Freedom Community Center

What Freedom Community Center does

Freedom Community Center (FCC) is a Black-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2021 in North St. Louis City, Missouri, by Mike Milton, an organizer whose own history of incarceration shaped the organization's mission to dismantle the police and criminal punishment system as tools of harm in Black communities. FCC operates five interconnected programs: the Free Us Project (transformative justice processes intervening before or at the start of criminal system contact), FCC CourtWatch (volunteer-driven monitoring of bail hearings in the 22nd Judicial Circuit, with public reports on racial disparities), Power Builders (biweekly community organizing meetings held at Mission St. Louis), the Community Referral Pathway (therapy, pod mapping, restorative justice circles, and financial support for people released from jail), and a Bail Assistance Program inherited from Milton's prior work with The Bail Project (which posted bail for nearly 4,000 people across four St. Louis-area sites starting in 2018).

The organization is intentionally low-technology: there is no proprietary platform, app, or API; operations run on Salesforce (CRM), EveryAction (donor and volunteer forms), SimplePractice (clinical), Google Workspace, and Squarespace. FCC's service model is field-driven — direct, free, in-person support for survivors and people responsible for harm, paired with systemic advocacy and recurring publications (A Year in 16B, 6-Month, 12-Month, 2023 YTD reports) that put court-system data into public discourse.

FCC is funded entirely through philanthropic channels: tax-deductible individual donations via web portal, institutional grants, and a deliberately broad cryptocurrency donation program accepting 40+ tokens. Services are provided at no charge to community members. Headcount sits at approximately 11 staff, including a Founder/Executive Director, Director of Operations and Finance, Director of Programs, Therapeutic Support Specialist, Transformative Justice Practitioner, Organizer and Mentor, and Project Associate, with two additional roles open (Chief Operating Officer, Therapeutic Support Practitioner). The organization is governed by a board, is independent (no parent company), and is positioned within a coalition alongside The Bail Project, Action St. Louis, ArchCity Defenders, and the MacArthur Justice Center on campaigns such as #CloseTheWorkhouse.

Name

Freedom Community Center

Legal name

Freedom Community Center

Website

https://freedomstl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Freedom Community Center is a Black-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit in North St. Louis that delivers free restorative justice, bail assistance, mental health, and court-monitoring programs to Black survivors of violence, funded through donations, grants, and cryptocurrency.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Restorative Justice Services

NAICS

Parole Offices and Probation Offices (922150), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB), Community Corrections (Probation, Parole & Reentry) (BPAIAFAE), Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA), Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM)

Keywords

• Restorative justice services
• Community organizing programs
• Pretrial bail assistance
• Court monitoring program
• Transformative justice support

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Louis

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals via website donation portal and cryptocurrency, supporting movement building of survivors fighting for transformative approaches to addressing harm.
2. Cryptocurrency Donations: Accepts over 40 cryptocurrency donations including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and various altcoins. Cryptocurrency donations are non-taxable events with no capital gains tax owed on appreciation.
3. Institutional Grants and Fundraising: Multi-year fundraising strategy emphasizing growth and diversification of revenue including institutional grants and individual donor base development under COO leadership.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Freedom Community Center is a Black-led nonprofit that delivers restorative and transformative justice programs to survivors of violence and people impacted by the criminal punishment system in St. Louis. Its core offerings include bail assistance and pretrial release support, intensive and group-track reentry programming (Community Referral Pathway), court monitoring and public reporting (FCC CourtWatch), and biweekly community organizing gatherings (Power Builders). All services are provided free of charge to community members and are funded through donations and grants.

Product overview

Freedom Community Center is a nonprofit community organization (not a technology company) that operates multiple interconnected programs focused on dismantling systems of oppression and building alternatives to the criminal punishment system. The core programs include: the Free Us Project (transformative justice processes), FCC CourtWatch (court monitoring and reporting), Power Builders (community organizing), Community Referral Pathway (support services for individuals released from jail), and Bail Assistance Program. These programs work together to build a movement of survivors who can meaningfully address violence in St. Louis through restorative justice, healing, and collective power-building rather than punitive approaches.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FCC CourtWatch: A court monitoring initiative that tracks bail hearings in the 22nd Judicial Circuit of Missouri to expose systemic injustices and racial disparities in the pretrial process.
• Free Us Project
• Power Builders

Products and services

• Free Us Project A transformative justice program comprising multiple restorative justice processes that intervene with individuals who are experiencing or perpetrating harm before they interact with the police or at the beginning of their interaction with the criminal punishment system; delivered free to Black community members in St. Louis.
• FCC CourtWatch A volunteer-run local court monitoring initiative that tracks bail hearings in the 22nd Judicial Circuit of Missouri and publishes data, reports, and stories to expose systemic injustices and racial disparities in the pretrial process.
• Power Builders Community organizing meetings held every 2nd and 4th Thursday where Black community members gather to build collective power, share knowledge, and develop leadership to address community safety.
• Community Referral Pathway (Intensive Track and Free Us-Group Track) A program assisting individuals released from jail through therapy, pod mapping, ROAD tools assessment, goal setting, restorative justice circles, and financial support, offered in both Intensive Track and Free Us-Group Track formats.
• Bail Assistance Program Posts bail for people and supports their release from pretrial detention to intervene in harm caused by the criminal legal system while individuals are legally presumed innocent.

