Listen First Project
Listen First Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit backbone organization that coordinates a 500+ organization coalition dedicated to reducing toxic polarization and fostering social cohesion across American divides through coordinated campaigns, education, and assessment tools.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersCary, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Listen First Project does
Listen First Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2013 and headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, operating as the backbone organization for the American bridging divides movement. It coordinates a coalition of more than 500 civic and bridge-building organizations and a more intensive Bridging Movement Collaborative of approximately 100 leading organizations, with the stated mission of reducing toxic polarization and fostering social cohesion across political, social, and family divides. The organization serves coalition members, philanthropic funders, policymakers, and the American public seeking to engage constructively across differences.
Its core programmatic surface spans coordination, community-building, amplification, and assessment rather than a unified software product. Key offerings include the National Week of Conversation (an annual coordinated nationwide initiative), the Bridging Movement Goals & Measures Program with SCIM (Social Cohesion Impact Measure) assessment tools, the Badging and Microcredential Program, the Listen First Academy curriculum built on the Bodie Basic Model of Listening, the Conversation.us storytelling and action platform, the Bridging Movement Summit (inaugural 2025 at George Washington's Mount Vernon), the Monthly Bulletin reaching 1,000+ coalition leaders, and research repositories including the Marketing Intelligence Hub, Toxic Polarization Data, and Science & Perspectives on Toxic Polarization. The underlying technology layer is primarily web-based content delivery, badging/credentialing, survey and impact measurement tooling, and newsletter/email distribution.
The business model is donation- and grant-funded nonprofit operations, with no commercial pricing. Revenue is generated through charitable contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporate partners (named institutional funders include More Perfect, New Pluralists, and Civic Health Project), processed via Stripe, PayPal, and Anedot. The go-to-market is community-led: coalition coordination, monthly convening calls, annual summits, partner onboarding, and co-created collectively branded campaigns designed for mass scale with explicit political balance. No revenue figures, fees, or commercial products are publicly disclosed.
Listen First Project firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Listen First Project
- Legal name
- Listen First Project
- Website
- https://listenfirstproject.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Listen First Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit backbone organization that coordinates a 500+ organization coalition dedicated to reducing toxic polarization and fostering social cohesion across American divides through coordinated campaigns, education, and assessment tools.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Listen First Project industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Civic Bridge-Building Services
- NAICS
- Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Social Advocacy Organizations (81331)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government) (EDAAAFAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Online Public Speaking & Debate Programs (Live/Recorded) (EDAMAOAD)
Keywords
Where Listen First Project is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cary
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Listen First Project business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Listen First Project generates revenue primarily through donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate partners. The organization processes donations through third-party payment processors including Stripe, PayPal, and Anedot. No public revenue figures are disclosed.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Listen First Project product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Listen First Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit backbone organization that coordinates a coalition of 500+ civic organizations working to bridge social and political divides in America. It delivers research-based educational programming, community-building events, impact measurement tools, and amplification platforms for the bridging divides movement. Its core offerings include the National Week of Conversation, Listen First Academy training, SCIM assessment tools, the Badging and Microcredential Program, and the Conversation.us action portal.
Product overview
Listen First Project operates as a nonprofit backbone organization for the bridging divides movement rather than a technology company with a unified software product. The organization offers a portfolio of programs, events, and resources including the National Week of Conversation (an annual initiative coordinated with 500+ coalition partners), the Bridging Movement Goals & Measures Program (assessment tools), the Badging and Microcredential Program (skills recognition), Conversation.us (resource portal), the Bridging Movement Summit (annual gathering), Marketing Intelligence Hub (insights), Toxic Polarization Data and Science & Perspectives (research repositories), Monthly Bulletin Bests (newsletter), Better Together Film Festival, and educational resources like Listen First Academy. These offerings are coordination, community-building, amplification, and assessment tools rather than a traditional software product platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Listen First Coalition
Quantifiable outcome
- 79% of Americans say given the opportunity they would play a part in reducing social division in America
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Listen First Project
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Listen First Project technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Listen First Project partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Parents ForumcoreParents Forum partnered with Listen First Project for National Week of Conversation (April 6-12, 2026), providing free online workshops covering communication skills as part of Listen First's National Week of Conversation initiative. This partnership supports the bridging of parenting and family communication divides.
- Global Initiative to Support Parents (GISP)coreGlobal Initiative to Support Parents (GISP) is a growing worldwide movement to raise awareness of parenting programs. Listen First Project collaborates with GISP through the bridging movement to address parenting education and family communication challenges.
- Listen First CoalitionflagshipListen First Coalition comprises 500+ organizations dedicated to bringing Americans together across divides. The coalition coordinates the National Week of Conversation and other collective campaigns for mass scale impact.
- Bridging Movement CollaborativeflagshipBridging Movement Collaborative is a collective leadership effort of approximately 100 top organizations from the broader Listen First Coalition, working collaboratively to erase toxic division from civic culture while building productive civic engagement. Listen First Project serves as the backbone organization.
- George Washington's Mount VernoncoreGeorge Washington's Mount Vernon served as the venue host for the inaugural Bridging Movement Summit 2025, partnering with Listen First Project for this landmark in-person gathering and the 2025 Bridge Building Innovation Showcase & Awards Event.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Listen First Project competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Listen First Project social profiles
Digital presenceListen First Project financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Listen First Project leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Listen First Project funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Listen First Project 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 Listen First Project
What does Listen First Project do?
Listen First Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit backbone organization that coordinates a coalition of 500+ civic organizations working to bridge social and political divides in America. It delivers research-based educational programming, community-building events, impact measurement tools, and amplification platforms for the bridging divides movement. Its core offerings include the National Week of Conversation, Listen First Academy training, SCIM assessment tools, the Badging and Microcredential Program, and the Conversation.us action portal.
Is Listen First Project a public or private company?
Listen First Project is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Listen First Project founded?
Listen First Project was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Listen First Project based?
Listen First Project is headquartered in Cary, United States, in the North America region.
How does Listen First Project make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Charitable Contributions.
Does Listen First Project have an API?
No public API is recorded for Listen First Project.
What industry is Listen First Project in?
Listen First Project's product category is Civic Bridge-Building Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAFAC, Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government), with a secondary code of EDAMAOAD, Online Public Speaking & Debate Programs (Live/Recorded). Its NAICS code is 8133 and its SIC code is 8600.