The Center for Anti-Violence Education

What The Center for Anti-Violence Education does

The Center for Anti-Violence Education (CAE) is a Brooklyn-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 11-2444676) founded in 1974 by Annie Ellman and Nadia Telsey as Brooklyn Women's Martial Arts. Headquartered at 30 Third Ave, Suite 104, Brooklyn, NY, with approximately 23 employees, CAE delivers trauma-informed, intersectional-feminist, anti-racist violence prevention education centered on the experiences of those most impacted by gender-based and hate-based violence. Its core offerings comprise Empowerment Self-Defense workshops (physical techniques, verbal assertiveness, de-escalation, situational awareness, self-care), Upstander active-bystander intervention training structured around the "5 D's" framework, and a portfolio of youth programs including the stipended Peer Educators program, the PACT Activists afterschool program for middle and high school girls and non-binary youth, and a Youth Anti-Violence Summer Internship. Programs are delivered in-person across NYC's five boroughs at schools, community centers, workplaces, hospitals, and faith institutions, as well as virtually.

CAE generates revenue across four principal streams: government contracts, foundation grants, individual donations and special events, and fee-for-service corporate workshops. FY21 totals were $810,469 ($265,250 government contracts, $269,821 grants, $158,676 donations/events, $100,000 fee-for-service, $16,722 other). Approximately 75% of people served in FY21 were reached through partnerships with NYC community organizations, hospitals, government entities, and workplaces — including NYC Public Schools, 28 financial institutions, the 32BJ Service Employees International Union, the NYC Commission on Human Rights, Doctors Without Borders, and the Asian American Federation. Corporate Outreach Training scaled to 44 workshops across 28 workplaces in FY21. Virtual delivery enabled roughly 30% of participants to access programming from outside NYC, including from Germany, Italy, and Japan. Governance is provided by an independent Board of Directors chaired by David Barbee, with Loren serving as Executive Director. CAE is not affiliated with any parent entity and has no equity funding; operations are funded through grants, donations, contracts, and fee-for-service revenue.

Name

The Center for Anti-Violence Education

Legal name

Center for Anti-Violence Education

Website

https://caeny.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Center for Anti-Violence Education is a Brooklyn-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1974 that delivers trauma-informed, intersectional-feminist violence prevention programs — including Empowerment Self-Defense, Upstander training, and youth peer education — to communities, workplaces, schools, and youth across NYC and beyond.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Violence Prevention Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM), Threat Assessment, Violence Prevention & Behavioral Intervention Support (EDAEACAH), Trauma-Informed Care & Crisis Response (School-Based) (EDAKAMAF), Crime Prevention & Community Policing Programs (EDALAEAG)

Keywords

• Violence prevention education
• Self-defense training
• Bystander intervention
• Youth empowerment programs
• Community safety workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Contracts: Revenue from government contracts for violence prevention programming. In FY21, government contracts contributed $265,250.
2. Grants & Foundations: Revenue from foundation grants supporting anti-violence programs. In FY21, grants and foundations contributed $269,821.
3. Donations: Individual donations, special events revenue, and planned giving. In FY21, special events and individual donations totaled $158,676. Donations are 100% tax-deductible (EIN: 11-2444676).
4. Fee-for-Service Workshops: Revenue from workshops delivered to corporations and organizations. In FY21, fee-for-service workshops contributed $100,000.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Center for Anti-Violence Education is a nonprofit that delivers in-person and virtual violence prevention education, including Empowerment Self-Defense workshops (physical and verbal self-defense), Upstander bystander intervention training, youth programs (Peer Educators, PACT Activists, summer internship), and corporate workplace training. Programs are grounded in a trauma-informed, intersectional feminist framework and are delivered across NYC schools, workplaces, community organizations, and faith institutions.

