ACT-LA

What ACT-LA does

ACT-LA is a nonprofit advocacy coalition based in Los Angeles, founded in 2010 under the original name Alliance for Community Transit-Los Angeles and rebranded to ACT-LA in 2024 to reflect a broader housing and transit justice mission. The coalition unites approximately 45-50 community organizations across Los Angeles County and operates with a small staff of about 6 people, relying on donations and grants as its funding model. There is no commercial product, pricing structure, or revenue-generating service line; the organization's outputs are policy advocacy, community organizing, and coalition coordination rather than market goods.

The organization's core activity areas include social housing advocacy, inclusionary zoning, Metro safety initiatives, Complete Green Streets campaigns, and fareless transit. ACT-LA's strategic significance rests on its role as a convener that aggregates grassroots organizations into a single advocacy platform capable of engaging Los Angeles municipal authorities and LA Metro. Documented policy outcomes include passage of the Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) program in 2015, permanent adoption of the Transit Ambassador program in 2023, and adoption of the Hollywood Community Plan in 2023.

The 2024-2028 strategic plan establishes ambitious quantitative targets, including 4,000 social housing units and universal fareless transit, indicating a deliberate expansion of policy ambition. ACT-LA does not develop, license, or deploy any technology platform or AI/ML system; its analytical and organizing work is conducted through conventional advocacy and coalition channels.

Name

ACT-LA

Legal name

Alliance for Community Transit - Los Angeles

Website

https://allianceforcommunitytransit.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ACT-LA is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit coalition of approximately 45-50 community organizations advancing housing and transit justice through policy advocacy, community organizing, and coalition coordination, funded by donations and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Advocacy and Community Organizing

NAICS

Other Social Advocacy Organizations (813319), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Consumer Rights & Public Interest Advocacy (BPAGAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

Keywords

• Housing justice advocacy
• Transit justice organizing
• Community coalition building
• Policy advocacy campaigns
• Nonprofit community organizing

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

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 Grants: ACT-LA operates as a nonprofit coalition funded through donations and grants to support advocacy work, campaigns, and organizing activities for housing and transit justice.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ACT-LA is a coalition of approximately 50 community organizations in Los Angeles County that organizes advocacy campaigns for housing and transit justice. The coalition runs two main campaign tracks—Housing Justice (Social Housing and Inclusionary Zoning) and Transit Justice (Metro Safety, fareless transit, and Complete Green Streets)—and unites grassroots groups with policy advocacy to influence city, county, and state policy in Los Angeles on behalf of low-income communities and communities of color.

Product overview

ACT-LA is a coalition of community organizations advancing housing and transit justice in Los Angeles. The organization operates advocacy programs across two main areas: Housing Justice (including Social Housing and Inclusionary Zoning initiatives) and Transit Justice (including Metro Safety improvements, Universal Fareless Transit, and Complete Green Streets campaigns). The coalition also publishes research reports, policy guides, and maintains a blog to document their advocacy work and campaign progress. The organization unites approximately 45-50 member organizations working on land use, housing, jobs, transit, and environmental sustainability issues affecting low-income communities and communities of color.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Social Housing Campaign Coalition advocacy campaign under ACT-LA's Housing Justice track that promotes creating housing through city-owned land or leasing existing buildings to community-led organizations to develop and manage housing directly, benefiting local renters and residents in need of stable homes. Targets 4,000 social housing units per the 2024–2028 strategic plan.
• Inclusionary Zoning Campaign Coalition advocacy campaign under ACT-LA's Housing Justice track that promotes a policy tool requiring and/or incentivizing developers to set aside a percentage of units as permanently affordable housing in new residential developments, while leveraging private capital to expand the housing supply.
• Metro Safety Campaign Coalition advocacy campaign under ACT-LA's Transit Justice track that promotes care-based safety strategies on LA Metro—including transit ambassadors, outreach for unhoused riders, and other programs—instead of police-first approaches, and supports sustained ridership recovery.
• Complete Green Streets Campaign Coalition advocacy campaign under ACT-LA's Transit Justice track demanding city standards and funding to roll out people-centered streets in every neighborhood, featuring dedicated bus rapid transit, protected bike lanes, and equitable shade infrastructure for a greener, fairer Los Angeles.

