People's Institute for Survival & Beyond
PISAB is a 501(c)(3) anti-racist organizing collective founded in 1980, delivering its trademarked Undoing Racism® workshops, consulting, and youth programs to educational institutions, government agencies, nonprofits, and community groups across the United States.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1980
- HeadquartersNew Orleans, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What People's Institute for Survival & Beyond does
People's Institute for Survival & Beyond (PISAB) is a 501(c)(3) national anti-racist organizing and training collective founded in 1980 by Dr. Jim Dunn and Ronald Chisom. Headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, with regional offices in Minneapolis/St. Paul (People's Institute North, est. 2000), New York (People's Institute Northeast), and Seattle (People's Institute Northwest), the organization delivers anti-racism training, community organizing programs, and consulting services to educational institutions, government agencies, child welfare organizations, nonprofits, criminal justice entities, faith communities, and grassroots groups across every U.S. state and select international locations. PISAB claims to have trained more than 2 million people since founding.
PISAB's core product is the Undoing Racism®/Community Organizing Workshop, a 2.5-day intensive grounded in 40+ years of curriculum development that delivers a shared language and analysis for examining racism at individual, institutional, linguistic, and cultural levels. The methodology is anchored by ten anti-racist organizing principles (Analyzing Power, Developing Leadership, Identifying Manifestations of Racism, Learning from History, Undoing Internalized Racial Oppression, etc.) and is delivered by 100+ multiracial organizer-trainers. Complementary offerings include Reflection/Assessment & Evaluation (RAE) consulting, the People's Institute Youth Agenda (PIYA) with Freedom Schools, the Communiversity educational platform housed at the TEP Center, and the Healing the Generations multidisciplinary conference.
Commercially, PISAB operates a fee-for-service revenue model where organizations and individuals pay for workshop participation, supplemented by donations (monthly sustainer programs, one-time gifts, donor-advised funds) and merchandise sales via the online PISWAG shop. Named customers span higher education (Columbia College Chicago, Columbia University, Tulane), K-12 (Seattle Public Schools, McComb Public Schools), government (Texas Child Protective Services), foundation/nonprofit (Casey Family Programs, Y USA, Urban Bush Women), and child welfare and criminal justice systems. The organization conducts 20–30+ workshops per month and is currently led by Executive Director Dr. Kimberley Richards following the extended tenure of co-founder Ronald Chisom.
People's Institute for Survival & Beyond firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- People's Institute for Survival & Beyond
- Legal name
- People's Institute for Survival and Beyond
- Website
- https://pisab.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1980
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- PISAB is a 501(c)(3) anti-racist organizing collective founded in 1980, delivering its trademarked Undoing Racism® workshops, consulting, and youth programs to educational institutions, government agencies, nonprofits, and community groups across the United States.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
People's Institute for Survival & Beyond industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Anti-Racism Training and Community Organizing Services
- NAICS
- Human Rights Organizations (813311), Educational Support Services (611710)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Racial & Ethnic Justice Organizations (BPAGAFAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)
Keywords
Where People's Institute for Survival & Beyond is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New Orleans
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
People's Institute for Survival & Beyond business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Workshop Registration Fees: Fee-for-service model where organizations and individuals pay to attend Undoing Racism®/Community Organizing workshops. For over 40 years, PISAB relied almost entirely on fee for service funds to run the organization.
- Donations and Fundraising: Friendraising and donations from supporters, including monthly sustainer programs, one-time contributions, and donor-advised fund contributions. EIN: 72-1160700.
- Merchandise Sales: Sale of PISAB branded merchandise through their online shop (PISWAG) to support operations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Workshop participation with financial assistance available |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
People's Institute for Survival & Beyond product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PISAB is a national multiracial anti-racist collective founded in 1980 that delivers the signature 2.5-day Undoing Racism®/Community Organizing Workshop, Reflection/Assessment & Evaluation (RAE) consulting, the People's Institute Youth Agenda (PIYA) Freedom Schools, and the Communiversity educational platform. The organization trains participants to analyze systemic racism, develop a common anti-racist vocabulary, and build strategies for community-level organizing.
