PolarisProject

What PolarisProject does

Polaris Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2002 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., with an additional direct service program in Newark, NJ. The organization combats human trafficking and modern-day slavery in the United States and globally through four interlocking functions: operating the 24/7 National Human Trafficking Hotline (1-888-373-7888) serving victims in more than 200 languages, building the largest known dataset on human trafficking in North America to inform evidence-based interventions, delivering direct victim service programs in Washington and Newark, and driving systems-level policy advocacy. Its core products include the National Human Trafficking Hotline, the Global Modern Slavery Directory (a public database of 770+ organizations across 200+ countries), the National Survivor Study (survivor-partnered research), the Nonechka survey tool for immigrant agricultural workers, free online Human Trafficking 101 training, and survivor support programs such as the Polaris Resilience Fund and the Freedom Circle major donor program.

The organization's revenue model is multi-stream and donation-based, with no fees charged to survivors or service recipients. Funding comes from individual donations (including the North Star Guide recurring giving program and Freedom Circle at the $10,000+ tier), corporate partnerships and sponsorships (Delta Air Lines, Wyndham Hotel Group, Marriott International), foundation grants (including a $350,000 grant from the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation in December 2023), federal and state government grants supporting hotline and victim services, and loyalty points/miles conversion programs through travel industry partners. Underlying technology consists of proprietary data collection and case management systems that power the hotline and generate the organization's intelligence assets, with a public-facing searchable database for the Global Modern Slavery Directory.

Polaris Project serves trafficking victims and survivors as its primary constituency, alongside government and law enforcement agencies, corporations addressing supply chain and workforce risk, community advocates, and individual donors. The organization holds the Candid Platinum Transparency Seal (2025), a Charity Navigator 3-star rating, and is governed by an independent board under CEO Catherine Chen. Its competitive positioning rests on the combination of hotline scale, dataset depth, brand recognition anchored to the North Star narrative, and an extensive multi-stakeholder ecosystem spanning corporate, government, and nonprofit coalition partners.

Name

PolarisProject

Legal name

Polaris

Website

https://polarisproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Polaris Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2002 that combats human trafficking and modern-day slavery by operating the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline, maintaining the largest known dataset on trafficking in North America, delivering direct victim services in Washington, D.C. and Newark, and driving systems-level policy advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Anti-Human Trafficking and Victim Support Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Anti-Trafficking, Smuggling Prevention & Safe Migration Services (BPADAHAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH), Refugee & Humanitarian Newcomer Orientation (Resettlement Support) (EDAAADAI)

Keywords

• Anti-trafficking advocacy
• Human trafficking hotline
• Victim support services
• Survivor assistance programs
• Modern slavery prevention

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: PolarisProject accepts donations from individual supporters through their website, mail, and donor-advised funds.
2. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorships: Corporate partners including Delta Air Lines, Wyndham Hotel Group, and Marriott International provide financial contributions, loyalty points donations, and programmatic support.
3. Foundation Grants: Funding from foundations supporting anti-trafficking initiatives and survivor services.
4. Government Grants: Federal and state government grants supporting hotline operations and victim service programs.
5. Loyalty Points and Miles Programs: Partnership programs allowing donors to convert loyalty points and airline miles into financial contributions, including corporate partner programs.
6. Freedom Circle Program: Specialized giving program at higher contribution levels, offering donors enhanced engagement opportunities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

PolarisProject is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that combats human trafficking and modern-day slavery by operating the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline, providing direct victim/survivor services in Washington, D.C. and Newark, NJ, conducting survivor-partnered research, delivering training and public awareness programs, and advancing systemic policy change. Its core deliverables include 24/7 multilingual crisis intervention, case management, and a data-driven intelligence function that has built the largest known dataset on human trafficking in North America.

