Garden State Equality
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersAsbury Park, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Garden State Equality firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Garden State Equality
- Legal name
- Garden State Equality
- Website
- https://gardenstateequality.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Garden State Equality industry classification
Industry- Product category
- LGBTQ+ Advocacy and Education Services
- NAICS
- Human Rights Organizations (813311), Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- LGBTQ+ Rights & Advocacy Organizations (BPAGAFAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAD), Education Partnerships for Equity, Inclusion & Gender (EDADALAF), Community Health & Health Equity/Social Determinants Units (HLAJAAAO)
Keywords
Where Garden State Equality is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Asbury Park
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Garden State Equality business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Membership dues: Garden State Equality operates as a membership-based organization with over 150,000 members who pay dues or contribute to support the organization's advocacy and programs.
- Donations and fundraising: The organization accepts donations through its website and various giving campaigns, including text-to-donate messaging opt-in programs.
- Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors support the organization, as evidenced by the Statewide Sponsors section on their website listing companies like VNA Health Group, Atlantic Health System, Hackensack Meridian Health, RWJ Barnabas, Novartis, GSK, and others.
- Training and services fees: The organization offers training services to businesses, healthcare providers, schools, and other organizations, which may include fee-based engagements for policy consultations, workplace reviews, and educational trainings.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | General membership |
| Other | Annual | Donor/sponsor tiers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Garden State Equality product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Garden State Equality provides community programs, cultural competency training, and direct services (healthcare directory, name change assistance, youth and family support) for LGBTQ+ New Jerseyans, alongside legislative and policy advocacy. The organization delivers fee-based training engagements to businesses, healthcare providers, schools, and older adult care facilities covering LGBTQ+ 101, healthcare, workplace policy review, and ally training. It sustains operations through a membership of over 150,000 individuals, individual donations, and corporate sponsorships.
Product overview
Garden State Equality operates as New Jersey's largest LGBTQ+ advocacy and education organization with over 150,000 members, offering a portfolio of interconnected programs organized across four main program areas: Communities Healing Together, Education & Youth Development, Health Equity & Wellness, and Trans Resiliency. The core products include the Affirming Healthcare Map (directory of LGBTQ-friendly providers), Name Change Project (legal name/gender marker change assistance), and various training services for businesses, healthcare providers, schools, and older adult care facilities. The organization provides specialized youth programs (Changemakers, NextGen Ambassadors, Youth Advisory Board, Youth Book Club), parent support through the FAMILIES Project, and community healing initiatives through its Circle.so platform. Signature events include Equality in Motion (annual fundraiser), Equality Soiree, and Pride en Blanc. The product ecosystem also includes downloadable educational resources and tobacco cessation programs through partnerships with state health agencies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Affirming Healthcare Map Online directory of healthcare providers who have identified themselves as LGBTQ-friendly, some trained by Garden State Equality staff on best practices in LGBTQ+ care; users can filter by specialty or search by location in New Jersey.
Quantifiable outcome
- Successfully advocated for passage of New Jersey's LGBTQ+ Senior Bill of Rights (2021), requiring LGBTQ-affirming training for long-term care facility employees.
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Garden State Equality
Customer profileSegments6 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Garden State Equality technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Garden State Equality partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
21 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- New Jersey Queer and Trans Makers Market (NJQTMM)minorGarden State Equality partners with NJQTMM, the state's first and only LGBTQ+ specific traveling vendor event, to bring together local queer and trans vendors selling handmade art, thrifted apparel, food, and offering community resources.
- VNA Health GroupminorCorporate sponsor listed in Garden State Equality's Statewide Sponsors section.
- Atlantic Health SystemminorCorporate sponsor listed in Garden State Equality's Statewide Sponsors section.
- Hackensack Meridian HealthminorCorporate sponsor listed in Garden State Equality's Statewide Sponsors section.
- RWJ Barnabas HealthminorCorporate sponsor listed in Garden State Equality's Statewide Sponsors section.
- NovartisminorCorporate sponsor listed in Garden State Equality's Statewide Sponsors section.
- GSKminorCorporate sponsor listed in Garden State Equality's Statewide Sponsors section.
- Northeast New Jersey Legal Services (NNJLS)corePartnership to provide trans adults (18+) with name and gender marker change assistance in Bergen, Hudson, and Passaic Counties. NNJLS provides legal intake and pro bono attorney matching for eligible individuals.
- Volunteer Lawyers for JusticecorePartnership providing free pop-up legal clinics to help New Jersey residents legally change their names. In partnership with Rutgers Law School, pro bono attorneys assist at clinics prioritizing trans, nonbinary, and non-cisgender individuals.
- Newark Law Students CoalitioncoreCoalition of Newark law students providing support for name change petition submission under supervising attorney.
- Transgender Rights Coalition of New Jersey (TRC-NJ)coreKey coalition partner in legislative advocacy including the shield bill effort. TRC-NJ advocates for transgender rights alongside Garden State Equality.
- Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New JerseycoreCoalition partner in reproductive and transgender healthcare provider shield bill advocacy. PPAFNJ works with Garden State Equality on bodily autonomy and healthcare access initiatives.
