What Sankofa.org does

Sankofa.org is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating The Belafonte Legacy Initiative, founded by the late entertainer and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte and now led by his daughter Gina Belafonte as CEO. Headquartered in Calabasas, California with a staff of 23, the organization operates a fiscal sponsorship arrangement with Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE). Its core mission is to educate, motivate, and activate artists and allies in service of grassroots movements addressing criminal justice reform, immigration, equality, and violence. The organization's work is structured around a portfolio of media productions and large-scale civic engagement programs: documentary films including Survivor's Guide to Prison (2018) and Against The Wall (2017); multimedia productions such as Lyrics from Lockdown; the For Freedoms 50 State Initiative (2018) which staged over 600 public events across all 50 U.S. states with 250+ partner organizations; recurring festivals including Many Rivers To Cross and Into Action; the Civics Series of youth-targeted video content; the We The People exhibition; and voter-mobilization campaigns including Tu Música, Tu Voz, Tu Voto for Latinx youth. The organization is also developing virtual reality simulations for formerly incarcerated individuals in partnership with Made New Foundation.

The underlying technology stack is modest: a Squarespace-hosted website and content archive, distribution through YouTube, Vimeo, TIDAL, and streaming platforms (HBO, Sundance, PBS, IFC), and a VR development partnership. Sankofa.org does not maintain proprietary software products, APIs, or AI/ML capabilities. Revenue is generated entirely through donations from individuals and artists, event sponsorships, foundation grants (e.g., The California Endowment), and coalition partner support — there are no paid products, pricing tiers, or service fees. The go-to-market model is community-led and event-driven: the organization mobilizes prominent artists and performers to amplify social justice messages through decentralized events, documentary distribution, and a coalition network of grassroots partner organizations.

Name

Sankofa.org

Legal name

Sankofa.org

Website

https://sankofa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sankofa.org is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by Harry Belafonte that produces documentary films, multimedia productions, festivals, and civic engagement campaigns to advance criminal justice reform, immigration rights, and racial equity through artist-led storytelling and a coalition of 250+ partner organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Justice Advocacy and Civic Engagement

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Criminal Justice Reform & Legal System Advocacy (BPAGAFAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB), Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB), Media Arts & Film/Photography Nonprofits (BPAGAHAJ)

Keywords

• Social justice advocacy
• Documentary film production
• Civic engagement programs
• Community arts organizing
• Voter mobilization campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

Calabasas

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 Charitable Contributions: As a 501c3 fiscally sponsored non-profit organization under Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE), Sankofa.org relies on donations from individuals, artists, musicians, and performers who contribute their talents and financial support. Donations are solicited through the website and direct outreach.
2. Event Revenue and Sponsorships: The organization generates revenue and support through large-scale events including festivals, exhibitions, and public art installations that attract corporate sponsorships and partnerships with foundations.
3. Coalition Partner Support: Money raised is used to support coalition partners working on the ground for lasting change and towards building a self-sustaining endowment to continue the organization's work.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sankofa.org, founded by Harry Belafonte and operating as The Belafonte Legacy Initiative, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that produces documentary films, theatrical performances, music videos, art installations, civic engagement campaigns, music festivals, and voter mobilization events. The organization educates, motivates, and activates artists and allies in service of grassroots movements and equitable change on criminal justice, immigration, equality, and equity issues.

Product overview

Sankofa.org, founded by Harry Belafonte, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating The Belafonte Legacy Initiative. The organization addresses social justice through art, culture, and media by developing and producing documentary films, community-based art installations, theater plays, national campaigns, and voter engagement initiatives. Their portfolio includes the Civics Series (ongoing video content), documentary films like Survivor's Guide to Prison, multimedia productions like Lyrics from Lockdown, the For Freedoms civic engagement initiative, music and arts festivals including Many Rivers To Cross and Into Action, virtual reality simulations for reentry support, voter mobilization events like Tu Música Tu Voz Tu Voto, and the We The People exhibition. The organization partners with artists, performers, and grassroots movements to deliver messages of moral and political consequence on issues including criminal justice, immigration, equality, and violence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Civics Series: Online video series where artists discuss civic engagement and voting issues with youth
• For Freedoms
• Lyrics from Lockdown
• Survivor's Guide to Prison
• We The People
• Tu Música, Tu Voz, Tu Voto
• Many Rivers To Cross
• Virtual Reality

