Change The Ref
Change The Ref is a nonprofit founded in 2018 by Manuel and Patricia Oliver after losing their son in the Parkland shooting, using creative disruption, AI-powered victim advocacy, murals, and youth organizing to combat gun violence in the United States.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersFlorida, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Change The Ref does
Change The Ref (CTR) is a Florida-based nonprofit organization founded in 2018 by Manuel and Patricia Oliver in the weeks following the Parkland shooting that killed their 17-year-old son Joaquin. The organization is dedicated to reducing gun violence in the United States through three interlocking programs: (1) award-winning creative disruption campaigns that use urban art, guerrilla murals, and generative AI to recreate the likenesses and voices of gun violence victims for advocacy purposes; (2) youth empowerment initiatives that train and platform young activists to organize against NRA-funded politicians; and (3) theatrical and podcast content including Manuel Oliver's touring one-man show GUAC: The Play and the Guac's Going On? podcast. CTR has produced 50+ murals across America, won 12+ Clio Awards including Advertiser of the Year, and accumulated multiple Cannes Lions, with campaigns reaching billions globally.
The organization's core technology deployment is generative AI applied to victim likeness and voice recreation, used to enable deceased individuals such as Joaquin Oliver to "demand justice from beyond the grave" through virtual interviews and campaign content. CTR operates as a program under the March For Our Lives Foundation and maintains formal partnerships with Everytown, the Brady Campaign, and local gun violence prevention groups. Its technology stack is lean: Stripe for donation processing, standard nonprofit website infrastructure at changetheref.org, and podcast distribution across major platforms. No proprietary AI models, patents, or in-house technical research output are disclosed.
Revenue is generated almost exclusively through individual donations supplemented by ticket sales for the GUAC tour ($34-$66 per ticket) and ancillary events. The organization has 1-10 employees, a 100,000+ subscriber email list, and serves a horizontal base of individual donors, youth activists, and partner organizations across the United States. Its go-to-market is community-led activism with event-driven amplification, relying on organic social, earned media, and coalition partnerships rather than paid acquisition.
Change The Ref firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Change The Ref
- Legal name
- Change The Ref
- Website
- https://changetheref.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Change The Ref is a nonprofit founded in 2018 by Manuel and Patricia Oliver after losing their son in the Parkland shooting, using creative disruption, AI-powered victim advocacy, murals, and youth organizing to combat gun violence in the United States.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Change The Ref industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Gun Violence Prevention Advocacy
- NAICS
- Public Relations Agencies (54182)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Gun Violence Prevention & Public Safety Policy Advocacy (BPAGAFAM)
Keywords
Where Change The Ref is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Florida
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Change The Ref business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Donations: Primary revenue source from individual donors supporting the movement. Donations fund youth activism tools, art installations, viral campaigns, and technology amplifying victim voices. Donations are generally nonrefundable unless required by law or CTR determines a refund is appropriate. Processed through third-party payment processors including Stripe.
- Event Ticket Sales: Revenue from Manuel Oliver's one-man show 'GUAC: The Play' touring nationally. Tickets priced at $34-$66 for Kirk Douglas Theatre performances, with additional events at Coral Springs Center for the Arts and The People's Theatre in NYC.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | GUAC: The Play - Kirk Douglas Theatre |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Campaign US Inspiring Women 2026 |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Change The Ref product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Change The Ref is a nonprofit that advances gun violence prevention and youth empowerment through creative disruption tactics, including guerrilla art and murals, AI-enabled advocacy campaigns, youth programming, a podcast, and a theatrical production. The organization seeks to pressure NRA-funded politicians and push for legislative reform by reframing the gun violence conversation through unconventional, art-driven activism.
Product overview
Change The Ref is a nonprofit organization founded in 2018 by Manuel and Patricia Oliver following the Parkland shooting that killed their son Joaquin Oliver. The organization operates as a portfolio of interconnected advocacy products rather than a unified software platform. Its core offerings include award-winning creative campaigns that use AI technology, guerrilla murals, and disruptive art to expose NRA-backed politicians; the GUAC: My Son, My Hero one-man theatrical show performed by Manuel Oliver; the Guac's Going On? podcast; and comprehensive youth empowerment programs that provide organizing tools and platforms for the next generation of activists. The portfolio is held under the March For Our Lives Foundation and has won 12+ Clios including Advertiser of the Year, multiple Cannes Lions, and achieved billions in campaign reach globally.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Guac's Going On? Podcast: A podcast featuring episodes about gun violence prevention, activism, and interviews
- GUAC: The Play
Products and services
- Guac's Going On? Podcast Podcast series produced by Change The Ref that extends the organization's storytelling and advocacy to audio audiences, featuring conversations and commentary aligned with its gun violence prevention mission.
- GUAC: The Play One-man theatrical production developed by Change The Ref that dramatizes the human impact of gun violence as a form of creative disruption advocacy.
- Creative Disruption Campaigns Award-winning advocacy campaigns produced by Change The Ref that use unconventional creative tactics, including AI-driven public service announcements featuring victims' voices, to pressure NRA-funded politicians and demand gun reform.
- Youth Empowerment Programs Programs run by Change The Ref that empower young people to organize, advocate, and lead on gun violence prevention and civic engagement.
