Rise Up, Phi

What Rise Up, Phi does

Rise Up Together is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Oakland, California, that advances gender justice globally by building the capacity of local women, girls, and allies to advocate for systemic policy change. Founded in 2009 by Dr. Denise Raquel Dunning and operating until October 1, 2025 as a fiscally sponsored project of the Public Health Institute, Rise Up Together became an independent nonprofit on October 1, 2025 with a global team of approximately 30 staff and country offices in Nigeria, India, South Africa, Kenya, and Mexico. Since inception, the organization has trained a network of 1,080 leaders across 14 countries through 38 Leadership and Advocacy Accelerators, with those leaders successfully advocating for 246 new and improved laws, policies, and programs collectively impacting more than 251 million people as of 2025.

The organization's core product is its Leadership and Advocacy Accelerator model, complemented by ongoing technical assistance, catalytic funding, and a global programming layer that connects leaders across Africa, South Asia, Latin America, and the United States. Rise Up Together does not sell products or services; its revenue model is composed of foundation grants (Gates, Ford, NoVo, Packard, CIFF, Echidna Giving, Summit, Westwind), flagship corporate partnerships (notably Cummins Inc.'s $6 million Powers Women Initiative), individual donations channeled through an annual Evening of Impact gala and donor engagement panels, and institutional support from the United Nations Foundation. Annual budget is stated at $7M+ as of 2025.

Reach and reputation are evidenced by recognition including the 2025 TIME100 Climate list, the 2024 Ban Ki-moon Award for Women's Empowerment, the 2024 RFK Human Rights Award, and Generation Equality accountability reporting with UN Women. Go-to-market is community-led: local leaders are identified through trusted in-country networks, trained in cohorts via in-person accelerators, and supported through ongoing coaching and catalytic grants. Back-office infrastructure relies on Salesforce for CRM and standard digital channels (website, newsletter, Bluesky, Facebook, LinkedIn, Vimeo, Instagram) for fundraising and storytelling.

Name

Rise Up, Phi

Legal name

Rise Up Together

Website

https://riseuptogether.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rise Up Together is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit that trains and funds a global network of 1,080 local women, girls, and allies across 14 countries to advocate for gender-just laws, policies, and programs, operating on a $7M+ annual budget.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Gender Justice Advocacy Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Educational Support Services (611710), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Inclusive Leadership & Leading Diverse Teams (EDABAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

Keywords

• Gender justice advocacy
• Leadership development programs
• Nonprofit capacity building
• Advocacy training programs
• Community-led development

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants: Rise Up Together receives significant funding from major foundations including Gates Foundation, Ford Foundation, NoVo Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and others to support their global programming and leadership development initiatives.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate sponsors including Cummins Inc., Kaiser Permanente, Johnson & Johnson, and others provide funding and employee engagement opportunities. The Cummins Powers Women Initiative is a flagship corporate partnership.
3. Individual Donations: The organization accepts individual donations through their website and donor engagement programs, including donor panels and their Evening of Impact annual event.
4. Donor-Advised Funds and Institutional Giving: Support from institutional donors including United Nations Foundation, Westwind Foundation, and The Summit Foundation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Rise Up Together is a gender justice nonprofit that runs Leadership and Advocacy Accelerators — intensive training programs for women, girls, and allies — combined with ongoing technical assistance, catalytic funding, and global programming across 14 countries in Africa, South Asia, Latin America, and the United States. Its core mission is to build the capacity of local leaders so they can advocate for laws, policies, and programs that improve education, health, economic opportunity, and climate outcomes.

