21Wilberforce

What 21Wilberforce does

21Wilberforce (legal name: 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2015 and headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, that advocates for the universal right to freedom of religion or belief, with a programmatic emphasis on persecuted Christian communities worldwide. The organization operates through four pillars: (1) developing indigenous sustainable advocacy capacity within national and regional Christian organizations, including documentation, reporting, and government engagement; (2) supporting Biblical peacebuilding, conflict resolution, and prevention of religion-based violence; (3) amplifying indigenous voices through international advocacy at the United Nations (anchored in Geneva), before diplomats and governments; and (4) crisis response activities including refugee resettlement (e.g., Afghan refugees to Brazil), post-trauma care in Southeast Asia, and financial support for rebuilding church buildings in the Middle East. Its operational footprint spans North America, Nigeria, the broader Middle East, Southeast Asia, Latin America (Brazil), and South Asia (India, Myanmar).

The organization's business model is entirely donation-funded. Revenue is generated through tax-deductible contributions from individuals, churches, foundations, and partner organizations, accepted via online donations, mail, phone, stock/securities transfers, donor-advised funds, wire/ACH, and recurring monthly or quarterly gifts. Services are distributed through direct engagement with denominational networks and faith-based NGOs, with strategic relationships including the Baptist World Alliance (BWA, 135 nations) and the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA, 140+ national alliances representing 600+ million evangelical Christians). It runs the annual Frank Wolf International Religious Freedom Award as a credibility-building channel, and uses a WordPress-based website, blog, email newsletters, and social media (X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) for content marketing. There are no commercial technology products, APIs, proprietary platforms, or AI/ML capabilities; the go-to-market motion is community-led mobilization of churches and faith networks rather than product sales.

Name

21Wilberforce

Legal name

21st Century Wilberforce Initiative

Website

https://21wilberforce.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

21Wilberforce is a 501(c)(3) Christian human rights nonprofit that equips indigenous Christian communities and faith networks to advocate for religious freedom, deliver peacebuilding training, and respond to persecution crises across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Freedom Advocacy Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Humanitarian Aid & Relief Ministries (BPAGAJAF), Border Management & Humanitarian Border Assistance (BPADAHAL)

Keywords

• Religious freedom advocacy
• Human rights nonprofit
• Faith-based advocacy
• International religious freedom
• Persecution response services

Headquarters

HQ city

Falls Church

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. Donations and Charitable Contributions: 21Wilberforce operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that generates revenue primarily through tax-deductible donations from individuals, churches, foundations, and organizations. Donors can contribute through various methods including online donations, mail-in checks, phone donations, stock/securities transfers, donor-advised funds (DAFs), and wire/ACH transfers. Monthly and quarterly recurring donation options are available.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

21Wilberforce is a Christian human rights advocacy nonprofit that equips churches, faith communities, and partner organizations to support persecuted Christians and other religious minorities worldwide. Its work centers on indigenous capacity building for religious freedom advocacy, biblical peacebuilding and conflict resolution training, international advocacy at the United Nations and before governments, and short-term crisis response including refugee resettlement, post-trauma care, and rebuilding of destroyed places of worship.

Product overview

21Wilberforce is a Christian human rights advocacy nonprofit organization, not a technology product company. It does not offer software products, platforms, or modules. Its offerings consist of advocacy programs, training initiatives, and resources for religious freedom.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Indigenous Advocacy Capacity Building Program A program partnering with national and regional Christian organizations and forums to support local leadership on advocacy and develop the capacity to sustain strategic religious freedom advocacy, including documentation and reporting from the field, government engagement, and contribution to international human rights and religious freedom forums.
• Biblical Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution Training Training programs for Christian leaders and organizations that deliver Biblical peacebuilding, conflict resolution, and transformation tools to support peacemaking efforts and address root causes of religion-based conflict and violence affecting faith communities.
• International UN Advocacy for Religious Freedom Advocacy work before the United Nations, diplomats, and governments to amplify indigenous voices and channel first-hand reports and testimonies of conflicts and religious freedom violations with supporting documentation and suggestions for redress on behalf of persecuted Christians and other religious minorities.
• Crisis Response and Humanitarian Relief Short-term relief activities that complement advocacy initiatives, including refugee resettlement, post-trauma care to assist mental health and psychosocial well-being, and financial support for restoring or rebuilding destroyed church buildings and places of worship in crisis-affected communities.
• Free Educational Resources and Advocacy Guides Free resources including educational materials, advocacy guides, prayer resources, and reports distributed to churches, faith communities, and people of faith to equip them to engage more deeply in religious freedom advocacy and stand in solidarity with persecuted communities.
• Humanitarian Training Workshops Humanitarian training workshops delivered to local leaders and partners, including humanitarian aid workshops in Nigeria focused on humanitarian response for displaced families in collaboration with organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Quantifiable outcome

• Resettlement of Afghan refugees to Brazil
• +3 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

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and supporting.