- AI Victim Advocacy Technology AI-enabled creative tool used by Change The Ref to simulate victims' voices and experiences in PSAs and campaign assets, amplifying the human impact of gun violence.
- Guerrilla Murals and Public Art Guerrilla murals and public art installations created by Change The Ref, often in collaboration with the Oliver family, to visibly demand gun reform and memorialize victims of gun violence.
Quantifiable outcome
- 12+ Clio awards including Advertiser of the Year and multiple Cannes Lions
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Change The Ref
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Change The Ref technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability3 records
Feature1 record
Change The Ref partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- March For Our Lives FoundationcoreCTR operates as a program under the March For Our Lives Foundation, ensuring transparency and accountability. This umbrella relationship provides organizational infrastructure and operational support for CTR's mission.
- EverytownmajorCTR partners with Everytown, one of the largest gun violence prevention organizations, for collaborative advocacy work and coalition building against the gun lobby.
- Brady CampaignmajorCTR collaborates with the Brady Campaign, a major gun violence prevention organization, as part of the broader coalition working to end gun violence in America.
- Local Gun Violence Prevention GroupsminorCTR partners with local gun violence prevention groups across communities to amplify grassroots organizing and local advocacy efforts.
- Advertising Agencies and ArtistsminorCTR collaborates with advertising agencies and artists worldwide, including Shepard Fairey who created a striking mural of Joaquin Oliver in Washington, D.C., to create disruptive campaigns that reach billions.
- StripecoreCTR's donation flow references Stripe as the payment processor for online donations. Stripe handles payment processing under their own privacy practices.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Change The Ref competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- March For Our Lives Foundation: CTR's parent organization and the most direct peer. Founded by Parkland students shortly after the same shooting, March For Our Lives runs a national gun violence prevention movement with youth organizing, voter mobilization, and policy advocacy — overlapping deeply with CTR's mission, audience, and tactics.
- Everytown for Gun Safety: One of the largest US gun violence prevention organizations and a CTR coalition partner. Everytown combines policy advocacy, voter engagement, and grassroots organizing through its Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action networks, directly competing for donor dollars in the same cause category.
- Brady Campaign (Brady United): Long-standing national gun violence prevention organization named after Jim Brady. Brady runs parallel youth organizing (Team ENOUGH), policy advocacy, and grassroots campaigns, and is an explicit CTR coalition partner competing for the same donor and activist base.
- Sandy Hook Promise: Founded by family members of Sandy Hook victims, Sandy Hook Promise runs national gun violence prevention programs including the widely-used 'Know the Signs' school violence prevention curriculum. Highly comparable to CTR in founder-driven narrative, youth focus, and prevention messaging.
- Giffords: Gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. Giffords combines legislative advocacy, state-level organizing, and a substantial PAC operation, competing with CTR for policy influence and major-gift donor share in the gun violence prevention space.
- Moms Demand Action: Grassroots arm of Everytown with more than 10 million supporters and a strong volunteer-led organizing model. Directly comparable to CTR in mobilizing everyday Americans around gun violence prevention through community events, campaigns, and legislative advocacy.
- Newtown Action Alliance: Advocacy organization founded by Newtown, CT residents after the Sandy Hook shooting. Operates in the same victim-family-driven, policy-focused niche as CTR, with overlapping donor audiences and shared focus on federal gun violence prevention legislation.
- States United to Prevent Gun Violence: Coalition of state-level gun violence prevention organizations focused on state legislation and grassroots mobilization. Comparable to CTR in mission and tactics, with a more state-by-state organizing footprint that complements CTR's federal and creative-campaign focus.
- Violence Policy Center: National nonprofit that conducts research and advocacy on gun violence prevention. While more research-focused than CTR's creative-led approach, VPC operates in the same policy advocacy space and serves overlapping donor and policy-stakeholder audiences.
Broad incumbents
- Ad Council: The largest US producer of public service announcements across social causes including gun violence prevention. Comparable to CTR in producing award-winning creative campaigns for public-good causes, but operating at much larger scale across many issue areas rather than specializing in gun violence.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Change The Ref social profiles
Digital presenceChange The Ref financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Change The Ref leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Change The Ref funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Change The Ref 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 Change The Ref
What does Change The Ref do?
Change The Ref is a nonprofit that advances gun violence prevention and youth empowerment through creative disruption tactics, including guerrilla art and murals, AI-enabled advocacy campaigns, youth programming, a podcast, and a theatrical production. The organization seeks to pressure NRA-funded politicians and push for legislative reform by reframing the gun violence conversation through unconventional, art-driven activism.
Is Change The Ref a public or private company?
Change The Ref is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Change The Ref founded?
Change The Ref was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Change The Ref based?
Change The Ref is headquartered in Florida, United States, in the North America region.
How does Change The Ref make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations are the primary driver. The others are event Ticket Sales.
Who are Change The Ref's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are March For Our Lives Foundation, Everytown for Gun Safety, Brady Campaign (Brady United), Sandy Hook Promise, Giffords, Moms Demand Action, Newtown Action Alliance, States United to Prevent Gun Violence and Violence Policy Center. Ad Council is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Change The Ref have an API?
No public API is recorded for Change The Ref.
What industry is Change The Ref in?
Change The Ref's product category is Gun Violence Prevention Advocacy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAFAM, Gun Violence Prevention & Public Safety Policy Advocacy. Its NAICS code is 54182.