Katal Center

What Katal Center does

Katal Center for Equity, Health and Justice (legal name; operating as Katal Center; EIN 81-1323278) is a Brooklyn-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocacy and organizing organization co-founded by Lorenzo Jones and Gabriel Sayegh in summer 2015 and publicly launched in February 2016. The organization develops intergenerational leadership and organizing capacity to build community-based power for criminal justice reform, drug policy reform, prison and jail oversight, harm reduction, and health equity. Its programmatic surface comprises New York state-level organizing campaigns (notably #ShutRikers and #CutShutInvestNY), a membership program, trainings and coaching in community organizing, civic engagement initiatives, policy research and reports, and media/press operations, with an active parallel Connecticut track (including #CutShutInvestCT and #FreeThemNowCT). The organization's revenue model is donation-driven (one-time and recurring monthly contributions with suggested amounts of $10 to $2,500, plus planned giving through wills and trusts), supplemented by institutional grant support; no commercial pricing, API, or technology product exists. Katal's strategic model rests on coalitions of directly impacted people and partners, and it has documented legislative outcomes including influencing the 2019 New York bail reform, the Less Is More NY parole reform act, the December 2025 Jail and Prison Oversight Omnibus Bill, and the May 2026 State Commission of Correction reforms expanding commissioner seats to formerly incarcerated individuals.

Name

Katal Center

Legal name

Katal Center for Equity, Health and Justice

Website

https://katalcenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Katal Center for Equity, Health and Justice is a Brooklyn-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that organizes directly impacted communities to advance criminal justice, drug policy, prison oversight, and harm reduction reform in New York and Connecticut.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Criminal Justice Advocacy

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Government Accountability, Ethics & Anti-Corruption Advocacy (BPAGAFAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM)

Keywords

• Criminal justice advocacy
• Community organizing
• Harm reduction services
• Policy research
• Civic engagement

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Katal Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that develops intergenerational leadership and organizing capacity to build community-based power for systemic change in criminal justice, health, and justice. It delivers this through state-level advocacy campaigns (e.g., closing Rikers Island and LessIsMoreNY parole reform), a grassroots membership program, leadership trainings and coaching, civic engagement and voter mobilization, and policy research and reports that support reform legislation in New York and Connecticut.

Product overview

Katal Center is a nonprofit advocacy organization (EIN: 81-1323278) that offers a suite of programs and services focused on criminal justice reform and community organizing. The organization provides New York organizing campaigns (including #ShutRikers and #CutShutInvestNY), membership programs, trainings and coaching, civic engagement initiatives, policy research and reports, and media operations. Rather than a technology product, it operates as a membership-based advocacy organization that develops intergenerational leadership and organizing capacity to build community-based power for systemic change.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• #ShutRikers: Campaign to close Rikers Island jail complex in New York City
• #CutShutInvestNY
• #LessIsMoreNY
• #FreeThemNowCT
• #CutShutInvestCT

Quantifiable outcome

• Co-founded the #CLOSErikers campaign which led to NYC Mayor de Blasio agreeing to close Rikers Island
• +4 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• JustLeadershipUSA: National criminal-justice-reform organization led by directly impacted people. Directly comparable because Katal partnered with JustLeadershipUSA to found, build, and direct the #CLOSErikers campaign.
• The Osborne Association: New York–based nonprofit offering reentry, alternatives to incarceration, and family services. Comparable because it works on overlapping NY criminal-justice-reform priorities and serves formerly incarcerated populations, paralleling Katal's base.
• National Harm Reduction Coalition: National organization advancing harm reduction approaches to drug use. Comparable to Katal's harm-reduction-and-justice mandate, particularly Katal's advocacy for medication-assisted treatment in prisons and jails.
• Drug Policy Alliance: National nonprofit advancing drug policy reform and harm reduction. Highly comparable to Katal because both integrate harm reduction, drug decriminalization, and criminal justice reform organizing, and Katal explicitly frames its mission around ending the 'war on drugs'.
• Center for Community Alternatives: New York–based nonprofit working on alternatives to incarceration and reentry. Comparable because it operates in the same NY justice-reform ecosystem and overlaps with Katal's interest in diversion programs such as LEAD.
• Fortune Society: New York–based nonprofit providing reentry services and criminal justice advocacy. Comparable because it serves formerly incarcerated populations in New York and combines direct services with policy advocacy, mirroring Katal's member-driven organizing model.

Broad incumbents

• ACLU (Criminal Justice Reform project): Large national organization running major criminal justice reform campaigns including bail reform and parole reform. Comparable in advocacy agenda to Katal's wins (Less Is More NY, bail reform) but operates nationally with vastly greater resources.
• Brennan Center for Justice: Major national policy and law reform organization. Comparable because it works on criminal justice reform, voting rights, and government accountability—overlapping themes with Katal's prison oversight and policy advocacy—but operates at much larger scale.
• Vera Institute of Justice: Larger, established research-and-advocacy organization working on bail reform, sentencing, and incarceration. Comparable in mission (ending mass incarceration) but broader in scope, deeper in research capacity, and operates nationally rather than regionally like Katal.

Regional players

• Correctional Association of New York: New York nonprofit that monitors conditions inside state prisons—the same function Katal's prison oversight advocacy seeks to strengthen. Directly comparable mission and the organization Katal is currently defending from defunding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/katalcenter
• Facebookfacebook.com/katalcenter
• Instagraminstagram.com/katalcenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Katal Center