Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth

What Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth does

Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2009 and headquartered at 1319 F St NW, Washington, DC. The organization is the national leader in advocacy to end juvenile life without parole (JLWOP) and other extreme sentences imposed on children in the United States, with a 34-person staff operating an advocacy, litigation support, and direct-services portfolio. CFSY's core programs include the Incarcerated Children's Advocacy Network (ICAN), a network of leaders who were incarcerated as children; the National Family Network (NFN), which supports families of incarcerated youth; the Survivors Justice Initiative (SJI), engaging survivors of youth violence; Hire ICAN, an employment program connecting formerly incarcerated individuals with employers; Community Care (wellness and healing); Restorative Stories; Letters from the Inside; and Project Witness. CFSY also produces educational resources including a Research Library, Defense Guidelines, Judicial Bench Cards, and a Parole Preparation Toolkit, distributed free to defense attorneys, judges, and parole board members.

CFSY's business model is donation-and-grant funded. Revenue is generated through individual online donations (suggested tiers of $35, $50, $250, and $500 via mobilecause.com), corporate philanthropy, and foundation grants; the organization does not sell products or services. Its go-to-market is community-led: CFSY mobilizes directly impacted individuals as spokespeople, builds broad bipartisan coalitions (with 16+ core strategic partners including the ACLU, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Equal Justice Initiative, American Bar Association, American Psychological Association, Anti-Defamation League, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Amnesty International), and engages in amicus brief work, legislative advocacy, public education, and events such as the annual National Convening and Healing & Hope awards. The organization is active on seven social platforms and earns recurring media coverage in outlets including CNN, Los Angeles Times, and Detroit Free Press.

CFSY's measured outcomes include contributing to U.S. Supreme Court rulings in Miller v. Alabama (2012) and Montgomery v. Louisiana (2016), supporting legislation in over 25 U.S. states banning JLWOP, helping free hundreds of individuals sentenced as children, and supporting new sentences for thousands that include the possibility of release. The organization generates no proprietary technology products; its "platform" is its coalition, its legal-precedent track record, and its network of directly impacted advocates.

Name

Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth

Legal name

Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth

Website

https://cfsy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth is a Washington, DC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocacy organization that works to end juvenile life without parole and other extreme sentences for children in the United States, serving formerly incarcerated individuals, their families, and survivors of youth violence through policy reform, coalition-building, and direct support programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Justice Advocacy

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Victim Services & Witness Assistance (Justice System) (BPAIAFAJ)

Keywords

• Youth justice advocacy
• Juvenile sentencing reform
• Criminal justice policy
• Restorative justice programs
• Reentry employment services

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

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. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 27-3761788), CFSY generates revenue primarily through individual donations, corporate philanthropy, and foundation grants. The organization solicits contributions through its website with suggested donation amounts of $35, $50, $250, and $500.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY) is a national nonprofit advocacy organization that works to end juvenile life without parole (JLWOP) and other extreme sentences imposed on children in the United States. The organization delivers advocacy, litigation support, coalition-building, public education, and direct support programs (ICAN, National Family Network, Survivors Justice Initiative, Hire ICAN) for directly impacted individuals, families, and survivors of youth violence.

Product overview

Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY) is a national nonprofit organization, not a technology product company. The organization operates a portfolio of advocacy programs and resources focused on ending juvenile life without parole (JLWOP) and extreme sentencing of children. The core programs include ICAN (Incarcerated Children's Advocacy Network), the National Family Network (NFN), and the Survivors Justice Initiative (SJI), which work together to advocate for reform, support directly impacted individuals, and engage survivors of youth violence. Supporting programs include Hire ICAN (employment services), Community Care, Restorative Stories, Letters from the Inside, and Project Witness. The organization also produces educational resources including a Research Library, Defense Guidelines, Parole Preparation Toolkit, and various advocacy campaigns such as 'No Child Is Born Bad' and 'Not a Monolith.' CFSY hosts annual convenings including the National Convening and Healing & Hope celebration events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 25 U.S. states now ban juvenile life without parole
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ACLU has joined CFSY as a partner in litigation and advocacy efforts, submitting amicus briefs in key Supreme Court cases including Miller v. Alabama and providing ongoing support for policy reform.
• NAACP Legal Defense FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe NAACP Legal Defense Fund has partnered with CFSY on amicus briefs and advocacy efforts addressing racial disparities in youth sentencing.
• Equal Justice InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEJI has collaborated with CFSY on advocacy for people sentenced to die in prison when they were children, submitting amicus briefs in landmark cases.
• American Bar AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ABA has partnered with CFSY in calling for an end to juvenile life without parole, submitting amicus briefs and supporting legal reform efforts.
• Juvenile Law CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJuvenile Law Center has collaborated extensively with CFSY on litigation, research, and advocacy efforts, and awarded CFSY the 2024 Leadership Prize.
• American Psychological AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPA has partnered with CFSY submitting amicus briefs in support of youth facing extreme sentences, citing developmental science on adolescent brain development.
• U.S. Conference of Catholic BishopscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe USCCB has joined CFSY as an official supporter in calling for end to life without parole for children, bringing faith-based perspective to the movement.
• Anti-Defamation LeaguecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerADL has signed on as an official supporter of CFSY's efforts to end juvenile life without parole.
• NETWORK (Catholic Advocacy Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNETWORK, a Catholic advocacy organization for justice and peace, has signed on as an official supporter.
• Mental Health AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental Health America has adopted a policy opposing juvenile life without parole and partnered with CFSY on advocacy efforts.
• American Correctional AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACA has partnered with CFSY in opposing juvenile life without parole, bringing correctional professional perspective to reform efforts.
• National Association of CountiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNACo has condemned juvenile life without parole and partnered with CFSY on advocacy efforts.
• Children's Defense FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDF has collaborated with CFSY on research and advocacy addressing extreme sentencing of youth.
• Amnesty InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmnesty International has partnered with CFSY submitting amicus briefs and calling for US to end life without parole for children, citing international human rights standards.
• Northwestern University School of Law (Children and Family Justice Center)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorthwestern's center has collaborated with CFSY on amicus briefs and research addressing wrongful convictions of youth and extreme sentencing.
• 100,000 Opportunities InitiativeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCFSY attended the 100,000 Opportunities Initiative Opportunity Fair in Dallas, connecting with employers committed to hiring formerly incarcerated individuals.
• JusticeAidminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJusticeAid partnered with CFSY to host benefit concerts, including an event at the Lincoln Theatre featuring Ozomatli and Trouble Funk.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheCFSY
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/thecfsy1
• Facebookfacebook.com/theCFSY
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/campaign-for-the-fair-sentencing-of-youth
• Instagraminstagram.com/thecfsy
• TikToktiktok.com/@thecfsy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth