The Restorative Community Coalition

What The Restorative Community Coalition does

The Restorative Community Coalition is a 501c3 nonprofit advocacy organization headquartered in Bellingham, Whatcom County, Washington. Founded in 2006 by Irene Morgan and rebranded from the Whatcom County ReEntry Coalition, the coalition serves justice-involved individuals, their families, and community taxpayers through direct services including court navigation, case interception, mentoring, recovery support, and reentry assistance, alongside civic accountability programs aimed at jail reform and taxpayer advocacy. The organization operates with a lean 7-person team and an active volunteer base, delivering all services free of charge to community members.

The coalition's intellectual output is anchored by an original ethnographic research program. Joy Gilfilen conducted a 79-person study in 2018 on the emotional trauma of arrest and incarceration, which produced the Blindspots Jail Trauma Research, the proprietary RADD-RAT (Radicalized Acute Distress under Duress and Repetitive Accelerating Trauma) framework, the Stop Punishing Taxpayers report, and the Noble Cause Corruption compendium of campaign-law violations. Educational products include the 11x17 Blindspots poster and a video series, while media assets include the iChange Justice Podcast (currently in Season 5) and a YouTube channel. Programs extend to the proposed RestoreALife Center HUB, a planned hub for housing, employment, restorative justice, and trauma support services.

The business model is donation-driven: revenue is generated through PayPal donations, Patreon community support, and grants, with no service fees charged to beneficiaries. Distribution is direct, with services delivered in person within Whatcom County and educational content disseminated through the website, podcast, Facebook, YouTube, monthly membership meetings, and community events. The Vera Institute of Justice referenced the coalition's research, and the coalition's work has been verified by a Vanderbilt Law Review article on jail industry practices, lending third-party validation to its research output.

Name

The Restorative Community Coalition

Legal name

The Restorative Community Coalition

Website

https://therestorativecommunity.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Restorative Community Coalition is a 501c3 nonprofit in Whatcom County, Washington that provides court navigation, mentoring, reentry support, and civic accountability programs to justice-involved individuals and taxpayers, supported by original jail trauma research and a weekly podcast.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restorative Justice and Criminal Justice Reform Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Reentry & Justice-Involved Support Services (BPAGAEAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Alternative Dispute Resolution & Restorative Justice Programs (BPAIAFAL), Restorative Practices, Conflict Resolution & Discipline Alternatives (EDAKAMAG), Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM)

Keywords

• Restorative justice services
• Criminal justice reform
• Reentry support programs
• Court navigation services
• Community advocacy nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Bellingham

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization accepts donations through PayPal and other channels. As a 501c3 nonprofit, they rely on public donations to fund their advocacy and direct service programs.
2. Volunteer Services: The organization mobilizes volunteer time for mentoring, case interception, court navigation, and administrative support, effectively converting community time into program delivery capacity.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Restorative Community Coalition is a 501c3 nonprofit that delivers free direct services (mentoring, court navigation, case interception, reentry and recovery support) to justice-involved individuals and families in Whatcom County, Washington. Alongside these services, the coalition produces and disseminates original research, educational resources, and advocacy content — including the iChange Justice Podcast, the Blindspots jail trauma research series, the RADD-RAT framework, the Stop Punishing Taxpayers report, and the Noble Cause Corruption Reports — to drive restorative justice and jail reform.

Product overview

The Restorative Community Coalition is a 501c3 non-profit organization offering advocacy, research, and support services focused on criminal justice reform and restorative justice. The organization's portfolio includes the iChange Justice Podcast (currently in Season 5), the Blindspots jail trauma research series (with posters and publications), the Stop Punishing Taxpayers report, and the Noble Cause Corruption Reports. Services include mentoring, court navigation, and the proposed RestoreALife Center HUB. These programs work together to advocate for systemic change, provide education on jail trauma, and support individuals and families impacted by the justice system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• iChange Justice Podcast: Weekly podcast bringing voices of citizens, educators, politicians, service providers, and service receivers on issues affecting everyday lives. Currently in its fifth season.
• RestoreALife Center
• Blindspots Research

Quantifiable outcome

• Re-entry class at $981 per person saves $35,019 per year per successful participant compared to incarceration costs
• +2 more outcomes

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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Vera Institute of JusticeinfluentialOthers · 1 January 2018The Vera Institute of Justice referenced the coalition's work and recommended they conduct their own jail trauma research. The coalition's hands-on research in Whatcom County was verified by a Vanderbilt Law Review article on jail industry practices. The coalition also worked with the Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• JustLeadershipUSA: National organization led by directly impacted individuals working to reduce the U.S. prison population and advocate for criminal justice reform. Comparable in lived-experience-led advocacy model and reentry/policy focus.
• Osborne Association: One of the oldest criminal justice nonprofits in the U.S., offering mentoring, reentry support, court-based programs, and family services to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals. Comparable in service breadth and justice reform advocacy mission.
• The Fortune Society: New York-based nonprofit delivering comprehensive reentry services including mentoring, court navigation, housing, and employment support to justice-involved individuals. Directly comparable service stack and target population to the Restorative Community Coalition's programs.
• Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO): National nonprofit providing employment-focused reentry services to people returning from incarceration. Directly comparable in offering reentry support, employment retraining, and post-release case management to justice-involved individuals served by the Restorative Community Coalition.
• Center for Justice Innovation: National nonprofit advancing community-based alternatives to incarceration through court-based programs, restorative justice practices, and research. Closely comparable in restorative justice orientation, research-driven frameworks, and reform advocacy focus.
• ICAN (Incarcerated Citizens Advocacy Network): National nonprofit advocating for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals, including reentry support, policy advocacy, and public education. Comparable in reform advocacy and direct service to justice-involved populations.

Broad incumbents

• Southern Poverty Law Center: Large civil rights nonprofit with a portfolio that includes criminal justice reform advocacy, litigation against jail conditions, and policy campaigns. Operates at much larger scale but shares the civil liberties/criminal justice reform advocacy posture.
• Vera Institute of Justice: National criminal justice reform organization that referenced and validated The Restorative Community Coalition's jail trauma research. Operates at significantly larger scale with government partnerships, but shares the focus on mass incarceration reform, jail/pretrial alternatives, and reentry support.
• ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union): Major national civil liberties organization that litigates and advocates on criminal justice issues including jail conditions, policing, and sentencing reform. Comparable in rights-based advocacy framing and criminal justice reform focus, though at vastly larger scale and broader scope.

Regional players

• Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR) of Whatcom County: Regional reentry nonprofit serving Whatcom County, Washington — the same geographic area as The Restorative Community Coalition. Both organizations deliver reentry, court navigation, and supportive services to justice-involved residents, making them direct local peers even though OAR operates as a more established volunteer-driven service provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCq2LKn6zjXoAJ590O1y7ydA
• Facebookfacebook.com/RestorativeCommUnityCoalition
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-restorative-community-coalition

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Restorative Community Coalition