What Sustainable Media Center does

Sustainable Media Center (legally The Center for Sustainable Media) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2022 and headquartered in New York. Its mission is to build healthier digital ecosystems by partnering with Gen Z to advocate for platform accountability, safer design, and trustworthy information environments. The organization explicitly positions itself as a 'think-and-do tank' that convenes youth advocates alongside industry veterans, policymakers, and academics to develop frameworks, publish research, and influence platform standards.

SMC's core offerings are programmatic rather than commercial. The flagship Actv8.Media initiative (launched 2025) is a youth-led reform campaign; the Social Intelligence Framework is a model for designing technology that prioritizes context, autonomy, and trust; the Safe Social Media Working Group is exploring a certification badge for platforms meeting youth-driven safety standards; and the Gen Z Board provides youth governance representation. Research output includes the November 2025 report 'The Future of Social Media: There is Hope,' co-published with Accountable Tech, mapping over 135 alternative social media platforms and analyzing 67 in depth across architecture, business model, design, and audience criteria.

The organization is funded through donations, grants, and event sponsorships, with named support from Craig Newmark Philanthropies and Mintz. It executes against a community-led, event-driven go-to-market: high-profile convenings at Davos, TED, SXSW, Clinton Global Initiative, UNGA, DLD Munich, and Nexus Global serve as the primary distribution mechanism. SMC operates with a small core staff (1-10 employees) supported by an intergenerational board of 180+ advisors spanning research, technology, policy, and youth advocacy.

Name

Sustainable Media Center

Legal name

The Center for Sustainable Media

Website

https://sustainablemedia.center

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sustainable Media Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2022 that convenes Gen Z advocates, policymakers, and industry leaders to reform social media through research, the Social Intelligence Framework, and the Actv8.Media initiative.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Media Advocacy

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Public Relations Agencies (541820), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Inclusion & Civic Tech (Connectivity, GovTech for Social Good) (BPAGALAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nonprofit & Cause Communications (BPAFADAK), Educational/Instructional Public Media Services (Schools, Distance Learning) (MPABADAH), Public Media Partnerships & Content Co-productions (NGO/Cultural) (MPABADAN)

Keywords

• Social media advocacy
• Digital ecosystem research
• Nonprofit media reform
• Gen Z digital wellness
• Online safety policy

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropy: SMC operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization funded through donations, grants, and sponsorships from individuals and organizations aligned with its mission.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Sustainable Media Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs advocacy, research, and convening programs aimed at building healthier digital ecosystems. Its offerings include the Actv8.Media brand engagement program, the Social Intelligence Framework, published Research Reports, the Safe Social Media Working Group, and a Gen Z Board for youth-led advocacy.

Product overview

The Sustainable Media Center (SMC) is a nonprofit think-and-do tank operating as a 501(c)(3) organization that functions as a research and advocacy organization rather than a traditional product company. Its core offerings include: the Actv8.Media program (flagship youth-led social media reform initiative), the Social Intelligence Framework (a measurement model for trust-centered digital ecosystems), research publications including 'The Future of Social Media: There is Hope' (analyzing 150+ alternative platforms), the Safe Social Media Working Group (exploring platform certification standards), and the Gen Z Board (youth governance structure). SMC implements a three-pronged strategy: mobilizing youth innovators alongside industry veterans, testing new platform structures that prioritize wellbeing, and scaling successful innovations to reshape industry standards. The organization does not offer a software product in the traditional sense but rather provides programs, frameworks, research, and convenings aimed at building a healthier, more sustainable information ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Actv8.Media: Flagship youth-led initiative for reforming social media, integrating Gen Z advocacy with intergenerational partnerships.
• Social Intelligence Framework
• Gen Z Board / NextGen Board
• Safe Social Media Working Group

