Truth Be Told

What Truth Be Told does

Truth Be Told (operating as Truth Be Told Reimagined) is an Austin, Texas-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2000 that delivers trauma-informed, gender-responsive rehabilitation programming to women impacted by incarceration. It serves approximately 1,000 women annually across five Central Texas correctional facilities (Lockhart, Lane Murray, Hilltop, Coleman, Travis County) and through community-based post-release programming, claiming that 86% of graduates remain free three years after release versus a Texas state rearrest rate near 50%.

The organization delivers a curated curriculum built on a proprietary 4 Cs framework (Communication, Community Building, Creativity, Caring for Self). The core product suite includes Talk To Me (a 16-week flagship program offered in Writing, Speaking, and Movement modalities with three progression levels), Pay It Forward (peer-led monthly support for long-sentenced Talk To Me alumni), Healing Trauma (a 6-week intervention co-developed with Dr. Stephanie S Covington, offered in-person and virtually), Let's Get Real (a 14-week reentry program), Beyond Bars (a post-release umbrella covering weekly Zoom calls, retreats, a private Facebook group, and the 3-year freedom Quilt Project), and Exploring Creativity (volunteer-led monthly workshops). Delivery channels include in-prison facilitation, virtual programming, and a COVID-19-era Write To Me mail correspondence curriculum.

Truth Be Told is funded entirely through donations, grants, and event-based fundraising with no fees charged to participants. Revenue streams comprise individual donations, time-limited storytelling campaigns with matching pledges (e.g., '$30,000 in 10 Days'), and annual events such as the Community of Changemakers dinner. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors, led by an Executive Director and supported by 21 staff and a network of trained volunteer facilitators. Operational access to facilities is anchored by a partnership with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, supplemented by ecosystem alliances with YWCA Greater Austin, the Austin/Travis County Reentry Roundtable, Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, ACLU of Texas, and Free Minds Project.

Name

Truth Be Told

Legal name

Truth Be Told

Website

https://truth-be-told.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Truth Be Told is an Austin, Texas-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit delivering trauma-informed, gender-responsive rehabilitation programs to women impacted by incarceration. It serves roughly 1,000 women annually across five Central Texas correctional facilities and through post-release support, funded entirely via donations and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Incarcerated Women's Rehabilitation & Reentry Services

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAKANAH

Reentry, Rehabilitation & Reintegration Programs (Education, Vocational, Case Management)

Business & Public Services/Security & Investigations Services/Corrections, Detention & Prisoner Transport Services

SECONDARYHLAFACAN

Peer Support, Recovery Coaching & Sober Living Services

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Healthcare Providers & Systems/Behavioral Health & Substance Use Treatment

SECONDARYBPAIAFAE

Community Corrections (Probation, Parole & Reentry)

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Justice System (Courts, Prosecution & Corrections)

Keywords

• Incarcerated women rehabilitation
• Trauma-informed programming
• Gender-responsive reentry services
• Prison-based peer support
• Post-release reintegration programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

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. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting the mission. The organization is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit with Tax ID 42-1558329.
2. Fundraising Campaigns: Time-limited storytelling campaigns (e.g., $30,000 in 10 Days) that leverage graduate stories to inspire donations, often with matching pledges from supporters.
3. Event Fundraisers: Annual events such as the Community of Changemakers dinner, which raise funds through ticket sales, auctions, and donations while showcasing graduate transformations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Truth Be Told delivers trauma-informed, gender-responsive rehabilitation and reentry programs for women impacted by incarceration inside Texas correctional facilities and in the community. Its flagship 16-week Talk To Me program is offered in Writing, Speaking, and Movement modalities, complemented by Healing Trauma, Let's Get Real, Pay It Forward, Beyond Bars post-release support, Exploring Creativity workshops, and the Write To Me correspondence curriculum. Programs are free to participants and funded entirely by donations and grants.

Product overview

Truth Be Told is a nonprofit organization offering a suite of trauma-informed, gender-responsive rehabilitation programs for women impacted by incarceration. The core programs include: Talk To Me (16-week flagship program in Writing, Speaking, and Movement modalities with three levels), Pay It Forward (peer-led monthly support), Healing Trauma (6-week trauma intervention), Beyond Bars (post-release programming), Let's Get Real (14-week reentry preparation), and Exploring Creativity (monthly creative workshops). The organization also offers virtual programming including Write To Me correspondence curriculum and Healing Trauma Virtual. Programs are delivered across five correctional facilities in Central Texas and through community-based programming post-release, all centered on the organization's 4 Cs framework: Community Building, Communication Skills, Creativity, and Caring for Self.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Talk To Me 16-week flagship trauma-informed program offered in three modalities (Writing/Speaking/Movement) to help participants gain deeper understanding of the experiences and trauma that led to incarceration. Includes three levels: Talk To Me Series Graduation (Level 1), Discovery (Level 2), and Mentors (Level 3).
• Pay It Forward Peer-led monthly support group at the Lane Murray Unit for alumni of the Talk To Me program with long sentences, providing ongoing support and continuing transformational work using the 4 Cs (Community Building, Communication Skills, Creativity, and Caring for Self).
• Healing Trauma 6-week short intervention developed by Dr. Stephanie S Covington and Eileen M Russo focusing on identifying trauma, power and abuse, and teaching grounding techniques. Available in-person and as a virtual program.
• Beyond Bars
• Let's Get Real 14-week reentry preparation program addressing the 'short timing' phenomenon where people approaching release show self-destructive behaviors. Focuses on safe community, practicing honesty, meditation, journaling, goal-setting, identifying triggers, and building shame resiliency.
• Exploring Creativity
• Healing Trauma Virtual Virtual version of the Healing Trauma curriculum delivered online to reach participants from a distance.
• Write To Me Mail correspondence curriculum developed during COVID-19 containing readings, activities, exercises, and messages of hope from volunteer facilitators, with metered envelopes for participant responses.

