The Fairness Project
The Fairness Project is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit founded in 2016 that funds, staffs, and manages state-level ballot measure campaigns to advance progressive policies on wages, healthcare, reproductive rights, and direct democracy itself, partnering with in-state coalitions across more than a dozen U.S. states.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Fairness Project does
The Fairness Project is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization founded in 2016 and headquartered in Washington, DC. It is the nation's leading organization dedicated to advancing social and economic justice through citizen-led ballot measures, and it operates by providing funding, technical assistance, polling, strategic guidance, and hands-on campaign management to state-level coalitions. The organization's "products" are not commercial goods but policy outcomes: ballot-measure wins that deliver higher wages, expanded healthcare, reproductive rights, paid leave, and protections for direct democracy itself.
Since founding, the organization has won more than 40 campaigns across more than a dozen states, impacting the lives of over 23 million people. Quantitative outcomes disclosed include $30 billion delivered to workers through wage campaigns, more than 1 million people gaining healthcare through Medicaid expansion, and more than 17 million voters casting ballots on its measures in the 2023–2024 cycle. In 2024, the organization became the largest backer of abortion-rights ballot measure campaigns (deploying over $30 million), and in 2026 it spent over $12 million to support the successful Virginia redistricting referendum.
The business model is donor-funded nonprofit economics rather than commercial revenue. Contributions are accepted via ActBlue, and the Development Director and Development Manager function support institutional and major-gift fundraising. Distribution occurs exclusively through state coalition partnerships — TFP partners with in-state grassroots coalitions (e.g., Reproductive Freedom for All Arizona, Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, Arkansans for a Fair Wage, South Dakotans Decide Healthcare) that execute signature collection, voter outreach, and GOTV. The organization does not develop or sell technology products, does not offer an API, and operates no commercial product surface; the closest analog to a product line is the Ballot Measure Rescue Campaign (a 2021-launched initiative to defend direct democracy through litigation and legislative advocacy) and the "Direct Democracy Under Assault" research report franchise.
The Fairness Project firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Fairness Project
- Legal name
- The Fairness Project
- Website
- https://thefairnessproject.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Fairness Project is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit founded in 2016 that funds, staffs, and manages state-level ballot measure campaigns to advance progressive policies on wages, healthcare, reproductive rights, and direct democracy itself, partnering with in-state coalitions across more than a dozen U.S. states.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Fairness Project industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Political Advocacy Services
- NAICS
- Political Organizations (813940), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Electoral Support & Election Observation (BPADAGAA)
Keywords
Where The Fairness Project is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Fairness Project business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: The Fairness Project is a nonprofit organization funded primarily through donations from individuals, progressive foundations, and other charitable contributors. The organization accepts donations through platforms like ActBlue and relies on public support to fund ballot measure campaigns.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
The Fairness Project product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Fairness Project is a nonprofit advocacy organization that supports ballot measure campaigns by providing funding, technical assistance, polling, strategic guidance, and campaign expertise to state-level coalitions and partner organizations. It also runs the Ballot Measure Rescue Campaign to defend direct democracy against legislative attacks and produces research publications documenting threats to ballot initiatives. Since 2016, it has helped win more than 40 campaigns in over a dozen states on issues such as minimum wage, Medicaid expansion, reproductive rights, paid leave, and redistricting.
Product overview
The Fairness Project is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that operates as a campaign support organization rather than a software product company. Its offerings consist of ballot measure campaign support services (funding, technical assistance, strategic guidance, polling), the Ballot Measure Rescue Campaign (defending direct democracy against legislative attacks), and research publications documenting threats to ballot initiatives. The organization has helped win over 40 campaigns in more than a dozen states on issues including raising wages, expanding healthcare, protecting reproductive rights, and securing paid leave.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Ballot Measure Campaign Support Services
- Ballot Measure Rescue Campaign
- Direct Democracy Under Assault Report
Quantifiable outcome
- 40+ ballot measure campaigns won since 2016
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use The Fairness Project
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
The Fairness Project technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Fairness Project partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Virginians for Fair ElectionscoreCoalition campaign to pass a constitutional amendment temporarily reforming Virginia's redistricting process. The Fairness Project contributed over $12 million to support the campaign, including advertising featuring President Obama. The measure passed, allowing voters to create fairer congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterms.
- Montanans for Nonpartisan CourtscoreCampaign to pass citizen-initiated constitutional amendment CI-132 to defend Montana's nonpartisan court system. Submitted over 103,000 signatures (170% of required threshold) to qualify for the November 2026 ballot.
- Together for School Meals (North Dakota)coreCampaign to guarantee free breakfast and lunch to all K-12 public school students in North Dakota. Submitted 49,338+ signatures to qualify for the November 2026 ballot.
- Respect Missouri VoterscoreCampaign to amend Missouri's constitution to protect citizen initiative and referendum rights, requiring 80% legislative supermajority to undo voter-approved laws. Submitted over 367,000 signatures, setting a new Missouri volunteer record.
- Protect Michigan ConstitutioncoreCampaign to defeat effort by politicians and extremist donors to use a constitutional convention to rewrite Michigan's state constitution.
- Kansas United for Impartial CourtscoreCampaign to defeat Amendment 1, which would scrap Kansas's 67-year-old merit-based judicial selection system in favor of partisan Supreme Court elections.
