What The Ruth Project does

The Ruth Project is a youth-led, nonprofit gender equity advocacy organization founded on September 18, 2020, by Julia Squitteri, then 16 years old, on the night Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., it trains K-12 students to identify and challenge gender-discriminatory school policies through grassroots campaigns. It primarily serves students in U.S. (and select Canadian) school districts and reports member presence across 15+ countries, with over 200 members gained within its first year. The organization's primary constituents are K-12 students affected by sexist dress codes and K-12 students who have experienced sexual harassment, with a secondary audience of youth-serving organizations such as regional Girl Scouts of America affiliates.

The organization operates without proprietary technology. Its core "products" are advocacy initiatives: Dress Code Reform Initiatives, Sexual Harassment Initiatives (Title IX office reform), Project 1996 (a national lobbying campaign to include dress codes in Title IX enforcement), and Project Empowerment (an educational writing hub covering self-advocacy, sexual harassment awareness, and body education). Supporting programs include a Mentorship Program, Youth Lobby Fellow Program, on-demand Workshops and Trainings, and a "Report a Sexist Dress Code" intake tool. The signature methodology is a Comprehensive Reform Plan—bundling student testimonies, Title IX legal arguments, research, replacement policy language, and enforcement guidelines—which has been applied across 65+ school districts with a reported 100% initiative success rate.

As a nonprofit, The Ruth Project generates no commercial revenue and depends on donations and member support to fund operations, training, and initiative activities; services are delivered free of charge. The go-to-market is community-led and bottom-up: students join via ruthproj.org, are onboarded into initiative teams (Dress Code, Sexual Harassment, Outreach, Creative, Writer, Social Media, Event Planner), and execute advocacy campaigns in their home districts under central coordination. The organization relies on earned media (Ms. Magazine, Orlando Sentinel, Fox 35, Spectrum News, News4JAX), social channels (Instagram, TikTok, Twitter/X, YouTube), and content marketing to recruit advocates and amplify campaigns, with public-sector engagement (school board testimony, Title IX office reform) functioning as the primary distribution channel for outcomes rather than product deployment.

Name

The Ruth Project

Legal name

The Ruth Project

Website

https://ruthproj.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Ruth Project is a youth-led, nonprofit gender equity advocacy organization founded in 2020 that trains K-12 students to challenge discriminatory school policies through grassroots campaigns. It operates across 65+ U.S. school districts, with initiatives targeting dress code reform and Title IX office improvements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Gender Equity Advocacy

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB), Student Wellness & Prevention Programs (Substance Use, Sexual Health, Bullying) (EDAJAIAG)

Keywords

• Gender equity advocacy
• School dress code reform
• Title ix education
• Youth advocacy training
• Grassroots policy campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington, DC

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and member support: The Ruth Project is a nonprofit advocacy organization. It raises funds from donors and members to sustain operations, pay for workshops, and fund initiative activities. No commercial revenue streams were identified.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Ruth Project trains and mobilizes K-12 students to conduct grassroots legal advocacy campaigns that reform gender-discriminatory school policies, primarily through Title IX-based dress code reform and sexual harassment/Title IX office reform initiatives in U.S. school districts. It delivers its work via a structured Comprehensive Reform Plan methodology (student testimonies, legal arguments, research, replacement language, enforcement guidelines) plus educational workshops, a mentorship program, a Youth Lobby Fellow training track, and the Project Empowerment writing hub, all provided free of charge.

Product overview

The Ruth Project is a gender equity advocacy organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs: core advocacy initiatives (Dress Code Reform Initiatives and Sexual Harassment Initiatives) that engage in grassroots lobbying and policy reform campaigns; Project 1996 for national Title IX lobbying; Project Empowerment as a content and education platform; and training programs including Workshops and Trainings, Mentorship Program, and Youth Lobby Fellow Program. The organization also provides a Report a Sexist Dress Code tool enabling students to submit discriminatory dress code complaints for organizational review and district-level advocacy response.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Project 1996: A national lobbying initiative to include dress codes in Title IX enforcement
• Project Empowerment

