What FWD.us does

FWD.us is a bipartisan U.S. policy advocacy organization founded in 2013, focused on advancing criminal justice and immigration reform through research, coalition-building, and direct engagement with policymakers. It operates through two entities: FWD.us, Inc., a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization, and FWD.us Education Fund, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity. The organization is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and employs approximately 25 to 30 staff (per one source) or 51 to 100 (per firmographic data), structured around policy verticals covering immigration (DACA, TPS, mixed-status families, employer and higher education resources) and criminal justice (parole reform, mass incarceration costs, ICE 287(g) program oversight).

The organization's core 'products' are policy research reports, economic impact analyses, and advocacy campaigns rather than technology products. Outputs include data-driven reports such as the Mixed-Status Families analysis (30.8 million residents at risk), DACA 14-year economic contribution studies ($17 billion annually), and parole system case studies, supplemented by video storytelling, press engagement, email advocacy, and direct lobbying. Strategic partnerships span grassroots groups (La Unión del Pueblo Entero), legal advocates (MacArthur Justice Center), and state-level reform coalitions (RAPP, Show Me Justice For All).

FWD.us's business model is donation and grant funded rather than revenue-generating in a commercial sense. From founding through 2025, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative served as a co-founding and primary funder; CZI formally ended its support in 2025 as part of a strategic pivot toward scientific research and AI, creating a material funding gap with no disclosed replacement anchor. Distribution is national in scope with concentrated state activity in California, Texas, Florida, and New York, and the organization is led by President Todd Schulte, Executive Director Zoë Towns, and Board Chair David Plouffe.

Name

FWD.us

Legal name

FWD.us, Inc.

Website

https://fwd.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: FWD.us operates as a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization and FWD.us Education Fund as a 501(c)(3) public charity, funded through donations and grants. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative was a major funder but stopped funding in 2025 as part of a strategic shift toward scientific research and AI.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

FWD.us is a bipartisan policy organization that produces original research, policy analysis, and advocacy campaigns focused on U.S. immigration reform and criminal justice reform. The organization builds coalitions across political, business, labor, and grassroots stakeholders to advance legislative and regulatory changes on issues including DACA, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), parole reform, and pathway to citizenship. It also operates an Education Fund (501(c)(3)) that produces research publications and resource centers for employers, higher education institutions, and affected communities.

Product overview

FWD.us is a policy organization focused on criminal justice and immigration reform that produces research, policy analysis, and advocacy campaigns. The organization operates two core research streams—Immigration Policy Research and Criminal Justice Reform Research—alongside specialized resource centers for DACA, TPS, employers, and higher education institutions. Key products include economic impact modeling reports that simulate immigration policy effects on the labor force and prices, parole policy research with accompanying video storytelling, and data analyses on mixed-status families. The organization uses a combination of tactics including research, policy analysis, polling, lobbying, communications, storytelling, and digital advocacy to advance reforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Immigration Policy Research Produces economic and demographic research analyzing immigration's impact on the U.S. economy, workforce, and families, including reports on TPS, DACA, mixed-status families, and immigration policy effects. Serves policymakers, advocates, employers, and higher education institutions.
• Criminal Justice Reform Research Documents the reach and impact of incarceration on American families through original research, reports on parole systems, and analysis of criminal justice policy. Serves policymakers, advocates, and affected communities.
• Economic Impact Modeling Multi-sector economic models simulating impacts of immigration policy scenarios on labor force, prices, and economic output, prepared with academic economists. Serves policymakers and the public with quantified analysis of immigration policy effects.
• Advocacy Campaigns Coalition-building campaigns combining research, policy analysis, polling, lobbying, communications, storytelling, and digital advocacy to advance immigration and criminal justice reforms. Serves policymakers, coalition partners, and the public.
• DACA Resources and Analysis Policy research, court case updates, and resources for DACA recipients including information on delays, denials, detentions, and deportations. Serves DACA recipients and their advocates.
• TPS Resources and Analysis Data and research on Temporary Protected Status holders' economic contributions and impact of policy changes, including reports on Haiti and Syria TPS. Serves TPS holders, policymakers, and advocates.
• Employer Resources Best practices and guidance for employers on hiring, retaining, and supporting immigrant employees including DACA recipients. Serves employers and HR professionals.
• Higher Education Resources Resources for students, professors, and administrators at colleges and universities regarding international student issues and immigration policy impacts. Serves higher education institutions and their communities.
• Parole Stories Video Series Video series featuring personal narratives from individuals navigating parole systems in Missouri, Mississippi, and New York, highlighting systemic barriers to fair parole. Serves criminal justice advocates, policymakers, and the public.

Quantifiable outcome

• Immigration reforms that expanded freedom and opportunities to tens of millions of people
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for parole reform research and advocacy. Collaborated on the parole stories series and policy research examining parole systems in Missouri, Mississippi, and New York.
• MacArthur Justice CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal advocacy partner for criminal justice reform work. Partnered on parole research examining systemic barriers to fair parole processes.
• Show Me Justice For AllcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in Missouri for parole reform advocacy. Contributed to parole story interviews and research on Missouri's parole system.
• La Unión del Pueblo Entero (LUPE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrassroots advocacy organization in South Texas. FWD.us and LUPE jointly condemned unlawful deportations and advocated for DACA recipient protections.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Center for American Progress: Large progressive policy think tank and advocacy organization working on immigration, criminal justice, and economic policy with a research-and-advocacy model closely comparable to FWD.us. Engages in policy analysis, coalition-building, and direct lobbying on overlapping issue areas.
• National Immigration Law Center: Dedicated immigration advocacy organization providing legal analysis, policy research, and litigation support on DACA, TPS, and immigrant rights. Directly comparable to FWD.us's immigration policy work and serves overlapping beneficiary populations.
• United We Dream: Largest immigrant youth-led advocacy network in the U.S., focused on DACA, TPS, and pathway-to-citizenship campaigns. Operates a comparable coalition-and-storytelling advocacy model and serves the same core beneficiary community as FWD.us.
• Brennan Center for Justice: Nonpartisan law and policy institute at NYU that combines research, litigation, and advocacy on criminal justice and immigration issues. Directly comparable to FWD.us's research-to-advocacy pipeline and policy-brief publication model.
• Vera Institute of Justice: Research and policy organization focused on criminal justice reform, including parole, incarceration, and bail. Directly comparable to FWD.us's criminal justice reform research stream, with similar evidence-based policy recommendations and state-level advocacy work.
• The Sentencing Project: Research and advocacy organization focused on criminal justice reform, mass incarceration, and sentencing policy. Closely comparable to FWD.us's criminal justice research-and-advocacy model and shares beneficiary populations.
• Migration Policy Institute: Nonpartisan think tank producing data-driven research on immigration policy, including DACA, TPS, and economic impact analyses. Directly comparable to FWD.us's immigration policy research products and proprietary data analysis approach.
• Justice Action Network: Bipartisan criminal justice reform advocacy organization focused on state-level policy change. Shares FWD.us's bipartisan coalition model and state-campaign structure, particularly in criminal justice reform.

Broad incumbents

• American Civil Liberties Union: Large, established national civil liberties organization with major programs in immigrant rights and criminal justice reform. Compares to FWD.us through overlapping issue advocacy, coalition engagement, and litigation-driven policy change, but operates at a much larger scale with a broader portfolio.

Emerging players

• Faith in Action: Faith-based community organizing network engaged in immigrant rights and criminal justice advocacy. Compares to FWD.us through its coalition-building and grassroots mobilization on overlapping issues, though organized around a different constituency base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FWDus
• Facebookfacebook.com/fwdus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 FWD.us