Product overview

The Center for Anti-Violence Education is a nonprofit educational organization offering a portfolio of violence prevention programs rather than a technology product. The core offerings consist of Empowerment Self-Defense Workshops (teaching physical and verbal self-defense skills), Upstander Workshops (active bystander intervention training), and youth programs including the Peer Educators Program (stipended leadership training for high school youth), PACT Activists after-school program, and Youth Anti-Violence Summer Internship. Additional offerings include Rapid Response Workshops developed for urgent community needs, Corporate Outreach Training for workplaces, and events such as the annual Ode to Community youth gathering and Community Safety Symposium. Programs are delivered both in-person and virtually, serving NYC communities with some national and international reach through virtual platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Empowerment Self-Defense Workshops Physical and verbal self-defense training workshops teaching safety stances, de-escalation skills, and non-violent communication tools. Facilitated for adults and youth both in-person and virtually through a trauma-informed framework.
• Upstander Workshops Active bystander intervention training teaching skills for disrupting harassment, microaggressions, and violence. Covers the 5 D's of Upstander intervention and consent-building strategies for community and workplace participants.
• Peer Educators Program A stiended program for older high school youth who train as violence prevention facilitators. Peer Educators co-facilitate workshops for young people at schools and community centers across NYC, building leadership and facilitation skills.
• PACT Activists (Power, Action, Change for Teens) Year-round afterschool empowerment program for middle and high school girls and non-binary youth, engaging participants weekly in virtual and in-person programming focused on anti-violence tools and leadership.
• Youth Anti-Violence Summer Internship A stiended 5-week summer opportunity for teen girls and gender-expansive youth in NYC grades 8 and above to develop skills for facilitating anti-violence trainings (Self Defense and Upstander) to peers throughout NYC.
• Rapid Response Workshops Quickly developed workshop curricula to respond to urgent community needs, including workshops on responding to anti-Asian harassment and violence, and Upstander training to support delivery workers being harassed.
• Corporate Outreach Training Interactive workplace training for corporations addressing microaggressions, xenophobia, and racial injustice. Delivered as paid workshops for 28 workplaces including financial institutions and labor unions.
• Ode to Community Annual youth-led event fostering connection, resource-sharing, and advocacy while raising critical funds for anti-violence youth-led programs. Presented by CAE's Peer Educators.
• Community Safety Symposium Annual symposium featuring powerful conversations, skill-building, and collaboration on community safety issues including gender-based violence, gun violence, alternatives to policing, healing, immigration safety, and self-defense.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% of Empowerment Self-Defense workshop participants reported feeling empowered to defend themselves if necessary
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Asian American FederationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership to create accessible training videos, illustrated safety tips in multiple languages, and workshops disseminated to hundreds of AAF member organizations during surge in anti-Asian hate violence.
• YWCA BrooklyncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for Ode to Community youth event and Sex Education Convening at YWCA Brooklyn location.
• Brooklyn Academy of MusiccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for 50th Anniversary Gala celebration held at BAM on May 9th, 2024.
• TCK (Teen Choice Books)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner organization participating in Ode to Community youth event.
• YAYA (Youth Aiding Youth Alliance)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner organization participating in Ode to Community youth event.
• Women's Building UpcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for Community Safety Symposium on June 3, 2026 at 401 State Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217.
• ACRONYMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for Community Safety Symposium.
• Audre Lorde ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for Community Safety Symposium.
• NYC Council Member Tiffany CabanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerElected official partner for Community Safety Symposium.
• NYC Public Advocate Jumaane WilliamscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAttended and gave official proclamation for CAE's 50th anniversary celebration.
• NYC Council Member Jumaane WilliamsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for Community Safety Symposium.
• 32BJ Service Employees International UnionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining of Trainers partner where Upstander facilitators trained union staff and members.
• NYC Commission on Human RightsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining of Trainers partner where Upstander facilitators trained staff.
• Doctors Without BordersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining of Trainers partner where Upstander facilitators trained staff.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• YWCA Brooklyn / YWCA USA: National nonprofit network with a strong Brooklyn presence that hosts CAE's Ode to Community event. Operates broader women's empowerment, domestic violence, and youth programming across the U.S., overlapping CAE's mission and serving as both a venue partner and a broader incumbent in the same space.
• Safe Horizon: Largest NYC victim services nonprofit providing domestic violence, sexual assault, and youth programs including community education. Overlaps with CAE in violence prevention education but operates at substantially greater scale and breadth across direct services, shelters, and counseling.
• Sanctuary for Families: NYC-based nonprofit providing shelter, counseling, and education for survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. Comparable mission focus on gender-based violence and community education in NYC, though with a more clinical/service-delivery emphasis than CAE's prevention-training approach.
• Futures Without Violence: National policy and education organization advancing responses to domestic and sexual violence, with extensive workplace and health-sector training programs. Comparable in violence prevention education mission with a broader policy and clinical-provider footprint than CAE.

Direct peers

• Hollaback!: Hollaback! trains bystanders to intervene in street harassment using the '5 D's' methodology, the same framework CAE uses in Upstander training. Its workshop delivery model and target audiences (workplaces, schools, communities) overlap directly with CAE's bystander intervention line.
• NYC Anti-Violence Project: NYC-based nonprofit serving LGBTQ+ and HIV-affected survivors of violence through counseling, advocacy, and education. Operates in the same NYC geography with overlapping anti-violence education mission, though with a more LGBTQ-specific lens.
• IMPACT Personal Safety: IMPACT is a national empowerment self-defense program teaching situational awareness, verbal boundary-setting, and physical self-defense techniques. It is the closest direct peer to CAE's Empowerment Self-Defense core offering, with a similar trauma-informed curriculum and community-based workshop model.
• Girls for Gender Equity: Brooklyn-based nonprofit organizing nationally for gender justice and running school and community-based programming for girls, trans, and non-binary youth of color. Comparable in NYC geographic focus, youth-driven facilitation model, and intersectional feminist framework.
• A Long Walk Home: Chicago-based nonprofit using art, education, and activism to end violence against girls and women, with bystander intervention and youth peer-led programming. Highly comparable to CAE in mission, youth-led facilitation approach, and intersectional feminist framing.
• Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) Systems: National self-defense program widely offered through universities, law enforcement, and community organizations. Represents an alternative methodology in the same empowerment self-defense category that competes with CAE's ESD curriculum for institutional training contracts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-center-for-anti-violence-education

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Center for Anti-Violence Education