What ThirdSpace Action Lab does

ThirdSpace Action Lab (TSAL) is a Cleveland-based grassroots research, strategy, and design cooperative founded in 2018 by Evelyn Burnett (CEO) and Mordecai Cargill (Creative Director). The firm prototypes place-based solutions to socioeconomic problems affecting low-income communities of color, grounded in a proprietary theory of change called the Impact Continuum, which holds that sustained awareness of structural racism drives more thoughtful action. It serves philanthropic, public sector, private sector, and community development clients across the United States, with operational roots in Northeast Ohio's Glenville neighborhood and national reach via virtual workshop delivery and foundation-funded research.

The company's core product portfolio centers on Racial Equity Institute (REI) workshops — the 3-hour Groundwater session priced at $100 per person and the two-day Phase One training at $400 per person — complemented by bespoke strategy consulting, facilitation, research and content generation, and Communities of Practice engagements. Adjacent initiatives include the ThirdSpace Reading Room (an independent Black bookstore at the Glenville headquarters), a satellite location at the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland curated as a Black radical imagination space, the Bending the Arc podcast (produced with Case Western Reserve University's NP3 program), the Chocolate City Cleveland cultural archive project, and The People's Practice anti-racist community development initiative (developed with Robert Wood Johnson Foundation). Methodology blends human-centered design, racial equity frameworks (Groundwater Analysis), community organizing, and storytelling.

TSAL generates revenue through a mix of channels: per-seat workshop registrations (with group discounts for 20+ participants), custom consulting engagements, ticketed events (e.g., Black is Free Soirée at $125), bookstore/merchandise sales, and foundation grants (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, George Gund Foundation, PNC Foundation, KeyBank Foundation). Distribution is primarily direct-to-client via online workshop registration and inside sales for private sessions, supplemented by partner channels (moCa Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Freedom Dreams Coalition, Cleveland VOTES) that amplify reach. The organization has reported more than 20,000 participants trained in REI workshops since 2016, and maintains a small team of 11-50 employees including PhD-level researchers and senior consultants with backgrounds in community development, finance, and digital media.

Name

ThirdSpace Action Lab

Legal name

ThirdSpace Action Lab

Website

https://3rdspaceactionlab.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ThirdSpace Action Lab is a Cleveland-based cooperative founded in 2018 that delivers racial equity training, strategy consulting, and community development research to philanthropic, public sector, and private sector clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Racial Equity Institute Workshops: TSAL delivers REI workshops including Groundwater ($100/person) and Phase One two-day sessions ($400/person). These workshops are the organization's primary revenue stream and consulting practice foundation.
2. Consulting Services: Strategy consulting engagements with clients in philanthropy, public sector, and private sector for racial equity planning, organizational development, and community engagement.
3. Event Programming: Revenue generation through ticketed events like the Black is Free Soirée ($125), community celebrations, and partner-sponsored programming.
4. Bookstore Operations: ThirdSpace Reading Room generates revenue through book sales, merchandise, and event venue partnerships, operating as both retail and cultural institution.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ThirdSpace Action Lab is a grassroots research, strategy, and design cooperative that delivers racial equity consulting, facilitation, and community development planning services. Its core offerings include the Racial Equity Institute (REI) workshops (Groundwater and Phase One trainings), bespoke strategy and facilitation consulting for philanthropic, public, and private sector clients, research and content generation, and community-driven programming such as Bet on Black Juneteenth celebrations and Freedom Lectures. The organization also operates the ThirdSpace Reading Room, an independent Black bookstore in Cleveland's Glenville neighborhood.

