Equity Matters

What Equity Matters does

Equity Matters is a Seattle-based, women-of-color consulting firm founded in 2010 by Heidi (Schillinger) Sohn that supports mission-driven organizations in pursuing systemic racial equity change. The firm serves non-profits, philanthropic foundations, government agencies, and educational institutions through long-term engagements rather than one-off workshops, organizing its service portfolio into three sequential phases — Build (assessments and foundational workshops), Shift (power and practice work, leadership coaching, supervisor training), and Transform (structural change, policy review, design labs). The team consists of approximately six human practitioners plus a resident dog, with deep facilitation credentials and a stated preference for multi-month and multi-year client relationships.

The firm monetizes through two complementary streams: bespoke professional-services engagements and a tiered tool licensing program. Licensed products include the Color Brave Space Norms, Racial Equity Mapping Tool, Connection Cards, five Racial Equity in Practice Card decks, and the Moving from Allyship to Solidarity Graphic, priced from $25 (personal use) to $10,000 (foundations) based on organizational budget size. Notably, 100% of licensing profits are donated to POC-led organizations, with over $80,000 distributed since 2018. A new 6-month Racial Equity Tool Subscription was launched in 2024 but had not yet opened enrollment at the time of the source data.

The firm's go-to-market is sales-led and inbound, relying on a blog, newsletter, curated resource library, and direct inquiry via email rather than channel partners or resellers. Operationally the firm is lean — no external funding, no parent company, no disclosed headcount growth, and no M&A activity over 14 years — and its Pacific Northwest focus is consistent with a deliberately boutique, relationships-driven practice model.

Name

Equity Matters

Legal name

Equity Matters

Website

https://equitymattersnw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Equity Matters is a Seattle-based, women-of-color consulting firm founded in 2010 that helps non-profits, foundations, government agencies, and educational institutions pursue systemic racial equity change through long-term engagements, licensed proprietary tools, and a new subscription product.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Equity, Access & Inclusion Policy Research (EDADADAF)

Keywords

• Racial equity consulting
• Organizational transformation
• DEI workshops
• Equity tool licensing
• Diversity training

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Equity Matters provides consulting services including organizational racial equity assessments, foundational workshops, skills labs, racial justice visioning, leadership guidance, and train-the-facilitator programs. These are long-term engagements with organizations seeking systemic racial equity change.
2. Tool Licensing: The company licenses its proprietary tools and materials (Color Brave Space Norms, Racial Equity Mapping Tool, Connection Cards, etc.) to other organizations. Pricing varies by organization type from $25 (personal use) up to $10,000 (foundations). Profits from licensing are donated to POC-led organizations.
3. Racial Equity Tool Subscription: A 6-month subscription service featuring one race-conscious organizational tool delivered monthly, designed to move equity from ideas into everyday practice.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Equity Matters is a women-of-color consulting firm that supports organizations in pursuing racially just transformation through assessments, foundational workshops, skills labs, design labs, leadership coaching, and licensed proprietary tools including the Racial Equity Mapping Tool, Color Brave Space Norms, Connection Cards, and Practice Cards. The firm operates from Seattle, Washington, and combines bespoke consulting engagements with a catalog of licensed frameworks that organizations can adopt internally.

Product overview

Equity Matters is a women-of-color consulting firm specializing in racial equity transformation for organizations. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of services organized across three phases: Build (Foundational Assessments and Workshops), Shift (Power and Practice Work), and Transform (Structural Change). This is complemented by a library of licensed tools and products including the Color Brave Space Norms, Racial Equity Mapping Tool, Connection Cards, Racial Equity in Practice Cards (five decks), Moving from Allyship to Solidarity Graphic, and a new Racial Equity Tool Subscription. The firm also produces original content through blog posts, the Equity Tunes series, and Goose Tales newsletter. Services are delivered through collaborative planning, assessments, workshops, practice labs, and design labs to support systemic racial equity change. Since 2018, Equity Matters has distributed over $80,000 in licensing profits to POC-led organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Goose Tales: Newsletter publication by Equity Matters featuring stories and updates
• Racial Equity Tool Subscription
• Color Brave Space Norms
• Racial Equity Mapping Tool

Products and services

• Racial Equity Foundational Workshops and Assessments Entry-phase consulting services that help client organizations assess their current state and build shared foundational understanding of racial equity through structured workshops and assessments.
• Skills Labs and Practice Workshops Mid-phase consulting services that develop individual and team skills through practice-oriented labs, including skills labs focused on power, practice work, and train-the-facilitator programs.
• Design Labs and Transform Services Advanced-phase consulting engagements that support structural change through design labs, racial justice visioning, and transformational advisory work for organizations committed to long-term change.
• Color Brave Space Norms A licensed proprietary framework that provides organizations with established norms for facilitating and participating in racially explicit dialogue and brave-space conversations.
• Racial Equity Mapping Tool A licensed proprietary tool that enables organizations to map and assess their racial equity conditions, identifying structural strengths and gaps to guide transformation work.
• Racial Equity Connection Cards A licensed card-based tool that organizations use to facilitate guided conversations and reflection on racial equity topics within teams and groups.
• Racial Equity in Practice Cards A licensed card-based tool that supports organizations in operationalizing racial equity principles through guided practice prompts and applied exercises.
• Moving from Allyship to Solidarity Graphic A licensed visual framework that organizations use to teach and advance understanding of the progression from passive allyship to active solidarity in racial equity work.
• Racial Equity Tool Subscription A subscription offering that provides organizations with ongoing access to Equity Matters' catalog of licensed racial equity tools and supporting resources on a recurring basis.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm with a dedicated DEI practice. While Equity Matters specializes narrowly in racial equity for mission-driven organizations, Korn Ferry offers DEI as part of a broader leadership and talent portfolio serving enterprise clients.
• Deloitte (Human Capital DEI Practice): Deloitte offers large-scale DEI transformation services as part of its broader human capital practice. While Equity Matters specializes in racial equity for non-profits, government, and education, Deloitte serves large enterprises with comprehensive consulting across many domains.

Direct peers

• Cook Ross: Cook Ross is a DEI consulting firm specializing in inclusive leadership, cultural competence, and equity training for organizations. They offer similar services to Equity Matters including assessments, workshops, and long-term coaching engagements for government, education, and corporate clients.
• The Winters Group: The Winters Group is a DEI consulting firm focused on systemic equity transformation, offering organizational assessments, leadership development, and strategic planning. They serve similar client segments (government, education, non-profits) with a comparable long-term engagement philosophy.
• The Equity Lab: The Equity Lab is a women-of-color-owned consulting firm providing racial equity and inclusion strategy, training, and coaching. They serve foundations, non-profits, and government clients with a similar mission-driven, long-term engagement approach.
• Paradigm Strategy: Paradigm is a DEI consulting firm offering strategy, training, and culture change services to mid-market and enterprise clients. They provide comparable offerings in assessments, leadership development, and equity strategy for organizations across sectors.
• Race Forward: Race Forward is a racial justice organization that publishes research, runs training programs, and provides consulting services. They offer training-of-trainers, policy analysis, and organizational change support overlapping with Equity Matters' Build to Shift to Transform approach.

Others

• Catalyst: Catalyst is a global research and advisory nonprofit focused on workplace equity, particularly for women. While adjacent in equity consulting space, Catalyst primarily focuses on research and corporate benchmarking rather than direct consulting, making it more complementary than directly competitive.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/equity-matters-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Equity Matters