Emerge
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersWashington, District of Columbia, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Emerge does
Emerge (legally Emerge America, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and 527 political organization founded in 2002 in San Francisco out of Kamala Harris' first campaign for District Attorney. The organization's sole function is recruiting, training, and supporting Democratic women to run for elected office at every level of government — from local school boards through the U.S. Congress. Its core product is the Signature Candidate Training Program, an intensive cohort-based curriculum covering campaign strategy, fundraising, media/messaging, field operations, and ethical leadership, supplemented by free introductory programs (Meeting the Moment, Step Forward) and specialized tracks (Emerge Rising for former federal workers). The organization distributes this curriculum through 26+ state affiliates, each running localized training cohorts, plus a national virtual training infrastructure.
Emerge monetizes exclusively through political contributions rather than commercial revenue. Its revenue model is built on five giving channels: monthly donor subscriptions (Club Emerge, $10-$250/month), annual Leadership Circle donations ($1,000+), planned giving (Legacy Circle), event ticket sales ($25 for #LeadersMatter salons, $100 for individual salon tickets), and program tuition for the Signature Program. Major institutional sponsors include labor unions SEIU and AFSCME. The affiliated C4 entity, Emerge Action Fund (also called WLE), conducts complementary political activity within 527 legal limits.
The customer base spans three constituencies: prospective candidates (the training pipeline of Democratic women), donors (individuals, high-net-worth supporters, and labor organizations), and alumni (1,200+ elected officials who serve as recruiting and credibility assets). With a reported 77% win rate in 2025 elections, over 6,000 women trained since inception, and 200+ Black women currently serving at the state level through the Emerge network, the organization's value proposition is anchored in measurable electoral outcomes rather than traditional product metrics. The organization operates with 45 employees across San Francisco headquarters and a Washington, D.C. regional office, and is led by President & CEO A'shanti F. Gholar.
Emerge firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Emerge
- Legal name
- Emerge America, Inc.
- Website
- https://emergeamerica.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Emerge industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Political Candidate Training
- NAICS
- Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Civic Participation & Leadership Development (Voting, Advocacy, Community Leadership) (EDAAADAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Online/Hybrid Lifelong Learning Platforms & Open Enrollment Programs (EDAAAEAL)
Keywords
Where Emerge is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington, District of Columbia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Emerge business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Political Contributions and Donations: Emerge is a 527 political organization that receives contributions from individuals, organizations, and labor unions. Contributions are used to fund candidate training programs and political activities. The organization has various giving programs including Club Emerge (monthly donors), Leadership Circle ($1,000+ annually), Legacy Circle (planned giving), and one-time contributions.
- Program Tuition and Fees: The Signature Candidate Training Program charges an application fee and tuition. Cohort members are encouraged to fundraise towards their tuition as part of their training to be a candidate.
- Event Revenue: Revenue generated from ticket sales to virtual events ($25 per #LeadersMatter event, $100 for individual salon tickets) and annual luncheons.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | One time | Meeting the Moment - Free civic engagement training |
| Freemium | One time | Step Forward - Free decision-making webinar |
| Subscription | Annual | Signature Program - Comprehensive candidate training |
| Subscription | Per event | #LeadersMatter Virtual Events - $25 per ticket |
| Subscription | Monthly | Club Emerge - Monthly donor program |
| Subscription | Annual | Leadership Circle - $1,000+ annually |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels10 records
Emerge product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Emerge recruits, trains, and provides a network for Democratic women to run for political office and win. Its core offering is the Signature Candidate Training Program, a cohort-based curriculum covering campaign strategy, fundraising, media, public speaking, and field operations, supplemented by free introductory sessions (Meeting the Moment, Step Forward), specialized training (Emerge Rising for former federal workers), and a network of state-based affiliates delivering localized training across 26+ states.
Product overview
Emerge is a political training organization that operates as a platform-plus-program architecture. The core offerings include the Signature Candidate Training Program (the flagship comprehensive training), Meeting the Moment (free introductory sessions), Step Forward (free decision-making webinars), and Emerge Rising (specialized training for former federal workers). Supporting programs include Political Candidate Training, Civic Engagement Training, and a network of 27+ state affiliates. Membership programs include Club Emerge (monthly donors), Black Leadership Circle, Young Leaders Cabinet, Leadership Circle ($1,000+ donors), and the #LeadersMatter virtual event series. The organization also offers planned giving through the Legacy Circle. The portfolio is unified around the mission of recruiting, training, and networking Democratic women for political office.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Emerge Action Fund: Emerge's C4 organization that provides additional training and leadership opportunities
- Emerge Rising
- Club Emerge
- Black Leadership Circle
- Young Leaders Cabinet
- Leadership Circle
- Legacy Circle
Products and services
- Signature Candidate Training Program The flagship cohort-based comprehensive training program that teaches Democratic women all the skills needed to run for public office and win, covering campaign strategy, fundraising, media/messaging, public speaking, networking, field operations, labor/endorsements, technology, cultural competency, and ethical leadership. Targets Democratic women considering running for office at all levels of government.
