Talk A Mile
Talk A Mile is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs 1:1 walk-and-talk conversations pairing students with police officers, civic leaders, and educators to build trust and civic engagement, currently operating in six U.S. cities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersPortland, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Talk A Mile does
Talk A Mile is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2020 in Portland, Oregon, that runs structured 1:1 walk-and-talk conversations between young people — particularly Black students and students of color — and police officers, civic leaders, and educators. Its core product is the Four-Lap Walk-and-Talk Program, a research-backed methodology in which participants are paired randomly and walk four structured laps (Warm Up, Civic Leader's Story, Community's Perspective, Shared Future) at local parks, tracks, or in schools, using scripted prompts designed to build trust and cross-group understanding. The program is delivered through community walks, an in-school pilot with Portland Public Schools and Central Catholic High School, and a mandatory recruit-training module with the Portland Police Bureau that has reached 100% of new Portland police officers since 2022.
The organization's go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: participants are recruited through schools, community partners, and direct outreach to civic leaders, and a "Next Steps" partner network routes alumni into ongoing civic engagement programs (e.g., Police Activities League, Word Is Bond, ACT NOW, Shifted Theory). Talk A Mile is expanding from Portland into five additional cities — Denver, Seattle, Hillsborough, Vancouver, and Gresham — and in 2026 launched a July 4th initiative aiming to activate partners in all 50 states, supported by a $250,000 fundraising goal.
Talk A Mile is funded through a layered donation model (ranging from $100 Friend tier up to $25,000 Trailblazer and multi-year Angel commitments), foundation grants (including The Collins Foundation), and corporate/organizational partnerships. There are no fees charged to participants. The organization operates with 1-10 staff supplemented by volunteers, was founded by the Fogarty family (Erika, Justin, Liam, and Sean), and is governed by a board that includes Melissa Lowery, Blaire G. Hervey, and Devin Edwards. No software products, digital platforms, or recurring technology revenue streams exist.
Talk A Mile firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Talk A Mile
- Legal name
- Talk A Mile
- Website
- https://talkamile.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Talk A Mile is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs 1:1 walk-and-talk conversations pairing students with police officers, civic leaders, and educators to build trust and civic engagement, currently operating in six U.S. cities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Talk A Mile industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Dialogue and Civic Engagement Services
- akta.pro primary industry
- Service Learning, Volunteer & Community Engagement Trips (THAKAGAF)
Keywords
Where Talk A Mile is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Talk A Mile business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Grassroots donations from individuals at various levels (Friend $100, Steward $500, Partner $1,000, Champion $2,000, Patron $5,000, Trailblazer $25,000, Angel multi-year funding).
- Foundation Grants: Funding from foundations such as The Collins Foundation to support operations, community expansion, and programming.
- Corporate/Organization Partnerships: Support from nonprofit partners, government agencies, and business partners who contribute to Next Steps programming and community events.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | One-time or recurring | Friend – $100: Support cause to grow connection and strengthen communities through 1:1 conversations |
| Other | One-time or recurring | Steward – $500: Fund Next Steps events to continue conversations with alumni participants |
| Other | One-time or recurring | Partner – $1,000: Fund 1:1 conversations, materials and lunch at events |
| Other | One-time or recurring | Champion – $2,000: Fund a student engagement coordinator who leads programs at their school |
| Other | One-time or recurring | Patron – $5,000: Fund impact capture including grant writing, content production, video, and photography |
| Other | One-time or recurring | Trailblazer – $25,000: Fund expansion to bring Talk A Mile to a new community |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Angel – Contact for 3-year funding: Staff, research and long-term community programming |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Talk A Mile product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Talk A Mile is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates structured 1:1 walk-and-talk conversations pairing students with police officers, civic leaders, and educators. Participants walk four themed laps together (Warm Up, Civic Leader's Story, Community's Perspective, Shared Future) using curated prompts. The program is deployed through community events, school pilots, and law enforcement recruit training, with follow-on Next Steps programming for alumni engagement.
Product overview
Talk A Mile is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates a single, unified program centered on 1:1 walk-and-talk conversations between students and civic leaders. Participants meet at a local park or track, are paired randomly, and walk four laps together while sharing stories and using provided conversation prompts. The four laps are structured as: Lap 1 (The Warm Up), Lap 2 (The Civic Leader's Story), Lap 3 (The Community's Perspective), and Lap 4 (Focus On Our Shared Future). The organization measures impact through participant surveys and offers "Next Steps" programming to connect participants with further civic engagement and leadership development opportunities. Programs are delivered in schools (as a pilot in Portland) and in communities through partnerships with law enforcement agencies, civic organizations, and city/state agencies. There are no distinct software products, modules, or digital platforms offered — the offering is entirely program/service-based.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Walk-and-Talk Conversation Program A structured 1:1 conversation program that pairs students with police officers, civic leaders, and educators for four walking laps with curated prompts (Warm Up, Civic Leader's Story, Community's Perspective, Shared Future). Deployed via community events, in-school pilots, and law enforcement recruit training; participants are paired randomly and walk at local parks or tracks.
- Next Steps Programming Follow-on programming delivered through partner organizations (Police Activities League, Shifted Theory, Unity Futbol, Word Is Bond, Night Sports, ACT NOW, W(H)EALTHY, The Royal Rose Foundation) that connects walk-and-talk alumni to ongoing civic engagement, mentorship, youth leadership development, and violence prevention opportunities.
- Community Host Toolkit and Training A replication package enabling local community hosts to organize their own walk-and-talk events using the Talk A Mile methodology, including conversation prompts, facilitation guidance, and event support to expand the program beyond Portland.
