Restorative Justice Initiative (NYC)

What Restorative Justice Initiative (NYC) does

Restorative Justice Initiative (RJI) is a New York City-based nonprofit founded in 2015 that convenes a multi-sector network of restorative justice practitioners, educators, advocates, community organizations, youth, and justice-impacted people. Its activities center on coordination, networking, training, advocacy, and improving access to restorative approaches across schools, the criminal justice system, and community settings. RJI serves practitioners and facilitators, schools and educators, community-based organizations, youth advocates, and justice-impacted individuals and families.\n\nRJI's core program surface consists of Citywide Roundtables, Learning Cohorts, the Youth Advocacy Council, Dialogue for Justice, Storytelling for Collective Healing, cohort-based facilitator training, a resource hub, the NY Restorative Justice Directory, a weekly newsletter, and digital content. Technology is not a core product; the website, directory, email, social media, and practitioner spotlights support program delivery and community engagement. RJI is funded through donations, grants, and fundraising events, does not publicly disclose pricing or program fees, and uses a community-led go-to-market model based on convening, events, training, and direct digital outreach.

Name

Restorative Justice Initiative (NYC)

Legal name

Restorative Justice Initiative

Website

https://restorativejustice.nyc

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Restorative Justice Initiative is a New York City nonprofit network that convenes, trains, and connects practitioners, educators, advocates, youth, and community members to expand access to restorative justice approaches across New York City.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restorative Justice Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Alternative Dispute Resolution & Restorative Justice Programs (BPAIAFAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Restorative Practices, Conflict Resolution & Discipline Alternatives (EDAKAMAG)

Keywords

• Restorative justice advocacy
• Restorative practices training
• Community justice programs
• Conflict resolution services
• Youth justice advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn, NY

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. Donations and Fundraising: The organization accepts donations and hosts fundraising events such as bi-annual Spring Benefits to support operations and programming.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Restorative Justice Initiative (RJI) is a New York City-based multi-sector network that convenes, trains, and supports restorative justice practitioners, advocates, educators, and community members. The organization delivers cohort-based facilitator trainings, Citywide Roundtables on Restorative Approaches, a Youth Advocacy Council, storytelling programs, and maintains a citywide directory and resource hub to increase access to restorative justice approaches for all New Yorkers.

Product overview

Restorative Justice Initiative (RJI) is a New York City multi-sector network that serves as a coordination and resource hub for restorative justice practitioners, advocates, and community members. Rather than a single product, RJI operates a portfolio of interconnected programs including the Leadership Pathway (encompassing Citywide Roundtables, Learning Cohorts, Youth Advocacy Council, and Dialogue for Justice), Storytelling for Collective Healing, a Resource Hub with educational materials, the NY Restorative Justice Directory for practitioner discovery, cohort-based facilitation trainings, and a weekly email newsletter. These programs work together to increase access to restorative justice approaches, foster collaboration across sectors, and build collective capacity for healing-centered practices throughout NYC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Leadership Pathway An umbrella program offering Citywide Roundtables, Learning Cohorts, Youth Advocacy Council, and Dialogue for Justice sub-programs designed to develop restorative justice leadership skills among practitioners and community members in NYC.
• Storytelling for Collective Healing A program that uses storytelling methodologies to support collective healing within communities affected by harm and conflict, intended for community members impacted by systemic injustice.
• Resource Hub An online educational hub providing curated materials on RJ in Community and Practice, RJ and Education, RJ and the Criminal Justice System, and a book recommendations list, intended for practitioners, educators, and community members.
• NY Restorative Justice Directory A citywide directory published in 2020 that creates visibility and access to organizations, facilitators, and circle keepers committed to restorative practices across New York City, intended for practitioners and community members seeking RJ services.
• Cohort-Based Trainings In-house cohort-based trainings for New Yorkers to gain, broaden and sharpen their restorative facilitation skills and practice within a supportive community, intended for aspiring and current RJ practitioners.
• Citywide Roundtables on Restorative Approaches Annual convenings that bring together practitioners, educators, and community members to discuss and advance restorative justice approaches across NYC, held in partnership with the Center for Creative Conflict Resolution at OATH and NYC Public Schools.
• Youth Advocacy Council A youth leadership program designed to uplift youth voice and participation in the restorative justice movement, providing opportunities for young people to engage in advocacy and peer-to-peer education in NYC.
• Email Newsletter A weekly email newsletter providing information about jobs in restorative justice, RJ in the news, new web resources about RJ, and upcoming RJ events in New York City or online.

