youth suicides in **Provo City School District** ([mission history](hope-squad-mission-history.md)). Peer-nominated students are trained to recognize warning signs and refer classmates to trusted adults — explicitly **not** to act as counselors ([official site](hope-squad-official-website.md)). The public brand operates from **5455 N River Run Dr., Provo** under the legal entity **Hope 4 Utah** (EIN **90-0969731**, tax-exempt since **July 2014**, NTEE crisis-intervention services) ([Form 990 record](hope-4-utah-form-990-record.md); [mission history](hope-squad-mission-history.md)). The organization reports Hope Squads in **thousands of schools across the United States and Canada** ([mission history](hope-squad-mission-history.md)) — a **self-reported, undated adoption claim**. ## Impact The Provo origin story is specific. Hudnall, then a principal, was called to identify a student who died by suicide in **1997**; after a later loss where peers withheld warning signs from adults, he piloted the first squad at **Timpview High** with **forty** nominated students ([mission history](hope-squad-mission-history.md)). Hope Squad claims **zero suicides in Provo City School District for nine years after implementation** — an outcome statement on the organization's own site, **not independently verified** in this shard. National scale is asserted, not audited: **"thousands of schools"** in the **U.S. and Canada** ([mission history](hope-squad-mission-history.md)), plus homepage survey claims (**98%** of administrators report positive climate; **95%** of students know how to get peers help) ([official site](hope-squad-official-website.md)). None of these figures carry a publication date or external evaluator on the captured pages. The evidence base is **real but narrower than the footprint**. Hope Squad's research page lists **peer-reviewed papers** with Utah-affiliated co-authors — including *Children & Schools* (2019) on suicide concern reporting and *Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment* (2023) on gatekeeper training outcomes ([research page](hope-squad-research-page.md)). A formal effectiveness study is listed **under review**, not published. Internal **2023–2024 referral-form** data claiming **95%+** of referrals from non-squad members is organization-reported ([research page](hope-squad-research-page.md)). **The gap between adoption rhetoric and published evaluation is the interesting finding**: peer-reviewed work exists, but it does not yet substantiate "thousands of schools" or district-wide suicide reductions at national scale. FY ending **Dec. 2025**: revenue **$357,456** (mostly **program services**), expenses **$427,601** ([Form 990 record](hope-4-utah-form-990-record.md)) — a small Utah nonprofit whose earned income suggests training/licensing fees, not a volunteer-only club. **Gregory Hudnall** is the organization's founder and director. ## Utah Context Founded in **Provo** and still headquartered there. The Provo City School District pilot remains the documented proof case in the organization's own narrative. Utah County is the corpus anchor; national expansion is the breadth story. ## What They Need Now Hope Squad sells **implementation support** to schools and districts ([official site](hope-squad-official-website.md)): partnerships with foundations and mental health nonprofits, advisor training, and curriculum. Captured pages imply ongoing needs in **program delivery**, **school outreach**, **research/evaluation**, and **operations** — inferred from "Start a Hope Squad" and partner pathways, not from a careers board. ## Open Questions - **Adoption count undated.** "Thousands of schools" lacks a year and external census. - **"Zero suicides for nine years" in Provo** is unattributed to independent epidemiological study. - **Hudnall compensation** shows **$0** on the ProPublica extract for Dec. 2025 — may reflect reporting classification, not absence of pay. - **Best of State medal not asserted** in this shard. ## Evidence - [Source: Hope Squad — Official Website](hope-squad-official-website.md) · https://greatutah.work/pages/hope-squad-official-website.md · https://hopesquad.com/ - [Source: Hope Squad — Mission & Story Page](hope-squad-mission-history.md) · https://greatutah.work/pages/hope-squad-mission-history.md · https://hopesquad.com/mission-history - [Source: Hope Squad — Research Page](hope-squad-research-page.md) · https://greatutah.work/pages/hope-squad-research-page.md · https://hopesquad.com/research - [Source: IRS Form 990 Record — Hope 4 Utah](hope-4-utah-form-990-record.md) · https://greatutah.work/pages/hope-4-utah-form-990-record.md · https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/900969731 ## Maintainer Notes - Defer a Gregory Hudnall person page under P2 precedent 2 unless another page independently needs to link to him.