Research Action Design
Research Action Design is a worker-owned cooperative that co-designs culturally-responsive technology, media, and participatory research tools for social-justice nonprofits, foundations, and grassroots organizations across the United States and selected international markets.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersCovina, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Research Action Design does
Research Action Design (RAD) is a worker-owned cooperative founded in 2013 and headquartered in Covina, California, that provides participatory co-design, technology development, and community research services for social-justice movements. Its core offerings span websites, databases, mobile tools, zines, curriculum, physical exhibits, and interactive reports built for nonprofit, foundation, university, and grassroots partners working across health justice, low-wage worker rights, immigrant rights, racial justice, housing justice, environmental justice, LGBTQ rights, and criminal justice reform. The organization supplements two core worker-owners (Caroline Rivas, Chris Schweidler) with a distributed network of "Wildcat" collaborators drawn from fields including public health, public policy, social work, cultural geography, cartography, data analysis, media, and software development.
RAD's product portfolio includes El Portal Migrante (bilingual national H-2A/H-2B job board), FLAN (North Carolina farm labor camp database with offline capability), Durham Neighborhood Compass (bilingual neighborhood data visualization), Contratados (migrant worker know-your-rights platform), Vojo Brasil (cell-phone-based citizen journalism), VoterVOX (AAPI voter translation app), and the Worker Fatality Database. The technology stack is deliberately framework-agnostic, with particular experience in VueJS, React, Drupal, Omeka, PostGIS, and MapboxGL, and is applied through a participatory, movement-centered co-design methodology rather than traditional vendor-client delivery.
RAD generates revenue primarily through professional-services contracts and project-based grants from mission-aligned foundations and government partners, including The California Wellness Foundation, Ford Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, Mellon Foundation, Shuttleworth Foundation, Mozilla Foundation, and the NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; work is contracted per project. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on partner referrals, movement networks, and conference participation (Allied Media Conference, RightsCon), with no evidence of traditional product-led or sales-driven acquisition.
Research Action Design firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Research Action Design
- Legal name
- Research Action Design, LLC
- Website
- https://rad.cat
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Research Action Design is a worker-owned cooperative that co-designs culturally-responsive technology, media, and participatory research tools for social-justice nonprofits, foundations, and grassroots organizations across the United States and selected international markets.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Research Action Design industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Impact Research & Movement Technology Consulting
- NAICS
- Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Education Policy, Research & Advocacy Organizations (Nonprofit) (BPAGADAN), Global Health Research, Evidence & Technical Assistance Organizations (HLAJAKAN)
Keywords
Where Research Action Design is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Covina
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Research Action Design business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Foundation Contracts: RAD receives funding through contracts with foundations such as The California Wellness Foundation for policy research and strategic planning services. These are typically project-based grants or contracts for specific research initiatives.
- Collaborative Research & Development: Partnership-based project work with nonprofits, universities, and grassroots organizations. RAD co-designs research, processes, and tools grounded in community vision and needs, often funded through grants from foundations and government agencies.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Research Action Design product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Research Action Design is a worker-owned cooperative consultancy that provides co-design, technology development, and community research services for social justice movements. The firm partners with nonprofits, foundations, and community organizations to build custom technology tools (such as El Portal Migrante, Contratados, and VoterVOX) and to conduct participatory research on issues including health equity, worker rights, immigrant rights, racial justice, housing, environment, LGBTQ rights, and criminal justice.
Product overview
Research Action Design operates as a worker-owned cooperative offering a portfolio of technology and media products for social justice movements. The core offerings include web applications and databases (El Portal Migrante, FLAN, Durham Neighborhood Compass, Worker Fatality Database), interactive platforms (Contratados, VoterVOX), citizen journalism tools (Vojo Brasil), educational curriculum (Digital Privacy & Data Literacy), and community research services. These products are co-designed with communities and grounded in participatory research methodologies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- El Portal Migrante A digital platform supporting migrant communities by providing information, resources, and coordination tools for migrants navigating services and rights. Built for and with grassroots immigrant rights organizations.
- FLAN (Farm Labor Address Network) An address-network platform for farmworkers and the organizations that serve them, supporting outreach, service delivery, and worker organizing across agricultural regions.
- Durham Neighborhood Compass A community-mapping platform that helps residents and organizers in Durham navigate neighborhood-level data, assets, and resources.
