Activating Change

What Activating Change does

Activating Change, Inc. is a Columbus, Ohio-based nonprofit organization (incorporated in Ohio, USA) whose stated mission is to end the widespread victimization and mass incarceration of people with disabilities and Deaf people. The organization pursues this through awareness-raising, narrative change, movement and organizational strengthening, leadership development for system-impacted individuals with disabilities, and direct services aimed at restoring dignity, safety, and healing. It operates three discrete program areas: Creating Pathways to Healing (disability-centered, trauma-informed survivor support), Expanding Deaf Services and Advocacy (ASL-accessible victim services and Deaf-led program growth), and Ending Incarceration (reform advocacy and accessible reentry pathways).

Its core products are knowledge and advocacy artifacts rather than technology. The Defending Access Toolkit is a four-piece resource equipping public defenders, legal aid attorneys, and other attorneys with step-by-step guidance for securing accommodations and modifications for clients with disabilities and Deaf clients. Two research reports — Left Behind (2024, tied to a National Human Trafficking Month campaign) and Overrepresented + Overlooked — document systemic gaps in how survivors with disabilities are trafficked, overlooked, denied protection, and disproportionately impacted by local criminal legal systems, while also articulating policy and practice reforms. Distribution is entirely digital and community-led: a Squarespace-hosted website hosts free downloadable resources, an ActiveCampaign mailing list drives newsletter engagement, and events and social-media channels support community organizing. The organization does not sell products or services; it accepts charitable donations via the Zeffy.com zero-fee donation platform, which is its sole disclosed revenue stream. The website lists a single national headquarters (800 N. High Street, Columbus, OH 43215), no disclosed headcount, and no board, leadership roster, funding history, or financial filings in the available data.

Name

Activating Change

Legal name

Activating Change, Inc.

Website

https://activatingchange.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Activating Change is a Columbus, Ohio-based nonprofit that works to end the victimization and mass incarceration of people with disabilities and Deaf people through direct services, legal advocacy toolkits, and research reports, funded by donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Advocacy and Victim Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Individual and Family Services (6241), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Criminal Justice Reform & Legal System Advocacy (BPAGAFAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Reentry & Justice-Involved Support Services (BPAGAEAN), Disability Rights & Accessibility Advocacy (BPAGAFAF)

Keywords

• Disability advocacy services
• Victim assistance programs
• Criminal justice reform
• Trauma-informed support
• Nonprofit advocacy organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: The organization accepts charitable donations through Zeffy.com donation platform to support their programs and operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Activating Change is a nonprofit advocacy organization that delivers direct services, educational resources, and advocacy programs to end victimization and mass incarceration of people with disabilities and Deaf people. The organization operates three core programs—Creating Pathways to Healing, Expanding Deaf Services and Advocacy, and Ending Incarceration—and publishes free toolkits and reports (including the Defending Access Toolkit for attorneys and the Left Behind and Overrepresented + Overlooked research reports) that equip advocates, attorneys, and system-impacted individuals with practical strategies.

Product overview

Activating Change is a non-profit advocacy organization working to end victimization and mass incarceration of people with disabilities and Deaf people. The organization offers a portfolio of educational toolkits and research reports alongside three core programmatic areas. The Defending Access Toolkit provides legal professionals with practical strategies for representing clients with disabilities, while the Left Behind Report and Overrepresented + Overlooked Report document the systemic challenges faced by this population. The three program areas—Creating Pathways to Healing, Expanding Deaf Services and Advocacy, and Ending Incarceration—provide direct services, advocacy support, and community-centered approaches to advance the organization's mission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Defending Access Toolkit A four-piece toolkit providing step-by-step guidance for public defenders, legal aid attorneys, and other attorneys to secure accommodations and modifications for clients with disabilities and Deaf clients in criminal legal proceedings.
• Left Behind Report A research report exposing how survivors with disabilities are trafficked, overlooked, and denied protection, detailing the critical changes needed in law enforcement practices, policy, and survivor support.
• Overrepresented + Overlooked Report A report exposing how people with disabilities are disproportionately impacted by local criminal legal systems and offering solutions for equity and reform.
• Creating Pathways to Healing Program A program that partners with communities to remove barriers, build new pathways, and develop disability-centered, trauma-informed approaches that place survivors at the heart of safety and healing.
• Expanding Deaf Services and Advocacy Program A program that helps Deaf survivors access victim services in ASL by providing direct support, growing Deaf-led programs, and breaking barriers in hearing programs.
• Ending Incarceration Program A program confronting the drivers of incarceration for people with disabilities by supporting system-impacted leaders, advancing reform, and creating accessible off-ramps into community.

Quantifiable outcome

• 49 out of 50 states don't recognize trafficking for disability benefits as a crime

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• JustLeadershipUSA: An advocacy organization led by directly impacted people advancing criminal-justice reform and reentry support. Highly comparable because it uplifts system-impacted leaders and pushes for accessible off-ramps from incarceration — exactly the model Activating Change's Ending Incarceration program pursues for the disability community.
• Root & Rebound: A California-based nonprofit providing reentry legal services, policy advocacy, and training for people leaving incarceration. Directly comparable because it produces practical toolkits for attorneys and advocates and focuses on accessible pathways out of the criminal-legal system.
• National Association of the Deaf: The premier US civil-rights organization of, by, and for Deaf and hard-of-hearing people. Comparable because Activating Change's Expanding Deaf Services program addresses the same lack of ASL-accessible victim services and advocates for systemic access in courts and shelters.
• National Disability Rights Network: The federally funded protection-and-advocacy umbrella for people with disabilities. Highly comparable because it operates at the same intersection of disability rights and the criminal-legal system, providing legal representation, advocacy, and policy reform support across US states.
• Disability Rights Advocates: A nonprofit legal center that litigates high-impact disability rights cases. Directly comparable because it combines impact litigation and policy advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities in institutional and legal settings, mirroring Activating Change's toolkit and reform orientation.

Broad incumbents

• Vera Institute of Justice: A national research and policy nonprofit driving criminal-legal reform in the US. Comparable because it partners with government agencies on reentry and incarceration alternatives, overlapping significantly with Activating Change's Ending Incarceration and Off-Ramps program.
• The Arc of the United States: The largest US national disability rights and advocacy organization. Comparable because it advocates for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and engages on criminal-legal overrepresentation, though it serves a much broader disability agenda beyond Activating Change's narrower focus.
• The Sentencing Project: A national criminal-justice policy nonprofit producing research on sentencing, incarceration, and racial/disability disparities. Its research-report style (e.g., Overrepresented + Overlooked-style exposés) directly mirrors Activating Change's evidence-based advocacy products.
• Southern Poverty Law Center: A large civil-rights organization that litigates and advocates on behalf of marginalized groups, including people with disabilities in carceral settings. Comparable because it addresses trafficking, incarceration, and disability justice as part of a broader civil-rights portfolio, but at much greater scale than Activating Change.

Emerging players

• HEARD (Healing, Employement, Advocacy, Re-entry & Development): A nonprofit supporting Deaf and disabled people impacted by incarceration through peer-led reentry and policy advocacy. Highly comparable — and arguably the closest peer — because it combines Deaf-led services, criminal-legal reform, and disability-centered support that mirror Activating Change's three program pillars.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/activatingchnge
• Facebookfacebook.com/activatechangetoday
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/activatingchange

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Activating Change