Products and services

• Dress Code Reform Initiatives Grassroots advocacy program that trains K-12 students to reform discriminatory school dress code policies by submitting Title IX legal arguments, providing public testimony at school board meetings, and running policy-reform campaigns that target sexist dress code language and enforcement practices.
• Sexual Harassment Initiatives Policy advocacy program focused on promoting Title IX office reform, sexual-harassment education, and survivor support in K-12 schools across multiple school districts.
• Project 1996 National lobbying campaign advocating for the inclusion of dress codes in Title IX enforcement, targeting legislative and policy change at federal and state levels.
• Project Empowerment Educational writing hub that publishes structured content (Volume One and Volume Two) covering advocacy, self-empowerment, understanding oneself, sexual-harassment awareness, and body education for young people.
• Workshops and Trainings Advocacy training programs delivered on request to organizations and groups, covering self-advocacy development, grassroots lobbying, campaign planning, and gender-equity education; primary delivered partner is regional Girl Scouts of America affiliates.
• Mentorship Program Structured program connecting experienced advocates with newer members to develop leadership skills, apply campaign frameworks, and support on-the-ground implementation of district initiatives.
• Youth Lobby Fellow Program Training program that prepares young advocates to become grassroots lobbyists and activists, teaching them how to advocate for gender-equity policies and reform.
• Report a Sexist Dress Code Online intake form that allows students to submit discriminatory dress codes for The Ruth Project's review; once reported, the organization prepares and sends Title IX legal arguments to the relevant school district to advocate for policy reform.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% initiative success rate for all completed initiatives
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Regional affiliates of Girl Scouts of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ruth Project partners with regional Girl Scouts of America affiliates to deliver self-advocacy development workshops for young people. This is the organization's primary structured workshop program, providing gender equity education and advocacy skills training to youth through an established youth organization network.
• ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) Women's Rights ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounder Julia Squitteri collaborates with researchers from the ACLU Women's Rights Project on Title IX research. The organization relies on the ACLU's legal frameworks and precedent to support its student-led advocacy campaigns, particularly in dress code discrimination cases.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Know Your IX: Student-led Title IX education and advocacy organization focused on K-12 and campus survivors. Highly comparable to The Ruth Project in mission, youth-driven model, and direct policy/advocacy orientation.
• GLSEN: Education-focused nonprofit working on safe, inclusive K-12 schools for LGBTQ+ students through student-led chapters and policy advocacy. Shares The Ruth Project's K-12 student-led advocacy model and school climate focus.
• Stop Sexual Assault in Schools: Advocacy organization dedicated to K-12 sexual assault prevention and Title IX enforcement. Comparable in target beneficiaries (K-12 students), issue area (Title IX), and policy-reform approach via complaints and federal engagement.

Broad incumbents

• Equal Rights Advocates: Gender justice legal advocacy organization focused on workplace and educational equity. Comparable in legal-advocacy approach to The Ruth Project but operates at broader, more institutional scale.
• Feminist Majority Foundation: National feminist advocacy and research organization with policy, lobbying, and education programs. Comparable on gender-equity advocacy and public-comment/policy-orientation, though with a broader, more established portfolio.
• National Women's Law Center: National nonprofit pursuing gender equality through policy advocacy, litigation, and public education. Operates at a much larger scale and broader portfolio, but overlaps on Title IX and gender-equity advocacy in education.
• Girls Inc. National youth-development nonprofit equipping girls with advocacy, leadership, and self-advocacy skills. Overlaps with The Ruth Project in mission (empowering young women) and in delivering gender-equity education through youth-serving networks like Girl Scouts.
• Lambda Legal: National legal organization advancing civil rights for LGBTQ+ people and people living with HIV. Comparable as a broad incumbent using impact litigation and policy advocacy in education-related civil rights, adjacent to The Ruth Project's school-climate equity work.
• ACLU Women's Rights Project: National legal-advocacy project providing Title IX research and litigation support that The Ruth Project explicitly relies on. A broader incumbent with a much larger portfolio, but directly comparable on the legal-advocacy methodology used in The Ruth Project's Comprehensive Reform Plan.

Emerging players

• Advocates for Youth: Youth-focused sexual and reproductive health and rights organization. Comparable in target audience (youth) and in training young people as advocates, partially intersecting with The Ruth Project's Title IX and sexual harassment agenda.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/RuthProject
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCXWtZdobEwGDYzLD94bdctA
• Instagraminstagram.com/ruthproject_
• TikToktiktok.com/@ruthproject
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-ruth-project

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 The Ruth Project