What Georgia Innocence Project does

Georgia Innocence Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal organization founded in 2002 and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. It is the only innocence organization in the state, providing free legal representation to individuals it determines to be factually innocent of crimes for which they were convicted in Georgia. Core service lines include case intake and screening, investigation, post-conviction litigation (including DNA testing and habeas corpus petitions), re-entry support for freed exonerees (counseling, financial assistance, peer community, professional development via the Calvin C. Johnson, Jr. Memorial Fund), community education on wrongful conviction factors, and policy reform advocacy. The organization has secured 18 documented exonerations since 2004, with sentences overturned ranging from 2 to 43 years of wrongful incarceration, and played an instrumental role in passing Georgia's Post Conviction DNA Testing Statute (2003) and the Wrongful Conviction and Incarceration Compensation Act (May 2025).

Operationally, Georgia Innocence Project runs a lean staff of 11-50 employees and is funded entirely by donations, recurring gifts (Friends of Freedom Sustainers Program), and grants from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors. It does not charge clients for legal services. The 2025-2026 Annual Giving Campaign features Google as Visionary Sponsor and a tiered sponsor roster including King & Spalding, Eversheds Sutherland, Georgia-Pacific, Delta Air Lines, Troutman Pepper, Hogan Lovells, Alston & Bird, Nelson Mullins, and Jones Day. Pro bono co-counsel from major law firms (Jones Day, Alston & Bird, Eversheds Sutherland, Nelson Mullins) and academic partners (Mercer Law School Habeas Project) materially extend litigation capacity, and the organization collaborates operationally with the Fulton County District Attorney's Office Conviction Integrity Unit on joint filings such as the Marquez Powell case. Leadership transitioned to a new Executive Director, Kristin Nelson Verrill, in January 2025.

The organization has no proprietary technology platform — its "products" are legal services delivered through human-intensive casework rather than software. Distribution is direct and geographic: applications for help are screened by intake staff, viable cases progress through investigation and litigation by staff attorneys and pro bono partners, and outcomes (exonerations) feed back into the organization's credibility, donor pipeline, and policy advocacy. Reach is explicitly limited to the State of Georgia, with no stated ambition to expand to other jurisdictions.

Name

Georgia Innocence Project

Legal name

Georgia Innocence Project

Website

https://georgiainnocenceproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Georgia Innocence Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal organization and the only innocence organization in Georgia. Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Atlanta, it provides free legal representation, re-entry support, and policy advocacy for wrongfully convicted individuals in the state.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wrongful Conviction Legal Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Criminal Defense (BPAHAAAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Litigation Support & Civil Investigations (Witness/Asset/Skip Tracing) (BPAKAEAE)

Keywords

• Wrongful conviction legal services
• Innocence project nonprofit
• Post-conviction DNA testing
• Exoneration legal representation
• Criminal justice reform advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The organization is funded entirely by donations from individuals who support the mission of correcting and preventing wrongful convictions in Georgia.
2. Foundation and Corporate Grants: Georgia Innocence Project receives grants from foundations and corporate sponsors listed in their annual campaign, including law firms and businesses that support their work.
3. Recurring Giving Program: Friends of Freedom Sustainers Program allows donors to make recurring monthly or quarterly gifts for ongoing organizational sustainability.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Georgia Innocence Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm that provides free legal representation to investigate and litigate cases for individuals in Georgia who are factually innocent of crimes for which they were convicted. The organization also delivers case investigation and screening, re-entry support for exonerees, community education on wrongful conviction factors, and policy reform advocacy for criminal justice accountability.

Product overview

Georgia Innocence Project is a nonprofit law firm providing a comprehensive suite of services to correct and prevent wrongful convictions in Georgia. The organization operates as a unified legal services platform combining direct client representation (legal representation, case investigation, and litigation), re-entry support, community education, and policy reform advocacy. Additional support programs include an internship program for students across academic levels and a speaker program featuring staff and exonerees. The Calvin C. Johnson, Jr. Memorial Fund provides specialized financial and emotional support services for exonerees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Legal Representation Services Free legal services to investigate and litigate cases for individuals factually innocent of crimes for which they were convicted in Georgia, working to free wrongfully convicted people through habeas corpus petitions, DNA testing requests, and court representation.
• Case Investigation and Screening Review of applications for assistance, screening of cases to determine potential viable claims of innocence, and investigation to uncover evidence and build clients' innocence cases, including locating witnesses and identifying new evidence.
• Re-entry Support Services Services helping exonerees and their families recover and rebuild their lives after wrongful incarceration, including healing support, community involvement assistance, counseling, and peer support through the Calvin C. Johnson, Jr. Memorial Fund.
• Community Education Programs Awareness and education programs about wrongful conviction factors including eyewitness misidentification, official misconduct, false confessions, misapplied forensic science, and systemic issues like racial bias.
• Policy Reform Advocacy

