Stick Talk

What Stick Talk does

Stick Talk is a Chicago-based non-profit organization operating as an abolitionist base-building collective focused on firearm harm reduction and survivor-centered community safety. The organization is led by Co-Executive Directors Brandon Daurham and Ethan Ucker and structured as a predominantly Black collective of organizers, restorative justice practitioners, and popular educators with multigenerational leadership rooted in the lineage of Ora Schub, Cheryl Graves, and Mariame Kaba. Its core intellectual property is the 9 Principles of Firearm Harm Reduction, a codified framework co-created with young Black and Brown people who are both authors and survivors of gun-related harms. The framework is distributed through free downloadable resources (a Strategy Sheet, a Poster designed by Olly Costello, and Flashcards) and operationalized through neighborhood-level Firearm Harm Reduction hubs across Chicago and in-prison programming for incarcerated youth with firearm possession cases via the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice.

Stick Talk generates revenue through three primary streams: merchandise sales (Harvest, Collage, and DARE apparel collections, buttons, limited edition prints, and flashcards priced $2-$75 via an e-commerce storefront), individual donations (channeled through donorbox.org with 100% distributed as stipends, mutual aid, and emergency relief to gun violence survivors and their loved ones), and foundation grants from institutional partners including the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Emergent Fund, Crossroads Fund, Albert Pick Jr. Fund, and Life Comes From It. The organization maintains a partner ecosystem of more than 40 community organizations, system partners (Cook County Public Defender, Cook County Juvenile Probation, Restorative Justice Community Courts), and funders. The NPIC Practitioners Lab—a 3-month cohort program for 15 Chicago-based changeworkers offering $1,200 stipends—extends the organization's reach beyond direct beneficiaries into capacity-building for community organizers navigating the non-profit industrial complex. Stick Talk has no technology platform, mobile app, or proprietary software; all operations are community-led and human-delivered.

Name

Stick Talk

Legal name

Stick Talk

Website

https://sticktalk.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stick Talk is a Chicago-based non-profit that builds capacity for survivor-centered community safety through Firearm Harm Reduction hubs, in-prison programming, and free educational resources serving young Black and Brown gun violence survivors and incarcerated youth.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Safety Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

akta.pro primary industry

Gun Violence Prevention & Public Safety Policy Advocacy (BPAGAFAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB), Student Wellness & Prevention Programs (Substance Use, Sexual Health, Bullying) (EDAJAIAG)

Keywords

• Firearm harm reduction
• Community safety programs
• Restorative justice education
• Violence prevention organizing
• Survivor-centered advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Merchandise Sales: E-commerce sales of branded merchandise including t-shirts, hoodies, crewnecks, buttons, prints, and flashcards. All proceeds help resource and sustain the organization's work.
2. Donations and Contributions: Direct contributions from individuals and supporters. 100% of contributions are distributed among young Black and Brown people who are gun violence survivors and their loved ones in the form of stipends, mutual aid, and emergency relief funds.
3. Foundation and Grant Funding: Funding from institutional partners including Albert Pick Jr. Fund, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Emergent Fund, and other philanthropic organizations supporting community safety and violence prevention work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Stick Talk is a Black-led non-profit collective that delivers firearm harm reduction programming, popular political education, and survivor-centered community safety organizing in Chicago. It operates neighborhood safety hubs, runs the 9 Principles of Firearm Harm Reduction framework through education and printed materials, and distributes branded apparel and educational resources to support and fund its work.

Product overview

Stick Talk is a survivor-centered community safety organization offering a portfolio of educational resources, merchandise, and programs. The core offering is the Firearm Harm Reduction framework, which includes 9 Principles of Firearm Harm Reduction distributed through downloadable resources (Strategy Sheet, 9 Principles Poster, Flashcards). The organization also operates neighborhood-level Firearm Harm Reduction Hubs providing healing, education, and mutual aid. Supporting these are merchandise products (Harvest, Collage, and DARE apparel collections; buttons; prints) that help fund operations. Additionally, Stick Talk runs the NPIC Practitioners Lab, a 3-month cohort program for community organizers. The organization does not offer a technology product or software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Firearm Harm Reduction Strategy Sheet

Named customers2 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

17 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• ALSOminorOthersChicago-based community organization partnering with Stick Talk in the Firearm Harm Reduction network.
• Black Survival NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of Black survivors and organizers collaborating on community safety strategies.
• BUILDminorOthersChicago youth development organization focused on community safety and violence prevention.
• Chicago Community Bond FundminorOthersOrganization providing financial support for individuals unable to afford bail in Cook County.
• Chicago Recovery AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarm reduction organization providing needle exchange and overdose prevention. Shares harm reduction methodology with Stick Talk.
• Circles & CipherscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChicago-based collective doing political education and healing work with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people.
• Cook County Juvenile ProbationminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGovernment system partner working with young people in the juvenile justice system.
• Cook County Public Defender's OfficeminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPublic defender office providing legal representation, potentially for youth with firearm possession cases.
• Illinois Department of Juvenile JusticeminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState agency managing juvenile correctional facilities where Stick Talk conducts organizing inside prisons.
• Institute for Nonviolence ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization providing violence interruption and community-based safety services in Chicago.
• March For Our LivesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational youth-led movement for gun violence prevention and safety.
• National Association of Community and Restorative JusticeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association advancing community and restorative justice practices.
• TRAP House ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollective organizing for reproductive and transformative justice within Black communities in Chicago.
• Ujimaa MedicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollective of trauma-informed medic support providing emergency response training and support for communities.
• Chicago Women's Health CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity health center providing holistic health services and education.
• Precious Blood Ministry of ReconciliationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinistry providing reentry support and reconciliation services for those affected by violence.
• Restorative Justice Community CourtsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAlternative court program providing restorative justice options for criminal cases.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cure Violence Global: National organization using health-sector methodology to interrupt violence transmission. Comparable to Stick Talk in its public-health framing of community safety and emphasis on credible messenger intervention.
• Roca: Massachusetts-based organization working with high-risk young people on safety, education, and economic stability. Comparable to Stick Talk in targeting young people at extreme risk of lethal violence and providing sustained, multi-component intervention.
• READI Chicago: Chicago-based program engaging those most likely to be victims or perpetrators of gun violence in cognitive behavioral therapy and workforce development. Operates in the same geography and target population as Stick Talk.
• Live Free USA (Faith in Action): National network of faith-based organizations working to reduce gun violence and mass incarceration. Comparable to Stick Talk in centering directly impacted communities and advocating for community-based alternatives to policing.
• Chicago Recovery Alliance: Chicago harm reduction organization providing needle exchange and overdose prevention. Already a Stick Talk partner and shares the harm reduction methodology framework that underpins Stick Talk's firearm approach.
• Ujimaa Medics: Chicago-based collective of trauma-informed medics providing emergency response training to communities affected by gun violence. Already a named Stick Talk partner and shares the survivor-centered, mutual-aid methodology.
• Institute for Nonviolence Chicago: Chicago-based violence interruption and community safety organization. Already a named Stick Talk partner, it operates the most comparable street-level violence intervention methodology in the same geography.

Broad incumbents

• Everytown for Gun Safety: Largest U.S. gun violence prevention organization, with overlapping mission but operates at national advocacy scale rather than grassroots community safety like Stick Talk.
• Giffords: National gun violence prevention organization led by former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. Comparable cause area but focused primarily on policy advocacy rather than survivor-led community organizing.
• Brady United: Major national gun violence prevention organization focused on policy reform and gun industry accountability. Comparable in gun violence prevention mission but operates at much larger scale and through policy/lobbying rather than community organizing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urbanmarronage

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Stick Talk