Quantifiable outcome

• Growth from fewer than 10 NYC attendees in 2015 to 151 in 2026 at NACRJ conferences
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• The Circle KeeperscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 May 2026Youth-focused organization co-hosting the 2026 Peace & Justice Youth Conference and collaborative programming.
• The YA-YA NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 May 2026Youth organizing network co-hosting the 2026 Peace & Justice Youth Conference.
• Brotherhood/Sister SolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 May 2026Arts and youth development organization co-hosting the 2026 Peace & Justice Youth Conference.
• Dignity in Schools CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 May 2026Coalition focused on school pushout and justice reform, co-hosting the 2026 Peace & Justice Youth Conference.
• Center for Anti-Violence EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 May 2026Organization focused on violence prevention, co-hosting the 2026 Peace & Justice Youth Conference.
• National Association for Community and Restorative Justice (NACRJ)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 30 May 2026National organization convening biennial restorative justice conferences. RJI has been gathering New Yorkers at NACRJ conferences since 2019, hosting receptions and sponsoring practitioners.
• Center for Creative Conflict Resolution at OATHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2026Longstanding partnership for hosting Citywide Roundtables on Restorative Approaches. OATH is the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings in NYC.
• Office of Safety and Youth Development (OSYD), NYC Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2026Partnership with NYC Public Schools OSYD for collaborative events including the 8th Citywide Roundtable on Restorative Approaches.
• NYC Commission on Human RightsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 February 2023Collaborated on the 5th Citywide Roundtable on Restorative Approaches in February 2023.
• MoMA PS1majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 February 2023Cultural institution serving as host and co-sponsor for the 5th Citywide Roundtable held at MoMA PS1 in Queens.
• Queens Community Justice CentermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 February 2023Justice-focused community organization collaborating on the 5th Citywide Roundtable on Restorative Approaches.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National Association for Community and Restorative Justice (NACRJ): NACRJ is the national convener of the restorative justice movement in the U.S., hosting biennial conferences and practitioner networks. RJI has partnered with NACRJ since 2019 to bring NYC practitioners to its conferences, and both organizations serve overlapping audiences of practitioners, educators, and community members.
• NYC Peace Institute: NYC Peace Institute is a NYC-based nonprofit that provides restorative justice mediation, conflict resolution, and training services. It is directly comparable to RJI because both offer restorative practice training and services in NYC, serving overlapping practitioner and community audiences.
• Center for Justice Innovation: The Center for Justice Innovation (formerly Center for Court Innovation) operates NYC-based programs at the intersection of criminal justice reform, community courts, and restorative practices. Both organizations are NYC-based and work at the intersection of community justice and restorative approaches, though the Center for Justice Innovation operates as a larger court-affiliated entity.
• Dignity in Schools Coalition: Dignity in Schools Coalition is a national coalition working to end school pushout and promote restorative justice in schools. It is a direct partner of RJI in co-hosting the 2026 Peace & Justice Youth Conference, and both organizations share overlapping missions around restorative discipline alternatives and youth advocacy.
• Brotherhood/Sister Sol: Brotherhood/Sister Sol is a NYC-based youth development and arts organization co-hosting the 2026 Peace & Justice Youth Conference with RJI. Both organizations work with NYC youth on leadership, advocacy, and justice reform, with significant overlap in target populations and restorative justice values.

Emerging players

• The Circle Keepers: The Circle Keepers is a youth-focused NYC organization co-hosting the 2026 Peace & Justice Youth Conference with RJI. It is comparable to RJI because both center youth voice, restorative practice, and peer-led community accountability in NYC.
• Community Justice Centers (NYC): NYC's Community Justice Centers operate neighborhood-based alternatives to traditional court processing with restorative and problem-solving elements. They are comparable to RJI because both operate within NYC's criminal justice reform ecosystem and have partnered through the Citywide Roundtables.

Regional players

• Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) NYC: CASA NYC trains and supports volunteer advocates for youth in the NYC child welfare and juvenile justice systems. It is comparable to RJI because both operate in NYC with justice-impacted youth, though CASA focuses specifically on court-appointed advocacy rather than broader restorative practice.

Broad incumbents

• International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP): IIRP is an established global institution providing restorative practice training, graduate education, and consulting across education, criminal justice, and social services. It is comparable to RJI because both train RJ facilitators and work with schools and justice systems, though IIRP operates at significantly larger scale and provides accredited programs.
• Zehr Institute for Restorative Justice: The Zehr Institute for Restorative Justice, housed at the University of Vermont, advances restorative justice through research, education, and global networking. It is comparable to RJI because both work to expand access to RJ thinking and practice, though the Zehr Institute operates with greater academic and research capacity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/rji_nyc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCueGzs9UTmwZezufJ0CyR7A/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/rji.nyc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/restorative-justice-initiative-nyc
• Instagraminstagram.com/rji_nyc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Restorative Justice Initiative (NYC)