Product overview

Rise Up Together offers a suite of nonprofit programs centered around their Leadership and Advocacy Accelerator model. The core offerings include the Accelerator training program, technical assistance, catalytic funding, and global programming that connects leaders across Africa, South Asia, Latin America, and the United States. These programs work together to build power with local leaders who advocate for improved laws, policies, and programs in education, health, economic opportunity, and climate outcomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Leadership and Advocacy Accelerator An intensive multi-day training program that builds the capacity of local leaders — women, girls, and allies — to advocate for laws, policies, and programs advancing gender justice and equity. Designed for grassroots leaders and community organizers selected through country-specific calls for applications across Africa, South Asia, Latin America, and the United States.
• Technical Assistance Comprehensive ongoing support provided to Rise Up Leaders including coaching, mentorship, and strategic guidance to help them implement advocacy strategies and achieve lasting change in their communities.
• Catalytic Funding Financial resources provided to leaders and organizations to support their advocacy initiatives and amplify their impact on gender justice issues.
• Global Programming International network of programming spanning Africa, South Asia, Latin America, and the United States, connecting leaders across continents for learning, peer exchange, and collective impact on gender justice priorities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,080 leaders trained across 14 countries since 2009
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Partnerships

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

• Cummins Inc.flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough the Cummins Powers Women Initiative, this partnership invests in leaders to improve the lives of girls and women in India, Brazil, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, and the United States. Includes employee engagement and volunteer opportunities.
• Public Health Institute (PHI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfter 16 years as fiscal sponsor, PHI supported Rise Up's growth from a startup to independent nonprofit. PHI provided operational support including finance, HR, and contracts until Rise Up became independent in October 2025.
• United Nations FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner providing linkages to UN initiatives and platforms including Generation Equality commitments.
• Girl UpminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with UN Girl Up initiative to amplify girls' leadership and advocacy.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• World YWCA: Global movement working on women's empowerment, sexual and reproductive rights, and gender justice across 100+ countries. Comparable to Rise Up Together's leadership development for women and girls and advocacy capacity building.
• Plan International: Large international NGO focused on children's rights and girls' equality with programs across 80+ countries. Comparable to Rise Up Together's girls' empowerment program area but at significantly larger scale and broader thematic remit.

Direct peers

• Women for Women International: Invests in women survivors of war and conflict through training, counseling, and economic support. Comparable to Rise Up Together's leadership training and capacity-building model for women in conflict-affected and developing regions.
• Women Deliver: Global advocacy organization focused on gender equality and the health and rights of girls and women. Highly comparable to Rise Up Together given overlapping mission, advocacy-led model, and convening presence at the same global gender-justice events (e.g., Women Deliver Conferences).
• MADRE: International women's human rights organization supporting partner organizations in crisis-affected regions. Comparable to Rise Up Together's community-led, partner-driven model for advancing gender justice through local leaders.
• Global Fund for Women: Grantmaking foundation supporting women-led organizations advancing gender justice globally. Comparable to Rise Up Together's catalytic funding arm and global, feminist-led funding model, though Global Fund for Women operates at a much larger scale.
• WomenLift Health: Invests in women leaders in health through cohort-based leadership programs and accelerator-style convenings. Directly comparable to Rise Up Together's Accelerator model for women leaders and the emphasis on leadership development as a lever for systemic change.
• International Women's Health Coalition (IWHC): Global advocacy organization advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights for women and girls. Comparable given shared focus on policy advocacy, movement building, and grantmaking to local organizations in the Global South.

Emerging players

• Restless Development: Youth-led development agency focused on adolescent girls and young women in Africa and Asia. Comparable to Rise Up Together's youth-oriented leadership Accelerator model and Southern Hemisphere country footprint.

Regional players

• International Center for Research on Women (ICRW): Global research institution generating evidence to advance gender equity and women's empowerment. Comparable to Rise Up Together's evidence-based policy advocacy approach, though ICRW is primarily a research house rather than a training/grantmaking outfit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xbsky.app/profile/riseuptogether.org
• YouTubevimeo.com/riseuptogether
• Facebookfacebook.com/RiseUpforGirls
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/riseuptogether
• Instagraminstagram.com/riseupforgirls

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 Rise Up, Phi