Responsible Business Initiative for Justice

What Responsible Business Initiative for Justice does

The Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ) is an international nonprofit organization founded in 2018 that operates as a coalition platform rather than a product company. It is a fiscally sponsored project of NEO Philanthropy, a U.S. 501(c)(3), with a U.S. headquarters in Washington, D.C. and a UK affiliate (RBI CIC) in London. RBIJ's core function is to convene, train, and mobilize businesses to advance criminal justice reform and adopt inclusive hiring practices for opportunity youth, justice-impacted veterans, and individuals with criminal records.

RBIJ delivers its mission through a portfolio of programs and resources rather than software products. The Workforce & Justice Alliance is the core coalition of more than 800 businesses that provides peer networking, educational events, and advocacy opportunities. Specific deliverables include the Fair Chance Hiring Roadmap, the Employer Guide to Hiring Opportunity Youth, the annual Workforce & Justice Summit (rotating between US and UK locations), the Unlock Potential and Unlock Talent employer training programs, the Rewriting Justice multimedia series, and direct policy advocacy campaigns (e.g., Georgia SB 207, Ohio HB 29, Illinois Clean Slate Act). Selected employer partners include Walmart, Sam's Club, Delta Air Lines, Microsoft, JPMorgan Chase, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Frontier Co-op.

Revenue mechanics are characteristic of a grant-funded nonprofit rather than a commercial enterprise. RBIJ accepts donations and receives philanthropic grants from corporate partners — most notably a $1.5 million grant from Sam's Club in September 2025 and earlier multi-year funding from Walmart.org dating to 2022. Services (employer training, policy advocacy tools, roadmaps) are provided free of charge to businesses. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales-style direct engagement with business leaders combined with self-serve free resources, supported by content marketing, an annual summit, webinars, organic social, and earned media coverage in outlets such as Fast Company, Chicago Tribune, and The Observer.

Name

Responsible Business Initiative for Justice

Legal name

Responsible Business Initiative for Justice

Website

https://rbij.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Responsible Business Initiative for Justice is an international nonprofit founded in 2018 that mobilizes a coalition of roughly 800 businesses to advocate for criminal justice reform and adopt inclusive hiring practices for opportunity youth, justice-impacted veterans, and people with criminal records, primarily in the US and UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Criminal Justice Reform and Workforce Inclusion Advocacy

NAICS

Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Criminal Justice Reform & Legal System Advocacy (BPAGAFAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Reentry & Justice-Involved Support Services (BPAGAEAN)

Keywords

• Criminal justice reform
• Inclusive hiring programs
• Fair chance hiring
• Workforce inclusion services
• Policy advocacy training

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants and Philanthropic Funding: RBIJ operates as a nonprofit organization funded primarily through grants from corporate partners. Major funding includes a $1.5 million grant from Sam's Club to expand employment opportunities for opportunity youth and veterans with criminal records.
2. Donations: The organization accepts donations to support its mission of empowering companies to advance criminal justice reform and expand workforce opportunity.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ) is an international nonprofit that empowers companies to advance criminal justice reform and expand workforce opportunity. It provides employer training, policy advocacy tools, free hiring roadmaps, the Workforce & Justice Alliance business community, and the annual Workforce & Justice Summit to help businesses implement inclusive hiring for justice-impacted individuals, opportunity youth, and veterans with criminal records.

Product overview

The Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ) is an award-winning international nonprofit that operates as a platform of programs and resources rather than a traditional software product. The organization provides a portfolio of services including the Fair Chance Hiring Roadmap and Employer Guide for hiring opportunity youth, operates the Workforce & Justice Alliance (a business member community), hosts the annual Workforce & Justice Summit, and delivers Inclusive Hiring Programs with employer training and policy advocacy tools. These offerings work together to empower companies to champion policy reforms and hiring solutions that promote public safety, deliver justice, and strengthen communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fair Chance Hiring Roadmap A free downloadable roadmap providing step-by-step guidance for businesses to implement Fair Chance Hiring practices, including the business case, human case, partner selection, and strategies for investing in justice-involved employee growth.
• Employer Guide to Hiring Opportunity Youth A comprehensive resource providing tools and case studies on best practices for employers to hire opportunity youth (young people ages 16-24 disconnected from school or work).
• Workforce & Justice Alliance A community of 800+ businesses advancing justice reform and creating career pathways for justice-impacted job seekers, providing peer networking, educational events, and advocacy opportunities.
• Workforce & Justice Summit An annual convening bringing together business leaders, policy experts, and justice advocates to explore how business and justice can work together to build a stronger workforce and more inclusive economy.
• Inclusive Hiring Programs Employer-focused hiring programs that help businesses build effective talent pipelines for opportunity youth and veterans with criminal records, including training, resources, and policy advocacy tools.
• Policy & Advocacy Advocacy initiatives helping businesses use their influence to advance criminal justice reform policies, including occupational licensing reform, fair chance hiring legislation, and reducing employment barriers.
• Rewriting Justice Series A series of conversations between business leaders and justice-impacted writers, featuring authors and executives discussing systemic and cultural change, produced in partnership with Libro.fm.
• Unlock Talent Initiative A program funded by Sam's Club supporting employer training and policy advocacy tools to broaden workforce inclusion efforts for opportunity youth and justice-impacted veterans.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 800 businesses activated for justice reform since 2018
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered regional and core.

