The IF Project

What The IF Project does

The IF Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2008 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, that delivers reentry, education, and support programs for currently and formerly incarcerated adults, with a primary focus on women incarcerated at Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW) in Gig Harbor. Its programmatic core is an eight-session curriculum suite — Writing Intensive, Personal Reentry Education Plan (P.R.E.P), Creative Writers' Series, Health & Wellness, ReSet, Graduated Reflection, and Personal Growth & Development — supplemented by a volunteer Reentry Mentoring Program matched within Pierce and King Counties and the newly launched WE THRIVE Engagement Center in Seattle's Central District. Facilitation is delivered by formerly incarcerated program staff and the Speaker Team, drawing from a content library of personal essays and video diaries that originated with 25 handwritten responses to the 'IF question' in 2008.

Revenue mechanics are donation-based rather than transactional: the organization holds 501(c)(3) status (EIN #82-1848230), accepts tax-deductible contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors, and reported a cumulative $100,000 donation from Brandi Carlile's Looking Out Foundation. Programs are free to participants; there is no fee-based pricing, no app, no API, and no proprietary technology product. Distribution occurs through four channels: direct in-prison delivery at WCCW and partner Washington State facilities under Washington Department of Corrections partnership, the WE THRIVE community site, mentor matching across Pierce and King Counties, and a documentary film distributed on iTunes, Vimeo, and via US State Department/USC American Film Showcase embassy screenings. A co-founder relationship with the Seattle Police Department also yields law-enforcement training products such as the Before the Badge Program.

Name

The IF Project

Legal name

The IF Project

Website

https://theifproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The IF Project is a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers reentry, writing, and wellness programs for currently and formerly incarcerated adults, primarily women at Washington Corrections Center for Women, through a suite of curricula, a volunteer mentor network, and the WE THRIVE Engagement Center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Criminal Justice Reentry Services

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431), Educational Services (611)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Reentry & Justice-Involved Support Services (BPAGAEAN), Community Corrections (Probation, Parole & Reentry) (BPAIAFAE), Workforce Reentry Programs (Justice-Involved) (EDAAAOAG), Correctional Education Programs (Community College-Delivered) (EDAHADAN)

Keywords

• Criminal justice reform
• Reentry support services
• Writing workshops
• Incarceration prevention programs
• Mentorship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: The IF Project operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN #82-1848230) that relies on charitable donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors to fund workshops, mentoring programs, and community outreach.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The IF Project delivers a portfolio of reentry, writing, health and wellness, and mentoring programs for currently and formerly incarcerated adults, with services delivered inside Washington State correctional facilities and through the WE THRIVE community center. Programs are facilitated by people with lived experience of incarceration and complemented by an award-winning documentary and volunteer-driven reentry mentoring.

Product overview

The IF Project is a gender-responsive nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of programs focused on reducing incarceration and recidivism through truth-telling, empathy, and awareness. The organization operates as a platform of interconnected programs including a documentary film, writing workshops (Writing Intensive, Creative Writers' Series), reentry preparation programs (P.R.E.P, ReSet), health and wellness programming, and the WE THRIVE Engagement Center. These programs work together to heal, empower, and transform individuals, families, and communities impacted by the justice system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WE THRIVE Engagement Center: A community-centered space in Seattle's Central District designed to support system-impacted individuals in healing, growth, and leadership through peer mentorship, reentry support, wellness workshops, digital access, and leadership development.

Products and services

• Writing Intensive A one-day workshop using expressive writing and truth-telling to explore personal experiences around incarceration, introducing simple meditation and movement practices. Conducted by previously-incarcerated adults to effect change with participants, including youth.
• Personal Reentry Education Plan (P.R.E.P) An eight-session program focused on developing personalized reentry plans covering housing, transportation, resources, relationships, stigma, family reunification, employment readiness, education, and financial literacy. Designed for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated adults.
• Creative Writers' Series An eight-session program using creative writing to help participants explore themes such as love and forgiveness, rage and shame, grief and loss, art and beauty, and courage and fear through poetic expression.
• Health & Wellness An eight-session program focused on life-planning for physical, emotional, and mental health needs, covering communication tools, personal empowerment, chemical dependency, and emotional health support.
• ReSet (Formerly Re-Prep) An eight-session external programming designed for participants to revisit and revise their reentry plans based on current challenges and barriers, covering community, technology careers, education, volunteering, family reintegration, and effective communication.
• Graduated Reflection A weekly workshop for long-term participants who have graduated from all IF Project Programs, including advanced creative short story writing, trauma and emotional intelligence discussions, and curriculum development input.
• Personal Growth & Development An 8-week curriculum designed for individuals who have graduated from at least two IF Project classes, covering boundaries, accountability, self-esteem, and self-expression.
• Reentry Mentoring Program A mentoring program where volunteer mentors meet mentees before and after their release from Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW) in Gig Harbor. Mentors and mentees are matched within Pierce and King Counties, meeting in person once a month and connecting by telephone or e-mail once each week.
• WE THRIVE Engagement Center A community-centered resource hub in Seattle's Central District supporting system-impacted individuals with peer mentorship, reentry support, wellness workshops, digital access, and leadership development.
• The IF Project Documentary A 90-minute feature-length documentary exploring reasons behind female incarceration in the United States, filmed over seven years at Washington State Corrections Centre for Women. Available on iTunes, Vimeo, and by DVD request.

Quantifiable outcome

• Documentary premiered at Seattle International Film Festival, won Lena Sharp Award and Special Jury Prize, aired on Logo television network
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• US State Department / USC American Film ShowcaseflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016The IF Project was selected among 16 films for the US State Department and USC's American Film Showcase program. The team was invited to Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates to screen the film at US embassies, festivals, and universities for cultural diplomacy purposes.
• Seattle Police DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Detective Kim Bogucki of Seattle Police Department co-founded The IF Project. The organization developed the 'Before the Badge Program' for police recruits. Seattle Police also partners on virtual programming at Helen B. Ratcliff House.
• Washington Department of Corrections / Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008The IF Project originated from Detective Bogucki's visits to WCCW in Gig Harbor. Programs including Writing Intensive, PREP, Creative Writers Series, and Health & Wellness are delivered inside the facility. WCCW is the primary site for internal programming.
• Renata Abramson (Co-Founder)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRenata Abramson was incarcerated at WCCW when she responded to the 'IF Question' by inviting fellow women to share their reflections. Her leadership and vision sparked the first 25 essays that became the foundation of The IF Project. She passed away in December 2024.
• FareStartminorGTM or Marketing PartnerChelsea Sumpter, IF Project Advisory Council member, enrolled in FareStart's culinary arts training program upon release. FareStart provides restaurant industry job training for people experiencing barriers to employment.
• ANEWminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSai participated in ANEW's 11-week pre-apprenticeship program, the oldest continuously-running program dedicated to improving access and advancement of women in non-traditional career pathways.
• New Connections-TacomaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSai was released into this 90-day recovery-based housing program in January 2019 and later stayed on as a residential manager intern mentoring other women in recovery.
• Unloop (WCCW-sponsored coding program)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFelicia participated in this WCCW-sponsored coding training program that provides on-the-job experience and allows participants to build portfolios while working on programming jobs.
• The Women's VillageminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA leadership group of incarcerated women at WCCW that Felicia helped form. Partnered with IF to create the Health and Wellness curriculum focusing on life-planning for physical, emotional, and mental health needs.
• FEPPS (Freedom Education Project Puget Sound)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerDeborah Sheehan served as Program Operations Manager at FEPPS, where she launched the first Community Connections event inside the prison creating space for incarcerated individuals to build relationships and explore reintegration opportunities.
• PalletminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDeniece joined Pallet's team as a manufacturing specialist building shelters. Pallet employs people with lived experience of homelessness, substance use disorder, and incarceration.
• Prison Scholar FundminorGTM or Marketing PartnerReferenced in resources section as providing food packages for formerly incarcerated people.
• University of Washington School of LawminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDallas was accepted to and enrolled at University of Washington's law school with a partial scholarship, supported by private donors.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO): National nonprofit providing immediate employment, transitional work, and career advancement for people returning from incarceration. Comparable workforce-reentry mission and outcome-measurement discipline that IF currently lacks, serving a similar formerly incarcerated persona.
• Center for Community Alternatives (CCA): Nonprofit providing alternatives to incarceration and reentry support services, with a focus on court-involved youth and adults. Comparable justice-system intervention and reentry programming model serving similar populations.
• A New Way of Life (ANEW): Los Angeles-based nonprofit providing housing and reentry support for formerly incarcerated women. Directly comparable gender-responsive reentry model serving justice-involved women with lived-experience leadership.
• The Fortune Society: New York-based nonprofit providing reentry support, housing, education, and advocacy for formerly incarcerated individuals, including the Fortune News newspaper and Atlas program. Directly comparable holistic reentry model with lived-experience leadership, though larger and more established.
• Root & Rebound: California-based nonprofit providing legal services, reentry planning, and advocacy for people impacted by incarceration. Comparable reentry education, planning, and resource navigation offerings aligned with IF's PREP program.
• Freedom Education Project Puget Sound (FEPPS): Operates higher-education programs inside Washington State prisons, including WCCW. Directly comparable as a Washington-based nonprofit delivering in-custody education and reentry preparation to the same population IF serves; an IF staff member (Deborah Sheehan) previously worked at FEPPS.
• The Last Mile: Nonprofit providing technology and workforce training inside prisons to reduce recidivism. Comparable in-prison program delivery model with strong employer partnerships (including tech), serving a similar formerly incarcerated persona with measurable employment outcomes.
• Osborne Association: New York-based nonprofit offering reentry services, alternatives-to-incarceration programs, and advocacy for people affected by the criminal justice system. Comparable comprehensive reentry and family services model with deep corrections partnerships.

Broad incumbents

• Vera Institute of Justice: National research and policy nonprofit working to overhaul the criminal justice system. Operates broadly in the same criminal justice reform space as IF but at significantly larger scale, focused on research, policy advocacy, and pilot programs rather than direct in-prison workshop delivery.
• Brennan Center for Justice: National law and policy institute focused on criminal justice reform, voting rights, and democracy. A broader incumbent in the same criminal justice reform funding universe as IF, but operating through litigation, research, and advocacy rather than direct service delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theifproject
• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=0e6hmdUIDZs
• Facebookfacebook.com/ifproject
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-if-project
• Instagraminstagram.com/theifproject

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 IF Project