Project South

What Project South does

Project South is a nonprofit movement-building and leadership development organization founded in 1986 and headquartered at 9 Gammon Ave SE in Atlanta, Georgia. Operating under its legal name "Project South: The Institute for the Elimination of Poverty and Genocide," the organization concentrates on social and economic justice for frontline communities in the Southern United States, with primary focus on immigrant and refugee communities facing detention and deportation, Muslim communities targeted by surveillance and preemptive prosecution, Black communities and communities of color affected by mass incarceration and systemic oppression, and youth organizers engaged in school-to-prison pipeline reform and budget advocacy. Geographic operations span at least 13 Southern states including Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Tennessee, and Florida, with regional organizers based in locations such as Uniontown, Alabama and South Atlanta.

The organization structures its work around four core initiatives — Brownsville Futures, Countering State Repression, Southern Organizing, and Movement Operations — supplemented by named programs including the Southern Movement Assembly (a regional convening that brought together 400+ organizers from 100+ organizations in its fifth iteration), the Septima Clark Community Power Institute (political education for youth organizers), the Youth Community Action Program (youth-led organizing through the #10Mil4Real campaign), and Know Your Rights Presentations for immigrant, refugee, and Muslim communities. Research and advocacy outputs include the "Imprisoned Justice: Inside Two Georgia Immigration Detention Centers" report co-produced with Penn State Law, which contributed to policy outcomes such as sanctuary city protections in Decatur, Georgia and ongoing litigation against CoreCivic over forced labor claims at Stewart Detention Center.

Project South is funded primarily through donations and member contributions rather than commercial product sales, with no revenue, funding round, or financial disclosure provided. Leadership comprises co-directors Stephanie Guilloud and Emery Wright, Legal & Advocacy Director Azadeh Shahshahani (former president of the National Lawyers Guild), and a distributed staff of regional organizers. The organization operates as the connective hub of an extensive coalition ecosystem that includes the Southern Poverty Law Center, Detention Watch Network, Black Alliance for Just Immigration, Critical Resistance, Southerners On New Ground, Georgia Detention Watch, Southern Center for Human Rights, National Immigration Law Center, and Highlander Research & Education Center, among others. Distribution relies on community organizing, press engagement, social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), email ([email protected]), community radio (780 minutes/year on WRFG 89.3), and 150,000 miles of annual field travel.

Name

Project South

Legal name

Project South: The Institute for the Elimination of Poverty and Genocide

Website

https://projectsouth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Project South is a 1986-founded, Atlanta-based nonprofit that builds leadership and movement infrastructure for immigrant, Muslim, Black, and youth communities across 13 Southern states through advocacy, political education, coalition organizing, and litigation support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Justice Advocacy Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Leadership, Civic Education & Service-Learning Nonprofits (BPAGADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civic, Citizenship & Community Engagement Education (EDAAAEAI), Community Service & Service-Learning Programs (School-Run) (EDAJAJAI), Volunteerism, Service-Learning & Community Service (EDALAHAG)

Keywords

• Community organizing services
• Leadership development programs
• Immigrant rights advocacy
• Political education training
• Social justice advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Project South is a nonprofit Southern-based leadership development and movement-building organization that provides community organizing, popular political education, legal advocacy support, and coalition coordination for immigrant, Muslim, Black, and youth communities across the U.S. Southeast. Its portfolio is organized around four core initiatives (Brownsville Futures, Countering State Repression, Southern Organizing, Movement Operations) and includes programs such as the Southern Movement Assembly, Septima Clark Community Power Institute, Youth Community Action Program, and Know Your Rights Presentations, supplemented by research reports on immigration detention and an educational publications shop.

Product overview

Project South is a nonprofit Southern-based leadership development and movement-building organization, not a technology company. It offers a portfolio of advocacy programs, political education initiatives, and community organizing services organized around four core initiatives: Brownsville Futures, Countering State Repression, Southern Organizing, and Movement Operations. Key programs include the Southern Movement Assembly (a regional convening for frontline communities), the Septima Clark Community Power Institute (youth leadership training), the Youth Community Action Program (youth organizing), and Know Your Rights presentations for immigrant and Muslim communities. The organization also publishes educational materials and research reports on immigration detention and social justice issues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brownsville Futures One of Project South's four core initiatives focused on community development and leadership building in the Brownsville area.
• Countering State Repression One of Project South's four core initiatives focused on defending immigrant and Muslim communities against state repression including FBI surveillance and preemptive prosecution.
• Southern Organizing One of Project South's four core initiatives focused on regional organizing across the Southern United States including Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Tennessee, and Florida.
• Movement Operations One of Project South's four core initiatives supporting movement infrastructure and operations for social justice organizations across the U.S. South.
• Southern Movement Assembly Regional assembly bringing together frontline communities from across the U.S. South to share, learn, and plan collective action for social and economic justice; convened with 15 anchor organizations and over 100 member organizations across 13 Southern states.
• Septima Clark Community Power Institute Political education and leadership development program for youth organizers; part of Project South's capacity-building work with 100 hours of programming delivered per year.
• Youth Community Action Program (YCAP) Youth-led organizing program empowering young people in South Atlanta to build political power and reshape school budgets through the #10Mil4Real campaign; 186 hours delivered per year.
• Know Your Rights Presentations Legal education presentations for immigrant, refugee, and Muslim communities about rights during interactions with police, at work, or at school; co-organized with partners such as Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR).
• Imprisoned Justice Report Year-long investigation and report titled 'Imprisoned Justice: Inside Two Georgia Immigration Detention Centers' documenting conditions at Stewart Detention Center and Irwin County Detention Center, released jointly with Penn State Law Center for Immigrants' Rights Clinic.
• Educational Publications (Shop) Educational materials and books sold through the Project South online store, including titles such as 'Anatomy of a Movement: The Zapatistas', 'Black Radical Traditions in the US South', 'It Ain't Just About a Vote', and 'Popular Education for Movement Building' for movement building and political education.