- Contratados A platform serving contractor and temporary workers, supporting worker organizing, wage claims, and access to information about employment rights.
- Vojo Brasil A community engagement platform supporting grassroots organizing and outreach in Brazil, extending RAD's movement technology practice beyond the United States.
- VoterVOX A voter engagement platform that supports outreach, education, and mobilization for grassroots organizations running civic participation campaigns.
- Worker Fatality Database A database system that tracks and reports worker fatalities, supporting advocacy, journalism, and policy work on workplace safety and labor rights.
- Co-design and Participatory Research Services Custom co-design and participatory research engagements delivered to foundations, nonprofits, and community organizations working on social justice issues.
- Community Research and Mapping Ethnographic and participatory research plus community-mapping deliverables produced for movement clients to inform organizing, policy, and program design.
- Digital Privacy and Data Literacy Curriculum A training curriculum on digital privacy and data literacy tailored to vulnerable communities, including migrants and workers, to reduce surveillance and data-related harm.
Quantifiable outcome
- First statewide database of farm labor camps in North Carolina enabling offline access for advocates
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Research Action Design
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Research Action Design technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature5 records
Research Action Design partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
26 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Astraea Lesbian Foundation for JusticecoreLong-term strategic partner on multiple projects including Technologies for Liberation research report and CommsLabs events. RAD collaborated with Astraea on the Technologies for Liberation: Toward Abolitionist Futures report exploring surveillance and criminalization of QT2SBIPOC communities.
- Farmworker Advocacy Network (FAN)coreDeveloped FLAN (Farm Labor Address Network), the first statewide database of farm labor camps in North Carolina. RAD partnered with FAN to facilitate collaboration among advocates and link isolated farmworkers to services.
- Centro de los Derechos del Migrante (CDM)coreBuilt El Portal Migrante job board for migrant guestworkers. RAD worked with CDM to develop the first national job board connecting H-2A and H-2B workers with job postings and employer reviews.
- Marian Cheek Jackson CentercoreCo-designed From the Rock Wall digital oral history platform with major grants from National Endowment for the Humanities and Mellon Foundation. The Omeka-based responsive website highlights neighborhood stories and contains digital exhibits.
- DataWorks NCcoreCoordinates development, design, and maintenance of Durham Neighborhood Compass. RAD builds and maintains PostGIS database systems, trains staff, and supports strategic planning for this neighborhood data intermediary.
- Rikers Public Memory ProjectcoreCo-designed mobile exhibit drawing on over 100 recorded oral histories with formerly incarcerated people and their loved ones to educate New Yorkers about Rikers Island.
- Ella Baker Center for Human RightscoreCo-led national participatory research project Who Pays? documenting impacts of mass incarceration with surveys of 1,080 formerly incarcerated individuals and 34 focus groups.
- Forward TogethercoreCo-led Who Pays? national community-driven research project on the true cost of incarceration with Ella Baker Center and Research Action Design.
- UCLA Labor CentercoreCollaborated on Hanging by a Thread! study with Garment Worker Center and UCLA Labor Center uncovering barriers garment workers face accessing child care in Los Angeles.
- California Pan-Ethnic Health NetworkcorePartnered on The Landscape of Opportunity policy research project developing a framework to advance health equity in California, and on Advancing Mental Health Equity report.
- Open Technology Institute at New AmericacoreCo-led #MoreThanCode research project reimagining technology for justice and equity, with research partners including Upturn, Media Mobilizing Project, Coworker.org, and others.
- Essie Justice GroupcorePartnered on participatory research documenting stories of women with incarcerated loved ones to illuminate struggles and power of women impacted by mass incarceration.
- MIT Co-LabcoreCo-led Anti-Displacement Project Boston with GreenRoots, CityLife, and Everett Community Health Partnership. Previously co-designed multi-media toolkit for organizing against displacement.
- Mozilla FoundationcorePartnering on Stronger NYC Communities: Holistic Security program to advance digital security capacities of community-based organizations working with immigrant populations.
- Scaffold ExhibitsminorPartnered with Scaffold Exhibits for exhibit design on projects including Rikers Public Memory Project and Bull City 150.
- Black and PinkminorPartner organization listed on RAD's partner page, working at intersection of LGBTQ rights and criminal justice reform.
