FirstRepair
FirstRepair is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2021 by Robin Rue Simmons that coordinates the national movement for state and local reparations through workshops, research, an annual symposium, and a National Resource Center serving local governments, practitioners, and racial justice advocates.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersEvanston, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What FirstRepair does
FirstRepair is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2021 by N'nanba (Robin Rue Simmons), the former 5th Ward Alderman for the City of Evanston, Illinois, who led the passage of the nation's first government-funded Black reparations legislation. Headquartered at 1900 Asbury Avenue in Evanston, the organization functions as the national coordinating hub for state and local reparations initiatives, synchronizing and equipping local government bodies, reparations practitioners, academics, activists, and interfaith communities to design and implement tangible reparations programs. The organization provides all services free of charge and operates across four U.S. regions (East, Midwest, South, West).
The organization's product portfolio is programmatic rather than software-based and centers on four pillars: the annual National Symposium for State and Local Reparations (a three-day convening drawing 300+ in-person attendees from 60+ localities), monthly Regional Strategy Sessions hosted in partnership with the African American Redress Network and the International Center for Transitional Justice, the National Resource Center for State and Local Reparations (a physical and digital hub launched in 2024 housing exhibits, a library, workshops, and office hours), and a suite of cultural and educational products including the Reparations Toolkit, the U.S. Reparations Monthly Brief, The Big Payback documentary (premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival), The Reckoning music album, and the exterior mural at the Resource Center. Technology assets include the U.S. Reparations Movement Interactive Map (launched in partnership with the Decolonizing Wealth Project in December 2024) and the Reparations Research Database curated with Liberation Ventures.
FirstRepair's revenue model is donation- and grant-funded. Funding sources include individual donations processed via ActBlue and institutional grants from NAARC, the Evanston Community Foundation, Northwestern University, Wellspring Philanthropic Partners, and Northminster Presbyterian Church. Headcount is 1-10 employees. Distribution is community-led and event-driven: free toolkits and resources flow through firstrepair.org, monthly regional convenings and the annual symposium serve as primary engagement touchpoints, and cultural products extend reach into mainstream audiences.
FirstRepair firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- FirstRepair
- Legal name
- FirstRepair
- Website
- https://firstrepair.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- FirstRepair is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2021 by Robin Rue Simmons that coordinates the national movement for state and local reparations through workshops, research, an annual symposium, and a National Resource Center serving local governments, practitioners, and racial justice advocates.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
FirstRepair industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Justice Nonprofit Services (Reparations Advocacy)
- NAICS
- Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Racial & Ethnic Justice Organizations (BPAGAFAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)
Keywords
Where FirstRepair is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Evanston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
FirstRepair business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: FirstRepair is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that generates revenue primarily through donations from individuals, foundations, and partners. The organization accepts donations through platforms like ActBlue.
- Foundation and Funder Support: Revenue generated from grants and funding provided by institutional funders including NAARC, Evanston Community Foundation, Northwestern University, Wellspring Philanthropic Partners, and Northminster Presbyterian Church.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
FirstRepair product offering
Product offeringCore offering
FirstRepair synchronizes and equips local leaders to implement tangible state and local reparations across the United States. It delivers this through signature convenings (annual National Symposium and monthly Regional Strategy Sessions across four U.S. regions), educational and research resources (Reparations Toolkit, U.S. Reparations Monthly Brief, Reparations Research Database, U.S. Reparations Movement Interactive Map), the National Resource Center for State and Local Reparations in Evanston, IL, and cultural initiatives (The Big Payback documentary, The Reckoning reparations album). The organization was founded by the architect of the nation's first government-funded Black reparations program and serves more than 100 communities engaged in local reparations initiatives.
Product overview
FirstRepair is a non-profit organization (501(c)(3)) that serves as the primary resource and national hub for state and local reparations initiatives. Rather than a unified software platform, FirstRepair offers a portfolio of programs and services including: the annual National Symposium for State and Local Reparations (signature convening event), the National Resource Center for State and Local Reparations (physical center with library, exhibits, and workshops), Regional Strategy Sessions (monthly gatherings across four regions), cultural products including The Reparations Album (music) and The Big Payback documentary, educational resources such as the Reparations Toolkit and U.S. Reparations Monthly Brief, and community art installations including the mural at their Evanston headquarters. These offerings work together to educate, equip, and connect leaders advancing local reparations policies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- National Resource Center for State and Local Reparations: A home for the national reparations movement to coordinate partners, organize resources, create engagement points for professionals, and archive the local reparations movement. Features lecture series, exhibits, library, workshops, and office hours.
