Equal Rights Center
The Equal Rights Center is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(3) civil rights nonprofit that uses paired testing and enforcement actions to identify and eliminate discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodations, and accessibility, serving individuals and communities nationwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1983
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Equal Rights Center does
The Equal Rights Center (ERC) is a 501(c)(3) civil rights nonprofit founded in 1983 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. It investigates and eliminates discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodations, and disability/accessibility through paired civil rights testing — a methodology in which trained testers of different protected characteristics present as comparably situated individuals to detect differential treatment. ERC operates five core program areas: Fair Housing, Disability Rights, Employment, Public Accommodations, and the Multicultural High Risk Population (MHRP) program, which mobilizes volunteer testers across diverse community groups. The organization conducts systemic testing, files complaints with federal and state regulators, and negotiates settlements and cooperation agreements with defendants in the housing, technology, and hospitality sectors.
The organization runs the Equal Rights Learning Center, an online training platform that delivers interactive fair housing courses to housing providers, property managers, and member organizations, representing a scalable complement to its enforcement work. It has resolved matters with defendants including Uber (accessibility, 2024), Weaver Prospect LLC (fair housing, 2024), Vesta Corporation (four Southeast DC properties), and 1214 Bladensburg LLC / Bonsai Apartments (cooperation agreement, 2026). ERC's reach extends beyond the DC metro area to nationwide operations. Its business model is a nonprofit operating model: operating revenue is generated from federal, state, and local grants (notably HUD), private foundation grants, individual donations, membership fees, training course fees, and settlement-derived remediation funds. There are no paying enterprise customers in the traditional sense; constituents are individuals alleging discrimination, and counterparties in matters are regulated entities rather than clients.
Equal Rights Center firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Equal Rights Center
- Legal name
- Equal Rights Center
- Website
- https://equalrightscenter.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1983
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Equal Rights Center is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(3) civil rights nonprofit that uses paired testing and enforcement actions to identify and eliminate discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodations, and accessibility, serving individuals and communities nationwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Equal Rights Center industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Civil Rights Advocacy and Enforcement Services
- NAICS
- Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Legal Services (8111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Housing Policy, Standards & Fair Housing Enforcement (BPAIANAG), Housing Accessibility & Accommodations (ADA/Disability) (EDALACAM), Equity, Accessibility & Inclusion Compliance Reviews (EDADAGAJ), Accessibility, ADA Compliance & Universal Design Audits (EDAEAKAM)
Keywords
Where Equal Rights Center is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Equal Rights Center business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Grants and Donations: As a non-profit organization, the Equal Rights Center is funded primarily through grants, including support from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), United Way, and private foundations. The organization also receives donations from members and supporters.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Equal Rights Center product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Equal Rights Center identifies and seeks to eliminate unlawful discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations through civil rights testing investigations, complaints, cooperation agreements, and litigation. It runs five program areas — Fair Housing, Disability/Accessibility, Employment, Public Accommodations, and the Multifamily Housing Resource Program — supported by a volunteer Tester Program and the Equal Rights Learning Center, an online training platform that delivers interactive fair housing courses to housing providers and the public.
Product overview
The Equal Rights Center is a civil rights nonprofit organization that offers a coordinated portfolio of programs focused on identifying and eliminating unlawful discrimination. Its core offerings include five program areas: Fair Housing, Disability/Accessibility, Employment, Public Accommodations, and the Multifamily Housing Resource Program. Supporting these programs is the Equal Rights Learning Center, an online training platform that provides interactive courses on fair housing laws. The organization also employs civil rights testing as its primary investigative methodology and operates a volunteer Tester Program to conduct testing across housing, employment, and public accommodations sectors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Equal Rights Learning Center: Online training platform offering courses on fair housing rights and responsibilities
- Multifamily Housing Resource Program (MHRP)
Products and services
- Fair Housing Program Program that identifies and eliminates housing discrimination through civil rights testing, complaint filing, and legal action, delivered at no cost to individuals who have experienced housing discrimination.
- Disability/Accessibility Program Program that has made more than 65,000 retail locations, restaurants, and homes more accessible to people with disabilities through testing, advocacy, and legal enforcement of accessibility laws.
- Employment Program Program that addresses employment discrimination and helps ensure fair treatment on the job and healthy, productive workplaces, delivered at no cost to individuals who have experienced employment discrimination.
- Public Accommodations Program Program committed to expanding the protections of civil rights laws for LGBT and Limited English Proficiency individuals in public accommodations, delivered through civil rights testing and enforcement.
