Freedom is a must

What Freedom is a must does

Freedom Is A Must is a Canadian nonprofit advocacy platform, legally operating as the Freedom Is A Must Foundation, founded by Christophe Lewis and based in Montreal, Quebec. Its mission centers on criminal justice and prison reform, with specific focus on the experiences of Black and racialized incarcerated people (including the use of Security Threat Group labeling), aging in Canadian prisons, parenting from prison, and food insecurity in underserved communities. The organization also runs youth mentorship for at-risk youth aged 12 to 25 through street-based outreach in partnership with Pact De Rue.

The platform's core products are advocacy content and a small e-commerce merchandise line. The content surface comprises a blog with first-person essays (some originally co-published with the Broadbent Institute in 2019 and Briarpatch Magazine in 2021), a forthcoming podcast called 'Voices for Change' distributed via Spotify, and video content on YouTube. The merchandise line consists of four SKUs - hoodies ($65), toques ($30), sweaters ($60), and varsity jackets ($250) - sold through a self-hosted WooCommerce-style storefront on the foundation's WordPress site, with all profits stated to flow back into programmatic and operational expenses.

The business model is community-led donation and merchandise funding rather than venture or grant funding. Revenue is generated through one-time merchandise sales (branded apparel), direct donations via PayPal on the foundation's secondary site (freedomisamustfoundation.org), and e-mail money transfers. Distribution is global in scope via e-commerce but operationally concentrated in Canada, with awareness channels spanning Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Spotify. Strategic partners include Pact De Rue (program delivery), Broadbent Institute and Briarpatch Magazine (media), McGill, Concordia, and Toronto Metropolitan University (academic engagement), and an unnamed Canadian Senator (policy advocacy). Headcount, paid staff, investor base, and audited financials are not disclosed; the registered trademark 'Freedom Is A Must Foundation' is the principal intangible asset on record.

Name

Freedom is a must

Legal name

Freedom Is A Must Foundation

Website

https://freedomisamust.net

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Freedom Is A Must is a Montreal-based nonprofit advocacy platform that uses blogging, podcasting, and branded merchandise sales to advance criminal justice reform, youth mentorship, and community empowerment for racialized and at-risk populations in Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Criminal Justice Advocacy and Community Empowerment

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Child and Youth Services (624110)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA), Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM)

Keywords

• Criminal justice advocacy
• Prison reform nonprofit
• Community empowerment
• Youth mentorship programs
• Advocacy merchandise fundraising

Headquarters

HQ city

Montreal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Merchandise Sales: The organization sells branded merchandise including hoodies, toques, sweaters, and varsity jackets through its e-commerce shop. All profits from merch sales go directly to fund the Freedom Is A Must Foundation's programs and operational expenses.
2. Donations: The foundation accepts direct donations via email transfer to [email protected] and through their website at freedomisamustfoundation.org using PayPal or credit card.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Freedom Is A Must is a nonprofit advocacy platform that advances criminal justice reform, youth mentorship, and community empowerment, led by founder Christophe Lewis using his lived experience of the criminal legal system. The organization funds its programs through an e-commerce merchandise shop (hoodies, toques, sweaters, varsity jackets) and direct donations, while amplifying its mission through blog content, a podcast, and partnerships with academic and nonprofit institutions.

