Ground Works Consulting

What Ground Works Consulting does

Ground Works Consulting is an Oakland-based professional services firm that provides facilitation, research, policy analysis, and strategy consulting to government agencies, nonprofits, and foundations working on equitable community development and housing justice. Founded approximately in 2019–2020 and operating with 1–10 employees, the firm organizes its work around four service categories: Research & Policy, Engagement & Collaboration, Capacity & Organizational Development, and Program Design & Implementation. Its client base spans regional and national institutions, including NeighborWorks America, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), and a range of community development corporations and coalitions.

The firm monetizes through project-based consulting engagements priced on a quote basis, with revenue derived from contracts with nonprofits, public agencies, and philanthropic funders. Beyond direct advisory work, Ground Works produces a growing library of branded publications — toolkits, playbooks, and field guides — and operates cohort-based peer learning programs such as HEAL (in partnership with NeighborWorks America) and Leading with Equity (with ABAG across 12 Bay Area jurisdictions). The business model is human-capital intensive, with no disclosed technology platform, software product, or AI tooling; intellectual property resides primarily in the firm's publication corpus and the relational network of its principals. There are no disclosed funding rounds, investors, or financial statements.

Name

Ground Works Consulting

Legal name

Ground Works Consulting

Website

https://groundworksconsulting.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Oakland-based professional services firm providing facilitation, research, and strategy consulting to government agencies, nonprofits, and foundations on equitable community development and housing justice initiatives in California and nationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Performance Management & Productivity Consulting (BPAHAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Human Capital & Workforce Transformation Consulting (BPAHACAE), Research Administration & Grants Management Support (Pre/Post-Award, Compliance) (EDAEALAO)

Keywords

• Community development consulting
• Housing justice facilitation
• Equitable development strategy
• Racial equity advisory
• Capacity building services

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

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. Consulting and Advisory Services: The company generates revenue through professional consulting engagements including facilitation, research, policy analysis, strategic advising, and program design. Services are tailored to client needs and likely structured as project-based fees or retainer arrangements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ground Works Consulting is a professional services firm that provides facilitation, research, and strategy consulting to advance equitable community development and housing justice. The firm delivers four core service lines: Research & Policy, Engagement & Collaboration, Capacity & Organizational Development, and Program Design & Implementation, supporting government agencies, nonprofits, foundations, and community development organizations.

Product overview

Ground Works Consulting operates as a professional services firm offering consulting and facilitation services focused on equitable community development and housing justice. Their service portfolio includes four core offerings: Research & Policy, Engagement & Collaboration, Capacity & Organizational Development, and Program Design & Implementation. The firm also produces publications including toolkits, playbooks, research briefs, and field guides on topics such as racial equity in housing, community ownership policy, and health equity. Additionally, they facilitate cohort and peer learning programs such as the Health Equity Action Lab (HEAL), the Leading with Equity Cohort, and THRIVE School. These products and programs work together as an integrated approach—consulting services apply the frameworks and tools developed through their publications, while cohort programs build peer networks and shared learning that reinforce their consulting work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research & Policy Services Policy research and data analysis, case studies, toolkits and playbooks, technical assistance and strategic advising, and program evaluation services that help communities and institutions develop effective strategies for equitable development.
• Engagement & Collaboration Services Meeting and workshop facilitation, coalition and network development, governance and decision-making support, and community engagement strategy services that create intentional spaces for diverse stakeholders to build sustainable partnerships.
• Capacity & Organizational Development Services Individual and group coaching, adaptive leadership development, strategic planning, and grant writing and proposal development to help organizations develop robust frameworks and sustainable strategies.
• Program Design & Implementation Services Multi-stakeholder initiative design and launch, cohort and peer learning programs, project planning and management, and curriculum development and training to help organizations launch and sustain initiatives that advance equitable community development.
• The Health Equity Action Lab (HEAL) A cohort program facilitated in partnership with NeighborWorks America, bringing together community development organizations to tackle health equity challenges through peer learning, site visits, and collaborative problem-solving.
• Leading with Equity Cohort An ABAG-sponsored cohort of local jurisdiction staff from 12 Bay Area jurisdictions focused on building leadership skills and peer networks for advancing racial equity in housing planning and policy.
• THRIVE School A shared learning journey for the North Valley THRIVE steering committee, designed to develop shared language around economic concepts, examine existing conditions and inequities, and explore frameworks for creating quality jobs.
• Freedom's Revival: Research from the Headwaters of Liberation A field guide developed with Next River exploring freedom and its possibilities, examining the freedom central to struggles for justice, equality, and planetary survival.
• Advancing Racial Equity in Housing, Land, and Development A toolbox providing materials for local government staff and community partners to embed racial equity in housing and planning agencies' structures, policies, and practices.
• Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Policies and Programs Toolkit A toolkit highlighting 15 key strategies to support Bay Area jurisdictions in completing the crucial step of establishing fair housing goals, policies, and actions in their housing plans.
• Opportunity to Purchase Act Campaign Playbook A playbook outlining essential building blocks for a successful OPA campaign with resources to help advocates run their campaigns.
• Beyond the Win: Making Community Ownership Policies Stick Research brief drawing on interviews with 37 practitioners examining what happens after community ownership policy campaigns end and strategies for ensuring policies deliver on their promise.
• Advancing Community Ownership Policy Through Multi-Sector Partnerships & Coalitions Research brief examining how community ownership advocates can amplify their power by building strategic coalitions across sectors, identifying concrete strategies for forging and maintaining diverse coalitions.

