Forward Through Ferguson

What Forward Through Ferguson does

Forward Through Ferguson (FTF) is a 501(c)(3) anti-racist systems change organization founded in December 2015 in St. Louis, Missouri, as the direct successor to the Ferguson Commission and inheritor of its 189 calls to action. It serves impacted Black and brown residents of the St. Louis region, alongside community organizations and coalitions working on racial justice, public safety reform, and equity in education, healthcare, and philanthropy. The organization is led by Executive Director Annissa McCaskill with a small senior team spanning operations, resource development, racial-equity capacity building, and storytelling & communications.

FTF's product surface is a portfolio of program services rather than a unified software product. Core offerings include: (1) the #Transforming911 platform and full report (analyzing 1.7 million 911 calls to St. Louis County PD); (2) Policy & Data research tools such as Still Unequal, State of the Report, Power Behind the Badge, and Equity Indicators; (3) Storytelling & Communications series including #10YearsLater, Barriers & Blessings, and #Transforming911 stories produced with Humans of St. Louis; (4) Coalition Support & Strategy for collectives such as the First Responder Alternative Coalition, Defund Re-envision Transform, the Prosecutor Organizing Table, and Honest Elections; (5) Build Racial Equity Capacity — workshops, assessments, and consulting; and (6) the Racial Healing + Justice Fund, a community-led grantmaking program that has deployed approximately $1.4 million to ~70 BIPOC-led organizations in the Greater St. Louis region. The biennial St. Louis Racial Equity Summit (first held October 2019) serves as the organization's flagship convening event, drawing 500–1,000 attendees per cycle.

The organization's business model is a non-profit hybrid of individual donations, donor-advised fund grants, and foundation philanthropy. It accepts recurring "Giving Community" memberships, one-time online donations, checks mailed to 20 S Sarah St., St. Louis, and grants from foundations including Deaconess Foundation, Missouri Foundation for Health, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Services to community members are provided free of charge; institutional racial-equity capacity building is offered via workshops and consulting. The Racial Healing + Justice Fund generates pass-through revenue administered by FTF under a Community Governance Board, with FTF advocating publicly for a $10 million endowment to scale the program. As a 501(c)(3), FTF is governed by a board co-chaired by Riisa Rawlins and Claire Schell, with no parent company and no ownership stakeholders.

Name

Forward Through Ferguson

Legal name

Forward Through Ferguson

Website

https://forwardthroughferguson.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Justice and Racial Equity Advocacy

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Social Advocacy Organizations (81331), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Democracy, Human Rights & Governance Assistance (BPADABAG), Education Equity, Access & Inclusion Policy Research (EDADADAF), Community Engagement & Service-Learning Partnerships (EDALAOAI)

Keywords

• Racial equity advocacy
• Policy reform advocacy
• Community capacity building
• Justice philanthropy
• Coalition strategy support

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations: Forward Through Ferguson accepts tax-deductible donations from individuals. Donors can give online, by check (mailing to 20 S Sarah St., St. Louis, MO 63108), or through recurring Giving Community membership. They also accept grants through donor advised funds (Tax ID: 81-1359671).
2. Grants and Philanthropy: The organization receives funding from foundation partners including Deaconess Foundation, Missouri Foundation for Health, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for the Racial Healing + Justice Fund. FTF also advocates for a $10 million endowment for the RH + JF.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Forward Through Ferguson (FTF) is a 501(c)(3) anti-racist systems change organization that advances racial equity through five integrated program pillars: storytelling and communications, coalition support and strategy, policy and data research, racial equity capacity building (workshops, roundtables, assessments, consulting), and justice philanthropy via the community-led Racial Healing + Justice Fund. It stewards the original Ferguson Commission's 189 calls to action and operates the biennial St. Louis Racial Equity Summit as a regional convening platform.

