Disability Policy Consortium

What Disability Policy Consortium does

Disability Policy Consortium (DPC) is a Massachusetts-based, disability-led nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 1996 and headquartered at 25 Kingston St, 4th Floor, Boston. Operating under the credo "About Us, By Us," DPC is governed by a board of 15 community members and employs 26 full- and part-time staff, with more than 75% of employees and directors identifying as disabled. The organization's mission is to redefine the role of government as it affects the lives of people with disabilities, with a focus on housing, healthcare, employment, transportation, and freedom-from-institutionalization issues.

DPC delivers its mission through six core programs: (1) Advocacy & Community Organizing, which drives legislative campaigns on issues such as wheelchair repair reform (H.4358/S.2662) and affordable accessible housing (S.1004/H.1481); (2) Training & Consulting, providing disability-focused inclusion training and technical assistance to organizations; (3) MyOmbudsman, which has served 4,000+ MassHealth members in accessing their healthcare benefits; (4) the Disability Histories Project, a Mass Humanities-funded digital archive preserving disability community experiences; (5) a Research Program enabling community participation in disability studies; and (6) the Generational Leadership Summit, co-developed with BCIL and the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council.

DPC is funded primarily through donations, grants, and earned service revenue. Its FY2024 annual budget is $2.7M, and it has secured a 7x increase in state funding for affordable accessible housing since 2014. Strategic partners include BCIL, MDDC, CHAPA, Health Law Advocates, and Mass Humanities. The organization is geographically concentrated in Massachusetts and does not operate proprietary technology, AI systems, or commercial software products.

Name

Disability Policy Consortium

Legal name

Disability Policy Consortium

Website

https://dpcma.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Disability Policy Consortium is a Massachusetts-based, disability-led nonprofit founded in 1996 that advocates for disability rights through grassroots organizing, community-based research, the MyOmbudsman MassHealth program, and Training & Consulting services for organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Advocacy and Inclusion Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Minority, Indigenous & Disability Rights (BPADAGAH), Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG)

Keywords

• Disability advocacy
• Disability policy research
• Community organizing services
• Disability inclusion training
• Nonprofit health advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

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 and Grants: DPC is funded through donations from the public and grants from organizations such as Mass Humanities. The organization has seen a 7x state funding increase since 2014 for affordable, accessible housing initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Disability Policy Consortium is a disability-led nonprofit that delivers grassroots legislative advocacy and community organizing, community-based disability research, disability-focused Training & Consulting to organizations, and the MyOmbudsman program helping MassHealth members access care and benefits. Its core revenue-generating activities are training/consulting engagements and grant-funded programs, supplemented by donations.

Product overview

Disability Policy Consortium (DPC) is a nonprofit organization run by and for people with disabilities, offering a portfolio of interconnected programs under its 'About Us, By Us' credo. The core programs include: (1) Advocacy & Community Organizing for legislative change, (2) Training & Consulting for disability inclusion, (3) MyOmbudsman for MassHealth member advocacy, (4) the Disability Histories Project for digital archiving, (5) Research programs for disability studies participation, and (6) the Generational Leadership Summit for emerging disability rights leaders. DPC's programs work together to advance disability rights through grassroots advocacy, community-based research, and disability-led training services across Massachusetts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• My Ombudsman: Program that helps people with and without disabilities get the care they need from their MassHealth health plans.
• Disability Histories Project
• Generational Leadership Summit