Products and services
- National Symposium for State and Local Reparations An annual three-day signature event held in Evanston, Illinois, that convenes reparations practitioners, local government leaders, faith leaders, and researchers. Features 30+ sessions on policy design, interfaith partnerships, communications, research, legal strategies, and allyship, plus workshops, bus tours, Town Hall Sessions, regional reports, and an awards dinner.
- National Resource Center for State and Local Reparations A physical and digital hub at 1900 Asbury Avenue in Evanston, IL, serving as a home for the national reparations movement. Features lecture series, exhibits, learning and healing through arts and culture, a library, workshops, and office hours for reparations leaders and the community.
- Regional Strategy Sessions Monthly national and regional strategy sessions across four U.S. regions (East, Midwest, South, West) hosted in partnership with the African American Redress Network and the International Center for Transitional Justice. Sessions develop and connect local reparations leaders, share strategies, and provide peer learning and community support.
- Reparations Toolkit A comprehensive resource toolkit providing overview of injustices faced by Black Americans historically and today, along with practical guidance, toolkits, research reports, and policy resources for implementing local reparations programs.
- U.S. Reparations Monthly Brief A monthly summary publication tracking activity in the local reparations movement across the United States, providing updates, analysis, and highlights on reparations initiatives and policy developments.
- U.S. Reparations Movement Interactive Map An interactive digital map that tracks U.S. reparations initiatives and movement partners, demonstrating the scope, power, and success of the local reparations movement. Includes organizations across liable institutions and harm areas.
- Reparations Research Database A comprehensive database of reparations research resources, toolkits, harm reports, and policy guides curated by FirstRepair and Liberation Ventures, accessible through FirstRepair's research resources portal.
- The Big Payback (Documentary) An 88-minute documentary chronicling FirstRepair Founder Robin Rue Simmons' fight to redress the wrongs of redlining and the legacy of slavery through Evanston's groundbreaking reparations program. Premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival and available on Amazon Prime and PBS.
- The Reparations Album (The Reckoning: Freedom Songs for Reparations) A music album project titled "The Reckoning: Freedom Songs for Reparations" featuring hip hop artists including Ras Kass, KRS-One, Scarface, and Loose Mindz. The album serves as a cultural tool to amplify the reparations movement through music.
- The Reparations Anthem A hip hop anthem exploring the history and ongoing legacies of slavery, serving as a call to action for the reparations movement. Written, produced, and performed by Arm Real, Golden Child, ALäZ, Ras Kass, Supreme Kai, and The Holy Thief.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over $5.2 million disbursed to reparations recipients through Evanston's Restorative Housing Program
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use FirstRepair
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
FirstRepair technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
FirstRepair partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Decolonizing Wealth ProjectcoreLaunched new mapping tool to visualize the U.S. Reparations Movement, demonstrating the scope and power of local reparations initiatives.
- BLIS CollectivecorePartner in releasing the single 'Agitate, Educate, Organize (AEO)' to amplify the Black reparations movement. BLIS co-founder Trevor 'Tricky Trev' Smith is featured artist.
- Defining HumanitycorePartner in designing and creating the National Resource Center mural. Defining Humanity advances equity by crafting safe and welcoming spaces that nurture learning and innovation.
- Damon ReedcoreChicago-based artist who designed the exterior mural at 1900 Asbury Ave. Reed created the vibrant mural depicting symbols of the reparations movement, Black liberation, and FirstRepair's mission.
- African American Redress NetworkcoreCo-host of monthly regional strategy sessions with FirstRepair. The African American Redress Network is a key partner in delivering the organization's regional programming across East, Midwest, South, and West regions.
- International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ)coreCo-host of monthly regional strategy sessions with FirstRepair. ICTJ brings international expertise in transitional justice to the reparations movement.
- Maia FaithcoreArtist who created the 'Finding Eden' art installation celebrating Black families, the vision of reparations, and the joy of repair.
- Shorefront Legacy CentercoreArchive partner documenting the history of 1900 Asbury Ave and the broader Black community history in Evanston.
- Evanston History CentercorePartner in documenting the vibrant legacy of leadership, commerce, and belonging at 1900 Asbury Ave.