Product overview

Forward Through Ferguson is an anti-racist systems change organization that operates multiple interconnected programs rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include the Ferguson Commission Report (containing 189 calls to action), the #Transforming911 advocacy tool (examining the 911 system), Storytelling & Communications series (amplifying community voices), Coalition Support & Strategy services, Policy & Data Reports (research and accountability tools), Build Racial Equity Capacity workshops and assessments, and the Racial Healing + Justice Fund (community-led grantmaking). The organization also hosts the biennial St. Louis Racial Equity Summit. These programs work together to advance Justice for All, Opportunity to Thrive, Youth at the Center, and Racial Equity in the St. Louis region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Racial Healing + Justice Fund (RH+JF): A community-centered fund dedicated to resourcing community-led healing and systems change efforts in the Greater St. Louis and East St. Louis region.

Products and services

• Storytelling & Communications Storytelling series and communications program that amplify the lived experiences of impacted St. Louis communities through photo, video, and written stories. Series include #10YearsLater, #Transforming911, Still Unequal, Barriers & Blessings, Five Years Later, #STL2039, and Racial Equity Catalysts, produced in partnership with Humans of St. Louis and My Friends And I.
• Coalition Support & Strategy Provides organizing, convening, and strategy support to grassroots coalitions working on racial justice, public safety reform, decarceration, and election reform. Active coalitions include First Responder Alternative Coalition, Defund Re-envision Transform (DRT), Prosecutor Organizing Table, and Honest Elections Coalition.
• Policy & Data Reports Community accountability and advocacy tools providing original data and research on racial equity, criminal justice, education, and policing. Reports include #10YearsLater Data Retrospective, Still Unequal, Still Compromising, State of the Report, State of Police Reform, Power Behind the Badge, Falling Through Cracks, Equity Indicators, and the #STL2039 Action Plan.
• Build Racial Equity Capacity Racial equity capacity building offerings for changemakers including Systems Change Primer, #STL2039 Workshop, Assessments and Consulting, Racial Equity Roundtable, and Path to Workshops. FTF trained 200+ leaders in 2021 across education, healthcare, biotech, STEM, maternal and infant health, and philanthropy sectors.
• Racial Healing + Justice Fund A community-centered, trust-based, participatory grantmaking fund dedicated to resourcing community-led healing and systems change efforts in the Greater St. Louis and East St. Louis region. Funding decisions are made by a Community Governance Board, with grants including a 2020-2023 pilot ($1.4M distributed, 77 awards to ~70 organizations), a $800,000 investment in 42 organizations in July 2023, a $394,489 Cycle 2 deployment in August 2021, and tornado recovery crisis grants in May 2026.
• St. Louis Racial Equity Summit A biennial platform to elevate, connect, and activate the people, practices, and resources necessary to achieve Racial Equity in the St. Louis region. First held in October 2019 with 500+ advocates; subsequent summits have drawn up to 1,000 attendees across 30 states and overseas.
• Ferguson Commission Report The original Ferguson Commission report titled 'Forward Through Ferguson: A Path Toward Racial Equity' containing 189 calls to action for addressing social and economic conditions in the St. Louis region. FTF stewards this report and its 47 signature priorities as the basis of its ongoing work.