Product overview
The People's Institute for Survival and Beyond (PISAB) is a national, multiracial anti-racist collective offering educational and training programs rather than a traditional software product company. Its core offerings include the Undoing Racism®/Community Organizing Workshop (signature 2.5-day training), Reflection/Assessment & Evaluation consulting services, the People's Institute Youth Agenda (PIYA) with Youth Freedom Schools, the Communiversity educational platform, and regional office-based training across PIN, PINE, and PINW. PISAB also participates in events such as the Healing the Generations Conference. All programs are grounded in anti-racist organizing principles focused on understanding, analyzing, and undoing systemic racism through community organizing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Undoing Racism®: The signature workshop and registered trademark of PISAB, a 2.5-day community organizing workshop that analyzes systemic racism.
- Communiversity
- People's Institute Youth Agenda (PIYA)
- Reflection, Assessment & Evaluation (RAE)
Products and services
- Undoing Racism®/Community Organizing Workshop PISAB's signature 2.5-day intensive workshop providing participants with a common language and analysis for examining the forms of racism (individual, institutional, linguistic, cultural) and developing strategies for anti-racist community organizing. Delivered virtually and in-person to host organizations and via regional offerings.
- Reflection, Assessment & Evaluation (RAE) Consulting Technical assistance and consulting service that helps organizations state, observe, and measure their vision and values with anti-racist organizing principles as the foundation, supporting deeper institutional change beyond introductory workshops.
- People's Institute Youth Agenda (PIYA) / Youth Freedom Schools Youth organizing program providing Freedom Schools that teach anti-racist principles, history, culture, community organizing skills, and leadership development to young people ages 10-16 and beyond, adapted from PISAB's Undoing Racism model.
- Communiversity Educational platform at the TEP Center in New Orleans inviting community members, students, and scholars to learn, serve, and organize together through a multi-ethnic, multi-racial, multi-generational approach to anti-racist leadership development.
- Healing the Generations Conference Recurring multidisciplinary conference dedicated to exploring the transformative power of community in healing, bringing together community health workers, clinicians, faith-based leaders, child welfare advocates, social service professionals, policymakers, and artists.
Quantifiable outcome
- Trained over 2 million people since 1980
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use People's Institute for Survival & Beyond
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
People's Institute for Survival & Beyond technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
People's Institute for Survival & Beyond partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- AshokaminorRonald Chisom was selected as senior fellow and inducted into Ashoka's Global Academy - a program for individuals seeking solutions to world's most urgent social problems.
- Leona Tate Foundation / TEP CentercorePISAB is the anchor partner with the Leona Tate Foundation for the TEP Center (Tate, Etienne, and Prevost Center), a mixed-use development dedicated to New Orleans Public School Desegregation, Civil Rights, and Black Life. The TEP Center will serve as the home of Communiversity, creating a learning environment for multi-ethnic, multi-racial anti-racist leadership development.
- Urban Bush Womencore30+ year relationship including Artist in Residency program in Treme community in 1991. Currently, Undoing Racism Workshop is offered during Urban Bush Women's annual Summer Leadership Institute. Relationship based on mutual support and complementary visions grounded in community and accountability.
- Y USAcoreSix-year engagement with the largest social service provider in the country. Y USA brought together three cohorts of 75 social service providers through Undoing Racism process over five weeks virtually. African American CEOs of The Y held Town Hall on Unlearning Racism with Vice President Kamala Harris alongside PISAB's Interim Executive Director.
- Alembic Community DevelopersminorPartner with Leona Tate Foundation in developing the TEP Center - a mixed-use development on the historic McDonogh 19 school building site.
- Various Educational InstitutionsminorNetwork of schools, universities, and educational organizations that host Undoing Racism workshops including McComb Public Schools, Seattle Public Schools, Tuckwila Public Schools, Columbia University, Tulane University, and many others.
- Various Child Welfare OrganizationsminorOrganizations hosting workshops including Texas Child Protective Services, Illinois Child Protective Services, Casey Family Programs, King County/Seattle Child Protective Services, and many others across the country.
