Transform
Transform is a 1997-founded Oakland-based nonprofit that advances equitable transportation, affordable housing, and climate policy across the nine-county Bay Area through coalition building, policy advocacy, and community programs including Safe Routes to Schools, Mobility Hubs, and SPOT SJ.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersOakland, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Transform does
Transform is a nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 1997 and headquartered in Oakland, California, that operates at the intersection of climate action, affordable housing, and sustainable transportation across the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. The organization builds and coordinates coalitions of transportation, housing, and climate groups to influence regional policy and direct funding toward transit, active transportation, and affordable housing for communities of color and low-income residents. Its core constituencies include low-income Bay Area residents, transit-dependent riders, youth (via the Safe Routes to Schools program in Alameda County), and historically impacted communities; its secondary constituents are local and regional government agencies such as MTC, ABAG, the San Jose Department of Transportation, and CARB.
Transform's programmatic portfolio spans community-facing initiatives and policy advocacy campaigns. Programs include Safe Routes to Schools (active transportation education in Alameda County), the Mobility Hubs Pilot (car sharing, EV sharing, and transit passes at affordable housing sites with First Community Housing, Richmond Community Foundation, and EBALDC), and SPOT SJ (a smart parking pilot with SJDOT and technology partner Umojo under a USDOT SMART Grant). Policy work centers on the Transit-Oriented Communities Policy, the Cap-and-Invest Program, and a 2026 regional transit funding ballot measure campaign targeting $50 billion in new funding by 2030. Transform does not develop or sell proprietary technology products; its technology-adjacent work is delivered through partners and focuses on community engagement, research, and storytelling rather than software.
Transform is funded through donations, foundation grants (e.g., San Francisco Foundation), state climate allocations (California Climate Investments), and federal grants (USDOT SMART). It has no disclosed revenue, no product pricing, and no commercial GTM motion; its operating model is community-led coalition advocacy supported by 11–50 staff and an executive team led by Executive Director Jenn, with Transportation Policy Director Zack Deutsch-Gross driving policy work.
Transform firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Transform
- Legal name
- TRANSFORM
- Website
- https://transformca.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Transform is a 1997-founded Oakland-based nonprofit that advances equitable transportation, affordable housing, and climate policy across the nine-county Bay Area through coalition building, policy advocacy, and community programs including Safe Routes to Schools, Mobility Hubs, and SPOT SJ.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Transform industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nonprofit Transportation and Climate Policy Advocacy
- NAICS
- Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF)
Keywords
Where Transform is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oakland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Transform business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Grants: As a nonprofit organization, Transform relies on donations from supporters and grants to fund its operations and advocacy campaigns. The organization actively seeks donations through its website and engages in fundraising efforts to support its mission of climate and equity work.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
Transform product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Transform is a nonprofit advocacy organization that builds coalitions of transportation, housing, and climate groups to win transformative public investments and policy changes in the California Bay Area. It delivers community programs (e.g., Safe Routes to Schools, Mobility Hubs Pilot, SPOT SJ) and conducts policy advocacy linking affordable housing with sustainable transit and climate goals. Its work targets regional, state, and local government decision-makers while mobilizing communities of color and historically impacted residents.
Product overview
Transform is a nonprofit advocacy organization (not a technology product company) that operates a portfolio of transportation and housing programs. Its main offerings include the Safe Routes to Schools program promoting active transportation for students, the SPOT SJ smart parking initiative in San Jose, the Mobility Hubs Pilot providing shared mobility access at affordable housing sites, and transit-oriented communities advocacy linking housing density to climate goals. These programs are advocacy and community engagement initiatives rather than software products or technology platforms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Safe Routes to Schools A community program that promotes walking, biking, and rolling to school for students in Alameda County and the Bay Area, including events like Bike to School Day, the Golden Sneaker Contest, and Reboot Your Commute.
- Mobility Hubs Pilot A multi-year community-centered pilot that gives affordable housing residents access to shared transportation options such as car sharing, EV sharing, and transit passes, supported by California Climate Investments.
- SPOT SJ (Smart Parking for Optimal Transportation in San Jose) A smart parking initiative that uses parking technology tools, curb digitization, and community engagement to make more efficient use of existing spaces, create vibrant streets, and reduce housing costs in San Jose.
- Transit-Oriented Communities Advocacy Advocacy and policy work linking housing, transit, and climate goals through the Transit-Oriented Communities Policy, promoting density near transit stations and funding compliance tied to housing outcomes.
- Regional Transportation Funding Campaign Coalition-based advocacy to secure $50 billion in new funding for sustainable transportation and affordable housing by 2030, including support for a regional transit funding measure on the 2026 ballot and rescinding current transit cuts.
Quantifiable outcome
- Transit ridership increase to 1.7 million trips per day in Bay Area by 2030
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Transform
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Transform technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Transform partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- San Jose Department of Transportation (SJDOT)coreThrough a USDOT SMART Grant, SJDOT and Transform are piloting innovative tools to better understand curb space use downtown. Transform provides community engagement expertise while SJDOT builds the digital infrastructure for the SPOT SJ project.
- East Bay Housing Organizations (EBHO)coreEBHO is a key coalition partner in Transform's work linking affordable housing and transit. EBHO's Board President William Goodwin framed Affordable Housing Month discussions. Transform and EBHO collaborate on housing-transit advocacy and signature gathering for regional transit measures.
- SV@HomecoreSV@Home (Silicon Valley at Home) partners with Transform on housing and transit advocacy in Santa Clara County. Kenneth Javier-Rosales represented SV@Home in discussions on linking affordable housing funding to transit.
- Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo CountycoreKen Chan from the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County participates in Transform-facilitated discussions on affordable housing and transit funding advocacy.
- Coalition of Community Housing Developers in San FranciscocoreQuintin Mecke represented the Coalition of Community Housing Developers in San Francisco in Transform's coalition discussions on transit and housing integration.
- Bike East BayminorBike East Bay organized Bike to Wherever Day and helped build excitement around biking and active transportation in the East Bay. Transform collaborates with Bike East Bay on community events.
- OaklandishminorOaklandish donated T-shirts from their AC Transit collaboration for school champions organizing Bike to School Day celebrations. Support helped bring excitement and community spirit to the event.
- Oakland BallersminorOakland Ballers donated tickets for participating schools as part of Bike to School Day celebrations.
- Oakland RootsminorOakland Roots donated tickets for participating schools as part of Bike to School Day celebrations.
- Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools ProgramcoreTransform coordinates with the Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools Program to bring safety activities, BikeMobile, and Bike Rodeo to community events like the Alameda Bike Fest.
- San Jose Downtown Association (SJDA)coreTransform partnered with SJDA to conduct a survey of local businesses on parking and transportation access. The survey showed business support for parking reform and creative street uses. Both organizations continue collaborating on resources for local businesses.
- First Community HousingcoreFirst Community Housing is a site partner in Transform's multi-year Car Sharing and Mobility Hubs Pilot Project. Their Site Level Team members helped develop the final survey design and participate in community-centered evaluation.
- Richmond Community FoundationcoreRichmond Community Foundation is a site partner in Transform's Mobility Hubs Pilot Project, helping develop survey design and participate in community-centered evaluation processes.
- East Bay Asian Local Development CorporationcoreEast Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (EBALDC) is a site partner in Transform's Mobility Hubs Pilot Project, contributing to community engagement and evaluation efforts.
- Voices for Public TransportationcoreTransform is a member of Voices for Public Transportation, working with MTC, Bay Area transit operators, and state legislature to advance authorizing legislation for transit funding.
- Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC)coreMTC is the primary regional transportation agency that Transform engages with on policy advocacy. Transform works with MTC on Transit-Oriented Communities Policy, regional funding measures, OBAG programs, and the Bay Area Transit Transformation Action Plan.
- Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG)coreABAG is the regional agency that creates policy alongside MTC for Plan Bay Area 2050. Transform has worked with ABAG since 2004 to promote smarter development around transit lines.
- California Air Resources Board (CARB)minorTransform engages with CARB on Cap-and-Invest Program and climate policy. The organization has advocated against proposed rule changes that would reduce funding for affordable housing and transit programs.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Transform competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Sierra Club: Large national environmental organization with active California campaigns on transit, housing, and climate. Broader portfolio but overlapping policy and advocacy terrain with Transform.
- Climate Action Campaign: National coalition advocating for equitable climate and clean transportation policy. Comparable focus on integrating climate, equity, and transportation advocacy at the policy level.
- Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): Large national environmental advocacy organization with significant California climate, transportation, and equity work. Overlaps with Transform on climate policy and Cap-and-Trade advocacy but operates at a far broader scale.
Direct peers
- Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition: Regional advocacy organization promoting bicycling and active transportation in Santa Clara County. Direct overlap with Transform's Safe Routes to Schools and active transportation programming.
- SPUR (San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association): Bay Area-focused policy research and advocacy organization working on housing, transportation, and urban planning. Closely comparable mission, regional scope, and policy-engagement model to Transform.
- Public Advocates: California-based legal and policy advocacy nonprofit working on transit equity, affordable housing, and community development. Comparable equity-driven policy and coalition advocacy model.
- Move LA: Coalition-driven advocacy organization focused on securing transit funding through ballot measures and legislative campaigns in California. Highly comparable model of coalition-based transportation funding advocacy.
- Greenlining Institute: California policy and advocacy organization focused on racial equity across housing, climate, transportation, and economic justice. Directly comparable equity-centered advocacy approach and Bay Area/California policy engagement.
- California Housing Partnership: Nonprofit working on affordable housing preservation and production policy in California. Comparable housing-policy advocacy orientation and overlapping coalition partners with Transform.
Others
- Streetsblog California: California-focused transportation advocacy and journalism outlet covering transit, biking, and street design. Adjacent to Transform's active transportation and transit funding communications work.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Transform social profiles
Digital presenceTransform financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Transform leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Transform funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Transform 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 Transform
What does Transform do?
Transform is a nonprofit advocacy organization that builds coalitions of transportation, housing, and climate groups to win transformative public investments and policy changes in the California Bay Area. It delivers community programs (e.g., Safe Routes to Schools, Mobility Hubs Pilot, SPOT SJ) and conducts policy advocacy linking affordable housing with sustainable transit and climate goals. Its work targets regional, state, and local government decision-makers while mobilizing communities of color and historically impacted residents.
Is Transform a public or private company?
Transform is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Transform founded?
Transform was founded in 1997. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Transform based?
Transform is headquartered in Oakland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Transform make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Grants.
Who are Transform's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Sierra Club, Climate Action Campaign and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Direct peers are Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, SPUR (San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association), Public Advocates, Move LA, Greenlining Institute and California Housing Partnership. Streetsblog California is listed as an others.
Does Transform have an API?
No public API is recorded for Transform.
What industry is Transform in?
Transform's product category is Nonprofit Transportation and Climate Policy Advocacy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAGAF, Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation. Its NAICS code is 925 and its SIC code is 8300.