Unify America
Unify America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates the Civic Gym, a video-based dialogue platform pairing Americans across political and demographic differences for structured civic conversations, serving college students via the College Bowl, the general public via bi-monthly Unify Challenges, and communities through Citizens' Assemblies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersEvanston, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Unify America does
Unify America, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit civic engagement organization founded in 2020 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The company's core product, the Unify Challenge, is a guided video conversation platform that pairs Americans across political, geographic, and demographic differences for structured one-on-one dialogue around national priorities including healthcare, immigration, the economy, education, and criminal justice. Unify America serves four primary segments: college and university students (through the Civic Gym intercollegiate platform, including the Unify Challenge College Bowl and Deep Dive program), the general American public (via bi-monthly Unify Challenge events), higher education institutions (via paid Higher Ed Group Licenses to the Civic Gym), and local communities (through Citizens' Assemblies such as Unify Akron and Unify Montrose).
The technology stack centers on a secure participant-matching system that prioritizes political opposites first, then geography and demographics, delivered through AES-256 encrypted video sessions. Programming is delivered at no cost to individual participants and partner organizations, with Unify America handling onboarding, participation tracking, and impact reporting. Revenue flows from three streams: individual tax-deductible donations (with corporate matching amplification), Higher Ed Group Licenses sold via multi-year invoiced contracts to colleges and universities, and institutional grants from a foundation coalition that includes Stand Together, the Kettering Family Foundation, Boettcher Foundation, Dakota Foundation, El Pomar Foundation, Einhorn Collaborative, and Arthur Vining Davis Foundations. The organization has scaled to 26,000+ lifetime cross-difference conversations and 221+ college partners since 2021.
Unify America firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Unify America
- Legal name
- Unify America, Inc.
- Website
- https://unifyamerica.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Unify America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates the Civic Gym, a video-based dialogue platform pairing Americans across political and demographic differences for structured civic conversations, serving college students via the College Bowl, the general public via bi-monthly Unify Challenges, and communities through Citizens' Assemblies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Unify America industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Civic Engagement Platform
- NAICS
- Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Educational Services (611)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government) (EDAAAFAC), After-School Public Speaking & Debate Clubs (EDAMAOAB)
Keywords
Where Unify America is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Evanston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Unify America business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting the nonprofit mission. Donors can make one-time or monthly recurring donations, and can choose to remain anonymous. The organization accepts donor-advised fund contributions.
- Corporate Matching: Workplace gift matching programs where employers match employee charitable contributions, amplifying individual donation impact.
- Higher Ed Group Licenses: Licenses to the Civic Gym platform for higher education institutions (individual classes, entire institutions, or otherwise) purchased via invoice. These licenses are available to administration, faculty, or staff members at higher education institutions and are non-transferable with non-refundable fees.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free Civic Gym Programming |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Higher Ed Group License |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
Unify America product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Unify America operates Civic Gym, an intercollegiate civic preparedness platform that delivers the Unify Challenge — a one-on-one video-conversation experience pairing Americans with partners who hold different political views, geographies, or demographics, guided through structured survey discussions on national issues. Beyond higher education (Civic Gym, Unify Challenge College Bowl, Deep Dive), the organization runs bi-monthly public Unify Challenge events, Citizens' Assemblies for communities, and Democracy Leagues local initiatives such as Unify Akron and Unify Montrose. All programs are delivered through the proprietary Civic Gym Hub web platform.
Product overview
Unify America operates a unified civic engagement platform centered on its flagship Unify Challenge product, a guided video conversation experience that pairs Americans with politically or demographically different partners for structured dialogue. The company offers the Civic Gym as its primary higher education platform, which encompasses the Unify Challenge College Bowl intercollegiate competition and the Deep Dive program module. Community-level engagement is delivered through Citizens' Assemblies and the Democracy Leagues initiative, including local programs like Unify Akron and Unify Montrose. The ecosystem includes a participant portal (Civic Gym Hub/app.unifyamerica.org) where users register and access programs. All offerings are provided free of charge as the organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Civic Gym: An intercollegiate civic preparedness platform that brings college students together from different schools, backgrounds, beliefs, and locations to build civic muscles through experiential learning programs.