- Multifamily Housing Resource Program (MHRP) Membership program designed to help multifamily housing developers, managers, and architectural firms understand and comply with accessibility and fair housing requirements, serving as a model for fair housing practices.
- Equal Rights Learning Center Online training platform offering interactive courses on fair housing laws, disability accommodation rights, and civil rights education for housing providers, members, and the public.
Quantifiable outcome
- 65,000+ retail locations, restaurants and homes made more accessible to people with disabilities
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Equal Rights Center
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Equal Rights Center technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Equal Rights Center partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- 1214 Bladensburg LLCminorERC reached a cooperation agreement with 1214 Bladensburg LLC to address accessibility violations at Bonsai Apartments, requiring remediation work and participation in ERC's Multifamily Housing Resource Program.
- Multifamily Housing Resource Program (MHRP) MemberscoreERC operates the Multifamily Housing Resource Program (MHRP), a membership program for housing providers committed to accessibility and fair housing compliance. Members include property developers, managers, and architectural firms who receive education and resources to improve housing accessibility.
- United Way of the National Capital AreacoreUnited Way of the National Capital Area provides generous support to ERC as a key funding partner, helping advance the organization's civil rights work in the Greater Washington D.C. region.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Equal Rights Center competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- National Fair Housing Alliance: The nation's largest fair housing organization, NFHA uses testing, enforcement, and policy advocacy to eliminate housing discrimination—directly mirroring ERC's Fair Housing Program and civil rights testing methodology.
- Disability Rights Advocates: A leading national disability rights legal center that pursues high-impact litigation and policy advocacy on accessibility and ADA compliance—directly comparable to ERC's Disability/Accessibility Program.
- Lambda Legal: A national civil rights organization that uses impact litigation and advocacy to defend LGBTQ+ civil rights, including in employment, housing, and public accommodations—directly overlapping ERC's enforcement scope.
- Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law: A leading U.S. legal advocacy organization for people with mental disabilities, using litigation and policy to enforce civil rights and accessibility—comparable to ERC's disability/accessibility enforcement work.
- Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs: A DC-based civil rights legal organization that partners with ERC and provided the institutional foundation for ERC's predecessor organizations, working on housing and employment discrimination cases in the same region.
Broad incumbents
- Human Rights Campaign: The largest U.S. civil rights organization advocating for LGBTQ equality, overlapping with ERC's Public Accommodations Program work on sexual orientation and gender identity protections.
- ACLU: The largest U.S. civil liberties organization, with broad impact litigation across housing, employment, disability, and public accommodations—operating in the same enforcement space as ERC but at much greater scale.
- NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund: A premier national civil rights law firm using litigation and advocacy on racial justice issues in housing, employment, and public accommodations—comparable in mission and methodology to ERC.
- The Arc of the United States: A national organization advocating for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, overlapping with ERC's disability accessibility work through advocacy, education, and legal support.
Regional players
- Center for Disability Rights: A disability rights advocacy and legal organization primarily serving the New York region, comparable to ERC's Disability/Accessibility Program in methodology but operating in a different geography.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Equal Rights Center social profiles
Digital presenceEqual Rights Center financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Equal Rights Center leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Equal Rights Center funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Equal Rights Center 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 Equal Rights Center
What does Equal Rights Center do?
The Equal Rights Center identifies and seeks to eliminate unlawful discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations through civil rights testing investigations, complaints, cooperation agreements, and litigation. It runs five program areas — Fair Housing, Disability/Accessibility, Employment, Public Accommodations, and the Multifamily Housing Resource Program — supported by a volunteer Tester Program and the Equal Rights Learning Center, an online training platform that delivers interactive fair housing courses to housing providers and the public.
Is Equal Rights Center a public or private company?
Equal Rights Center is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Equal Rights Center founded?
Equal Rights Center was founded in 1983. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Equal Rights Center based?
Equal Rights Center is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Equal Rights Center make money?
One revenue line is on record: grants and Donations.
Who are Equal Rights Center's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are National Fair Housing Alliance, Disability Rights Advocates, Lambda Legal, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law and Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. Broad incumbents are Human Rights Campaign, ACLU, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and The Arc of the United States. Center for Disability Rights is listed as a regional player.
Does Equal Rights Center have an API?
No public API is recorded for Equal Rights Center.
What industry is Equal Rights Center in?
Equal Rights Center's product category is Civil Rights Advocacy and Enforcement Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAFAB, Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations, with a secondary code of BPAIANAG, Housing Policy, Standards & Fair Housing Enforcement. Its NAICS code is 62412 and its SIC code is 8300.