Product overview

Polaris operates as a nonprofit organization (not a technology product company) offering a portfolio of services focused on combating human trafficking. The core offerings include the National Human Trafficking Hotline (a 24/7 crisis line), the Global Modern Slavery Directory (a searchable database of anti-trafficking organizations), the National Survivor Study (survivor-partnered research), and Human Trafficking 101 (free online training). Supporting programs include the North Star Guide monthly giving program and Freedom Circle major donor initiative. Polaris also operates direct victim service programs in Washington, D.C. and Newark, New Jersey. The organization was founded in 2002 and uses a survivor-centered, data-informed approach to disrupt human trafficking networks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 72,000 individuals trained through education and awareness programs
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Mexico's Government and ConsulatescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Formalized government partnership in 2022 to coordinate cross-border efforts to protect potential victims and support survivors.
• Delta Air LinesflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2017Corporate partnership since 2017 with $1 million contribution to support anti-trafficking initiatives. Partnership includes the SkyWish program for charitable mileage donations and joint awareness campaigns.
• Wyndham Hotel GroupflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2014Corporate partnership since 2014 with $150,000 contribution plus 1 million loyalty points donation to support victim services and awareness programs.
• Marriott InternationalcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partnership including loyalty points donation program and training initiative for Marriott staff to identify human trafficking indicators.
• Clear Channel OutdoorcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for billboard advertising campaigns across multiple cities to raise public awareness about human trafficking and the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
• ATEST (Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in the Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking, a collaborative advocacy coalition working on policy reform and systemic change to end human trafficking.
• Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit coalition partner collaborating on advocacy efforts and survivor services to abolish slavery and trafficking.
• Freedom FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on the Global Modern Slavery Directory, providing a searchable database of anti-trafficking organizations worldwide.
• Walk Free FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on the Global Modern Slavery Directory, supporting global efforts to end modern slavery.
• McCain InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership supporting policy advocacy and human trafficking prevention initiatives.
• Hispanic Communications NetworkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to reach Hispanic communities with human trafficking awareness messaging and resources.
• U.S. Department of JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on guidelines and policy development to advance prosecution of trafficking cases and victim-centered approaches.
• Ashley JuddminorOthersCelebrity ambassador supporting awareness campaigns and advocacy efforts.
• Paris BerelcminorOthersCelebrity ambassador supporting awareness campaigns and advocacy efforts.
• Terry CrewsminorOthersCelebrity ambassador supporting awareness campaigns and advocacy efforts.
• Steve McQueenminorOthersCelebrity ambassador supporting awareness campaigns and advocacy efforts.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Free the Slaves: Established U.S.-based anti-slavery organization operating survivor restoration, frontline partnerships, and field research. Comparable to Polaris on survivor-centered direct services and global anti-slavery programming.
• ECPAT International: Global network of anti-trafficking organizations across more than 100 countries. Comparable to Polaris on the Global Modern Slavery Directory and on multi-country anti-trafficking coordination and policy advocacy.
• Dignity Health's Human Trafficking Response Program: Large hospital-system anti-trafficking response program combining healthcare worker training, survivor identification, and referral protocols. Comparable to Polaris on training, healthcare-sector engagement, and survivor referral infrastructure.

Direct peers

• Thorn: A leading U.S. anti-trafficking nonprofit building technology and data products to identify and rescue trafficking victims. Highly comparable to Polaris as a mission-aligned peer combining direct response with data/tech-driven advocacy.
• A21: International anti-trafficking nonprofit operating survivor support, prevention education, and aftercare programs. Directly comparable to Polaris on mission, awareness campaigns, and global anti-trafficking footprint.
• International Justice Mission: Global anti-slavery organization working with governments to rescue victims and prosecute traffickers. Comparable to Polaris on mission, government partnerships, and systems-level advocacy approach.
• Freedom Fund: Global private fund dedicated to ending modern slavery through hotspot interventions and survivor support. Already a Polaris partner on the Global Modern Slavery Directory and directly comparable as a funder/operator in the same ecosystem.
• Human Trafficking Institute: Anti-trafficking organization focused on equipping law enforcement and prosecutors with training, resources, and policy advocacy. Comparable to Polaris on the government-engagement and systems-change side of the mission.
• Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST): Los Angeles-based anti-trafficking nonprofit providing direct services, legal aid, and policy advocacy. Polaris is already a coalition partner, but CAST is directly comparable on survivor services and advocacy mission.

Emerging players

• Not For Sale: Anti-trafficking nonprofit focused on supply-chain transparency, survivor enterprises, and consumer awareness. Comparable to Polaris's corporate supply-chain engagement and survivor economic empowerment work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/polaris_project
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/polarisproject1
• Facebookfacebook.com/polarisproject
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/27159828
• Instagraminstagram.com/polarisproject

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors3 records

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 PolarisProject