Voice of the Experienced

What Voice of the Experienced does

Voice of the Experienced (VOTE) is a Louisiana-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2004 and led by formerly incarcerated people (FIP), their families, and allies. Its mission is to restore the full human and civil rights of those most impacted by the criminal justice system, and it pursues that mission through community organizing, policy advocacy, and civic engagement rather than through a unified technology platform or commercial product. The organization operates from a New Orleans headquarters (4930 Washington Ave) with regional chapters in Baton Rouge and Lafayette, and a staff of nearly 30 people distributed across the three cities.

VOTE's offerings span a portfolio of programs rather than a single product: community organizing campaigns and chapters, voter registration and voting-rights restoration work (including partnership with BallotReady for candidate information), legislative advocacy (it tracked approximately 600 bills in the 2026 Louisiana Regular Session), reentry and peer-support services through the After Incarceration mobile app (launched in 2026), the From Chains to Change TV program in its sixth season on Acadiana Open Channel and Roku/YouTube, a published research and reports library, the Diamond House health and medical advocacy program, Freedom Stories narrative collection, and the Safety and Justice Challenge participation. There is no proprietary technology product; technology is used as an enablement layer (apps, website, social media) rather than as a differentiated platform or AI capability.

VOTE is funded exclusively through donations: one-time tax-deductible individual contributions (via check, stock, Venmo, PayPal) and the Chisholm Circle recurring monthly giving program launched in 2022. It has no parent company, no disclosed institutional investors, no funding rounds, and no commercial pricing model — the constituency it serves is the formerly incarcerated community and their families, and the 'customers' in a transactional sense are individual donors across Louisiana and beyond. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Voice of the Experienced

Legal name

Voice of the Experienced

Website

https://voiceoftheexperienced.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Voice of the Experienced (VOTE) is a Louisiana-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded and led by formerly incarcerated people, conducting criminal justice reform advocacy, community organizing, voter registration, and reentry support across New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Lafayette.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Criminal Justice Advocacy Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Other Social Advocacy Organizations (813319)

akta.pro primary industry

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government) (EDAAAFAC), Youth Leadership, Civic Education & Service-Learning Nonprofits (BPAGADAI)

Keywords

• Criminal justice advocacy
• Voting rights restoration
• Reentry support services
• Community organizing
• Policy advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting criminal justice reform. Donations can be made via check, stock transfers, Venmo, and PayPal.
2. Monthly Giving (Chisholm Circle): Recurring monthly donations from committed supporters, offering special events access and early merchandise releases.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Voice of the Experienced (VOTE) is a grassroots 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded and run by formerly incarcerated people, their families, and allies. The organization delivers criminal justice advocacy through community organizing, legislative policy advocacy, voter rights restoration assistance, reentry support (including the After Incarceration mobile app), civic engagement programs, and healthcare advocacy in prisons across Louisiana.

Product overview

VOTE (Voice of the Experienced) is a grassroots advocacy organization led by formerly incarcerated people. Rather than a unified technology platform, VOTE offers a portfolio of advocacy programs and knowledge resources including the After Incarceration mobile app for reentry support, the From Chains To Change TV media program, research publications and legislative reports, community newsletters, DOC resources, Freedom Stories narrative collection, and advocacy campaigns like the Safety and Justice Challenge. These offerings work together to advance policy advocacy, civic engagement, and restoration of rights for those impacted by the criminal justice system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Passage of Act 636 (2018) and Act 127 (2021) - only advancements in rights restoration in Louisiana in nearly 50 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BallotReadycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerVOTE partnered with BallotReady to bring voters access to up-to-date candidate and election information. This partnership supports VOTE's voter registration and civic engagement work by providing voters with information needed to participate in elections.
• Prison Policy InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partner on incarceration data. Jointly published 'Where people in prison come from' (July 2023) examining the geography of mass incarceration in Louisiana.
• Vera Institute of JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVOTE participates in the Safety and Justice Challenge network and references Vera's Louisiana Locked Up data visualization project. The Vera Institute partners with impacted communities and government leaders for change.
• Redistricting Data HubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner on the 'Where people in prison come from' report, providing data analysis for understanding mass incarceration geography.
• Acadiana Open ChannelcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAcadiana Open Channel (AOC) hosts VOTE's 'From Chains to Change' TV program, now in its sixth season. Episodes air on AOC2 with replays on multiple channels.
• Safety and Justice ChallengecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVOTE is part of the Safety and Justice Challenge network working to reduce jail populations. They published a 10-year report on Orleans Parish jail population.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• JustLeadershipUSA: National organization led by directly impacted people focused on decarceration. Directly comparable to VOTE as an impacted-led advocacy organization advancing criminal justice reform and reentry support.
• The Bail Project: National nonprofit working to end cash bail and pretrial detention. Comparable as a peer criminal justice reform organization using direct service and advocacy to reduce incarceration.
• FWD.us: National criminal justice reform advocacy organization pushing for policy changes on sentencing and reentry. Comparable as a peer advocacy organization focused on bipartisan criminal justice policy reform.
• Prison Policy Initiative: A national nonprofit producing research and advocacy on mass incarceration. Directly comparable to VOTE as a criminal justice reform organization with which VOTE actively co-publishes research.
• Restore the Vote: Movement-led effort to restore voting rights to people with past convictions. Comparable to VOTE's voting rights restoration work given overlapping mission on felony disenfranchisement reform.
• Rights Behind Bars: Nonprofit providing legal support and advocacy for people in prison. Comparable as a peer organization addressing conditions and rights of incarcerated people, intersecting VOTE's healthcare and DOC advocacy work.

Broad incumbents

• Vera Institute of Justice: A larger, established criminal justice reform organization operating the Safety and Justice Challenge network. Directly comparable as a partner organization working on jail-population reduction and incarceration data visualization in Louisiana.
• Southern Poverty Law Center: Alabama-based national civil rights organization with criminal justice reform advocacy. Comparable as a Southern-based, larger incumbent in civil rights and criminal justice reform with overlapping mission.
• ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union): National civil liberties organization with significant criminal justice and voting rights litigation capacity. Comparable as a broader incumbent working in overlapping civil rights and voting rights reform spaces.

Emerging players

• Unlocked Graduates: UK-based organization supporting graduates of criminal justice programs. Comparable as an emerging player in criminal justice education and reentry, overlapping with VOTE's Act 127 degree-credit advocacy work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@voiceoftheexperienced
• Facebookfacebook.com/VOTENola
• Instagraminstagram.com/voiceoftheexperienced
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/voiceoftheexperienced

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Voice of the Experienced