Quantifiable outcome
- 98% of survey respondents reported feeling 'seen and heard' through participation
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Talk A Mile
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Talk A Mile technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Talk A Mile partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Police Activities League (PAL) of Southwest WashingtoncorePAL fosters and facilitates positive relationships between law enforcement and youth. They serve as a Next Steps Partner helping connect participants to continued engagement and leadership opportunities.
- Office of Violence Prevention (Portland)corePortland's Office of Violence Prevention was created on July 17, 2006, to build a more family-friendly city and increase public safety. Partners with Talk A Mile on community dialogue initiatives.
- W(H)EALTHYminorCommitted to transforming lives through community, connection, and conscious living. Serves as a Next Steps Partner providing continued engagement opportunities for Talk A Mile alumni.
- ACT NOWminorWorks toward eliminating root causes of poverty, racism and social inequities. Partners with Talk A Mile to connect youth to civic engagement and community building opportunities.
- Night SportsminorA violence prevention and community building strategy that keeps youth off streets and builds connections. Serves as a Next Steps Partner connecting participants to ongoing programs.
- Oregon WalksminorPromotes walking and advocates for safe, convenient walking conditions as essential to thriving communities. Supports Talk A Mile's walking-based approach to community connection.
- Shifted TheoryminorEmpowers youth through transformative mentoring relationships that inspire positive personal development, academic achievement, and life skills. Provides Next Steps opportunities for Talk A Mile participants.
- Unity FutbolminorWorks to improve quality of life through soccer for youth and families of African descent and low-income minority communities. Serves as Next Steps Partner for continued engagement.
- The Royal Rose FoundationminorA Black-and woman-led organization rooted in overdose prevention and the belief that education and early intervention save lives. Provides Next Steps programming connections for Talk A Mile alumni.
- Word Is BondminorEmpowers young Black men ages 15-20 by creating a pipeline for identity discovery, higher purpose, and achievement. Partners with Talk A Mile to connect youth to leadership opportunities.
- Portland Police BureaucoreLaw enforcement agency that has integrated Talk A Mile conversations into their recruit training program. All new Portland police officers have participated since 2022. Students also joined the PPB's Equity Summit.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Talk A Mile competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- GirlTrek: Largest health nonprofit for Black women in the U.S., built around group walking and community dialogue in neighborhoods — directly comparable walk-based, Black-community-led engagement model with national replication ambitions.
- Generation Citizen: Nonprofit that brings young people into civic action through schools and universities, with comparable direct alignment to Talk A Mile's youth-led engagement with civic institutions and policy actors.
- Mikva Challenge: Youth civic empowerment nonprofit placing teens in real-world roles with elected officials and civic bodies — directly comparable to Talk A Mile's Next Steps pipeline that connects students with civic leaders and elected offices.
- Braver Angels: National nonprofit running structured, facilitated dialogues to depolarize America — directly comparable mission of bridging divides through 1:1 and small-group conversation formats, operating across multiple U.S. regions with a partner-host replication model.
- Living Room Conversations: Nonprofit offering guided conversation "recipes" for 1:1 and small-group dialogue across differences — directly analogous in using scripted prompts to structure cross-identity 1:1 conversations in community settings.
- Coffee with a Cop: National nonprofit hosting informal meet-ups between police and community members — directly comparable mission of humanizing police-community relationships at the local level, often through schools and civic partners.
- Essential Partners: Nonprofit (formerly Public Conversations Project) that designs and trains others to facilitate structured dialogues on contentious issues — highly comparable in operating a proprietary dialogue architecture and training outside facilitators to deliver it.
Broad incumbents
- Interfaith America: Established national organization building bridge-building and dialogue across difference at much broader scale and longer tenure than Talk A Mile; overlaps in mission around structured cross-identity conversation in communities.
- Outward Bound USA: Established experiential learning nonprofit using outdoor activity and reflection to build character and community — conceptually overlapping with Talk A Mile's nature-based, walk-as-pedagogy approach to youth development.
- Points of Light: Large civic engagement nonprofit mobilizing volunteers and community action; thematically comparable as a broader civic-engagement umbrella operating alongside smaller, more focused programs like Talk A Mile.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Talk A Mile social profiles
Digital presenceTalk A Mile financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Talk A Mile leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Talk A Mile funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Talk A Mile M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Talk A Mile
What does Talk A Mile do?
Talk A Mile is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates structured 1:1 walk-and-talk conversations pairing students with police officers, civic leaders, and educators. Participants walk four themed laps together (Warm Up, Civic Leader's Story, Community's Perspective, Shared Future) using curated prompts. The program is deployed through community events, school pilots, and law enforcement recruit training, with follow-on Next Steps programming for alumni engagement.
Is Talk A Mile a public or private company?
Talk A Mile is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Talk A Mile founded?
Talk A Mile was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Talk A Mile based?
Talk A Mile is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Talk A Mile make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are foundation Grants and corporate/Organization Partnerships.
Who are Talk A Mile's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are GirlTrek, Generation Citizen, Mikva Challenge, Braver Angels, Living Room Conversations, Coffee with a Cop and Essential Partners. Broad incumbents are Interfaith America, Outward Bound USA and Points of Light.
Does Talk A Mile have an API?
No public API is recorded for Talk A Mile.
What industry is Talk A Mile in?
Talk A Mile's product category is Community Dialogue and Civic Engagement Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAKAGAF, Service Learning, Volunteer & Community Engagement Trips.