Named customers4 records

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

18 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Chosen For ChangeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024FTF began providing capacity and administrative support to Chosen For Change in March 2024, supporting their community organizing and healing justice work.
• Learning For ActioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Consultants from Learning For Action worked with FTF in August 2023 to develop Forward Through Ferguson's Theory of Change.
• Clark-Fox Policy InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Co-organized the first annual Racial Equity Summit in 2019 alongside Focus St. Louis, St. Louis Promise Zone, and United Way of Greater St. Louis.
• Show Me IntegritycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Coalition partner in Honest Elections coalition working to improve fairness, access, and transparency in elections through public campaign financing.
• A Red CirclecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Coalition partner in Honest Elections coalition working to improve fairness, access, and transparency in elections through public campaign financing.
• Empower MissouricoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Coalition partner in Honest Elections coalition working to improve fairness, access, and transparency in elections through public campaign financing.
• MacArthur Justice CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Coalition partner in Prosecutor Organizing Table (2023-24), working on criminal justice reform and holding prosecutors accountable.
• Missourians Against the Death PenaltycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Coalition partner in Prosecutor Organizing Table (2023-24), advocating for decarceration and ending the death penalty.
• Humans of St. LouiscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Ongoing partnership to create video and photo stories amplifying St. Louisans' experiences with 911 services, education equity, and other racial justice issues through the #Transforming911, Still Unequal, and other storytelling series.
• My Friends And IcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership for #Transforming911 storytelling series creating video and photo stories amplifying St. Louisans' experiences with 911 services.
• Action St. LouiscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Coalition partner in Prosecutor Organizing Table (2023-24) and Defund. Re-envision. Transform. (DRT 2021-24), leading decarceration and racial justice efforts in St. Louis.
• ArchCity DefenderscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Coalition partner in Prosecutor Organizing Table (2023-24) and Defund. Re-envision. Transform. (DRT 2021-24), providing legal advocacy and racial justice work.
• Freedom Community CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Coalition partner in Prosecutor Organizing Table (2023-24) and Defund. Re-envision. Transform. (DRT 2021-24), focused on dismantling systems of oppression in Black communities.
• InPower InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020InPower Institute provided thought leadership in designing the St. Louis Regional Racial Healing Fund in 2020, engaging residents, community healers, and organizers.
• Focus St. LouiscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Co-organized the first annual Racial Equity Summit in 2019 alongside Clark-Fox Policy Institute, St. Louis Promise Zone, and United Way of Greater St. Louis.
• St. Louis Promise ZonecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Co-organized the first annual Racial Equity Summit in 2019 alongside Clark-Fox Policy Institute, Focus St. Louis, and United Way of Greater St. Louis.
• United Way of Greater St. LouiscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Co-organized the first annual Racial Equity Summit in 2019 alongside Clark-Fox Policy Institute, Focus St. Louis, and St. Louis Promise Zone.
• Urban League of Metropolitan St. LouisminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partnered with Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis to create the Advancing Positive Change toolkit for the 2017 National Urban League Conference.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Echoing Green: Social justice leadership development organization that invests in emerging leaders driving systems change. Comparable to FTF in cross-sector capacity building for racial equity leaders and institutions.
• Race Forward: National racial equity organization advancing systems change through research, narrative, and policy. Closely comparable to FTF's racial equity systems-change mission and integrated advocacy/research model.
• Movement Strategy Center: Provides strategy, research, and capacity-building support to racial justice movements and grassroots infrastructure. Comparable to FTF's coalition support, capacity building, and movement-aligned systems-change approach.
• Borealis Philanthropy: Racial justice philanthropic intermediary that pools resources and deploys grants to movement organizations. Closely mirrors FTF's Racial Healing + Justice Fund participatory grantmaking approach and equity-focused funder coordination.
• Marguerite Casey Foundation: Family foundation focused on racial equity and economic justice through grantmaking and movement support. Comparable to FTF in mission scope and community-led philanthropic model.
• Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ): National organization mobilizing white allies and broad coalitions for racial justice. Comparable to FTF in coalition building, narrative change, and mobilizing communities toward policy and systems change.

Broad incumbents

• Ford Foundation: Major international foundation with deep racial justice, economic fairness, and democracy portfolios. Operates broadly in the same philanthropic space as FTF but at much larger scale and geographic scope.
• Equal Justice Initiative: National organization focused on racial justice, narrative change, and criminal legal system reform. Comparable to FTF in racial justice advocacy and storytelling, but operates at substantially larger national scale.
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Large national health-focused foundation with significant racial equity and health justice funding. Already an FTF anchor partner; broader incumbent operating at far greater scale across health-equitable systems change.
• W.K. Kellogg Foundation: Large national foundation with major racial equity and community healing portfolios. A broader incumbent in the same space; not a direct operational peer, but a comparable funder/strategic actor in racial equity philanthropy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/stlchange
• YouTubeYouTube.com/@stlchange
• Facebookfacebook.com/stlchange
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forward-through-ferguson
• Instagraminstagram.com/stlchange

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Forward Through Ferguson