The Frederick Douglass Project for Justice

What The Frederick Douglass Project for Justice does

The Frederick Douglass Project for Justice is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., founded by Dr. Marc Howard, a Georgetown University professor of government and law. The organization operates a structured prison visitation program that brings community members into correctional facilities for facilitated face-to-face conversations with incarcerated individuals, using a methodology developed through Georgetown's Prisons and Justice Initiative. Programs run across multiple U.S. states including Florida, Louisiana, Idaho, Connecticut, Ohio, D.C., and Virginia, with virtual Zoom-based visits available in additional states; the organization claims reach across 50+ states and thousands of outside participants engaged since launch. Reported outcome metrics include 95% of inside participants reporting increased confidence in decision-making, 91% reporting improved relationships, and 100% reporting improved communication skills.

The organization's product surface centers on four programs: a core Prison Visitation Program facilitating cohort-based dialogue between groups of approximately 15-20 community members and similarly sized groups of incarcerated individuals; a Summer Fellowship Program that pays undergraduates and individuals with lived criminal justice experience $20 per hour for up to 35 hours weekly; an NYC Marathon charity team partnership with New York Road Runners providing recurring fundraising and visibility; and Post-Visit Resources for participant support. Underlying technology is limited to off-the-shelf tools: Zoom for virtual visits, Airtable for sign-up workflows, Mailchimp for newsletters, and Squarespace for the website, with no proprietary technology stack or AI components.

The revenue model is donation-based, with contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations as the primary funding stream. The organization does not publicly disclose revenue figures, operates with 14 employees, and maintains an advisory board including Sister Helen Prejean, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Gene Rossi, and private equity veteran John Almeida Jr. The go-to-market approach is community-led, recruiting volunteers and participants through website registration, email newsletters, social media, and earned media coverage across outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, The Atlantic, and ABA Journal.

Name

The Frederick Douglass Project for Justice

Legal name

The Frederick Douglass Project for Justice, Inc.

Website

https://douglassproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Frederick Douglass Project for Justice is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs structured prison visitation programs connecting community members with incarcerated individuals across multiple U.S. states, supported by fellowships and fundraising initiatives to change public perception of the criminal justice system.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Criminal Justice Reform Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311)

akta.pro primary industry

Reentry & Justice-Involved Support Services (BPAGAEAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Reentry, Rehabilitation & Reintegration Programs (Education, Vocational, Case Management) (BPAKANAH)

Keywords

• Prison visitation programs
• Criminal justice reform
• Volunteer engagement services
• Social justice advocacy
• Community-based programs

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 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 84-3166690), the primary revenue stream is charitable donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. The organization states that donations allow them to expand to more states, engage in more programming, and develop more opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Frederick Douglass Project for Justice is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates structured prison visitation programs, bringing community members into correctional facilities for one-on-one conversations with incarcerated individuals. It also runs a paid Summer Fellowship Program and supports fundraising initiatives such as a NYC Marathon team.

Product overview

The Frederick Douglass Project for Justice operates a unified nonprofit service model centered on its Prison Visitation Program, which facilitates structured face-to-face conversations between community members and incarcerated individuals. Supporting this core offering are the Summer Fellowship Program for emerging leaders in criminal justice reform, the NYC Marathon Team fundraising initiative, and Post-Visit Resources for participant support. The organization functions as a direct-service nonprofit rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Prison Visitation Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% of inside participants report increased confidence in their ability to make good choices
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Exchange for Change (E4C)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSite-specific partnership in Florida. Exchange for Change works with the Frederick Douglass Project to facilitate prison visitation programming in Florida facilities.
• Louisiana Parole ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSite-specific partnership in Louisiana. The Louisiana Parole Project collaborates with the Frederick Douglass Project to bring prison visitation programs to Louisiana facilities.
• New York Road Runners (NYRR)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial charity partner of the TCS New York City Marathon. NYRR provides bib allocations and fundraising platform for Douglass Project runners to raise funds and awareness.
• Georgetown University Prisons and Justice InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe organization originated from Georgetown University's Prisons and Justice Initiative led by Dr. Marc Howard. The methodology and program model were developed through this academic partnership.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• JustLeadershipUSA: National organization led by directly impacted individuals advancing criminal justice reform and reentry leadership; shares FDP's lived-experience leadership approach and reform advocacy positioning.
• College and Community Fellowship: NYC-based program supporting women impacted by the criminal legal system through higher education — directly comparable model type (fellowship + education for justice-impacted individuals) operating at similar scale.
• Operation Restoration: New Orleans nonprofit supporting women and girls impacted by incarceration through education, reentry, and advocacy; comparable founding era, mission, and direct-service orientation to FDP.
• The Fortune Society: NYC-based nonprofit providing prison-based services, reentry support, and community engagement to currently and formerly incarcerated individuals — comparable mission and direct service footprint to FDP.
• Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO): National nonprofit providing transitional employment and reentry support to people returning from incarceration; represents the adjacent reentry-services category that funders commonly compare to FDP.
• Prison Fellowship: Largest U.S. organization focused on prison visitation and rehabilitation; runs the Angel Tree program and InsideOut Network that pair community mentors with incarcerated individuals, directly mirroring FDP's structured prison visitation model.
• Root & Rebound: California-based nonprofit supporting currently and formerly incarcerated individuals through legal education, reentry planning, and policy advocacy; comparable size and direct-service orientation.
• Inside-Out Center (formerly Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program): Temple University-anchored program that brings outside students into prisons for facilitated dialogue with incarcerated participants — the original academic model from which FDP's Georgetown-derived methodology stems.

Broad incumbents

• Vera Institute of Justice: Major criminal justice reform research and policy organization with broad programmatic reach (immigration, policing, incarceration) that overlaps FDP's reform-and-perception-change mission at the systems level.

Emerging players

• The Marshall Project: Nonprofit journalism outlet covering the U.S. criminal justice system; complementary rather than competitive but typically cited alongside FDP in media and donor narratives.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/douglassproject
• Instagraminstagram.com/thedouglassproject
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-frederick-douglass-project-for-justice

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Frederick Douglass Project for Justice