Product overview

ThirdSpace Action Lab operates as a grassroots research, strategy, and design cooperative offering a portfolio of services focused on racial equity and community development. The core offerings include Racial Equity Institute (REI) Workshops (Groundwater and Phase One training programs), strategy consulting, facilitation, and research & content generation services. The organization also operates the ThirdSpace Reading Room, an independent Black bookstore, and runs signature events including Bet on Black Juneteenth celebrations and Freedom Lectures. Major initiatives include Chocolate City Cleveland (preserving Black Cleveland history), the moCa Cleveland satellite location, the Bending the Arc podcast partnership, and NuPoint community development planning. The organization's theory of change, the Impact Continuum, holds that building awareness of structural racism leads to more thoughtful action, which in turn deepens awareness.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bending the Arc Podcast: A six-part podcast partnership with Case Western Reserve University exploring building inclusive, equitable, and racially just communities.
• Chocolate City Cleveland
• The People's Practice
• NuPoint
• ThirdSpace® Action Lab

Products and services

• Racial Equity Institute (REI) Workshops Awareness-building workshops on structural racism delivered to organizational teams and individuals across the philanthropic, public, and private sectors. Includes the Groundwater 3-hour session ($100/person) and Phase One two-day training ($400/person), with AAPI-specific sessions also available.
• Groundwater Virtual Workshop A 3-hour introductory virtual workshop explaining structural racism using the groundwater analysis framework, priced at $100 per person, with scheduled upcoming dates.
• REI Phase One Training A comprehensive two-day virtual workshop providing in-depth exploration of institutional and structural racism through historical, cultural, and structural lenses, priced at $400 per person.
• Strategy Consulting Services Bespoke strategic planning methodologies tailored to client challenges, focusing on cultivating inclusive strategies that enhance organizational effectiveness and foster equity.
• Facilitation Services Facilitation of conversations on race, equity, and inclusion that engage various communities to reach solutions accounting for consensus and equitable practices.
• Research and Content Generation Information discovery, copywriting, graphic design, social media, website development, and tangible outputs like manuals and ad campaigns to inform communities and support client initiatives.
• Communities of Practice / Learning Communities Collaborative group engagements with stakeholders to co-design imaginative, equitable, and sustainable solutions using TSAL's proven methodologies.
• NuPoint Community Development Planning Partnership with NuPoint Development Corporation to create a Unified Neighborhood Plan for Cleveland's Union Miles and Mt. Pleasant neighborhoods, including community surveys and neighborhood ambassador programs.
• Chocolate City Cleveland A multigenerational, multimedia, multidisciplinary project preserving the collective memory of Black Cleveland neighborhoods through oral histories, walking maps, and cultural artifacts.
• moCa Cleveland Satellite Location A satellite location at the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, curated as a Black living room for radical imagination and Black speculative thought, serving as a sanctuary with rotating programming.
• Bending the Arc Podcast A six-part podcast partnership with Case Western Reserve University exploring the lived reality of building inclusive, equitable, and racially just communities.
• ThirdSpace Reading Room An independent Black bookstore and community space at 1464 E. 105th St, Cleveland, offering books, events, and programming focused on racial equity, community engagement, and Black literature and culture.
• Bet on Black Events A month-long Juneteenth celebration initiative featuring community events including soirées, BBQs, freedom lectures, intergenerational lunches, and cultural programming celebrating Black joy and resistance.
• Freedom Lectures Public gatherings featuring changemakers from across the country discussing Black-led initiatives and narrative shifts, held at the Reading Room or with neighborhood partners.
• People's Solutions Lab A hands-on civic engagement gathering designed to turn civic awareness into civic muscle through interactive sessions, resource sharing, and direct community organizing strategy.
• Event Space Rental Rental of the ThirdSpace headquarters space at 1464 E. 105th St for events, available to external organizations and community partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20,000+ participants trained in racial equity awareness since 2016
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Case Western Reserve University (NP3)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Primary partnership on the Bending the Arc podcast series, a six-part exploration of building inclusive, equitable, and racially just communities. This is a key initiative of NP3: Nurturing People, Power, Place at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences. The partnership produces thought leadership content and demonstrates TSAL's national reach.
• Community Opportunity AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTSAL was contracted to lead the Storied Communities, Community Stories project, exploring the role of resident voice in community development through interviews with 50+ residents across four communities.
• Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (moCa)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTSAL activated a satellite location at moCa Cleveland, curated as a Black living room for radical imagination. The partnership includes programmatic events and joint exhibitions exploring Black speculative thought and community themes.
• NuPoint Development CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTSAL partnered with NuPoint CDC and other firms (Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative, Public Square Development, &Access, The Legacy Perspective) to create a Unified Neighborhood Plan for Union Miles and Mt. Pleasant neighborhoods in Cleveland.
• Storytellers for ChangeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with TSAL on the Anti-Racist Community Development research project to develop narrative strategy resources for practitioners.
• Cleveland Freedom Dreams CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership with Cleveland Freedom Dreams Coalition on community programming, People's Solutions Lab events, and narrative change initiatives.
• Cleveland VotescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Cleveland VOTES on civic engagement programming including the People's Solutions Lab midterm election edition.
• Care Alliance Health CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presenter of Care for the Caregiver programming, creating intentional space for caregivers across various roles and responsibilities.
• LGBT CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on Care for the Caregiver and other community programming expanding TSAL's reach across diverse constituencies.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Race Forward: Race Forward is a national racial justice organization that publishes Colorlines, runs the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), and conducts racial equity training and policy work. It is a direct analog to TSAL's anti-racism training and consulting practice, but operates at significantly larger national scale with a broader policy portfolio.
• Aspen Institute (Racial Equity & Economic Inclusion Programs): The Aspen Institute operates several programs on racial equity, community development, and inclusive economics (e.g., Aspen Financial Security Program, Community Strategies Group). It is comparable to TSAL as a convening-and-research organization working on equitable community development with foundation support, though at a much larger institutional scale.
• PolicyLink: PolicyLink is a national research and action institute advancing racial and economic equity through policy. It is comparable to TSAL in mission (equity-centered research and consulting) and shares overlap in foundation funders and equitable community development frameworks, but at a much larger scale and broader policy scope.