- Various Criminal Justice OrganizationsminorCriminal justice system hosts including Texas Judiciary, King and Pierce County Judiciary, Los Angeles Juvenile Justice, Monroe Prison, and others.
- Native American Nations and ReservationsminorLongstanding organizing work with Native American Nations including Grand Portage Reservation (MN), Rosebud Reservation, and Yupik organizers in Alaska.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
People's Institute for Survival & Beyond competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Western States Center: Regional anti-racism organizing and training organization serving the Pacific Northwest and Mountain West; comparable methodology and grassroots training approach though smaller geographic footprint than PISAB.
- Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ): National network organizing white people and others for racial justice through training and base-building; comparable anti-racism training delivery and multiracial organizing approach.
- Race Forward: National racial justice organization that conducts anti-racism training, publishes research, and runs racial equity programs — directly comparable to PISAB's training and organizing mission with broader research/policy focus.
- National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ): Long-standing intergroup dialogue and anti-bias training organization offering workshops to schools, workplaces, and communities — directly comparable workshop-based anti-racism training model.
Broad incumbents
- NAACP: National civil rights organization with advocacy, organizing, and increasingly training programs addressing systemic racism; broader portfolio than PISAB but shares anti-racist organizing mission and multiracial coalition-building approach.
- Anti-Defamation League (ADL): Much larger national organization offering anti-bias training, A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE® Institute programming, and education programs for schools and workplaces; overlapping mission with broader portfolio including advocacy and Holocaust education.
- Southern Poverty Law Center: Large civil rights organization with Teaching Tolerance/Learning for Justice program providing free anti-bias curricula and professional development to K-12 educators; overlaps in education-sector anti-racism training but operates at much larger scale.
Emerging players
- Interaction Institute for Social Change: Consulting and training organization helping institutions address race, equity, and inclusion through dialogue-based processes; comparable RAE-style consulting services to organizational clients.
- Center for Racial Justice Innovation (Race & Justice): Research and training center focused on racial justice in child welfare and family regulation systems; overlaps with PISAB's child welfare sector training work and anti-racist analysis framework.
- Equal Justice Initiative (EJI): Racial justice organization focused on criminal justice reform, lynching memorialization, and historical truth-telling; overlaps in racial justice framework and educational programming but specializes in criminal justice rather than general anti-racism training.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
People's Institute for Survival & Beyond social profiles
Digital presencePeople's Institute for Survival & Beyond financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
People's Institute for Survival & Beyond leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
People's Institute for Survival & Beyond funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
People's Institute for Survival & Beyond 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 People's Institute for Survival & Beyond
What does People's Institute for Survival & Beyond do?
PISAB is a national multiracial anti-racist collective founded in 1980 that delivers the signature 2.5-day Undoing Racism®/Community Organizing Workshop, Reflection/Assessment & Evaluation (RAE) consulting, the People's Institute Youth Agenda (PIYA) Freedom Schools, and the Communiversity educational platform. The organization trains participants to analyze systemic racism, develop a common anti-racist vocabulary, and build strategies for community-level organizing.
Is People's Institute for Survival & Beyond a public or private company?
People's Institute for Survival & Beyond is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was People's Institute for Survival & Beyond founded?
People's Institute for Survival & Beyond was founded in 1980. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is People's Institute for Survival & Beyond based?
People's Institute for Survival & Beyond is headquartered in New Orleans, United States, in the North America region.
How does People's Institute for Survival & Beyond make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Workshop Registration Fees are the primary driver. The others are donations and Fundraising and merchandise Sales.
Who are People's Institute for Survival & Beyond's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Western States Center, Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), Race Forward and National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ). Broad incumbents are NAACP, Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and Southern Poverty Law Center. Emerging players are Interaction Institute for Social Change, Center for Racial Justice Innovation (Race & Justice) and Equal Justice Initiative (EJI).
Does People's Institute for Survival & Beyond have an API?
No public API is recorded for People's Institute for Survival & Beyond.
What industry is People's Institute for Survival & Beyond in?
People's Institute for Survival & Beyond's product category is Anti-Racism Training and Community Organizing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAFAC, Racial & Ethnic Justice Organizations, with a secondary code of BPAGAFAB, Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations. Its NAICS code is 813311.