Quantifiable outcome

• Organized Southern Movement Assembly bringing together 100+ organizations from 13 Southern states
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Penn State Law Center for Immigrants' Rights CliniccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on year-long investigation resulting in the 'Imprisoned Justice: Inside Two Georgia Immigration Detention Centers' report covering Stewart Detention Center and Irwin County Detention Center. Joint research, interviews with detained immigrants, and policy advocacy work.
• Georgia Detention WatchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of organizations advocating to end inhumane detention and law enforcement policies against immigrant communities in Georgia. Co-organizes protests, press conferences, and advocacy campaigns for detention center closures.
• Southern Movement Assembly PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of 15 anchor organizations and 100+ member organizations across 13 Southern states working on frontline assemblies addressing Just Transition, Community Sovereignty, Racial Justice, Democracy, Displacement, and Youth organizing.
• Southern Center for Human RightscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on litigation challenging discriminatory utility policies in LaGrange, GA that disproportionately impact Black and Latino residents.
• National Immigration Law CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-plaintiff in federal lawsuit challenging discriminatory utility policies affecting immigrant communities.
• Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partner on immigrant rights advocacy, co-organizing Know Your Rights presentations, policy campaigns, and direct action.
• Detention Watch NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational coalition working to expose and challenge immigration detention injustices. Joint advocacy for closure of detention facilities.
• Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership connecting Black immigrant and African American communities on issues of racial justice and immigration rights.
• Southerners On New Ground (SONG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner on LGBTQ rights and racial justice, co-organizing Atlanta for Abolition campaign and events to dismantle prison industrial complex.
• Solutions Not Punishment Coalition (SNaP-Co)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on pre-arrest diversion programs and campaigns to defund police in Atlanta schools.
• Critical ResistancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization working to abolish prison industrial complex. Co-hosted Atlanta for Abolition events and photography installation.
• WonderRoot Community Arts CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArts organization hosting community events including the Degrees of Visibility photography installation and cultural events toward prison abolition.
• AlternacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeorgia-based immigrant rights organization, partner in Georgia Detention Watch coalition and detention advocacy.
• Georgia January 20th CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition demanding Atlanta declare itself a sanctuary city, led by impacted communities opposing racism, Islamophobia, and xenophobia.
• Southern Poverty Law CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on anti-immigrant legislation response and broader civil rights advocacy in Georgia.
• Georgia Not1More CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition working to stop deportations and protect immigrant communities. Partner in Hate Free Decatur campaign resulting in police policy changes.
• Coalición de Líderes Latinos (CLILA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeorgia Latino advocacy organization, member of Georgia Detention Watch coalition.
• US Human Rights NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network connecting local human rights work to international accountability mechanisms.
• Gulf South RisingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional movement coordinating K10 Week of Action around Katrina anniversary, connecting climate justice with social justice.
• Highlander Research & Education CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric Southern social justice organization, partner in movement building and organizer training.
• Georgia Peace & Justice CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeorgia-based peace and justice coalition, partner on Honduras solidarity and human rights advocacy.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Southern Poverty Law Center: Major Southern-based civil rights nonprofit with litigation, advocacy, and education programs. Project South partners with SPLC on anti-immigrant legislation response, making them directly comparable in mission, geography, and operating model.
• Southerners On New Ground (SONG): Regional Southern LGBTQ and racial justice organization. Project South partners with SONG on Atlanta for Abolition campaign, making them directly comparable as a Southern-based intersectional movement-building organization.
• Black Alliance for Just Immigration: Organization connecting Black immigrant and African American communities on racial justice and immigration rights. Project South is a direct partner on this intersectional advocacy, making them closely comparable in mission and constituency focus.
• National Immigration Law Center: National immigrant rights advocacy and litigation organization. Co-plaintiff with Project South on federal lawsuits challenging discriminatory policies, making them directly comparable in legal advocacy focus on immigrant communities.
• Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR): Georgia-based Latino advocacy organization focused on immigrant rights. Long-standing partner with Project South on Know Your Rights presentations and policy campaigns, making them directly comparable in target constituency and regional advocacy focus.
• Highlander Research & Education Center: Historic Southern social justice organization focused on popular education and organizer training. Project South partners with Highlander on movement building, making them directly comparable as a Southern leadership development and political education organization.
• Detention Watch Network: National coalition exposing and challenging immigration detention injustices. Project South is a core partner on detention advocacy, making them directly comparable in target issue area and coalition-based organizing model.
• Critical Resistance: National organization working to abolish the prison industrial complex. Co-hosts events with Project South, making them directly comparable in their prison abolition and decarceration advocacy focus.

Broad incumbents

• ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union): Large national civil liberties organization with litigation, advocacy, and education across many issues including immigrant rights and racial justice. Overlaps with Project South's mission but operates at vastly greater scale across all 50 states.
• Center for Constitutional Rights: National legal advocacy organization working on civil and human rights litigation. Comparable in legal advocacy approach and immigrant rights work but operates at a national scale with broader portfolio beyond Project South's regional focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/projectsouth
• Facebookfacebook.com/ProjectSouthAtl
• Instagraminstagram.com/projectsouthatl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/project-south

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 Project South