- Evanston Public LibraryminorCommunity partner supporting the National Resource Center initiatives.
- House of WattzminorCommunity partner supporting National Resource Center initiatives.
- The Global Circle for Reparations and HealingcoreThought partnership and sponsorship for The Reckoning album project. Supports the cultural initiative to amplify the reparations movement through music.
- Liberty BankcoreAmerica's largest Black-owned bank that received $17M from Illinois' reparations fund and is collaborating with Evanston Reparations Committee to boost Black homeownership.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
FirstRepair competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Liberation Ventures: A Black-led reparative justice fund that co-curates the Reparations Research Database with FirstRepair and seeds local reparations efforts, addressing the same practitioner audience via complementary funding and research products.
- National African American Reparations Commission (NAARC): NAARC is a core funder and partner of FirstRepair that advances Black reparations advocacy and policy; both organizations convene reparations practitioners and produce programming aimed at U.S. reparative justice.
- Movement for Black Lives: A coalition of Black-led organizations advancing reparations, divestment, and racial-justice policy; shares overlapping policy asks and practitioner communities with FirstRepair at the U.S. movement level.
- Decolonizing Wealth Project: A movement-support organization that co-launched FirstRepair's interactive U.S. Reparations Movement Map; comparable mission and overlapping tool/products for reparations practitioners and funders.
- Borealis Philanthropy — Black Reparations Project: A philanthropic intermediary specifically funding Black reparations movements in the U.S.; plays a complementary role alongside FirstRepair's convening infrastructure by financing the practitioners FirstRepair serves.
- African American Redress Network: Co-hosts FirstRepair's monthly regional strategy sessions across four U.S. regions, directly delivering similar convening, capacity-building, and movement-coordination services for reparations practitioners.
Broad incumbents
- International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ): A globally established transitional-justice organization that co-hosts FirstRepair's monthly strategy sessions; ICTJ's framing of reparations as transitional justice undergirds FirstRepair's policy approach.
- Race Forward: A national racial-justice intermediary that supports movement-building, narrative, and policy work in adjacent territory; Race Forward is a comparable nonprofit infrastructure actor in the racial-equity ecosystem.
- Equal Justice Initiative (EJI): EJI is a larger, established racial-justice nonprofit whose work on slavery's legacy, lynching, and mass incarceration overlaps directly with FirstRepair's reparations mission and provides comparison on national advocacy infrastructure.
- NAACP Legal Defense Fund: Long-standing civil-rights organization pursuing structural remedies for racial inequities through litigation and advocacy; comparable to FirstRepair as a national mission-driven organization in the reparative/structural justice space.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
FirstRepair social profiles
Digital presenceFirstRepair compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
FirstRepair financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
FirstRepair leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
FirstRepair funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
FirstRepair 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 FirstRepair
What does FirstRepair do?
FirstRepair synchronizes and equips local leaders to implement tangible state and local reparations across the United States. It delivers this through signature convenings (annual National Symposium and monthly Regional Strategy Sessions across four U.S. regions), educational and research resources (Reparations Toolkit, U.S. Reparations Monthly Brief, Reparations Research Database, U.S. Reparations Movement Interactive Map), the National Resource Center for State and Local Reparations in Evanston, IL, and cultural initiatives (The Big Payback documentary, The Reckoning reparations album). The organization was founded by the architect of the nation's first government-funded Black reparations program and serves more than 100 communities engaged in local reparations initiatives.
Is FirstRepair a public or private company?
FirstRepair is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was FirstRepair founded?
FirstRepair was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is FirstRepair based?
FirstRepair is headquartered in Evanston, United States, in the North America region.
How does FirstRepair make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Contributions are the primary driver. The others are foundation and Funder Support.
Who are FirstRepair's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Liberation Ventures, National African American Reparations Commission (NAARC), Movement for Black Lives, Decolonizing Wealth Project, Borealis Philanthropy — Black Reparations Project and African American Redress Network. Broad incumbents are International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), Race Forward, Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) and NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
Does FirstRepair have an API?
No public API is recorded for FirstRepair.
What industry is FirstRepair in?
FirstRepair's product category is Social Justice Nonprofit Services (Reparations Advocacy). Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAFAC, Racial & Ethnic Justice Organizations, with a secondary code of BPAGAFAB, Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations. Its NAICS code is 813311 and its SIC code is 8300.