The Racial Equity Index

What The Racial Equity Index does

The Racial Equity Index (REI) is a volunteer-led BIPOC collective founded in July 2020 that produces the first-ever index and measurement tools for assessing racial equity within the global development sector. The organization serves nonprofits, multilateral institutions, philanthropic foundations, and private-sector actors operating in international development, with a primary buyer persona of organizational leadership and boards. REI's stated purpose is to address the accountability gap in a sector whose roots trace to imperialist structures that enabled the Slave Trade and Colonialism, by giving organizations a structured way to measure and improve their racial-equity practices.

Its core product portfolio consists of the Racial Equity Index (a measurement and scoring tool evaluating organizations' internal power structures, funding streams, programming, research design, evaluation, marketing, and external community engagement), the Global Mapping Survey (a multilingual instrument available in 10+ languages including Bahasa Indonesia, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, English, French, and Kiswahili that has collected 700+ responses across 83 countries), and the Accountability Partners Program (a structured three-phase engagement with bimonthly learning cohorts). The technology stack is fundamentally survey-based and methodology-driven: there is no proprietary software product, no mobile app, no public API, and no AI/ML components. Data outputs are qualitative and quantitative reports that have been peer-reviewed internally and by an independent external peer-review group.

REI operates under a nonprofit revenue model funded through donations processed via its fiscal sponsor Moore Impact (a 501(c)(3), Tax ID 84-4714243), grants (first received in 2021 from UK-based The Pocressi Initiative), Patreon recurring community support, and sliding-scale event ticket sales via Eventbrite. The organization does not sell commercial products or services, has no disclosed pricing, and remains entirely volunteer-led with 11 core volunteers plus 5 peer reviewers distributed across India, Indonesia, El Salvador, Switzerland, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. REI is not separately incorporated and is fiscally sponsored by Moore Impact. The collective announced a planned year-long rest phase beginning July 1, 2025, citing the unsustainable burden of volunteer-led accountability work.

Name

The Racial Equity Index

Legal name

The Racial Equity Index

Website

https://theracialequityindex.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Racial Equity Index is a volunteer-led BIPOC collective that builds the first-ever index and multilingual survey tools to measure racial equity in the global development sector, serving nonprofits, multilaterals, philanthropists, and private-sector organizations worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Impact Measurement and DEI Advocacy

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

Racial & Ethnic Justice Organizations (BPAGAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Human Rights, Social Inclusion & Disability Inclusion (BPAGABAN)

Keywords

• Racial equity measurement
• Global development accountability
• DEI benchmarking tools
• Nonprofit sector assessment
• BIPOC advocacy research

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Mary Of The Woods

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: The organization accepts donations through its fiscal sponsor Moore Impact, a 501(c)(3) registered tax-exempt organization in the United States. Grants are also received, such as from The Pocressi Initiative for collective care and wellbeing.
2. Event Ticket Sales: The organization sells tickets to its events using a sliding scale pricing model to ensure accessibility. Tickets are sold through Eventbrite.
3. Patreon Community Support: Community members can support the organization through Patreon membership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Racial Equity Index produces a measurement tool and index that scores racial equity practices within organizations in the global development sector, including nonprofits, multilateral bodies, philanthropic foundations, and private-sector institutions. Its core delivery includes the multilingual Global Mapping Survey (10+ languages), the published Racial Equity Index, and the Accountability Partners Program that requires partner organizations to take the measurement three times alongside bimonthly learning cohort sessions.

Product overview

The Racial Equity Index is a volunteer-led BIPOC collective producing the first-ever index and advocacy tools for measuring racial equity specifically within the global development sector. The core product portfolio consists of the Racial Equity Index (a measurement and accountability tool targeting organisations' internal power structures, funding streams, programming, research design and evaluation, marketing, and external community engagement) and the Global Mapping Survey (a multilingual survey instrument collecting demographic and qualitative data). The Accountability Partners Program is an engagement module that enables organisations to use the index measurement tool through a structured three-phase process with learning cohorts. The organisation also maintains a Learning Partnership with The Better Org to pilot the index with organisations seeking equitable workspace commitments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Racial Equity Index An accountability measurement tool and index designed to measure racial equity within and across the global development sector, targeting nonprofit, multilateral, philanthropic and private sector organizations.
• Global Mapping Survey A comprehensive survey instrument launched in 10+ languages to collect quantitative and qualitative data on the state of racial equity in the global development sector.
• Accountability Partners Program An organizational engagement program where partner organizations take the Racial Equity Index measurement tool three times and participate in bimonthly learning cohort sessions to advance racial equity practices.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 700 survey responses from 83 countries
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered strategic.

• Center for Intersectional JusticestrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020A non-profit organization founded in 2017 and based in Berlin. CIJ engages in advocacy, policy-oriented research and offers training to make diversity, anti-discrimination and equality policies more inclusive and effective in addressing structural inequality in Europe, promoting diversity and tackling inequalities based on gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age and nationality.
• CharitySoWhitestrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharitySoWhite's vision is of a charity sector taking the lead on tackling and rooting out racism. Their mission is to shift fundamental structures across the charity sector where leaders and decision-makers reflect the communities they work with, demanding serious investment and commitment from leaders.
• The Better OrgstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerA joint learning partnership focused on going beyond DEI standards to explore the breadth and depth of anti-racism and racial equity in global development organizations. The Better Org will utilize the Racial Equity Index's research and tools to support organisations in their racial equity audits, combining expertise in transforming systemwide practice through advocacy and development of racial equity accountability systems.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• CharitySoWhite: UK-based movement tackling racism in the charity sector. Strategic partner of REI and directly comparable in mission: pressuring nonprofit/charitable organizations to address racial inequity in leadership and decision-making.
• Center for Intersectional Justice: Berlin-based nonprofit conducting advocacy and policy-oriented research on structural inequality, anti-discrimination, and intersectional approaches. Directly comparable as a racial equity advocacy and policy organization serving global/international contexts.
• The Better Org: DEI and racial equity audit provider operating a joint learning partnership with REI. Directly comparable as it works with organizations to measure and improve equity practices, often using REI's research outputs.

Broad incumbents

• Candid: Major nonprofit data and research organization producing intelligence on the social sector including philanthropic and DEI-related indicators. Comparable as a data-and-research backbone for the nonprofit ecosystem.
• Global Integrity: Established independent organization producing data and analysis on governance and anti-corruption accountability. Comparable as a sector-spanning accountability and benchmarking producer in the international development space.
• Publish What You Fund: International aid transparency and accountability organization that benchmarks donor organizations. Comparable as a sector-wide accountability/benchmarking initiative targeting the same global development ecosystem REI addresses.
• Bond: UK membership network for international development organizations. Comparable as a sector convening body in global development where REI is featured and where accountability conversations about equity take place.

Emerging players

• Global Philanthropy Project: Collaboration of global foundations advancing LGBTQI+ and racial equity in international philanthropy. Comparable as a funder-facing initiative seeking to embed equity accountability into grantmaking practices.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/RaceEquityIndex
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-racial-equity-index

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 The Racial Equity Index