What the center for impact communications does

The Center for Impact Communications (CFIC), also known by its abbreviation CFIC and legally "Center for Impact Communications," is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2018 and headquartered at 116 Devoe St Ste 2, Brooklyn, NY. The organization supports social change advocates and changemakers through three integrated service lines: original research on what motivates people to act and how messages influence behavior, education and training programs that disseminate those findings, and amplification support for under-resourced changemakers. CFIC operates a portfolio of named programs spanning cross-border social issues (Global Center for Impact), campaign effectiveness evaluation (Impact Audit), media amplification for marginalized voices (Empowered Voices Project), visual storytelling research (ReFrame), and issue-specific campaigns including Vax Because (vaccine confidence, with Global Citizen and The Rockefeller Foundation), Save Syria's Schools (with CanDo and Dr. Rola Hallam), Count Every Vote (US election monitoring), Communicating Coronavirus, and Defeating Disinformation. Additional offerings include the Weekend Caucus sports media project, the Action Center pro bono practitioner network, the CFIC Fellows program, and a thought leadership book by Executive Director Ed Coper titled "Facts and Other Lies: Welcome to the Disinformation Age." Geographic reach at the impact-delivery level spans the United States, Kenya, Uganda, Australia, Myanmar, and Bangladesh through partnerships with organizations including Food for Education, Takataka Plastics, First Nations Common Ground, and Women's Peace Network.

CFIC's technology footprint is intentionally light: the organization does not build software products but rather delivers communications methodology, research outputs, and campaign support through community and content channels. Its technology stack consists of a Slack-based Members Portal (campaignslack.herokuapp.com), a Typeform community signup form, the Tilda static website platform, and content hubs such as CommunicatingCoronavirus.org, votecounts.org, and a Medium-hosted Weekend Caucus. The organization's core assets are research-driven content, a network of practitioners surfaced through the Fellows program and Action Center, and the credibility of its three-person leadership team: Executive Director Ed Coper (who previously built Australia's GetUp movement and led Change.org's global expansion into 18+ countries), Media Director Kate Albright Hannah (Director of Video for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, with prior roles at CNN, VICE, and MSNBC), and Project Director Liz Sargent (NYC film/performance producer and creator of the viral "Pantsuit Power" Dance). The organization holds a GuideStar Transparency Seal awarded in 2022, signaling nonprofit compliance and disclosure standards.

CFIC's business model is entirely philanthropic: 100% of funding comes from tax-deductible contributions and grants, with services including pro bono advice and Impact Audit support offered at no cost to under-resourced campaigns and organizations. The organization does not sell products or charge fees; revenue streams are classified as donations and grants channeled through its 501(c)(3) charitable structure. Its customer base spans social change advocates, NGOs, foundations, research institutions, and underrepresented communities, with marquee partnerships including Global Citizen, The Rockefeller Foundation, CanDo, and a long tail of grassroots partners across multiple continents. Headcount is reported in the 1–10 range, consistent with a lean nonprofit operating model that relies on its leadership team and a distributed network of Fellows and Action Center practitioners.

Name

the center for impact communications

Legal name

Center for Impact Communications

Website

https://impactcomms.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Center for Impact Communications is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports social change advocates through research on behavioral communications, education and training programs, and amplification of underrepresented voices, operating programs like the Global Center for Impact, Empowered Voices Project, and Impact Audit across multiple continents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Communications Consulting

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (541820), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910), Advertising Agencies (541810), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Nonprofit & Cause Communications (BPAFADAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Customer Experience (CX) & Voice of Customer (NPS/CSAT, Journey Research) (MPAAALAH), Community Health, Health Promotion & Behavior Change (SBCC) (BPADAIAL)

Keywords

• Social impact communications
• Campaign amplification
• Nonprofit research
• Changemaker support
• Disinformation research

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: The Center for Impact Communications is a nonprofit organization 100% funded from contributions and grants to their nonprofit. Donations are fully tax deductible in the US as a 501(c)(3) organization. The organization scales successful programs through these funding sources.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CFIC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that conducts and commissions original research on what motivates people to act and how messages influence behavior, then translates that research into education, training, and amplification services for social change advocates. It runs multiple programs (Global Center for Impact, Impact Audit, Empowered Voices Project, Action Center, Fellows Program) and issue-specific campaigns (Vax Because, Save Syria's Schools, Count Every Vote, Communicating Coronavirus, Defeating Disinformation, ReFrame, Weekend Caucus) that provide pro bono communications and campaign support to under-resourced changemakers, NGOs, and social enterprises.

Product overview

The Center for Impact Communications is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit that increases impact of changemakers through research, education and amplification. The organization operates several interconnected programs: the Global Center for Impact supports cross-border social issues; Impact Audit evaluates campaign effectiveness; the Empowered Voices Project amplifies underrepresented voices; and ReFrame research ensures visual media storytelling has positive impact. Additional initiatives include Weekend Caucus (sports-based attitude shift), Vax Because (vaccine confidence), Save Syria's Schools (early warning systems), Count Every Vote (election monitoring), Communicating Coronavirus (public health communication), and Defeating Disinformation (misinformation research). The Action Center provides professional campaign support while the Fellows Program develops practitioners in the social change space. The organization also publishes educational resources including Ed Coper's book on disinformation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Global Center for Impact: An international program to support social impact efforts on important cross-border issues like climate change, nuclear disarmament, poverty and human rights.
• Impact Audit
• Weekend Caucus
• Empowered Voices Project