- Meeting the Moment A free 90-minute introductory training session teaching participants the path from civic engagement to elected office, exploring roles individuals can play in the democratic system and practical ways to participate in their communities. Targets women exploring political involvement.
- Step Forward A free webinar for women considering whether to run for office, teaching what to evaluate when making the decision and which Emerge training programs best support their journey. Targets women weighing a run for office.
- Emerge Rising
Quantifiable outcome
- 77% win rate for Emerge candidates in 2025 elections
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Emerge
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Emerge technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Emerge partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- WLE (Women Leading Electorally)coreEmerge's C4 organization that provides additional training and leadership opportunities. Emerge Action Fund entity (c3 & c4) conducts trainings and programs supporting the mission.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Emerge competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Aspen Institute's Weave: The Social Fabric Project: Aspen Institute runs civic-leadership and community-engagement programming. Comparable to Emerge in adult civic-participation training, though not focused specifically on candidate pipelines for elected office.
Direct peers
- Ready to Run (Center for American Women and Politics): Ready to Run is CAWP's bipartisan campaign-training program for women considering public office. Comparable training curriculum and target audience; differs in being bipartisan and university-hosted rather than an independent 501(c)(3)/527.
- She Should Run: She Should Run is a nonpartisan nonprofit that encourages women to run for office and provides initial training resources. It overlaps directly with Emerge in mission and female candidate focus, although it operates nonpartisan rather than Democratic-aligned.
- Run for Something: Run for Something recruits and trains young progressive candidates to run for down-ballot state and local offices. It is the most directly comparable peer to Emerge: same candidate-recruitment/training mission, similar target demographic, overlapping donor base, and similar curriculum coverage (campaign fundamentals, fundraising, field).
- New Leaders Council: New Leaders Council trains progressive young professionals for civic leadership and political careers. Comparable in adult leadership-development curriculum and progressive-aligned mission, though broader than candidate-specific training.
- National Women's Political Caucus: NWPC is a multipartisan organization dedicated to recruiting, training, and supporting women candidates at all levels of government. Overlaps with Emerge on training-and-recruitment mission for women candidates; differs in being historically multipartisan and smaller in operational scale.
- Vote Run Lead: Vote Run Lead trains women to run for office and serves as a nonpartisan pipeline organization. Directly comparable training-and-pipeline function to Emerge, with overlap in demographic focus and curriculum topics.
- New Politics: New Politics recruits and trains servant leaders from diverse backgrounds to run for state and local office. Comparable to Emerge in training-first approach and candidate-development mission, though broader demographically and less politically partisan.
- Higher Heights for America: Higher Heights builds Black women's political power through leadership development, candidate support, and civic engagement. It overlaps closely with Emerge's Black Leadership Circle and broader mission to increase representation of women of color in elected office.
- EMILY's List: EMILY's List is the largest U.S. political organization dedicated to electing pro-choice Democratic women. It overlaps with Emerge on Democratic women candidates and training/pipeline support, with a stronger emphasis on fundraising and PAC-style candidate support.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Emerge social profiles
Digital presenceEmerge compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Emerge financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Emerge leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Emerge funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Emerge 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 Emerge
What does Emerge do?
Emerge recruits, trains, and provides a network for Democratic women to run for political office and win. Its core offering is the Signature Candidate Training Program, a cohort-based curriculum covering campaign strategy, fundraising, media, public speaking, and field operations, supplemented by free introductory sessions (Meeting the Moment, Step Forward), specialized training (Emerge Rising for former federal workers), and a network of state-based affiliates delivering localized training across 26+ states.
Is Emerge a public or private company?
Emerge is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Emerge founded?
Emerge was founded in 2002. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Emerge based?
Emerge is headquartered in Washington, District of Columbia, United States, in the North America region.
How does Emerge make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Political Contributions and Donations are the primary driver. The others are program Tuition and Fees and event Revenue.
Who are Emerge's main competitors?
Aspen Institute's Weave: The Social Fabric Project is listed as an others. Direct peers are Ready to Run (Center for American Women and Politics), She Should Run, Run for Something, New Leaders Council, National Women's Political Caucus, Vote Run Lead, New Politics, Higher Heights for America and EMILY's List.
Does Emerge have an API?
No public API is recorded for Emerge.
What industry is Emerge in?
Emerge's product category is Political Candidate Training. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAADAL, Civic Participation & Leadership Development (Voting, Advocacy, Community Leadership), with a secondary code of EDAAAEAL, Online/Hybrid Lifelong Learning Platforms & Open Enrollment Programs. Its NAICS code is 611430 and its SIC code is 8200.