Quantifiable outcome

• The Leading with Equity cohort program worked with staff from 12 Bay Area jurisdictions, helping participants develop skills to advance racial equity in housing policy.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Next RivercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGround Works collaborated with Next River to produce 'Freedom's Revival: Research from the Headwaters of Liberation,' a field guide exploring freedom and its possibilities in the context of liberation struggles. The partnership demonstrates the firm's approach to co-developing knowledge products with aligned organizations.
• Just Solutions CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGround Works partnered with Just Solutions Collective on a landscape scan assessing innovative practices at the intersection of climate and housing justice. The collaboration examined emerging practices from environmental justice organizations and needs on the ground to amplify this crucial work.
• NeighborWorks AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGround Works designed and facilitated NeighborWorks America's Health Equity Action Lab (HEAL) program, working alongside nine community development corporations. This multi-year engagement represents a flagship program demonstrating the firm's cohort facilitation and health equity expertise.
• Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGround Works designed and delivered the 'Leading with Equity' cohort program, sponsored by ABAG, for local jurisdiction staff from 12 Bay Area jurisdictions. The 12-month program combined leadership skills development, relationship building, and racial equity housing planning content.
• Center for Community InvestmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGround Works partnered with the Center for Community Investment to write a case study on Inclusive Action for the City's Community Owned Real Estate (CORE) program in Boyle Heights. The collaboration produced documentation of community investment approaches for the field.
• California Jobs First InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGround Works supports regional collaboratives participating in the California Jobs First initiative, including North Valley THRIVE and the Kern Coalition. The firm delivers shared learning programs (THRIVE School) and coalition development support as part of this statewide economic development effort.
• Chris Benner and Manuel Pastor (University of California, Santa Cruz / University of Southern California)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGround Works collaborated with professors Chris Benner and Manuel Pastor to support a funder collaborative in St. Louis working toward equitable growth. The partnership brought academic expertise to regional economic development planning efforts.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• PolicyLink: National research and action institute advancing racial and economic equity. Comparable on housing-equity research and policy advising, but operates at much larger scale and with broader issue coverage.
• Race Forward: National organization advancing racial equity through policy, research, and practice (operator of Government Alliance on Race and Equity). Operates in adjacent equity consulting space with broader portfolio.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): Major national community development financial institution supporting CDCs and equitable development initiatives. Adjacent on the community-development-consulting axis at significantly greater scale and capital.
• Enterprise Community Partners: Large national community development intermediary providing capital, policy, and consulting for affordable housing. Much larger and broader, but overlaps in equity-focused housing advisory work.

Direct peers

• CompassPoint Nonprofit Services: Bay Area-based nonprofit consulting and capacity-building firm serving CDCs and social-change organizations. Highly comparable practice model to Ground Works' Capacity & Organizational Development services.
• Center for Community Investment: National nonprofit that works with foundations, governments, and CDCs on community investment and racial equity. Direct peer: cited as a partner on a case study of Inclusive Action for the City; comparable facilitation/research scope.
• Urban Habitat: Bay Area equity and housing organization that Ground Works co-authored the Building a Community-Centered Housing Preservation Ecosystem publication with. Overlapping Bay Area client base and equity-housing focus.
• National Equity Project: Oakland-based organization providing equity-centered coaching, leadership development, and learning programs to schools and community organizations. Comparable on adaptive leadership and cohort delivery.
• Just Solutions Collective: A national collaborative working at the intersection of climate and housing justice. Direct peer: Ground Works named it as a strategic partner on a landscape scan of climate-housing justice practices, indicating overlapping clientele and consulting scope.
• Management Assistance Group (MAG): Consulting firm specializing in organizational development and capacity building for social-change nonprofits and foundations. Direct peer on facilitation, cohort programming, and equity-centered practice.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Ground Works Consulting