- Unify Challenge
- Deep Dive
- Democracy Leagues
Products and services
- Unify Challenge A guided video conversation experience that pairs individual Americans with someone who may vote differently or have different backgrounds, leading both through a structured survey on national issues including healthcare, immigration, the economy, education, and criminal justice. Available free to participants.
- Civic Gym An intercollegiate civic preparedness platform that brings college students together from different schools, backgrounds, beliefs, and locations to build civic and leadership skills through experiential learning programs. Licensed to higher education institutions via paid group access.
- Unify Challenge College Bowl Intercollegiate competition where students from different colleges and universities are paired for one-on-one conversations across political and geographic differences, with over 200 colleges participating since 2021.
- Deep Dive An experiential learning program component of the Civic Gym higher-education offering that provides students with deeper engagement opportunities to develop civic skills.
- Citizens' Assemblies Community deliberation programs that bring representative groups of residents together with time and information to deliberate on pressing public problems, resulting in consensus-driven plans of action.
- Democracy Leagues Community-level civic participation and bridge-building initiative that engages local residents in civic activities, including local programs like Unify Akron and Unify Montrose.
- Unify Akron A community assembly initiative in Akron, Ohio, that implements civic assembly principles at the local level to address community challenges through representative deliberation.
- Unify Montrose A deliberative democracy pilot in Montrose, Colorado, in which a randomly-selected representative jury of community members works together to tackle the issue of childcare access.
- Civic Gym Hub Web-based registration and participant portal at app.unifyamerica.org where users sign up and access the Unify Challenge and related Civic Gym programs.
Quantifiable outcome
- 26,000+ people have had one-on-one conversations across differences
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Unify America
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Unify America technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Unify America partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Duke UniversitycoreDuke University's Sanford School of Public Policy and Polis: Center for Politics partner with Unify America. Associate Professor Deondra Rose serves as an advocate, noting the Unify Challenge provides unique opportunities for students to connect with interlocutors whose positions differ and engage in authentic political discussion.
- Colorado Attorney General's OfficecorePartnered with Unify America on the Colorado Unify Challenge, bringing together hundreds of Coloradans from every corner of the state. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser (D) and former Secretary of State Wayne Williams (R) co-led the initiative to bridge increased divisions.
- Bridge AlliancecoreField partner organization working to deliver live, interactive experiences that reduce contempt and repair partisan divides.
- BridgeUSAcoreField partner organization focused on bridging political divides through youth engagement and cross-ideological dialogue.
- Campus CompactcoreNational coalition of college and university presidents committed to fulfilling the public purposes of higher education, partnering to deliver civic engagement programming.
- Living Room ConversationscoreField partner organization that creates conversational experiences across difference, aligned with Unify America's mission to bridge divides.
- Citizens' Assemblies and Deliberation Allies (CADA)coreField partner focused on deliberative democracy practices, supporting Citizens' Assembly implementations in communities.
- Federation for Innovation in Democracy North AmericacoreField partner organization working to advance deliberative democracy practices across North America.
- ALL IN Campus Democracy ChallengecoreField partner organization working to change campus culture and increase student voter participation, aligned with Unify America's civic engagement mission.
- Students Learn Students VotecoreField partner coalition focused on nonpartisan student voter engagement, partnering on campus-based civic initiatives.
- Vote.orgcoreField partner focused on voter mobilization and civic participation, aligned with Unify America's mission to increase civic engagement.
- FIREcoreField partner organization defending civil liberties and free speech on campus, partnering on dialogue initiatives.
