Religious Freedom Institute

What Religious Freedom Institute does

Religious Freedom Institute (RFI) is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2016 by Tom Farr, Tim Shah, Byron Johnson, and Kent Hill, building on the Georgetown-led Religious Freedom Research Project (2011) and Baylor's Institute for Studies of Religion. RFI's mission is to advance religious liberty as a fundamental human right through scholarly research, education, policy advocacy, and crisis support for religious institutions. Its core deliverables span educational content (the America's First Freedom Curriculum for high school and middle school students, the Freedom and Faithfulness Catholic Guide to Religious Liberty), training programs (Statesmanship and Religious Freedom Seminars, internship and research assistant programs run through the National Center for Religious Freedom Education), targeted initiatives (the Medical Conscience Rights Initiative co-led with Alliance Defending Freedom and Christ Medicus Foundation, the Crisis Toolkit for Religious Institutions, the Virtues Project across Abrahamic traditions), and advocacy outputs (publications, policy testimony, video series such as Religious Freedom Testimonials, and convening around the International Religious Freedom Summit).

RFI serves three primary constituencies: policymakers and government leaders who shape religious freedom law and regulation; students, educators, and universities participating in curricula and seminars; and faith-based organizations and religious communities seeking resources, crisis support, and advocacy. It engages indirectly with scholars through its National Center for Religious Freedom Education and senior fellows affiliated with Georgetown, Baylor, and Pepperdine. There is no proprietary technology platform; operations are content-, event-, and partnership-led, with technology limited to standard web/content distribution.

The business model is donation-driven: RFI is funded through tax-deductible gifts from individuals, organizations, and foundations, accepted via online giving, wire transfers, securities, phone, check, and payment for services. As a nonprofit, RFI does not sell products or services and generates no commercial revenue; pricing is not applicable. RFI's go-to-market is community-led, reaching audiences through publications, curricula, internships, seminars, direct policy engagement, and strategic partnerships with educational institutions (notably Pepperdine University, where RFI relocated its main office in June 2025) and aligned advocacy organizations. RFI operates with a small staff (11-50 employees) from a single Washington, D.C. headquarters at 2011 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Suite 300, and does not disclose financial figures.

Name

Religious Freedom Institute

Legal name

Religious Freedom Institute

Website

https://religiousfreedominstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Religious Freedom Institute is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2016 that advances religious liberty through research, educational curricula, policy advocacy, and crisis support for religious institutions, serving policymakers, students, educators, and faith-based organizations in the U.S. and abroad.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: RFI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies on tax-deductible donations from individuals, organizations, and foundations. Support is accepted via online gifts (credit/debit card), wire transfers, securities/stocks, phone, check, and payment for services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Religious Freedom Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that advances religious liberty through educational curricula, policy research, advocacy, and direct engagement with policymakers, faith-based organizations, and educational institutions. It develops and distributes resources such as the America's First Freedom Curriculum, the Statesmanship and Religious Freedom Seminars, the Medical Conscience Rights Initiative, and the Crisis Toolkit for Religious Institutions to defend and promote religious freedom domestically and internationally.

