Protect Our Defenders
Protect Our Defenders is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2011 that provides free legal services, advocacy, and policy reform on behalf of U.S. military sexual assault survivors, including active-duty members, veterans, and civilians, funded by private donations and foundation grants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersAlexandria, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Protect Our Defenders does
Protect Our Defenders Foundation (operating as Protect Our Defenders or POD) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2011 by Nancy Parrish and headquartered in Sarasota, Florida. Its mission is to end sexual violence, victim retaliation, misogyny, and racial disparity in the U.S. military. POD operates the only known nationwide program offering free legal services specifically to survivors of military sexual assault and sexual harassment, including active-duty service members, veterans, and civilians assaulted by military personnel. Its service portfolio comprises a Legal Services Program, a coordinated Pro Bono Attorney Network with major U.S. law firms, a Survivor Support Network and Defenders League community platform, Know Your Rights resources (including Spanish-language content), and an Education, Training, and Outreach Program that delivers speakers and documentary content to military bases, VA centers, universities, and national organizations.
The organization's core deliverables are legal advocacy and policy reform rather than software. Service delivery runs through a website intake system, case coordination by a small staff (1-10 employees), and placement with a network of pro bono civilian attorneys. POD does not charge for services; it is funded entirely by private individual donations and corporate/foundation grants and explicitly does not accept government funds. Over the 2013-2022 period POD is credited with major Uniform Code of Military Justice reforms enacted through successive National Defense Authorization Acts, including Article 32 and Article 60 reforms, creation of the Office of Special Trial Counsel, and criminalization of sexual harassment under the UCMJ. It has also authored or supported amicus briefs challenging the Feres Doctrine.
POD's go-to-market is community-led: it builds survivor communities, cultivates earned media, and maintains direct congressional access (including through a Senior VP with 16 years of Capitol Hill experience), using those channels to drive both direct service intake and legislative outcomes. Revenue mechanics are those of a small donor-advised nonprofit: tax-deductible contributions, grants from a defined set of family and charitable foundations, and significant in-kind contribution of pro bono legal hours from partner firms.
Protect Our Defenders firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Protect Our Defenders
- Legal name
- Protect Our Defenders Foundation
- Website
- https://protectourdefenders.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Protect Our Defenders is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2011 that provides free legal services, advocacy, and policy reform on behalf of U.S. military sexual assault survivors, including active-duty members, veterans, and civilians, funded by private donations and foundation grants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Protect Our Defenders industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Military Legal Advocacy Services
- NAICS
- Human Rights Organizations (813311)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)
Keywords
Where Protect Our Defenders is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Alexandria
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Protect Our Defenders business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: POD is funded by contributions from private individuals, accepting tax-deductible donations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
- Corporate and Foundation Grants: Support from corporations and foundations including You Have Our Trust Fund, Jennifer & Gavin Newsom Charitable Fund, The Middleton Foundation, Parrish Family Trust, Rey-Vaden Family Foundation, The Schley Family Charitable Fund, and The Stephen M. Silberstein Foundation.
- Pro Bono Legal Services (In-Kind): Network of pro bono attorneys providing free legal representation to survivors, contributing significant in-kind legal services.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Protect Our Defenders product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Protect Our Defenders (POD) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free legal representation and case assistance to survivors of military sexual assault, sexual harassment, and retaliation, including active-duty service members, veterans, and civilians. The organization operates a Pro Bono Legal Network of civilian attorneys, runs education and training programs, manages a Survivor Support Network with crisis hotlines, and drives federal policy reform through congressional advocacy and amicus briefs.
Product overview
Protect Our Defenders is a non-profit advocacy organization (not a technology product company) that provides a suite of survivor support services centered around its Legal Services Program, which is the only program in the country providing free legal services specifically for survivors of military sexual assault and sexual harassment. The organization also operates a Pro Bono Legal Network, an Education/Training/Outreach Program, a Know Your Rights resource program, a Survivor Support Network with resource library and hotlines, and the Defenders League community platform. These services are delivered through its website, case intake forms, and direct advocacy rather than a traditional software product architecture.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Defenders League: A community for survivors and families associated with Protect Our Defenders.
Products and services
- Legal Services Program
- Pro Bono Legal Network
- Education, Training, and Outreach Program
- Know Your Rights
- Survivor Support Network
- Defenders League
Quantifiable outcome
- Major policy reforms enacted into law through NDAA from 2013-2022
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Protect Our Defenders
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Protect Our Defenders technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Protect Our Defenders partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Arnold & PortercoreArnold & Porter Kaye Scholer has been a tireless advocate for survivors through POD's Pro Bono Network. Ryan Guilds spearheaded development of the firm's initiative to represent military and civilian victims of sexual assault, developed in cooperation with Protect Our Defenders. The firm hosts POD's Victims' Rights training seminars and has supported dozens of civilian victims' rights lawyers.
