Forward Movement Consulting
Forward Movement Consulting is a privately-held boutique consulting firm founded in 2016 that provides coaching, organizational development, racial equity advisory, and events services to social justice nonprofits, philanthropic foundations, and nonprofit leaders across the U.S. and globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersSilver Spring, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Forward Movement Consulting does
Forward Movement Consulting (FMC) is a privately-held, founder-led boutique consulting firm established in 2016 by Melissa Johnson Hewitt, MSW, CPDC. The firm provides three integrated professional services lines — Coaching (individual, team, and executive coaching grounded in strengths-based theory and racial equity analysis), Consulting (organizational development, racial equity framework design, philanthropy advisory, and coalition support), and Events & Presentations (webinars, workshops, and speaking engagements). Its core customer segments are social justice nonprofits, philanthropic foundations, and nonprofit executives, with documented client engagements spanning civil rights (NAACP), reproductive justice (SisterSong, Collective Power, NAPAWF), criminal justice reform (Vera Institute, The Sentencing Project), education justice, health advocacy, and philanthropy (Ford Foundation, National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy).
FMC operates without proprietary technology, software products, or AI/ML capabilities; its delivery model is entirely human-centered and relies on the founder's 20+ years of nonprofit and philanthropic experience, a network of 75+ consultants trained in racial equity practices, and a small core team of approximately 5-8 personnel. Revenue is generated through quote-based, project-based consulting engagements, multi-year contracts, and coaching packages, with a free initial consultation offered via Calendly as the entry point. GTM is consultative and relationship-driven, leveraging the founder's deep network in philanthropy and racial justice movements, word-of-mouth referrals, content marketing (Forward Focus blog, monthly newsletter, Instagram, LinkedIn), and speaking engagements.
The firm is privately controlled with no disclosed external funding, parent company, or institutional investors. Geographic reach is claimed as national and global, with active client work across all major U.S. regions and internationally. The operating model is asset-light, scaling capacity through its consultant partner network rather than full-time headcount expansion, which positions FMC as a lifestyle-to-midsize professional services practice rather than a venture-scalable platform.
Forward Movement Consulting firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Forward Movement Consulting
- Legal name
- Forward Movement Consulting
- Website
- https://forwardmovementconsulting.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Forward Movement Consulting is a privately-held boutique consulting firm founded in 2016 that provides coaching, organizational development, racial equity advisory, and events services to social justice nonprofits, philanthropic foundations, and nonprofit leaders across the U.S. and globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Forward Movement Consulting industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nonprofit and Social Justice Management Consulting
- NAICS
- Human Resources Consulting Services (541612), Management Consulting Services (54161)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Organization Design & Operating Model Consulting (BPAHAGAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Talent Management & Leadership Advisory (Succession, Performance, Culture) (BPACAJAH), Leadership Development & Executive Coaching (BPAHAGAD), Inclusive Leadership & Leading Diverse Teams (EDABAAAM)
Keywords
Where Forward Movement Consulting is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Silver Spring
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Forward Movement Consulting business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Consulting Services: Organizational development, racial equity consulting, board development, strategic planning, and training services for nonprofit organizations and foundations. Revenue is generated through project-based consulting engagements.
- Coaching Services: Individual and team coaching for mid-career professionals, nonprofit leaders, executive directors, and activists. Includes executive coaching, team coaching, and coaching for co-executive directors.
- Events & Presentations: Webinars, workshops, and speaking engagements on topics including racial equity, organizational leadership, and social justice movement building.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom consulting engagements |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Forward Movement Consulting product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Forward Movement Consulting is a boutique consulting firm providing three core services to social justice organizations and leaders: (1) Coaching for individuals, teams, co-executive directors, and board chairs grounded in strengths-based theory and racial equity analysis; (2) Consulting for nonprofits, foundations, coalitions, and networks covering organizational development, racial equity framework design, philanthropy advisory, and strategic planning; and (3) Events & Presentations including webinars, workshops, and conference sessions on racial equity and movement leadership. All services are delivered by the founder and a curated network of 75+ consultants with racial equity focus.
Product overview
Forward Movement Consulting is a professional services firm offering three integrated service lines: Coaching (individual and team coaching for mid-career professionals, nonprofit leaders, and activists), Consulting (organizational development, racial equity frameworks, philanthropy advisory, and coalition support), and Events & Presentations (webinars and workshops). These services work together to support social justice leaders and organizations in amplifying voices and power of communities of color.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Coaching Professional coaching services for social justice leaders, including individual coaching, team coaching, coaching for co-executive directors, and coaching with executive directors and board chairs. Services are grounded in strengths-based theory and racial equity analysis, designed for mid-career professionals, nonprofit executives, and activists.