Products and services

• Global Center for Impact An international program supporting social impact efforts on cross-border issues like climate change, nuclear disarmament, poverty, and human rights. Works with local partners, social entrepreneurs, and international organizations to conduct research, create campaigns, and deliver strategic support.
• Impact Audit A wholesale examination of activities, content, messages, and interventions conducted in pursuit of social change outcomes. Measures effectiveness against long-term goals and provides recommendations for impact optimization.
• Empowered Voices Project Program providing media profile and amplification to changemakers advocating on issues affecting them and their communities directly. Focuses on people of color, women, immigrants, the global south, and marginalized communities with strategic communications support.
• Action Center Professional support service providing experienced communicators, creators, and campaigners to campaigns and organizations through CFIC's network. Connects changemakers with expert practitioners for campaign capacity support.
• CFIC Fellows Program Program offering researchers and practitioners training, connections, and resources to advance the impact of their work through increased familiarity with best practice and practical assistance with current or prospective projects.
• Weekend Caucus Experiment in shifting social attitudes through coverage of sports, documenting the intersection between politics and sports to reach broader audiences. Published as a Medium series.
• Vax Because Research-backed content campaign addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in hesitant audiences including young people, African Americans, and Latines, launched in partnership with Global Citizen and The Rockefeller Foundation as part of the VAX LIVE concert initiative.
• Save Syria's Schools Campaign using the 10th anniversary of the Syria crisis to fund lifesaving early warning systems for schools being bombed, raising funds to place systems in schools across Syria. Partnered with CanDo and Dr Rola Hallam.
• Count Every Vote Nonpartisan election project to monitor accuracy in vote tallies for US Presidential elections with real-time data visualizations and public reporting.
• Communicating Coronavirus Resource and newsletter sharing best practices for talking to the public about the COVID-19 pandemic in ways that save lives. Serves as a regular communication channel for public health messaging guidance.
• Defeating Disinformation Research and resource initiative to understand and combat disinformation, filter bubbles, and social media manipulation campaigns.
• ReFrame Research project working with photographers and advocacy campaigners to ensure visual stories told in media have the right impact rather than causing more harm.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,500,000+ meals provided to children and families during COVID-19
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Global CitizencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFIC partnered with Global Citizen to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the most hesitant audiences. Using the latest research on hesitant audiences including young people, African Americans and Latines, they created research-backed content to address key hesitancy concerns. This partnership supported the global 'Vax Because' hub launched after the 'VAX LIVE' concert.
• CanDocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFIC worked with Dr Rola Hallam and CanDo on the Save Syria's Schools campaign, using the 10th anniversary of the Syria crisis to bring attention to schools being bombed in the country. The campaign raised enough funds to place early warning systems in dozens of schools.
• Food for EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood for Education is a Kenya-based organization providing subsidized nutritious meals to primary school children to improve nutrition education outcomes. Through the Global Center for Impact, CFIC supports this organization which has provided over 1,500,000 meals during COVID-19.
• Takataka PlasticsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTakataka Plastics is a Uganda-based social enterprise transforming waste and lives by collecting plastic waste from landfill, creating upcycled products for affordable housing, and creating jobs for vulnerable populations. Part of Global Center for Impact supported programs.
• First Nations Common GroundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst Nations Common Ground Australia records and shares First Nations cultures, histories and lived experiences. Part of Global Center for Impact supported programs.
• Women's Peace NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWomen's Peace Network is empowering Rohingya women in refugee camps with education, literacy, sexual and gender-based violence, and peace building programs. Supported through the Global Center for Impact.
• Research Institutions and FoundationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFIC partners with a broad range of research institutions, NGOs, foundations and for-benefit social enterprises and B corporations to advance the mission of social change through more impactful communications, campaigns and partnerships.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Burness Communications: Burness is a communications consultancy serving nonprofits, foundations, and social enterprises, with strengths in research-backed narrative work and global health/philanthropy. CFIC's Vax Because and Global Center for Impact work sits in overlapping territory.
• Purpose: Purpose is a public-mobilization agency that designs and runs campaigns for nonprofits, brands, and foundations. Its model of building research, creative, and amplification under one roof closely parallels CFIC's integrated approach.
• SKDK: SKDK is a public affairs and political consulting firm serving Democratic and progressive causes with advertising, communications, and crisis work. Its advocacy and corporate reputation services overlap with CFIC's campaign support and Amplification offerings.
• GMMB: GMMB is a political and advocacy communications firm serving progressive causes and nonprofits with media, creative, and digital services. Ed Coper's Obama-era network and CFIC's cause campaigns sit in adjacent verticals to GMMB's work.
• Blue State Digital: Blue State is a digital strategy and creative agency that builds advocacy, fundraising, and engagement programs for nonprofits and progressive organizations. It overlaps with CFIC's community-building, Member Portal, and Empowered Voices programming.
• Spitfire Strategies: Spitfire is a strategic communications firm focused exclusively on nonprofit and foundation clients, combining research, message development, and campaign training. Its Smart Chart and evaluation work directly mirrors CFIC's Impact Audit and research offerings.
• Fenton Communications: Fenton is a leading public interest communications firm serving nonprofits, foundations, and social movements. Like CFIC, it combines strategic comms, media relations, and narrative change work for progressive causes, making it the closest direct peer.

Others

• Council on Foundations: Council on Foundations is a membership organization supporting philanthropic institutions with research, events, and communications resources. It is an ecosystem peer whose members often fund or partner with CFIC.

Broad incumbents

• APCO Worldwide: APCO is a global public affairs and communications consultancy with cause, ESG, and social impact practices. It serves a broader corporate and government client base but competes for the same cause-driven campaigns as CFIC.

Emerging players

• Define American: Define American is a nonprofit media and culture-change organization that uses storytelling, research, and campaigns to shift narratives on immigration. It is a smaller, cause-specific peer with a similar research-plus-amplification model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centerforimpactcomms

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about the center for impact communications