- Hunton Andrews Kurth LLPcoreMaya Eckstein and her team have crafted two outstanding amicus briefs on behalf of Protect Our Defenders: a challenge to the Feres Doctrine, and liberal consideration of those seeking medical retirement as a result of military sexual assault. The partnership began in 2020.
- Hogan Lovells LLPcoreBlair Decker facilitated the placement of numerous cases, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of pro bono legal assistance for survivors of military sexual assault. The firm also gifted POD with a $2,000 donation to advance the mission.
- PennonicorePeter Coote has been a long-standing advocate for survivors of military sexual assault, representing clients in a myriad legal settings including the Supreme Court of the United States.
- Perkins CoiecoreMary Rose Hughes has represented survivors of military sexual assault all over the country since attending a 2016 meeting about POD's Pro Bono Attorney Network. She helped create POD's Legal Training Manual to assist other civilian attorneys.
- Center for Law and Military PolicycoreDwight Stirling is a nationally recognized expert in assisting survivors of military sexual assault upgrade their characterizations of discharge. He co-founded the Veterans Legal Institute which provides free legal services to veterans.
- Legal Aid Society - Employment Law CentercoreCacilia Kim and Elizabeth Kristen worked tirelessly on behalf of military sexual assault survivors through POD's Pro-Bono Network, particularly on cases where survivors were diagnosed with pre-existing personality disorders instead of PTSD due to MST.
- VolarecoreProtect Our Defenders and Volare partnered to expand pro bono legal access for survivors as Fort Hood court-martial approached, providing additional attorneys for survivors.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Protect Our Defenders competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC): Comprehensive resource center providing research, tools, and training to prevent and respond to sexual violence. Comparable to POD's survivor resource library and education/training function across the sexual violence field.
- National Alliance to End Sexual Violence (NAESV): National policy alliance of state sexual assault coalitions and rape crisis centers focused on federal policy reform and public funding for sexual violence services. Comparable to POD's policy-reform, survivor-services mission, though broader in scope beyond the military.
- Service Women's Action Network (SWAN): National advocacy organization that has been a leading voice on military sexual assault policy reform and servicewomen's rights for two decades. Closest direct peer to POD, addressing an overlapping survivor and policy constituency.
Emerging players
- Equality Now: International human rights organization using legal advocacy to end violence and discrimination against women and girls. Comparable legal-advocacy and policy-reform approach to POD, though focused internationally rather than on US military survivors.
Others
- National Women's Law Center: Legal advocacy organization advancing gender justice through policy reform, litigation, and public education. Comparable legal-advocacy model to POD's, though broader across women's rights issues rather than focused on the military.
- National Organization for Women (NOW): Long-standing feminist advocacy organization engaged in policy reform, public education, and litigation across women's rights. Adjacent peer to POD given overlapping survivor-advocacy and gender-equality missions, though significantly broader in scope.
Broad incumbents
- RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network): The largest US anti-sexual violence organization, operating the national sexual assault hotline and public awareness campaigns. Overlaps with POD's survivor support and public education work, but operates at much larger scale and broader civilian scope.
- Human Rights Watch: International human rights organization that has documented and advocated on US military sexual violence. Comparable in advocacy and investigative-reporting approach, though broader in mission and far larger in scope and resources.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Protect Our Defenders social profiles
Digital presenceProtect Our Defenders financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Protect Our Defenders leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Protect Our Defenders funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Protect Our Defenders M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Protect Our Defenders
What does Protect Our Defenders do?
Protect Our Defenders (POD) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free legal representation and case assistance to survivors of military sexual assault, sexual harassment, and retaliation, including active-duty service members, veterans, and civilians. The organization operates a Pro Bono Legal Network of civilian attorneys, runs education and training programs, manages a Survivor Support Network with crisis hotlines, and drives federal policy reform through congressional advocacy and amicus briefs.
Is Protect Our Defenders a public or private company?
Protect Our Defenders is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Protect Our Defenders founded?
Protect Our Defenders was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Protect Our Defenders based?
Protect Our Defenders is headquartered in Alexandria, United States, in the North America region.
How does Protect Our Defenders make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate and Foundation Grants and pro Bono Legal Services (In-Kind).
Who are Protect Our Defenders's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC), National Alliance to End Sexual Violence (NAESV) and Service Women's Action Network (SWAN). Equality Now is listed as an emerging player. Others are National Women's Law Center and National Organization for Women (NOW). Broad incumbents are RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) and Human Rights Watch.
Does Protect Our Defenders have an API?
No public API is recorded for Protect Our Defenders.
What industry is Protect Our Defenders in?
Protect Our Defenders's product category is Military Legal Advocacy Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAEAM, Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services. Its NAICS code is 813311 and its SIC code is 8300.