Products and services

• Actv8.Media A brand engagement program that works with companies to advance healthier digital ecosystems and responsible social media practices.
• Social Intelligence Framework A framework developed by Sustainable Media Center to inform and structure dialogue around social media reform and digital ecosystem health.
• Research Reports Published research outputs addressing digital ecosystem issues, intended for policymakers, researchers, brands, educators, and the public.
• Safe Social Media Working Group A convening program that brings together stakeholders to address safe social media practices and online safety policy.
• Gen Z Board A youth-led advocacy program within Sustainable Media Center that engages Gen Z participants in digital ecosystem reform efforts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Research identified and analyzed 135+ alternative social media platforms as healthier alternatives to Big Tech companies
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• New Advisors (Imre Huss, Trey Jackson, Noam Dovas)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 February 2026Three new advisors joined SMC's advisory community, bringing youth-led civic innovation, community-rooted public service, and platform policy experience from major technology companies to advance work toward a healthier, more trustworthy information ecosystem.
• DLD (Digital-Life-Design)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026SMC members including Emma Lembke, Bradley Horowitz, Raffi Krikorian, and Daniel Gerlei participated in sessions at DLD Munich, Europe's leading innovation conference focusing on AI, governance, mental health, and public trust.
• New Board Advisors (Roberts Family, Maddie Freedman, Logan Mercer)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 December 2025Parent advocates Toney and Brandy Roberts (national advocates after losing 14-year-old daughter to suicide following Instagram self-harm content exposure) and Gen Z leaders Maddie Freedman and Logan Mercer joined the Board of Advisors to guide SMC's programs, partnerships, and strategy.
• Accountable TechcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 November 2025Collaboration on research report 'The Future of Social Media: There is Hope' - a six-month research initiative mapping over 150 alternative social media platforms. Accountable Tech is a nonprofit advocacy group working to curb Big Tech harms and promote safer digital futures.
• Clinton Global Initiative (CGI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025SMC presented Actv8.Media as a Commitment to Action within the Truth and Information Working Group, gaining traction among leading global funders and positioning youth-driven digital reform within CGI's network of commitments.
• UNGA Media WeekmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025SMC elevated Gen Z voices and shared the Social Intelligence framework with policymakers and international media stakeholders during UN General Assembly week.
• Nexus GlobalmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025SMC brought together philanthropists and social entrepreneurs at Nexus Global in New York, positioning Actv8.Media at the center of youth-led responsible technology reform.
• TEDcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Arranged for Deja Foxx to deliver a mainstage TED Talk on youth and social media. SMC hosted two 'Future of Truth' Brain Dates and a private dinner convening thought leaders and funders to discuss youth-driven reform.
• SXSWcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025Co-hosted a panel on technology and trust with Sara Fischer at SXSW 2025 in Austin, spotlighting intergenerational solutions for building a healthier digital ecosystem.
• World Economic Forum (Davos)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025SMC advanced conversations on youth empowerment and Social Intelligence in countering misinformation at the annual WEF gathering in Davos, positioning intergenerational tech reform in global policy discussions.
• Craig Newmark PhilanthropiesmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 8 August 2024Generous support for the 'Gen Z, Politics, and Social Media in America' event featuring Kurt Andersen and Kanika Mehra. Craig Newmark is a prominent tech philanthropist supporting civic journalism and digital trust initiatives.
• MintzmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 8 August 2024Event sponsor and partner for public forums including 'Gen Z, Politics, and Social Media in America' and 'Raising Resilient Kids in a Digital World'. Mintz is a law firm providing venue and support for SMC programming.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Mozilla Foundation: Major nonprofit advocating for a healthier internet through research, grants, and policy. Overlaps with SMC on internet health and platform accountability but operates at much larger scale with broader programmatic portfolio.
• Electronic Frontier Foundation: Long-established nonprofit defending civil liberties in the digital world, including digital well-being and platform accountability. Broader scope (privacy, free expression, security) and far deeper resources make it an incumbent rather than direct peer.

Others

• New America: Think tank with programs on technology policy, education, and family economic security. Adjacent rather than directly competing, but its technology-policy work intersects with SMC's policy-reform agenda and convening model.

Emerging players

• Cyber Civil Rights Initiative: Nonprofit addressing online abuse and digital harm, including image-based abuse and platform accountability. Comparable in advocacy against digital harms but focused more narrowly on specific harm categories.
• Digital Wellness Institute: Organization offering frameworks, certifications, and training for digital wellness practitioners. Comparable in promoting a 'digital wellness' standards/framework approach, though more practitioner/training oriented than advocacy oriented.
• ParentsTogether: Parent-led nonprofit advocating for child safety online and accountability from tech platforms. Comparable in youth-online-safety advocacy and grassroots parent mobilization, though more parent-organizing focused than convening-focused.

Direct peers

• Fairplay: Nonprofit (formerly Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood) advocating to reduce commercial marketing to children, including in digital environments. Comparable in policy advocacy targeting children's digital well-being and corporate accountability.
• Common Sense Media: Major nonprofit rating and reviewing media and technology for children and families, with active policy advocacy on kids' online safety. Comparable in mission (youth digital wellness) and audience overlap (parents, educators, policymakers), though larger and more established.
• Center for Humane Technology: Direct peer nonprofit co-founded by Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin focused on reimagining the social media ecosystem and aligning technology with human well-being. Highly comparable mission, advocacy model, and convening function; SMC's Social Intelligence Framework sits adjacent to CHT's 'How to Fix What Has Broken Us' framework.
• Accountable Tech: Nonprofit advocacy group working to curb Big Tech harms and promote accountable, equitable technology. Already an SMC research partner ('The Future of Social Media: There is Hope'), making it the closest operational peer in target and methodology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SustainableFwd
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCN2UMWZirSYMdADK35f9WYQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/SustainableFwd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sustainable-media-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/sustainablemediacenter
• TikToktiktok.com/@sustainablemedia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Sustainable Media Center