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

42 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• The Blackbird HouseminorOthersBlackbird's mission is to create a collective of physical and virtual workspaces across the globe to provide opportunities for the advancement of women of color and her allies.
• BAJI (Black Alliance for Just Immigration)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBAJI educates and engages African American and black immigrant communities to organize and advocate for racial, social and economic justice.
• Barrios Unidos Santa CruzminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-cultural non-profit founded in 1977 focused on preventing violence among youth and adults through cultural, spiritual, and non-violent principles.
• Burns InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEliminates racial and ethnic disparity by building a community-centered response to youthful misbehavior that is equitable and restorative.
• Center For Popular DemocracycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHigh-impact national organization that builds organizing power to transform the local and state policy landscape through deep, long-term partnerships with leading community-based organizing groups nationwide.
• Color Of ChangecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExists to strengthen Black America's political voice and bring about positive political and social change for everyone.
• Correctional Association of New YorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent non-profit founded in 1844 advocating for a more humane and effective criminal justice system.
• Drug Policy AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNation's leading organization promoting drug policies grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights.
• Ella Baker Center For Human RightscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganizes with Black, Brown, and low-income people to shift resources away from prisons and punishment towards community opportunities.
• The Gathering for JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuilds a national movement to end child incarceration and correct institutional pillars that enliven mass incarceration.
• Homeboy IndustriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerServes high-risk, formerly gang-involved men and women with a continuum of free services and programs through social enterprises.
• Justice League NYCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTask force of juvenile and criminal justice experts, advocates, activists, educators, artists and formerly incarcerated individuals working on criminal justice reforms.
• NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCountry's first and foremost civil and human rights law firm founded in 1940 under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall.
• LIFE CampminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreates a model for reducing violence by providing stakeholders with necessary skills and resources to implement positive change within their communities.
• The Men's Story ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReplicable storytelling and community dialogue project bringing critical exploration of social ideas about masculinity into public forums worldwide.
• Million Hoodies Movement for JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlack and Brown-led racial justice network building next generation leaders to end mass criminalization and gun violence.
• The Organization for Black StruggleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded in 1980 to contribute to the creation of a society free of all forms of exploitation and oppression.
• Restore OaklandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiative between Ella Baker Center and Restaurant Opportunities Centers United - community advocacy and training center empowering Bay Area communities.
• Rise UpminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrings social change to communities throughout Georgia through bold action to demand political, economic and social equality.
• The Stella Adler Studio of ActingminorStrategic or Co-development Partner501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to the perpetuation of dramatic arts education and performance.
• SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network of groups and individuals organizing white people for racial justice through community organizing, mobilizing, and education.
• The Actors' GangminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTheatre company founded in 1981 with international acclaim, launched Prison Project in 2006 and Education and Outreach Program in 2000.
• The Brotherhood/Sister SolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides comprehensive, holistic and long-term support services to youth ages 8-22 with wrap around evidence-based programming.
• The Dream DefendersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelops next generation of radical leaders to realize and exercise independent collective power and organize to disrupt oppressive structures.
• The Dream UnfinishedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerActivist orchestra creating a platform for classical musicians to show solidarity with NYC-based civil rights and community organizations.
• The Fortune SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports successful reentry from prison and promotes alternatives to incarceration, strengthening the fabric of communities.
• Freedom SideminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA collective of young leaders of color standing together at the front lines of the fight for racial justice.