Quantifiable outcome

• Secured passage of Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) program in 2015, LA's most effective affordable housing program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• LA ForwardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLA Forward serves as Housing and Land Use Justice Committee Chair alongside SAJE and T.R.U.S.T. South LA, helping guide ACT-LA's housing policy agenda.
• SAJE (Strategic Actions for a Just Economy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAJE is a Housing and Land Use Justice Committee Chair and co-authored the fareless transit report with ACT-LA.
• T.R.U.S.T. South LAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerT.R.U.S.T. South LA serves as Housing and Land Use Justice Committee Chair, contributing to coalition governance.
• Black Worker CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlack Worker Center serves as Transit Justice Committee Chair, addressing transit equity issues.
• Community Power CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Power Collective serves as Transit Justice Committee Chair within the coalition.
• People for Mobility JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeople for Mobility Justice serves as Transit Justice Committee Chair, advancing mobility rights.
• Esperanza Community HousingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEsperanza Community Housing serves as Host Committee Chair, facilitating coalition decision-making.
• Little Tokyo Service CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLittle Tokyo Service Center serves as Host Committee Chair, contributing to coalition governance.
• KIWA (Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKIWA leads the Coalition Building Committee, ensuring membership reflects the needs and geography of the region.
• Invest in PlacesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with ACT-LA on joint responses to Metro policy, including the May 2020 systemwide suspension statement.
• Los Angeles WalkssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with ACT-LA on transit advocacy and joint policy statements.
• Brilliant CornerssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew member organization welcomed to ACT-LA coalition in 2023.
• Fideicomiso Comunitario Tierra LibresupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew member organization welcomed to ACT-LA coalition in 2023.
• InnerCity StrugglesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew member organization welcomed to ACT-LA coalition in 2023.
• Roots for Peace LAsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization welcomed to ACT-LA coalition in 2023.
• Public CounselsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with ACT-LA to develop 'A Guide to Equitable Community Planning' document.
• ACLU SoCalsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with ACT-LA on gathering petition signatures against police contract renewals.
• LA MetrocoreOthersACT-LA works with LA Metro on transit ambassador programs, bus-only lanes, and policy advocacy. ACT-LA successfully advocated for making the ambassador program permanent.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Public Counsel: Public Counsel is the largest pro bono law firm in the US, providing legal advocacy on housing, civil rights, and community development in LA. It is comparable as a partner organization that develops policy and legal advocacy materials (e.g., equitable community planning guide) with ACT-LA, working on the same housing justice issues.
• Move LA: Move LA is a Los Angeles-based coalition advocating for expanded public transit and transportation funding. It is directly comparable as it operates as a transit-focused advocacy coalition in the same LA policy environment, sharing policy goals around transit investment and equity with ACT-LA.
• Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance (KIWA): KIWA is a Koreatown-based immigrant worker rights organization that leads ACT-LA's Coalition Building Committee. It is comparable as it organizes low-wage immigrant workers in LA on housing, workplace, and transit justice, sharing ACT-LA's community-led organizing approach and member base.
• Esperanza Community Housing: Esperanza Community Housing is a South LA-based health, housing, and environmental justice organization. It serves as Host Committee Chair within ACT-LA and is comparable as a community-based organization integrating housing justice, health equity, and transit advocacy in the same LA neighborhoods.
• LA Forward: LA Forward is a Los Angeles-based policy advocacy coalition focused on housing, transit, and governance reform. It is directly comparable as it operates as a multi-stakeholder coalition influencing LA municipal and county policy, and serves as a Housing Committee Chair within ACT-LA's coalition structure.
• InnerCity Struggle: InnerCity Struggle is a Boyle Heights-based youth and community organizing group focused on education, housing, and transit justice. It is a member organization of ACT-LA and directly comparable as it conducts community-led organizing campaigns on overlapping housing and transit equity issues in LA.
• Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE): LAANE is a Los Angeles-based advocacy coalition organizing for economic and racial justice across housing, transit, and worker issues. It is directly comparable as it uses coalition-based organizing to influence LA municipal policy on affordable housing, transit equity, and good jobs, overlapping significantly with ACT-LA's mission.
• Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE): SAJE is a Los Angeles tenant rights and equitable development organization. It is directly comparable as it organizes low-income communities of color on housing, land use, and economic justice issues, and serves as a Housing and Land Use Justice Committee Chair within ACT-LA.

Broad incumbents

• National Low Income Housing Coalition: NLIHC is a national advocacy organization dedicated to ending the affordable housing crisis through federal policy reform. It is comparable as a broader housing justice advocacy organization operating at the federal level on tenant protections, social housing, and housing funding - the same policy areas ACT-LA targets locally.
• Enterprise Community Partners: Enterprise Community Partners is a national nonprofit that invests in affordable housing and community development through policy advocacy, lending, and grants. It is comparable as a broader housing advocacy and finance organization working on inclusionary zoning, affordable housing production, and equitable development that aligns with ACT-LA's housing justice campaigns.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/All4Transit
• Facebookfacebook.com/ACTLosAngeles
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alliance-for-community-transit-los-angeles

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ACT-LA