- Coloradans for a Level Playing FieldcoreCampaign to give Colorado voters the power to approve congressional district maps through ballot measure, part of efforts to protect fair elections in 2026.
- Arizona for Abortion AccesscoreCampaign to pass a ballot measure enshrining abortion rights in Arizona's state constitution. Worked with Reproductive Freedom for All Arizona campaign. Measure passed by 61%-38% margin.
- Missourians for Constitutional FreedomcoreCampaign to pass a ballot measure guaranteeing reproductive freedom in Missouri. Measure passed by 51%-48% margin, restoring abortion access in the state.
- Ohioans for Reproductive FreedomcoreCampaign to pass a ballot measure enshrining abortion access in Ohio's constitution. Measure passed by voters 56%-44% in 2023.
- Reproductive Freedom for All (Michigan)coreCampaign to pass Proposition 3 enshrining reproductive rights in Michigan's constitution. Passed with 56.66% of the vote on November 8, 2022.
- South Dakotans Decide HealthcarecoreCoalition campaign that won Medicaid expansion at the ballot box in South Dakota. Ballot measure went into effect July 1, 2023, delivering healthcare for an estimated 52,000 people.
- Missourians for Healthy Families & Fair WagescoreCampaign that passed a ballot measure raising the minimum wage and guaranteeing paid sick time for Missouri workers in 2024. Passed by 57%-42% margin.
- Better Jobs AlaskacoreCampaign partnership to pass a ballot measure increasing the minimum wage to $15/hour and requiring paid sick leave. Voters approved Measure 1 by 58%-32% margin in 2024.
- Insure the Good Life (Nebraska)coreCoalition led Medicaid expansion campaign that expanded coverage to more than 90,000 Nebraskans. Passed by 54%-46% margin on November 6, 2018.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Fairness Project competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union): Large, established civil rights/legal advocacy organization that litigates and advocates on many of the same democracy and rights issues TFP works on through ballot measures. Operates a broader portfolio but overlaps on direct democracy defense.
Direct peers
- Center for Popular Democracy: Progressive state and local power-building organization supporting ballot measure campaigns on worker rights and social justice. Comparable mission, model, and issue portfolio to TFP.
- Ballot Initiative Strategy Center (BISC): National hub for ballot initiative strategy, funding, and training across progressive state campaigns. BISC is the most direct functional peer to TFP, providing infrastructure and coordination that complements TFP's per-campaign funding model.
- Movement Voter Project: Funds and coordinates state-level progressive infrastructure and ballot measure campaigns. Comparable funding-model and target-state focus to TFP, with a similarly lean operational structure.
- People's Action: National progressive organizing network running state-level campaigns on economic and racial justice. Operates in overlapping issue space (wages, healthcare) and similar coalition-driven state-level model.
- 16:30 Fund / Sixteen Thirty Fund: Large progressive donor-advised fund that finances many of the same state-level advocacy and ballot measure campaigns TFP supports. Comparable donor-mediated funding model and progressive policy focus.
- Planned Parenthood Action Fund: Major reproductive rights advocacy and political organization that TFP repeatedly partners with on abortion-rights ballot measure campaigns (e.g., Missouri, Arizona). Operates in the same electoral-advocacy space with shared issue areas.
- State Innovation Exchange (SiX): State-focused progressive policy organization supporting state legislators on issues like wages, healthcare, and reproductive rights. Closely aligned with TFP on progressive state-level policy and often a coalition partner on ballot measure campaigns.
Emerging players
- Working Families Party: Multi-state progressive party that runs ballot line and ballot measure campaigns on economic and social justice issues. Overlaps with TFP on minimum wage and progressive policy targeting via direct democracy.
Others
- National Institute for Money in State Politics: Nonpartisan research and data provider tracking campaign finance and ballot measure spending across states. Adjacent ecosystem player that data-enables the type of ballot measure strategy TFP executes.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Fairness Project social profiles
Digital presenceThe Fairness Project financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Fairness Project leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
The Fairness Project funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Fairness Project 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 The Fairness Project
What does The Fairness Project do?
The Fairness Project is a nonprofit advocacy organization that supports ballot measure campaigns by providing funding, technical assistance, polling, strategic guidance, and campaign expertise to state-level coalitions and partner organizations. It also runs the Ballot Measure Rescue Campaign to defend direct democracy against legislative attacks and produces research publications documenting threats to ballot initiatives. Since 2016, it has helped win more than 40 campaigns in over a dozen states on issues such as minimum wage, Medicaid expansion, reproductive rights, paid leave, and redistricting.
Is The Fairness Project a public or private company?
The Fairness Project is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Fairness Project founded?
The Fairness Project was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Fairness Project based?
The Fairness Project is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Fairness Project make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Charitable Contributions.
Who are The Fairness Project's main competitors?
ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Center for Popular Democracy, Ballot Initiative Strategy Center (BISC), Movement Voter Project, People's Action, 16:30 Fund / Sixteen Thirty Fund, Planned Parenthood Action Fund and State Innovation Exchange (SiX). Working Families Party is listed as an emerging player. National Institute for Money in State Politics is listed as an others.
Does The Fairness Project have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Fairness Project.
What industry is The Fairness Project in?
The Fairness Project's product category is Political Advocacy Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAFAJ, Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy, with a secondary code of BPADAGAA, Electoral Support & Election Observation. Its NAICS code is 813940.