• Baptist World Alliance (BWA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner21Wilberforce has a strategic partnership with the Baptist World Alliance, a global network representing Baptists from 135 nations. The partnership includes developing mobilization and support programs to equip faith communities for protecting religious freedom. Regional ambassadors work with BWA churches and organizations. BWA General Secretary Elijah Brown previously served as Executive Vice President of 21Wilberforce.
• World Evangelical AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner21Wilberforce President Wissam al-Saliby previously served as Director of the UN Office in Geneva for the World Evangelical Alliance, a network of 140 national alliances representing more than 600 million evangelical Christians. The alliance engages UN in advocacy in approximately 20 country situations each year.
• Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerCMEP was awarded the 2025 Frank Wolf International Religious Freedom Award. CMEP is a coalition of more than 30 Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, and Evangelical denominations and organizations that mobilizes US Christians to promote equality, human rights, security, and justice for Israelis, Palestinians, and all people of the Middle East.
• ChinaAidflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerChinaAid Founder Dr. Bob Fu received the 2022 Frank Wolf International Religious Freedom Award. ChinaAid has become a respected global religious freedom organization rescuing Chinese Christians and advocating for religious freedom in China.
• Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (ABTS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner21Wilberforce President Wissam al-Saliby previously served as Development and Partner Relations Manager at ABTS, where he cultivated partnerships with churches, foundations, and individuals across the US, Europe, and Arab world.
• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on humanitarian response for displaced families in Nigeria, with 21Wilberforce team visiting ICRC operations.
• Geneva CallsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner21Wilberforce President Wissam al-Saliby previously served as National Coordinator and Lead Trainer for Geneva Call, engaging in humanitarian law and human rights training across the Middle East for seven years.
• Global Peace FoundationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Rev. John Joseph Hayab through Global Peace Foundation Nigeria for peacebuilding and religious freedom advocacy in Nigeria.
• Dallas Baptist University - Institute for Global EngagementsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for hosting conferences on praying for the persecuted and human rights workshops, including collaboration with 21Wilberforce President Wissam al-Saliby.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Christian Concern (ICC): ICC is a persecuted-Christian advocacy and relief organization focused on documentation and U.S. policy engagement — directly comparable to 21Wilberforce's UN/government advocacy model.
• ChinaAid: ChinaAid advocates for religious freedom in China and globally, and its founder Dr. Bob Fu received 21Wilberforce's 2022 Frank Wolf Award — making it a near-direct peer in persecuted-Christian advocacy.
• Voice of the Martyrs: Voice of the Martyrs serves persecuted Christians globally through Bibles, aid, advocacy, and family support — directly comparable to 21Wilberforce's religious-freedom advocacy for persecuted Christians.
• Jubilee Campaign: Jubilee Campaign is a faith-based human rights organization that advocates for persecuted Christians and other minorities at the UN and U.S. government — closely aligned with 21Wilberforce's UN advocacy work.
• Aid to the Church in Need: Aid to the Church in Need is a Catholic pontifical charity providing religious freedom advocacy and humanitarian aid to persecuted Christians, particularly in the Middle East — overlapping with 21Wilberforce's Middle East programming.
• Open Doors: Open Doors is the largest Christian persecution advocacy and aid organization, serving persecuted Christians worldwide with advocacy, prayer support, and field deliveries — directly comparable to 21Wilberforce's persecuted-Christian focus.

Emerging players

• International Religious Freedom Roundtable: The IRF Roundtable convenes civil society, NGOs, and government around international religious freedom policy in Washington — operating in the same advocacy ecosystem as 21Wilberforce but with a coordination/convener focus.

Broad incumbents

• International Justice Mission: IJM is a larger, established Christian human rights organization focused on anti-trafficking and modern slavery. It shares the faith-rooted human-rights advocacy frame with 21Wilberforce but operates in a broader human-rights portfolio.

Others

• Baptist World Alliance: BWA is a global Baptist network spanning 135 nations and a strategic partner of 21Wilberforce (BWA General Secretary Elijah Brown is a former 21Wilberforce EVP). It is an ecosystem/partner organization rather than direct competitor.
• World Evangelical Alliance: The WEA represents 600M+ evangelical Christians through 140 national alliances and is a core strategic partner of 21Wilberforce (President al-Saliby ran its UN Geneva office). It operates as an enabling ecosystem/partner, not a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/21Wilberforce
• Facebookfacebook.com/21wilberforce
• Instagraminstagram.com/21wilberforce
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/21st-century-wilberforce-initiative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 21Wilberforce