One Square World
One Square World is a non-profit providing community-centered policy development, facilitation, training, and cultural strategy services to municipalities, coalitions, universities, and BIPOC leaders across the Northeast United States, with focus on climate justice and racial equity.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersProvidence, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What One Square World does
One Square World (1SW) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2014 and headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, with operational presence in Boston, Massachusetts. The organization provides community-centered planning and policy development, facilitation, training, consulting, and cultural strategy services to municipal governments, community-based coalitions, universities, and BIPOC leaders across the Northeast United States. Its work centers on climate justice, transportation justice, racial equity, and collaborative governance, with notable policy outcomes including Providence's Climate Justice Plan (the first in the nation), Boston's BERDO 2.0 building emissions ordinance, and the restructuring of the Transportation 4 Massachusetts coalition.
The organization's service portfolio is organized around three core offerings: (1) Community-Led Planning & Policy Design, providing process facilitation and policy authorship for public sector and coalition clients; (2) Trainings and Consulting for Coalitions and Organizations, delivering equity and racial justice curricula and facilitation support; and (3) Hearth: a Liberation Lab, a year-long leadership development cohort for BIPOC community members incorporating somatic practice and network weaving. A fourth methodology, Art as Strategy, is woven throughout all offerings as the cultural-organizing backbone. The intellectual property rests on proprietary facilitation frameworks adapted from Climate Justice Alliance's Just Transition, Movement Generation zines, the Spectrum of Community Engagement to Ownership (Facilitating Power / Movement Strategy Center), and Undoing Racism (The People's Institute for Survival and Beyond).
The business model is a hybrid of professional-services consulting fees (municipal and university contracts on multi-year terms, not publicly priced), foundation and government grants (notably Barr Foundation support for T4MA), individual donations via PayPal, and quasi-recurring cohort revenue through the Hearth program which pays a $2,500 stipend to participants. Pricing is fully quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Distribution is community-led rather than sales-led, with new engagements sourced through movement networks, partner referrals, and demonstrated credibility via awards (APA 2019, EPA 2021) and media coverage (Grist, Boston.com). The organization employs 7 staff and is led by Executive Director Vatic Tayari Astahili Kuumba following a 2024-2025 leadership transition from founder Andrea Atkinson.
One Square World firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- One Square World
- Legal name
- One Square World
- Website
- https://onesquareworld.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- One Square World is a non-profit providing community-centered policy development, facilitation, training, and cultural strategy services to municipalities, coalitions, universities, and BIPOC leaders across the Northeast United States, with focus on climate justice and racial equity.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
One Square World industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Engagement and Equity Consulting
- NAICS
- Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sustainable Cities, Urban Development & Green Infrastructure (BPADALAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Environmental Education, Capacity Building & Community Engagement (BPADALAO)
Keywords
Where One Square World is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Providence
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
One Square World business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Consulting Services: Fee-for-service consulting for municipalities, universities, and organizations seeking facilitation, policy design, and community engagement support.
- Training Programs: Equity and justice training for community members, organizations, and public agencies around topics including structural racism, anti-Blackness, environmental justice, and transportation justice.
- Grants and Foundation Funding: Funded by foundations and government grants for specific projects and initiatives.
- Donations: Accepts donations through PayPal for organizational support.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Consulting and facilitation services |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Training programs |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Hearth: Liberation Lab program |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
One Square World product offering
Product offeringCore offering
One Square World is a non-profit organization that provides community-centered planning and policy development, facilitation, and cultural strategy services. The organization works with municipalities, coalitions, and educational institutions to design and facilitate coalitions, cohorts, and group processes that help people become confident decision-makers in policies affecting their lives. Its core offerings center on equitable policy design, equity training, liberatory leadership development (Hearth), and art-based cultural strategy for community engagement.
Product overview
One Square World operates as a non-profit providing community-centered planning and policy development, facilitation, and cultural strategy services for people-driven solutions. The organization offers three interconnected service lines: Community-Led Planning & Policy Design (facilitation support for public policy rooted in community leadership), Trainings and Consulting for Coalitions and Organizations (equity and justice training programs), and Hearth: a liberation lab (a year-long cohort program for BIPOC leaders focused on liberatory thinking and somatic practice). Art as Strategy serves as the cultural grounding methodology woven throughout all offerings, using storytelling and artistic expression to foster community connection and narrative change. The portfolio functions as a unified service model rather than a software platform, with all offerings supporting communities, coalitions, and municipalities to build people-led solutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Developed Providence Climate Justice Plan - first in the nation
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use One Square World
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
One Square World technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
One Square World partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Northeastern Universitycore1SW worked as lead consultant with Northeastern University to facilitate a community-centered process to create a Climate Justice Action Plan (NU-CJAP) accountable to those most impacted by climate injustice in Boston. This involved assembling a Steering Committee with community organizations.
- Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE)coreSteering Committee member for NU-CJAP and key partner in BERDO ordinance development. ACE represents Boston communities most impacted by environmental injustice.
- New England United for JusticecoreSteering Committee member for NU-CJAP project, representing environmental justice concerns in Boston.
- Reclaim RoxburycoreSteering Committee member for NU-CJAP, representing community priorities in Roxbury neighborhood of Boston.
- Ujima BostoncoreSteering Committee member and community showcase partner for NU-CJAP, involved in Boston's Nubian Square community events.