• The Harold Robinson FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides funding and resources to send Los Angeles's less fortunate children to camp in a safe and nurturing environment.
• The New PressminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublishes books that promote and enrich public discussion on issues vital to democracy and a more equitable world.
• The Opportunity AgendacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial justice communication lab dedicated to helping social justice leaders tell compelling stories that drive lasting policy and culture change.
• The Rosenberg Fund for ChildrenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMakes grants to help children in the U.S. whose activist parents have been attacked while combating racism, preserving civil liberties, and wage peace.
• The Young Peoples ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUses Math Literacy Work to develop abilities of students to succeed in school and in life while eliminating institutional obstacles.
• Rehabilitation Through The ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld leader in arts-in-corrections, operating an extensive arts program in five NYS prisons with less than 5% recidivism rate.
• EJUSAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization working to transform the justice system by promoting trauma-informed responses to violence.
• The National Civil Rights MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated at the Lorraine Motel, chronicles key episodes of the American Civil Rights Movement and serves as catalyst for positive social change.
• Made New FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to develop innovative virtual reality experiences using storytelling, education, and emerging technology to create new pathways toward opportunity and transformation for formerly incarcerated individuals.
• For FreedomsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric 50 State Initiative in 2018 - the largest creative collaboration in American history with over 600 decentralized public events and 250+ partner organizations.
• Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership since 2018 with RISD Social Equity Inclusion initiatives to explore the intersections of social justice in the arts.
• Latino Community FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Tu Música, Tu Voz, Tu Voto - one of the largest non-partisan voter mobilization events focused on Latinx youth.
• The Young TurkscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner in Tu Música, Tu Voz, Tu Voto voter mobilization campaign reaching Latinx youth audiences.
• Community Coalition (CoCo)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for WE THE PEOPLE exhibition at LADC Studios in Los Angeles, centering voices of Black, Indigenous, Brown, immigrant, LGBTQ+, and historically marginalized communities.
• LADC StudioscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVenue partner for WE THE PEOPLE exhibition in Los Angeles showcasing multidisciplinary art and storytelling.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Gathering For Justice: National movement to end child incarceration co-founded by Gina Belafonte, Sankofa.org's CEO. Operates as both a partner and a legacy organization of the CEO.
• NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund: America's premier civil rights law firm. Sankofa.org is a formal coalition partner of NAACP LDF and shares overlapping focus on criminal justice reform and racial justice advocacy.
• Color Of Change: Black political advocacy organization driving racial and social justice. Sankofa.org lists Color Of Change as a core coalition partner working on the same systemic justice issues.
• The Fortune Society: Reentry and alternatives-to-incarceration organization. Sankofa.org partners with Fortune on reentry support, the same population served by Sankofa's VR reentry initiative with Made New Foundation.
• Ella Baker Center For Human Rights: Bay Area organization shifting resources from prisons and punishment toward community opportunities. Sankofa.org partners with Ella Baker Center on overlapping incarceration reform work.
• Drug Policy Alliance: National organization promoting drug policy reform grounded in health and human rights. Listed as a core Sankofa.org coalition partner with aligned criminal justice reform priorities.
• Center For Popular Democracy: High-impact national organizing network building state and local policy power. Sankofa.org lists CPD as a core coalition partner working on shared social justice campaigns.

Emerging players

• Rehabilitation Through The Arts: Arts-in-corrections nonprofit operating in NYS prisons with a sub-5% recidivism rate. Direct overlap with Sankofa's VR/art-based reentry mission on a smaller, more specialized scale.

Broad incumbents

• ACLU: America's largest civil liberties organization with broad advocacy across criminal justice, immigration, and racial justice. Operates as a much larger incumbent in the same overarching advocacy space.
• Amnesty International USA: Global human rights organization with US program addressing criminal justice, immigration, and inequality. Comparable in human-rights framing but with far broader geographic and issue scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sankofaorg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCexample
• Facebookfacebook.com/Sankofa.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sankofaorg
• Instagraminstagram.com/sankofa_org

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Sankofa.org