Product overview

Freedom Is A Must is a nonprofit advocacy platform founded by Christophe Lewis, focused on prison reform, racial justice, and community empowerment. The organization operates a merchandise store (selling Hoodies, Toques, Varcity Jackets, and Sweaters) where all profits fund the Freedom Is A Must Foundation's programs including food security, mental health advocacy, youth mentorship, recidivism support, and restorative justice initiatives. The platform also includes a podcast ('Voices for Change') and a blog featuring personal stories from the incarcerated population, all designed to raise awareness and inspire action for systemic change.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hoodie A white hoodie representing unity and resilience, available in White, Black, and Grey in sizes Small, Medium, and Large at $65.00. Proceeds support the Freedom Is A Must Foundation's programs and operational expenses.
• Toques A cozy knit toque symbolizing strength and community, available in White, Grey, and Black at $30.00, with proceeds supporting the foundation's initiatives.
• Sweater A unisex organic sweatshirt in full black representing warmth, unity, and giving back, priced at $60.00, supporting at-risk communities and empowering those in need.
• Varcity Jacket A varsity-style jacket representing leadership, courage, and the spirit of standing up for what's right, available in Small, Large, and Medium sizes at $250.00.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pact De RuecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for youth mentorship through street work with young people aged 12 to 25 of all origins who are living through difficult situations. This is a key programmatic partnership supporting the organization's youth mentorship mission.
• Broadbent InstitutecoreOthersPublished original article 'Justice for Racialized Prisoners' in March 2019. The Broadbent Institute is a progressive think tank focused on social justice issues, providing a platform for advocacy content.
• Briarpatch MagazinecoreOthersPublished 'Death by A Thousand Cuts: Aging in Canadian Prisons' in the Prison Abolition issue. Briarpatch Magazine is an independent publication covering social justice and progressive issues.
• McGill UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpeaking engagements and relationship building with university to raise awareness within academia and help shift the narrative to enact policy change within systems.
• Concordia UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounder is currently attending Concordia University working towards a Bachelor of Arts in Human Relations while organizing to ensure criminal justice bodies are held to account. Speaking engagements also conducted.
• Toronto Metropolitan UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpeaking engagements and relationship building to raise awareness within academia about prison reform and systemic issues in the criminal justice system.
• Canadian SenatorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerActively working with a Canadian Senator alongside multiple community activists and not-for-profit organizations on prison reform and prisoner release planning initiatives.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Equal Justice Initiative: US nonprofit founded by Bryan Stevenson that combines storytelling, advocacy, and legal action on racial-justice and criminal-reform issues. Strongly comparable model of pairing lived-experience narrative with policy impact, though at much larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• Vera Institute of Justice: US nonprofit that partners with government to reform criminal-justice systems through research and technical assistance. Operates in the adjacent policy-research tier that Freedom Is A Must's academic partnerships could evolve into.
• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): US-based, large-scale civil-rights and civil-liberties organization that litigates and advocates on criminal-justice issues including prisoner rights and racial justice. Broader incumbent whose work overlaps Freedom Is A Must's advocacy themes.

Regional players

• Pivot Legal Society: BC-based (Western Canada) social-justice law and advocacy nonprofit working on policing, incarceration, and marginalized communities. Comparable mission on criminal-justice reform advocacy, but regional/BC focus rather than Quebec/national.

Direct peers

• Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies: Federation of Canadian societies advocating for marginalized individuals in the criminal justice system, with strong emphasis on systemic racism, prisoner rights, and community-based supports. Directly comparable to Freedom Is A Must's mission on racialized prisoners and reform advocacy in Canada.
• The Sentencing Project: US nonprofit that conducts research and advocacy on criminal justice reform, mass incarceration, and racial disparities. Closely aligned mission (racial justice + criminal justice reform + policy research) though operating in the US context.
• Canadian Civil Liberties Association: Canadian civil liberties advocacy nonprofit that litigates and campaigns on constitutional rights, policing, and incarceration. Direct peer in civil-rights and prisoner rights advocacy with broader institutional scale.
• Black Legal Action Centre: Canadian legal aid clinic dedicated to anti-Black racism in the legal system. Directly comparable peer: tackles the same racial-justice-in-criminal-system issues Freedom Is A Must advocates for, though through a formal legal-services lens.
• John Howard Society of Canada: National Canadian nonprofit focused on prison reform, reintegration, and criminal justice advocacy. Most directly comparable peer: operates in the same Canadian policy space, addresses recidivism and post-release support, and shares Freedom Is A Must's focus on alternatives to incarceration.
• PASAN (Prisoners' AIDS Support Action Network): Canadian nonprofit providing front-line support to prisoners and ex-prisoners, including advocacy on conditions of confinement and health. Highly comparable niche advocacy on prisoner welfare that operates outside traditional legal-aid channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/reel/DM5PUQlMI9o/?igsh=OHFqYzliazloeW9m

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Freedom is a must