Quantifiable outcome

• 18 individuals freed from wrongful conviction
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• GoogleflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerVisionary Sponsor of Georgia Innocence Project's 2025-2026 Annual Giving Campaign. Google provides financial support as a leading corporate sponsor of the organization's mission to correct and prevent wrongful convictions in Georgia.
• King & SpaldingcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerJustice Sponsor in the 2025-2026 Annual Giving Campaign. Major law firm supporter of Georgia Innocence Project's work providing legal representation to wrongfully convicted individuals.
• Eversheds SutherlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFreedom Sponsor and pro bono co-counsel on Sonny Bharadia case. Provided substantial legal support including attorneys John Fleming and Anna Halsey who represented Sonny Bharadia in habeas proceedings.
• Georgia-PacificcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFreedom Sponsor of the 2025-2026 Annual Giving Campaign. Major corporate sponsor supporting the organization financially.
• Delta Air LinescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerInnocence Sponsor and employer of board member Armen Adzhemyan who serves as Senior Corporate Counsel on Delta's Litigation Team.
• Alston & BirdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDignity Sponsor and pro bono co-counsel on multiple cases including Jimmy Pontoon and Erik Heard. Provides attorneys for wrongful conviction litigation.
• Hogan LovellscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerInnocence Sponsor of the 2025-2026 Annual Giving Campaign, supporting Georgia Innocence Project's mission financially.
• Troutman PeppercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFreedom Sponsor of the 2025-2026 Annual Giving Campaign, providing financial support for the organization.
• Nelson Mullins Riley & ScarboroughcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnocence Sponsor and pro bono co-counsel on Jamichael Mayes case, working with Georgia Innocence Project on habeas corpus petition.
• Jones DaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel on Ray White case with attorneys David E. Nahmias (former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice), Meghan Breen, and Kendall Runyan.
• Mercer Law School Habeas ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner providing pro bono legal support on multiple cases including Erik Heard and Ray White cases.
• Fulton County District Attorney's Office Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrusted partner in innocence work. Collaborated with Georgia Innocence Project on Marquez Powell case, jointly filing Extraordinary Motion for New Trial based on newly discovered DNA evidence. CIU reaches out to GIP to corroborate wrongful conviction findings and provide representation.
• Constangy Brooks Smith & ProphetecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerInnocence Sponsor of the 2025-2026 Annual Giving Campaign.
• Caplan CobbcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDignity Sponsor and employer of board member Brandon Waddell, a partner at the firm.
• McGuireWoodscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDignity Sponsor of the 2025-2026 Annual Giving Campaign.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Midwest Innocence Project: State-level innocence organization serving Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas. Operates the same post-conviction innocence litigation model with similar reliance on pro bono law firm partnerships and DNA-based exoneration work.
• Innocence Project of Florida: State-level innocence organization serving Florida that investigates and litigates wrongful conviction claims under the same operational model as GIP. Comparable in scope, funding model, and mission, but limited to a different state.
• North Carolina Center on Actual Innocence: State-level innocence organization based at Charlotte School of Law serving North Carolina. Closely comparable in scale, mission, and operating model — investigating innocence claims, litigating post-conviction relief, and providing reentry support.

Others

• Innocents Database: National registry and research database cataloging wrongful conviction cases across the U.S. Acts as an adjacent infrastructure/data provider that supports innocence organizations like GIP with case identification, DNA testing resources, and statistical research.

Broad incumbents

• Equal Justice Initiative: Larger, nationally recognized criminal justice reform organization based in Montgomery, AL. Operates across mass incarceration, excessive punishment, and innocence issues with significantly greater scale and resources than GIP.
• Center for Constitutional Rights: National legal advocacy organization litigating civil rights and criminal justice cases. Overlaps with GIP on systemic post-conviction challenges and policy reform work but operates at a much larger scale across many issue areas.

Direct peers

• Southern Center for Human Rights: Atlanta-based public interest law firm focused on criminal justice, capital punishment, and civil rights in the Southern U.S. Operates in the same regional criminal justice reform ecosystem as GIP, often intersecting on post-conviction cases and policy.
• Georgia Justice Project: Atlanta-based nonprofit providing legal representation, reentry support, and policy advocacy for people impacted by the criminal legal system in Georgia. While focused on reentry rather than innocence specifically, it is a direct regional peer serving the same population.
• Innocence Project: The flagship national innocence organization founded in 1992 that established the model GIP follows. Both organizations pursue post-conviction DNA testing, litigation, and policy reform to exonerate the wrongfully convicted; GIP was explicitly founded in the wake of the national innocence movement.
• Witness to Innocence: National organization composed of death row exonerees who advocate for abolition of the death penalty and innocence reform. Closely aligned mission around wrongful conviction and exoneree advocacy; peer in the speaker/awareness ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gainnocence
• Facebookfacebook.com/gainnocence
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gainnocence
• Instagraminstagram.com/gainnocence

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Georgia Innocence Project