- Gustavus Adolphus CollegecoreEducational institution partner where Hagar Attia, PhD utilizes the Unify Challenge to provide students hands-on opportunities to discuss important issues with diverse perspectives.
- University of AkroncoreHigher education partner participating in the Unify Challenge College Bowl, hosting community assembly initiatives through Unify Akron.
- Brown UniversitycoreIvy League institution partner in the Civic Gym community, participating in intercollegiate depolarization programs.
- Carnegie Mellon UniversitycoreResearch university partner in the Civic Gym community, participating in cross-difference dialogue programming.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Unify America competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge: Nonpartisan initiative working to change campus culture and increase student voter participation. Listed as an Unify America field partner — adjacent rather than direct competitor in the campus civic-engagement space.
Broad incumbents
- National Conference on Citizenship: Nonprofit that tracks and supports civic participation across the U.S. with policy and research outputs. Operates in the same civic engagement and democracy space with overlap in target audiences and the broader funder base.
- Campus Compact: National coalition of 1,100+ colleges and universities advancing the public purposes of higher ed. Functions as both a higher-ed distribution peer and a field partner, sharing Unify America's college channel.
- Bridge Alliance: Coalition of 90+ civic and depolarization organizations across the political spectrum. Operates as both a peer-network (Unify America is a member) and as a competitor for funder attention within the same broad category.
Direct peers
- Braver Angels: America's largest depolarization nonprofit running structured red/blue workshops, debates, and dialogues. Unify America competes for the same funder dollars and program slots on college campuses, with a similar structured-dialogue model.
- More in Common (US): International nonprofit with a U.S. branch dedicated to bridging divisions through research, narrative campaigns, and programs. Operates in the same depolarization mission space and competes for similar foundation funding.
- BridgeUSA: Student-led organization focused on political depolarization and constructive dialogue on U.S. college campuses — directly comparable to the Civic Gym's intercollegiate programming for college students.
- iCivics: Civic-education nonprofit providing curriculum, games, and resources to engage young people in civics. Comparable in mission of building civic engagement skills among students, with overlap in educational distribution and funder base.
- Living Room Conversations: Nonprofit that convenes structured one-on-one and small-group conversations across political, racial, and other divides. Listed as both a close peer and as an Unify America field partner — directly comparable conversation-as-service model.
Emerging players
- Heterodox Academy: Nonprofit advocating for viewpoint diversity and constructive disagreement in higher education. Comparable to Unify America's higher-ed mission of encouraging cross-difference dialogue on college campuses.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Unify America social profiles
Digital presenceUnify America compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Unify America financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Unify America leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Unify America funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Unify America 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 Unify America
What does Unify America do?
Unify America operates Civic Gym, an intercollegiate civic preparedness platform that delivers the Unify Challenge — a one-on-one video-conversation experience pairing Americans with partners who hold different political views, geographies, or demographics, guided through structured survey discussions on national issues. Beyond higher education (Civic Gym, Unify Challenge College Bowl, Deep Dive), the organization runs bi-monthly public Unify Challenge events, Citizens' Assemblies for communities, and Democracy Leagues local initiatives such as Unify Akron and Unify Montrose. All programs are delivered through the proprietary Civic Gym Hub web platform.
Is Unify America a public or private company?
Unify America is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Unify America founded?
Unify America was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Unify America based?
Unify America is headquartered in Evanston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Unify America make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate Matching and higher Ed Group Licenses.
Who are Unify America's main competitors?
ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are National Conference on Citizenship, Campus Compact and Bridge Alliance. Direct peers are Braver Angels, More in Common (US), BridgeUSA, iCivics and Living Room Conversations. Heterodox Academy is listed as an emerging player.
Does Unify America have an API?
No public API is recorded for Unify America.
What industry is Unify America in?
Unify America's product category is Civic Engagement Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAFAJ, Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy, with a secondary code of EDAAAFAC, Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government). Its NAICS code is 81341 and its SIC code is 8600.