Products and services

• Training & Consulting Disability-focused inclusion training, workplace inclusion consulting, and technical assistance delivered by DPC to help organizations hear from disabled perspectives and promote disability inclusion.
• MyOmbudsman Program that helps people with and without disabilities get the care they need from their MassHealth health plans, ensuring individuals can exercise their rights and access benefits as MassHealth members.
• Disability Histories Project Digital archive, community asset repository, and live ethnographic study that preserves the lived experiences of Massachusetts' diverse disability community, collecting disability stories through essays, art, painting, dance, and other forms of expression.
• Generational Leadership Summit Initiative that empowers emerging activists and community leaders from across the Commonwealth to champion access, inclusion, and independence for people with disabilities through advocacy and leadership training.
• Research Program Disability research program that enables people with disabilities to participate in research studies and surveys, leading to understanding needs and informing positive changes.
• Advocacy & Community Organizing Grassroots advocacy and community organizing efforts focused on changing disability legislation, achieving legislative victories, and positively impacting the lives of Massachusetts residents with disabilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,000+ Medicaid members served by MyOmbudsman
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Mass HumanitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Grant from Mass Humanities to document disability stories across Massachusetts through the Disability Histories Project, a digital archive and community asset repository preserving the lived experiences of the disability community.
• Boston Center for Independent Living (BCIL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023Collaborative partnership with BCIL and Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council to create the Generational Leadership Summit, an initiative to empower emerging activists and community leaders in the disability rights movement.
• Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council (MDDC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023Partnership with BCIL and MDDC to develop the Generational Leadership Summit, equipping emerging disability rights leaders with advocacy and leadership skills.
• Citizens' Housing And Planning Association (CHAPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in support of the Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP) advocacy, working together on affordable housing policy for people with disabilities.
• Health Law Advocates (HLA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint advocacy with HLA to represent DPC regarding Commonwealth Care Alliance (CCA)'s transition, advocating for policies ensuring all MassHealth members with disabilities receive the services they are legally entitled to.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Boston Center for Independent Living: Boston-based Center for Independent Living that DPC explicitly partners with on the Generational Leadership Summit. BCIL operates as a peer disability-led advocacy and independent living support organization serving the same Massachusetts geography and population.
• Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council: Federally-funded state disability policy council that DPC partners with on the Generational Leadership Summit. MDDC operates on overlapping disability advocacy, leadership development, and policy issues within Massachusetts.
• Disability Rights Advocates: National disability rights legal advocacy organization pursuing systemic litigation and policy change. DRA operates with a similar 'disability-led' model pursuing impact on healthcare, housing, and Medicaid — directly overlapping with DPC's issue portfolio.
• Health Law Advocates: Massachusetts-based health law advocacy organization that DPC explicitly partners with on MassHealth member advocacy. HLA's mission around healthcare access for vulnerable populations directly overlaps with DPC's MyOmbudsman and healthcare non-discrimination work.
• Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law: National legal advocacy organization focused on disability rights, particularly around mental health systems, Medicaid, and community integration. Comparable to DPC's advocacy-and-research-driven approach to disability policy reform.
• Center for Public Representation: Massachusetts-based disability rights legal advocacy organization pursuing systemic reform on community-based services, Medicaid, and disability-led decision-making. Operates in the same Massachusetts policy ecosystem as DPC.

Broad incumbents

• The Arc of the United States: National disability advocacy and services organization with a state/local chapter network. The Arc overlaps with DPC on advocacy for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Medicaid policy, and independent living supports.
• United Cerebral Palsy: National disability services and advocacy organization with affiliate network. UCP operates in similar disability advocacy, housing, healthcare, and independent living spaces as DPC, with a broader portfolio of direct services.
• National Disability Rights Network: Federation of the federally mandated Protection & Advocacy systems for people with disabilities across all U.S. states and territories. NDRN addresses the same disability rights, Medicaid access, and disability-led advocacy mission as DPC but at national scale.
• American Association of People with Disabilities: National cross-disability advocacy organization headquartered in Washington, DC. AAPD operates at the federal policy level on overlapping issues (Medicaid, housing, healthcare non-discrimination) that DPC tackles at the state level, making it a comparable peer with a broader scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DPCMA
• Instagraminstagram.com/DPCorg
• Xx.com/DPC_MA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/disability-policy-consortium

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Disability Policy Consortium