- Lawyers for Good GovernmentcoreCoalition partner providing legal expertise for healthcare shield bill and gender justice advocacy.
- NJCRI (North Jersey Community Research Initiative)minorCoalition partner in the reproductive and transgender healthcare provider shield bill effort.
- WadeIn New JerseyminorCoalition partner in healthcare provider shield bill advocacy.
- SOMA ActionminorCoalition partner in healthcare provider shield bill advocacy.
- League of Women Voters THRIVE CoalitionminorCoalition partner in healthcare provider shield bill advocacy.
- Bridges4LifecorePartnership led by Tahtianna Fermin, a Black trans woman and former sex worker, working to decriminalize sex work in New Jersey and center Black trans sex workers at the forefront of advocacy.
- Equality FederationcoreGarden State Equality is a member of the Equality Federation, a national organization connecting LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations.
- New Jersey Department of Health / Office of Tobacco ControlcoreFormal partnership with NJ Department of Health's Office of Tobacco Control to eliminate tobacco-related disparities among LGBTQ+ communities. Implements evidence-based health communication interventions and culturally competent media campaigns.
- Bank of America, PNC Bank, Lyft, Nissan, Enterprise, and other corporate sponsorsminorVarious corporate sponsors supporting Garden State Equality through the Statewide Sponsors program.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Garden State Equality competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- GLAAD: National LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization focused on representation and cultural change. Comparable to GSE's communications, press response, and culture-shift activities, though operating nationally rather than at the state level.
- Equality Federation: National umbrella network of state-based LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations of which Garden State Equality is a member. Provides shared infrastructure, policy coordination, and federation-level capacity-building — relevant as both a strategic ally and a structural model.
- PFLAG: National organization with local chapters supporting LGBTQ+ people, families, and allies. Closely aligned with GSE's FAMILIES Project and family-acceptance education work, though distributed through a chapter model rather than centralized programming.
- Human Rights Campaign (HRC): Largest national LGBTQ+ civil rights advocacy organization. Operates broadly across federal legislation, corporate equality (Corporate Equality Index), and public education — overlapping with GSE's workplace policy work and Healthcare Equality Index influence.
- Lambda Legal: National legal organization pursuing impact litigation for LGBTQ+ rights. Comparable to GSE's Name Change Project and legislative advocacy work, but operating nationally through the courts rather than state-level direct service.
- National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLRights): National legal advocacy organization focused on advancing LGBTQ+ rights, particularly for lesbians and transgender people. Comparable to GSE's Trans Resiliency and legal assistance work, but with a national scope and litigation-heavy approach.
Direct peers
- Equality Texas: Texas-based LGBTQ+ advocacy organization that pursues legislative, educational, and community programs at the state level. Direct peer in scope and structure, though operating in a more hostile policy environment than NJ.
- Equality California: Largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights advocacy organization in California. Closest structural analog to Garden State Equality — a membership-based state advocacy group driving legislation, training, and direct services for LGBTQ+ residents.
- MassEquality: Massachusetts' leading statewide LGBTQ+ advocacy organization. Comparable mission of advancing pro-equality legislation and supporting LGBTQ+ communities through education and organizing — directly parallel to GSE's NJ focus.
Others
- CenterLink: National network of LGBTQ+ community centers. Adjacent to GSE's community programming and direct-service model; relevant ecosystem peer because community centers often overlap with GSE's member services (healthcare navigation, youth programming, name changes).
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Garden State Equality social profiles
Digital presenceGarden State Equality financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Garden State Equality leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Garden State Equality funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Garden State Equality 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 Garden State Equality
What does Garden State Equality do?
Garden State Equality provides community programs, cultural competency training, and direct services (healthcare directory, name change assistance, youth and family support) for LGBTQ+ New Jerseyans, alongside legislative and policy advocacy. The organization delivers fee-based training engagements to businesses, healthcare providers, schools, and older adult care facilities covering LGBTQ+ 101, healthcare, workplace policy review, and ally training. It sustains operations through a membership of over 150,000 individuals, individual donations, and corporate sponsorships.
Is Garden State Equality a public or private company?
Garden State Equality is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Garden State Equality founded?
Garden State Equality was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Garden State Equality based?
Garden State Equality is headquartered in Asbury Park, United States, in the North America region.
How does Garden State Equality make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Membership dues are the primary driver. The others are donations and fundraising, sponsorships and training and services fees.
Who are Garden State Equality's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are GLAAD, Equality Federation, PFLAG, Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Lambda Legal and National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLRights). Direct peers are Equality Texas, Equality California and MassEquality. CenterLink is listed as an others.
Does Garden State Equality have an API?
No public API is recorded for Garden State Equality.
What industry is Garden State Equality in?
Garden State Equality's product category is LGBTQ+ Advocacy and Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAFAE, LGBTQ+ Rights & Advocacy Organizations, with a secondary code of BPAGAFAD, Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy. Its NAICS code is 813311 and its SIC code is 8600.