- Transportation 4 Massachusetts (T4MA)core1SW led and facilitated the restructuring process with T4MA and its stakeholders to ensure the coalition accurately represents Massachusetts residents most impacted by transportation injustice.
- Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)flagshipPartnered with Boston Environment and NRDC to develop the BERDO 2.0 ordinance policy. NRDC provided support for climate policy development.
- City of Boston Environment DepartmentflagshipContracted 1SW to develop a new policy to cut carbon pollution from large buildings as part of BERDO development.
- Chinese Progressive Association of BostoncorePartner organization in BERDO ordinance design process, representing Boston's Chinese community.
- City Life Vida UrbanacorePartner organization in BERDO ordinance design, part of key coalition for building emissions policy.
- Right to the City BostoncorePartner organization in BERDO ordinance design, representing housing and environmental justice concerns.
- Racial and Environmental Justice Committee (REJC)coreCo-founded by Vatic Kuumba, REJC is the primary community partner for Providence climate justice work. 1SW worked with REJC to develop the Providence Climate Justice Plan (first in the nation) and co-create the framework for a decision-making body accountable to neighborhoods.
- Climate Justice Alliancecore1SW aligns with Climate Justice Alliance's Just Transition framework definition and practices. Vatic has worked with CJA's Energy Democracy Working Group.
- Movement Generationcore1SW references and utilizes Movement Generation's Just Transition zine and framework in their work.
- Facilitating Power / Movement Strategy Centercore1SW uses the Spectrum of Community Engagement to Ownership framework developed by Rosa González of Facilitating Power, in partnership with Movement Strategy Center.
- The People's Institute for Survival and Beyondcore1SW facilitators have been trained on Undoing Racism through The People's Institute for Survival and Beyond.
- National Association of Climate Resilience Plannersminor1SW is a member of NACRP, connecting with other climate resilience professionals.
- Climate BostoncorePartner in BERDO 2.0 animation project '35,000 Square Feet and Rising' supporting climate education.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
One Square World competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- TSNE MissionWorks: TSNE MissionWorks provides consulting, capacity-building, and fiscal sponsorship to nonprofits, including coalition facilitation and organizational development, overlapping with 1SW's consulting and training work at broader scale.
- PolicyLink: PolicyLink is a national racial equity institute that works with municipalities and foundations on equitable policy; it operates at broader scale than 1SW and serves as a broad incumbent in the equity-and-policy space.
Direct peers
- Race Forward: Race Forward delivers racial equity training and policy consulting to government and nonprofit clients nationally, directly overlapping with 1SW's equity/justice training and coalition facilitation offerings.
- Facilitating Power: Facilitating Power, founded by Rosa González, develops the Spectrum of Community Engagement to Ownership framework adopted by 1SW; it is a direct peer in movement-focused facilitation and power-building consulting.
- National Association of Climate Resilience Planners: NACRP is the membership organization 1SW belongs to; it connects climate resilience planning professionals, making it a directly comparable peer in climate resilience and community planning practice.
- Climate Justice Alliance: Climate Justice Alliance is a national network 1SW is aligned with through shared Just Transition principles; Vatic Kuumba has worked with CJA's Energy Democracy Working Group, making it a closely overlapping peer in movement and coalition facilitation.
- Movement Strategy Center: Movement Strategy Center co-developed the Spectrum of Community Engagement to Ownership framework that 1SW uses; it provides facilitation, coalition, and strategy support to social justice movements, making it a direct methodology peer.
- Center for Story-based Strategy: Center for Story-based Strategy combines narrative, organizing, and cultural strategy for movement work, directly parallel to 1SW's Art-as-Strategy methodology and cultural-organizing practice.
- The People's Institute for Survival and Beyond: The People's Institute provides Undoing Racism training, which 1SW facilitators have completed; it offers anti-racism training and organizational consulting, directly overlapping with 1SW's equity training practice.
- Movement Generation: Movement Generation develops the Just Transition framework that 1SW explicitly references and uses in its consulting and policy work, making it a methodology peer for climate justice facilitation and community-led planning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
One Square World social profiles
Digital presenceOne Square World financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
One Square World leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
One Square World funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
One Square World 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 One Square World
What does One Square World do?
One Square World is a non-profit organization that provides community-centered planning and policy development, facilitation, and cultural strategy services. The organization works with municipalities, coalitions, and educational institutions to design and facilitate coalitions, cohorts, and group processes that help people become confident decision-makers in policies affecting their lives. Its core offerings center on equitable policy design, equity training, liberatory leadership development (Hearth), and art-based cultural strategy for community engagement.
Is One Square World a public or private company?
One Square World is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was One Square World founded?
One Square World was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is One Square World based?
One Square World is headquartered in Providence, United States, in the North America region.
How does One Square World make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Consulting Services are the primary driver. The others are training Programs, grants and Foundation Funding and donations.
Who are One Square World's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are TSNE MissionWorks and PolicyLink. Direct peers are Race Forward, Facilitating Power, National Association of Climate Resilience Planners, Climate Justice Alliance, Movement Strategy Center, Center for Story-based Strategy, The People's Institute for Survival and Beyond and Movement Generation.
Does One Square World have an API?
No public API is recorded for One Square World.
What industry is One Square World in?
One Square World's product category is Community Engagement and Equity Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADALAL, Sustainable Cities, Urban Development & Green Infrastructure, with a secondary code of BPADALAO, Environmental Education, Capacity Building & Community Engagement. Its NAICS code is 8133.