• Ohio Organizations (ACLU of Ohio, Fines and Fees Justice Center, Justice Action Network, etc.)regionalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 January 2025Coalition of Ohio organizations supported RBIJ's advocacy for HB 29 to reduce debt-related driver's license suspensions, helping remove employment barriers for Ohioans.
• JPMorgan ChasecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024JPMorgan Chase and RBIJ launched an equitable hiring initiative to shore up Wilmington's workforce by working with 10 employers to train them on updated screening processes to help reduce barriers to employment.
• NEO PhilanthropycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRBIJ is a fiscally sponsored project of NEO Philanthropy, a U.S. 501(c)(3) public charity. NEO Philanthropy provides administrative and operational support for the organization.
• MicrosoftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMicrosoft hosted the 2025 Workforce & Justice Summit at Seattle Convention Center and has provided pro bono legal programs through its Pro Bono Program, logging over 7,000 pro bono hours and supporting 16 successful releases.
• Workforce & Justice Alliance MemberscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 800 businesses including Walmart, Delta Air Lines, US Chamber of Commerce, and others participate in the Alliance to advance justice reform and inclusive hiring practices.
• The Last Mile, Defy Ventures, REDFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with justice-impacted entrepreneurship organizations for roundtable discussions at Workforce & Justice Summit to identify ways to support this community and drive workforce-boosting criminal justice reform.
• Georgia Businesses (25 companies)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerRBIJ mobilized 25 Georgia businesses to support SB 207 occupational licensing reform, which was signed into law in May 2026 to improve transparency and accessibility for individuals with criminal records.
• Virgin GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSir Richard Branson is a long-standing advocate and partner, providing video messages at RBIJ Summits and supporting criminal justice reform initiatives.
• Second Chance Hiring Alliance (SCHA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRBIJ serves as a Core Group Member of SCHA, a coalition of DC-area employers and employment support providers working to expand job opportunities for justice-impacted individuals.
• Unlock (UK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between RBIJ and Unlock to empower UK businesses and organizations to build more inclusive workplaces by providing essential support and guidance for recruiting people with criminal records.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Vera Institute of Justice: A major US nonprofit that drives criminal justice reform through research, policy, and direct reentry programs. Highly comparable to RBIJ because both engage employers and policymakers on fair chance hiring and reentry support, and RBIJ's Director of Inclusive Hiring previously worked at Vera.
• Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO): National nonprofit providing immediate employment services to people returning from incarceration. Comparable to RBIJ because both focus on workforce reentry for justice-impacted individuals and partner with employers to develop inclusive hiring pipelines.
• The Sentencing Project: Research and advocacy organization focused on criminal justice reform, including sentencing policy, incarceration trends, and reentry. Comparable to RBIJ as both operate at the intersection of criminal justice reform and policy advocacy, though RBIJ adds the distinct employer-engagement layer.
• Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center: Nonpartisan policy organization advancing criminal justice reform through state-level research and technical assistance. Comparable to RBIJ for its work on occupational licensing reform, reentry policy, and state legislation — overlapping RBIJ's state campaign model (e.g., Ohio HB 29, Georgia SB 207).
• National Employment Law Project (NELP): Worker-focused advocacy organization advancing employment policy including fair chance hiring and ban-the-box. Comparable to RBIJ because both push policy reforms that remove barriers to employment for justice-impacted workers and engage employers on inclusive practices.
• Safer Foundation: Chicago-based nonprofit providing employment-focused reentry services for people with criminal records. Comparable to RBIJ for its employer partnerships and workforce reentry focus, though Safer is more direct-service-oriented while RBIJ centers on advocacy and business mobilization.
• Unlock (UK): UK charity providing advice, training, and advocacy to support people with convictions into employment. Directly comparable to RBIJ because they are already a formal UK partner, operate the same inclusive hiring playbook, and serve as the UK counterpart to RBIJ's transatlantic model.
• Right on Crime: Conservative-led criminal justice reform initiative focused on state-level policy change. Comparable to RBIJ because both pursue criminal justice reform through state legislation and coalition-building, though Right on Crime leads with policy advocacy while RBIJ uniquely mobilizes corporate employer voices.

Emerging players

• Honest Jobs: Job-matching platform built specifically for people with criminal records. Comparable to RBIJ because both serve the same end-employer and justice-impacted-talent market, though Honest Jobs is a transactional marketplace while RBIJ is an advocacy and training organization.
• 70 Million Jobs: Online job platform connecting formerly incarcerated workers with fair chance employers. Comparable to RBIJ for its shared mission of expanding employment for justice-impacted individuals, but operates as a tech-enabled marketplace rather than an advocacy nonprofit.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RBI_Justice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/responsible-business-initiative-for-justice
• Instagraminstagram.com/rbi_justice

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Responsible Business Initiative for Justice