Product overview

The Religious Freedom Institute (RFI) is a non-profit organization offering a portfolio of educational programs, publications, and advocacy resources focused on advancing religious freedom. Its flagship product is the America's First Freedom Curriculum (AFFC), a five-lesson educational curriculum for high school and middle school students. RFI operates through its National Center for Religious Freedom Education which coordinates the Statesmanship and Religious Freedom Seminars, the Internship and Research Assistant Program, and produces various educational resources. Targeted initiatives include the Medical Conscience Rights Initiative addressing healthcare conscience protections, the RFI Crisis Toolkit for Religious Institutions providing crisis preparedness guidance, the Virtues Project exploring classical virtues across Abrahamic traditions, and the Religious Freedom Testimonials film series. The organization also publishes periodic impact reports and specialized guides such as the Catholic Guide to Religious Liberty.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• America's First Freedom Curriculum A five-lesson educational curriculum unit available in high school and middle school editions, designed for private, homeschool, and public school settings, allowing students to explore religious freedom as a fundamental human right.
• Statesmanship and Religious Freedom Seminars An interactive seminar series combining sessions with religious freedom scholars, immersive experiences at world-class locations, and meetings with public officials and civil society leaders working to advance religious freedom.
• Medical Conscience Rights Initiative A joint initiative launched in 2020 by RFI, Alliance Defending Freedom, and Christ Medicus Foundation to equip state leaders to protect religious medical practitioners and institutions from being pressured to perform contested procedures.
• RFI Crisis Toolkit for Religious Institutions A practical guidance toolkit with three modules (Communications, Institutional Governance, and Community Relationships) to help religious institutions prepare for, mitigate, and respond to crises while remaining faithful to their core convictions.
• Virtues Project An initiative exploring ways that classical traditions of virtue rooted in the transcendent might serve as an antidote to declining consensus on pursuing the common good, engaging scholars, faith leaders, and the broader public across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
• Internship and Research Assistant Program A program through the National Center for Religious Freedom Education providing emerging leaders opportunities to participate in research, education, and policy programs while gaining experience in promoting religious freedom.
• Religious Freedom Testimonials Film Series A film series showcasing Americans from different religious traditions witnessing how they exercise their faith in all areas of life and why religious freedom is essential.
• Freedom and Faithfulness: A Catholic Guide to Religious Liberty A publication designed to help Knights of Columbus college councils explore the meaning and value of religious freedom, recognize how it is protected in America, and identify ways to exercise it. Produced in partnership with the Knights of Columbus.
• National Center for Religious Freedom Education An RFI unit providing educational programs, curricula, training, and resources to introduce teachers and learners to the basic principles of religious freedom and equip them with tools to promote it.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Knights of ColumbuscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025RFI partnered with the Knights of Columbus to produce 'Freedom and Faithfulness: A Catholic Guide to Religious Liberty,' a curriculum resource for Knights of Columbus college councils.
• Pepperdine UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2025RFI relocated its main office to Pepperdine University's Washington, D.C. campus, positioning itself within Pepperdine's policy-oriented academic environment.
• White House Religious Liberty Commission / DOJ Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian BiascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025RFI supports the DOJ Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias, providing research and memoranda on religious freedom violations. RFI's Ismail Royer was interviewed for the Task Force's documentary 'By Dawn's Early Light.'
• Pepperdine UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 October 2024Pepperdine University and RFI announced a partnership to advance religious freedom globally. RFI relocated its main office to Pepperdine's Washington, D.C. campus, strengthening collaboration on educational initiatives and programs.
• Alliance Defending FreedomcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance Defending Freedom is a joint partner with RFI in the Medical Conscience Rights Initiative (MCRI), launched in 2020 to protect religious freedom in healthcare.
• Christ Medicus FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChrist Medicus Foundation is a joint partner with RFI in the Medical Conscience Rights Initiative (MCRI), launched in 2020 to protect religious freedom in healthcare.
• International Religious Freedom (IRF) SummitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRFI has been an active participant in the IRF Summit each year since its inception. RFI President Emeritus Tom Farr served as the lead author of the IRF Summit Charter.
• Hungary Helps AgencysecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerHungary Helps Agency co-hosted an evening reception with RFI at the Embassy of Hungary during the 2026 IRF Summit, honoring Tristan Azbej and recognizing religious freedom champions.
• The Lantos Foundation for Human Rights & JusticesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Lantos Foundation, led by Katrina Lantos Swett, serves as IRF Summit co-chair alongside Sam Brownback, with whom RFI collaborates on religious freedom advocacy.
• Sam BrownbacksecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormer U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom and IRF Summit co-chair who works with RFI on advancing religious freedom globally.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• First Liberty Institute: Nonprofit legal organization dedicated to religious liberty, including litigation, policy advocacy, and education; overlaps directly with RFI's mission of defending religious freedom for all faiths.
• Alliance Defending Freedom: Largest U.S. religious freedom legal advocacy organization; co-partner with RFI on the Medical Conscience Rights Initiative and competes for the same donors, policymakers, and faith-based constituency.
• International Religious Freedom Roundtable: Coalition of civil society and religious freedom advocates that RFI participates in and engages with at the annual IRF Summit; directly comparable mission and constituency.
• Witherspoon Institute: Public policy research institute on religion, ethics, and civil society; RFI founder Tom Farr previously directed its International Religious Freedom Task Force, making it a closely aligned peer.
• Becket Fund for Religious Liberty: Nonprofit public-interest law firm that has argued major religious liberty cases at the U.S. Supreme Court; directly comparable to RFI in religious freedom legal advocacy and policy engagement.
• Lantos Foundation for Human Rights & Justice: Human rights foundation that co-chairs the IRF Summit alongside Sam Brownback; collaborates with RFI on religious freedom advocacy and shares overlapping stakeholders and donor base.

Broad incumbents

• National Council of Churches: Largest ecumenical Christian organization in the U.S.; overlaps with RFI's faith-based coalition building and religious freedom advocacy, though with a broader progressive mandate.
• U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF): Independent federal advisory body on international religious freedom; RFI engages with the U.S. government on overlapping IRF policy issues and shares many of the same advocacy targets.
• Ethics and Public Policy Center: Washington, D.C.-based policy institute that engages on religious liberty, bioethics, and conservative thought; overlaps with RFI's policy research and government engagement work.

Emerging players

• Center for Public Justice: Christian civic education and policy organization that engages on religious liberty and pluralistic governance; comparable to RFI in the civic-education and policy-engagement niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RFInstitute
• YouTubeyoutube.com/RFInstitute
• Facebookfacebook.com/religiousfreedominstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/religious-freedom-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Religious Freedom Institute