Quantifiable outcome

• Posted bail for nearly 4,000 people since 2018
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mission St. LouiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPower Builders meetings held at Mission St. Louis location every 2nd and 4th Thursday. FCC believes community members directly affected by violence have direct knowledge of what the community needs to stay safe.
• The Bail ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization fighting cash bail. Mike Milton started The Bail Project's inaugural St. Louis site in 2018, eventually founding three more sites across the metropolitan area. The Bail Project was anchor organization of #CloseTheWorkhouse Campaign.
• Action St. LouiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrassroots organizing group working to grow Black political power in the region. Joint campaign with The Bail Project and ArchCity Defenders to shut down The Workhouse jail. In July 2020, Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to close the jail.
• ArchCity DefenderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal advocacy organization. Partnered with The Bail Project and Action St. Louis on #CloseTheWorkhouse Campaign. Joint statement on ongoing deaths at St. Louis City Justice Center in September 2022.
• Roderick & Solange MacArthur Justice CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint statement on ongoing deaths and jail conditions issues at St. Louis City Justice Center in September 2022, planning press conference and rally alongside other partners.
• Metropolitan Congregations UnitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based community organization. Joint statement on jail deaths at CJC in September 2022.
• Missouri State Public Defender System – St. Louis City OfficeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic defender office. Joint statement on jail deaths at CJC in September 2022.
• Criminal Justice MinistryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBefore joining FCC, Ronnie Amiyn was Housing Assistant for 'Release To Rent,' the transitional housing program coordinated by Criminal Justice Ministry.
• St. Louis City Criminal Justice Coordinating CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMike Milton serves on the St. Louis City Criminal Justice Coordinating Council's Alternative to Incarceration Committee, advancing an abolitionist framework.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Missouri C.U.R.E. Missouri statewide criminal-justice reform organization on whose board FCC's Organizer and Mentor Ronnie Amiyn previously served. Operates in the same state and overlapping criminal-justice reform mission, providing a regional reform counterpart.
• Mission St. Louis: North St. Louis community organization that hosts FCC's Power Builders meetings every 2nd and 4th Thursday and shares a youth development and community-building orientation. Mike Milton previously served as a Program Developer there.
• Metropolitan Congregations United: St. Louis-area faith-based community organization focused on criminal justice reform and racial equity. Issued joint statements with FCC on deaths at St. Louis City Justice Center, making it a closely aligned regional advocacy peer.

Direct peers

• Equal Justice Initiative: Organization focused on ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment, deeply engaged in restorative justice and confronting racial disparities in the criminal legal system — directly comparable to FCC's restorative-justice and survivor-centered approach.
• ArchCity Defenders: St. Louis-based legal advocacy and human rights organization providing holistic legal aid and fighting systemic harms in the criminal legal system. Co-partnered with FCC on the #CloseTheWorkhouse campaign and joint statements on jail deaths at St. Louis City Justice Center.
• Roca Inc. Massachusetts-based violence-interruption and restorative justice nonprofit where FCC's Transformative Justice Practitioner Michael Meyer previously worked as a facilitator. Operates comparable behavior-change and reentry programs for high-risk young adults.
• The Bail Project: National nonprofit bail fund that Mike Milton launched in St. Louis in 2018 before founding FCC. Operates the same bail-assistance/pretrial-release model across 24+ sites and is a documented core partner of FCC's work and #CloseTheWorkhouse campaign.
• Action St. Louis: St. Louis grassroots organizing group building Black political power. Mike Milton previously worked there as an organizer, and the organization is a core partner of FCC on the #CloseTheWorkhouse campaign and joint jail-condition advocacy.

Broad incumbents

• Vera Institute of Justice: National criminal justice reform organization operating research, technical assistance, and direct-services programs across the pretrial, sentencing, and detention continuum — overlapping FCC's bail, court monitoring, and alternatives-to-incarceration agenda at greater scale.
• The Sentencing Project: National research and advocacy organization addressing unjust sentencing, racial disparities in the criminal legal system, and alternatives to incarceration. Operates at the policy-research layer where FCC operates at the community/direct-service layer — closely aligned mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CourtWatchSTL
• Instagraminstagram.com/FCCStLouis
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/freedom-community-center

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Freedom Community Center