Courageous Conversation

What Courageous Conversation does

Courageous Conversation is a private, founder-led racial equity training, coaching, and consulting firm founded in 1992 by Glenn E. Singleton and operating as a subsidiary of Pacific Educational Group. The company's core product is the CCAR Protocol™ (Courageous Conversation About Race Protocol), an award-winning, trademarked methodology for engaging, sustaining, and deepening interracial dialogue, paired with the Framework for Systemic Racial Equity Transformation, a structured change framework for addressing racial disparities inside organizations. Supporting offerings include the Beyond Diversity™ curriculum, two certification tracks (CCAR Practitioner Certification, 15 weeks plus 2 months of practice, and CCAR Facilitator Certification requiring an annual intellectual property license), a virtual Academy on Zoom, an annual National Summit, the affiliated Courageous Conversation Global Foundation, and the South Pacific Institute serving Australia and New Zealand.

The business model is professional services-led with a licensing overlay. Primary revenue is generated through customized organizational training, executive coaching, speaking engagements, and consulting engagements, priced on a quote-based, multi-year contract basis to enterprise, government, education, nonprofit, faith-based, and law enforcement clients. A secondary recurring stream comes from certification program fees and annual IP licensing for organizations that train internal facilitators, plus book sales (Courageous Conversations About Race, 3rd Edition, via Corwin Press) and merchandise. Go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven, combining direct enterprise field sales, the annual National Summit, monthly global conversations, a structured new-business inquiry form, and a self-serve Academy channel for mid-market reach.

The customer base spans Fortune 500 and global brands (Google, Amazon, Starbucks, Procter & Gamble, WPP, Richemont, Droga5, Wieden+Kennedy), municipal and national government entities (City of Austin, NYC Department of Education, New Zealand Ministry of Education, U.S. Embassy in Western Australia), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Headcount is 11-50 employees across Bay Area, New York, and Auckland offices; revenue is not publicly disclosed. The company has accumulated multiple industry awards (AdColor MVP with W+K, Adweek/AdColor Champion, Ad Age Creativity Awards, National Speech and Debate Association Communicator of the Year) and holds registered trademarks on its core brand, protocol, and curriculum.

Name

Courageous Conversation

Legal name

Courageous Conversation

Website

https://courageousconversation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Courageous Conversation is a private racial equity consulting firm founded in 1992, offering the CCAR Protocol-based training, coaching, and certification services to Fortune 500 enterprises, governments, and educational institutions across the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Racial Equity Consulting and Training

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (81331)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Conflict Management, Negotiation & Difficult Conversations (EDABAAAJ)

Keywords

• Racial equity consulting
• Diversity training services
• Interracial dialogue protocol
• Organizational equity transformation
• Implicit bias coaching

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Training Services: Organizational training customized to client sector, audience, and success timeline. All sessions moderated by trained Equity Transformation Specialists. Includes Beyond Diversity seminars and virtual learning through Academy platform.
2. Coaching Services: High-touch outreach model for dynamic leaders seeking to improve understanding of race issues and build skill-sets in interracial dialogue. Partners with organizational leadership to identify equitable solutions.
3. Speaking Engagements: Thought-provoking addresses on race, racial equity, anti-racism and unconscious bias delivered to organizations by trained CCAR staff.
4. Consulting Services: Business consulting that partners organizational leadership with CCAR executive leadership team members to redesign practices and policies for more racially equitable environments.
5. Certification Program: CCAR Practitioner Certification (15 weeks plus 2 months practice) and Facilitator Certification (2-4 months) for organizations seeking to build internal capacity for racial equity transformation. Requires annual intellectual property license for facilitator certification.
6. Book Sales: Sale of Courageous Conversations About Race (3rd Edition) published by Corwin Press, plus merchandise through print-on-demand store.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Courageous Conversation provides training, coaching, consulting and speaking services to help organizations and individuals address racial disparities intentionally, explicitly, and comprehensively. Its offerings are built around the proprietary Courageous Conversation About Race (CCAR) Protocol and the Framework for Systemic Racial Equity Transformation, delivered through customized organizational sessions, executive coaching, certification programs, and an annual National Summit.

Product overview

Courageous Conversation is a training, coaching, and consulting organization offering a portfolio of products and services centered on achieving racial equity. The core offerings include the Courageous Conversation Protocol and Framework for Systemic Racial Equity Transformation, which serve as the foundation for all services. The main service lines are Training, Coaching, Speaking Engagements, and Consulting. Supporting these are the Certification Program (with CCAR Practitioner and CCAR Facilitator tracks), the Courageous Conversation Academy (virtual learning platform), National Summit (annual event), Global Foundation (philanthropy initiative), and South Pacific Institute (international satellite). The company also publishes the book 'Courageous Conversations About Race' as a companion resource. All offerings are designed to help governments, organizations and people achieve racial equity through facilitated dialogue, professional development, and organizational transformation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Global Foundation: Strategic philanthropy initiative models coordinated, intentional action to create collective impact for racial healing through interracial dialogue. Focuses on revitalizing communities, developing community leaders, and engaging college racial equity leaders.
• South Pacific Institute
• National Summit
• Academy
• Certification Program

Products and services

• Training Services Organizational training customized to client sector, audience, and success timeline using the CCAR Protocol and Framework for Systemic Racial Equity Transformation, moderated by trained Equity Transformation Specialists. Designed for corporations, educational institutions, government agencies, and nonprofits.
• Coaching Services High-touch outreach model for dynamic leaders seeking to improve understanding of race issues and build skill-sets in interracial dialogue, partnering with organizational leadership to identify equitable solutions.
• Speaking Engagements

Quantifiable outcome

• Hundreds of thousands of individuals trained in CCAR Protocol globally
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.

• WorkWiderminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020In 2020, Glenn Singleton became a Partner with WorkWider, a professional community dedicated to advancement of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
• Courageous Conversation South Pacific InstituteflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Established in 2016 as first satellite outside United States. In 2018, transitioned from founding partnership with Unitec Institute of Technology to become independent New Zealand company serving Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
• Pacific Educational GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPacific Educational Group (PEG) is the parent consulting firm that developed Courageous Conversation. PEG is committed to forging racial equity and has expanded from original focus on PreK-12 education to broader work in corporations, nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and law enforcement in multiple countries.
• Wieden+Kennedy (W+K)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership began in spring 2015. W+K worked with Pacific Educational Group on Courageous Conversation training, leading to creation of '5 Asks' equity-focused protocol. W+K received MVP Award at ADCOLOR Awards along with CCAR for this partnership. Racial equity work extended to W+K's creative productions and public works.
• Droga5coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDroga5 engaged Courageous Conversation for internal diversity work, addressing lack of diversity in people, culture and creative output. Described as one of the most crucial and positive cultural and business-changing work the agency has undertaken.
• Courageous Conversation Global FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded to offer 25+ years of racial equity workshops and development to world community through strategic philanthropy. Models coordinated, intentional action for collective impact to achieve racial healing.
• Courageous Conversation Aotearoa FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent New Zealand registered charitable trust supported by South Pacific Institute. Aims to deliver Courageous Conversation free to New Zealand public and prioritizes youth through scholarships.
• U.S. Embassy in Western AustraliacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGlenn Singleton trained law enforcement leaders at U.S. Embassy in Western Australia, expanding CCAR Protocol reach to international government sector.
• Bill & Melinda Gates FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlenn Singleton has consulted with Gates Foundation on racial equity initiatives as part of executive leadership consulting practice.
• Corwin PresscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublisher of Courageous Conversations About Race (3rd Edition) book by Glenn Singleton, enabling distribution of intellectual property to individual buyers.
• Unitec Institute of Technology (Former)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal founding partner for South Pacific Institute before transition to independent company in 2018.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Winters Group: The Winters Group is a D&I strategy and training consultancy serving Fortune 500 organizations with assessments, training, and equity transformation services. Highly comparable in service offering and customer segment to CCAR.
• Paradigm Strategy: Paradigm Strategy is a D&I consulting firm providing strategy, training, and equity transformation services to corporations, schools, and government. Directly comparable in mission, methodology, and customer profile to CCAR.
• LifeLabs Learning: LifeLabs Learning delivers manager and leadership development training, including DEI and bias-related modules, to mid-market and enterprise clients. Overlaps with CCAR's training/coaching delivery model and corporate customer base.
• Cook Ross: Cook Ross is a US-based DEI consulting and training firm offering inclusion training, coaching, and systemic equity advisory to corporate clients. Directly comparable to CCAR in target customer (Fortune 500 enterprises), service mix (training + consulting), and D&I focus.

Emerging players

• DiversityInc: DiversityInc operates a D&I media, benchmarking, and advisory platform serving corporate D&I leaders. Partially overlapping with CCAR's enterprise audience and DEI transformation focus, but content/media-led rather than protocol/training-led.
• Visier: Visier is a people analytics and D&I analytics platform that helps enterprises measure DEI outcomes and workforce disparities. Partially overlapping with CCAR's equity transformation work on the data/measurement side, but software-led rather than services-led.

Broad incumbents

• Center for Creative Leadership (CCL): CCL is an established leadership development and education provider offering training programs and custom solutions to global organizations. Overlaps with CCAR on training delivery and corporate leadership development, but is broader in scope.
• Deloitte (Inclusion & Diversity practice): Deloitte's I&D practice offers large-scale DEI strategy, training, and transformation services to global enterprises. Overlaps in customer base and broad service mix but operates as a portfolio offering within a Big 4 firm rather than a focused D&I specialist.
• Russell Reynolds Associates (D&I practice): Russell Reynolds is a global executive search firm with a dedicated D&I advisory practice advising boards and senior leadership on equity strategy. Comparable in serving C-suite racial equity work, but as part of a larger executive search portfolio.
• Korn Ferry (DEI practice): Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm with a D&I advisory practice serving large enterprises. Comparable in targeting Fortune 500 leadership and offering training-adjacent services, but as part of a much broader talent and consulting portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CCAboutRace
• Facebookfacebook.com/OfficialCourageousConversation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/courageous-conversation-official
• Instagraminstagram.com/ccaboutrace

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Courageous Conversation