- Consulting Organizational development, racial equity consulting, philanthropy advisory, and collaboration support for coalitions, networks, and collaborative groups working in social justice. Engagements align organizational values and mission with strategic purpose and intention to achieve the greatest impact for communities of color.
- Events & Presentations Webinars, workshops, and conference presentations on racial equity, nonprofit leadership, and social justice movement building. Topics include centering Black women's leadership, funder education, funding power-building work, reproductive rights, narrative change, and organizational leadership.
Quantifiable outcome
- 300+ participants in webinars on centering Black women's leadership
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Forward Movement Consulting
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Forward Movement Consulting technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Forward Movement Consulting partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Forward Movement Consulting competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Rockwood Leadership Institute: Rockwood Leadership Institute provides leadership coaching, training, and consulting for social justice leaders and organizations, with overlap in target clients and coaching/OD service offerings.
- CompassPoint Nonprofit Services: CompassPoint provides executive coaching, leadership development, and organizational consulting to nonprofit leaders, with a comparable service mix and overlapping client base in the nonprofit sector.
- FSG: FSG is a global consulting firm advising foundations and nonprofits on strategy, evaluation, and philanthropic advisory, comparable to FMC's philanthropy advisory and strategic planning work.
- YW Boston: YW Boston delivers inclusion, racial equity, and leadership development consulting to organizations, overlapping with FMC's equity framework development and leadership coaching services.
- Movement Strategy Center: Movement Strategy Center provides consulting and capacity-building support to social justice movements and organizations, comparable to FMC's coalition support and movement-building work.
- The Management Center: The Management Center provides management and leadership consulting specifically to social justice nonprofits, mirroring FMC's combination of organizational development and equity-focused practice with a similar client base.
- Building Movement Project: Building Movement Project serves as a consultative and research resource for nonprofit social justice organizations, providing organizational development support similar to FMC's consulting engagements.
- The Raben Group: The Raben Group provides consulting and advocacy services to foundations, nonprofits, and social impact organizations, with similar clientele and organizational strategy offerings.
- National Equity Project: National Equity Project offers consulting, coaching, and leadership development explicitly focused on racial equity in education and social justice organizations, directly comparable to FMC's integrated equity + OD model.
Emerging players
- Justice Work: Justice Work is a smaller, emerging racial equity and organizational development consultancy with overlapping service offerings but a more limited client footprint than FMC.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Forward Movement Consulting social profiles
Digital presenceForward Movement Consulting financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Forward Movement Consulting leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Forward Movement Consulting funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Forward Movement Consulting 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 Forward Movement Consulting
What does Forward Movement Consulting do?
Forward Movement Consulting is a boutique consulting firm providing three core services to social justice organizations and leaders: (1) Coaching for individuals, teams, co-executive directors, and board chairs grounded in strengths-based theory and racial equity analysis; (2) Consulting for nonprofits, foundations, coalitions, and networks covering organizational development, racial equity framework design, philanthropy advisory, and strategic planning; and (3) Events & Presentations including webinars, workshops, and conference sessions on racial equity and movement leadership. All services are delivered by the founder and a curated network of 75+ consultants with racial equity focus.
Is Forward Movement Consulting a public or private company?
Forward Movement Consulting is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Forward Movement Consulting founded?
Forward Movement Consulting was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Forward Movement Consulting based?
Forward Movement Consulting is headquartered in Silver Spring, United States, in the North America region.
How does Forward Movement Consulting make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Consulting Services are the primary driver. The others are coaching Services and events & Presentations.
Who are Forward Movement Consulting's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Rockwood Leadership Institute, CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, FSG, YW Boston, Movement Strategy Center, The Management Center, Building Movement Project, The Raben Group and National Equity Project. Justice Work is listed as an emerging player.
Does Forward Movement Consulting have an API?
No public API is recorded for Forward Movement Consulting.
What industry is Forward Movement Consulting in?
Forward Movement Consulting's product category is Nonprofit and Social Justice Management Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAGAB, Organization Design & Operating Model Consulting, with a secondary code of BPACAJAH, Talent Management & Leadership Advisory (Succession, Performance, Culture). Its NAICS code is 541612 and its SIC code is 8742.