Quantifiable outcome

• 86% of Truth Be Told graduates remain free 3 years after release, compared to only 50% of all people released from Texas prisons who are rearrested within 3 years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• YWCA Greater AustincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 April 2021Partnership with YWCA Greater Austin to bring low- and no-cost individual counseling to graduate peer facilitators and women enrolled in Truth Be Told's virtual Healing Trauma program. Addresses the need for deeper therapeutic support as women heal from trauma. Executive Director Katie Ford noted that 'Learning to heal from past trauma can stir up a lot,' highlighting the importance of professional counseling alongside peer support.
• Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ)coreOthersOperational partnership to deliver programs inside Texas correctional facilities. TDCJ suspended all visitation and programming inside prisons in early March 2020 due to COVID-19, prompting Truth Be Told to develop alternative programming methods. Programs operate at multiple TDCJ units including Lockhart, Lane Murray, Hilltop, and others.
• Dr. Stephanie S CovingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLicensed clinical psychologist and author who developed the Healing Trauma curriculum used by Truth Be Told. Her evidence-based program is exclusively offered through Truth Be Told at Lockhart Women's Correctional Facility. Also developed Beyond Trauma curriculum.
• Austin/Travis County Reentry RoundtablesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative network supporting successful reentry for formerly incarcerated individuals. Graduate Laurie Pherigo is a fellow with the Roundtable, and graduate Sandy Wolff is active in initiatives led by the organization.
• Free Minds ProjectsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustin-based organization offering humanities education. Graduate Sandy Wolff is completing a humanities course through Free Minds and intends to further her education in criminal justice and psychology.
• Texas LegislaturesupportingOthersMultiple graduates have testified or advocated at the Texas Capitol for criminal justice reform. Graduate Lisa marched to the Texas Capitol on International Women's Day to support bills helping women in the criminal justice system. Graduate Elizabeth Wilkerson spoke at a Texas Legislature Hearing in January 2010.
• Texas Criminal Justice CoalitionsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition advocating for criminal justice transformation. Graduate Sandy Wolff was a key organizer of the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition's first-ever Women's Injustice Day at the Capitol, with several Truth Be Told graduates participating.
• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of TexassupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivil rights organization. Graduate Sandy Wolff uses her voice and lived experiences to support ACLU of Texas initiatives.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Defy Ventures: National nonprofit that runs entrepreneurship and personal-development programs inside prisons and after release; comparable in delivering structured, cohort-based, peer-led transformation programming for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals.
• Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP): Texas-based nonprofit (Houston) that delivers in-prison business and leadership training and reentry support; closest geographic and operational peer to Truth Be Told's Texas-prison-based rehabilitation model.
• Center for Community Alternatives: Nonprofit providing community-based alternatives to incarceration and reentry support, including programs specifically for justice-involved women; comparable mission and trauma-informed, gender-responsive service model.
• Aid to Inmate Mothers (AIM): Alabama-based nonprofit providing mentoring, education, and reentry support specifically for incarcerated women and their children — same gender-responsive, mother-focused mission as Truth Be Told's women-centered programming.

Broad incumbents

• Safer Foundation: Large Chicago-based nonprofit providing comprehensive reentry services (employment, education, housing) for people returning from incarceration; broader portfolio but operates in the same rehabilitation/reentry space as Truth Be Told.
• Osborne Association: New York-based nonprofit operating a broad portfolio of prison-based and reentry programs including services specifically for incarcerated women; comparable in delivering gender-responsive, trauma-informed programming inside correctional facilities.
• Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO): National nonprofit providing reentry employment services to people returning from incarceration; much broader in scope than Truth Be Told, but addresses the same reentry/rehabilitation problem for justice-involved individuals and often partners with gender-specific programs.

Others

• Texas Criminal Justice Coalition: Texas advocacy coalition working on criminal justice reform; engaged with Truth Be Told graduates (e.g., Women's Injustice Day at the Capitol), operating in the same justice-system reform ecosystem though focused on policy rather than direct service.
• YWCA Greater Austin: Direct partner organization providing low- and no-cost counseling to Truth Be Told graduates; comparable as a trauma-support provider for women, though its mission spans broader women's empowerment rather than incarceration specifically.

Emerging players

• Free Minds Project: Austin-based nonprofit offering humanities education to currently and formerly incarcerated individuals; named as a direct Truth Be Told partner, with overlapping Texas reentry ecosystem and shared target population of justice-involved adults pursuing education.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/truthbetoldTX
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/truthbetold

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Truth Be Told