Direct peers

• TCC Group: TCC Group is a management consulting firm serving foundations and nonprofits on strategy, evaluation, and equity-centered organizational development. It is comparable to TSAL's consulting services practice for philanthropic clients and shares an explicit equity orientation.
• ProInspire: ProInspire is a social-sector leadership and consulting organization focused on equity, including DEI advisory for nonprofits and foundations. It is comparable to TSAL in serving the philanthropic sector on equity strategy and organizational development, though ProInspire focuses on leadership pipelines rather than place-based community development.
• FSG: FSG is a global strategy and consulting firm focused on social impact, with deep practice in racial equity strategy, shared value, and inclusive economic development. It is the most direct peer to TSAL's consulting arm in terms of serving philanthropy and corporate clients on equity strategy, though at substantially larger scale.
• Community Opportunity Alliance: Community Opportunity Alliance is a national community development intermediary advancing resident voice and equitable practice, and a current TSAL client (contracted TSAL for the Storied Communities project). It is a peer in the equitable community development space with overlapping funders and audience.

Regional players

• Cleveland Neighborhood Progress: Cleveland Neighborhood Progress is the Cleveland-based community development intermediary where both TSAL co-founders previously worked. It is a direct predecessor and partner organization for neighborhood-level community development in the same Cleveland geography.

Emerging players

• The Praxis Project: The Praxis Project is a national nonprofit supporting communities of color to advance health equity and racial justice through organizing, training, and narrative strategy. It is comparable to TSAL in its integration of community organizing with consulting and research, though focused on health equity specifically.
• Just Solutions: Just Solutions is a racial equity consulting collective supporting foundations and nonprofits with strategy, training, and assessment. It is comparable to TSAL as a values-driven racial equity consultancy serving philanthropic clients, with a similar cooperative-style operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/3rdSpaceCLE
• Facebookfacebook.com/ThirdSpaceActionLab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3rdspaceactionlab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 ThirdSpace Action Lab