- Bull City 150corePartnered on public history project examining housing and education history in Durham, NC. RAD coordinated exhibit design and digitization, awarded Fair Housing Advocacy award in 2018.
- And Also ToominorDesign partner on El Portal Migrante project alongside Centro de los Derechos del Migrante.
- Garment Worker CentercoreCollaborated on Hanging by a Thread! study documenting barriers garment workers face accessing quality child care in Los Angeles.
- Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training (GIFT)minorPartnering on research project capturing funding-related strengths, challenges, and needs organizations face in growing and sustaining their work.
- MIT Center for Civic MediaminorPartner on Out for Change Transformative Media Organizing Project and Vojo Brasil project involving technology codesign.
- Association for Progressive Communications (APC)minorPartnered on FTX: Safety Reboot curriculum for trainers on digital safety for women's rights and sexual rights activists.
- NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA)coreCollaborating with RAD and Mozilla Foundation on Stronger NYC Communities program to advance digital security of organizations serving immigrants.
- Brooklyn Public LibraryminorPartner on Digital Privacy & Data Literacy project with Metropolitan New York Library Council, New America OTI, and Data & Society.
- 18 Million RisingcoreCollaborating on VoterVOX translation app development through codesign workshops with AAPI voters and translators.
- AccessminorPartner on RightsCon Southeast Asia event production in Manila with EngageMedia and Foundation for Media Alternatives.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Research Action Design competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- GreenInfo Network: Nonprofit mapping and data visualization organization serving conservation, social justice, and community development clients. Comparable in building mapping, PostGIS, and data visualization tools (e.g., Durham Compass is similar in spirit to GreenInfo's community data platforms) for mission-driven clients.
- MIT Center for Civic Media: Academic research lab at MIT Media Lab developing tools and practices for community-led media and civic participation. Co-developed the Vojo platform with RAD; both blend participatory design, community research, and platform development.
- Open Technology Institute at New America: Policy and research organization examining technology's impact on civil liberties and equity. Co-led the #MoreThanCode research project with RAD; operates participatory research programs on surveillance, immigration tech, and digital rights serving similar foundation clients.
- Data & Society: Research institute studying the social implications of data-centric technologies. Partnered with RAD on the Digital Privacy & Data Literacy project for Brooklyn Public Library; both conduct social-science research on technology's societal impacts for foundation and public-sector sponsors.
- Design Action Collective: Worker-owned cooperative providing graphic design and web development for progressive and social-justice organizations. Listed as a RAD Wildcat collaborator; shares the cooperative structure, values-aligned client base, and movement-tech delivery model.
- CounterTools: Nonprofit that builds mapping, data, and technology tools to support community health and advocacy efforts on issues like tobacco, alcohol, and food justice. Listed as a RAD partner; comparable in building bespoke data and mapping tools for movement organizations.
- Upturn: Nonprofit research and advocacy organization examining how technology affects equity, opportunity, and civil rights. Listed as a research partner on #MoreThanCode; competes for similar foundation funding in the equity-tech research space.
- Palante Technology Cooperative: Worker-owned technology cooperative providing IT, web, database, and digital security services to nonprofit progressive organizations. Explicitly listed as a RAD Wildcat collaborator and partner; both operate as values-aligned tech co-ops serving the same foundation/NGO client base.
Broad incumbents
- Mozilla Foundation: Major foundation funding internet health, digital rights, and trustworthy AI research. Partnered with RAD on Stronger NYC Communities; both fund and conduct participatory research on technology, but Mozilla operates at much greater scale with broader programmatic scope.
- M+R: Established full-service digital agency for nonprofits, advocacy groups, and foundations, offering strategy, creative, digital, and research services at significantly greater scale than RAD. Targets the same nonprofit and foundation clients but with broader capabilities and a conventional (non-cooperative) agency model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Research Action Design social profiles
Digital presenceResearch Action Design financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Research Action Design leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Research Action Design funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Research Action Design 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 Research Action Design
What does Research Action Design do?
Research Action Design is a worker-owned cooperative consultancy that provides co-design, technology development, and community research services for social justice movements. The firm partners with nonprofits, foundations, and community organizations to build custom technology tools (such as El Portal Migrante, Contratados, and VoterVOX) and to conduct participatory research on issues including health equity, worker rights, immigrant rights, racial justice, housing, environment, LGBTQ rights, and criminal justice.
Is Research Action Design a public or private company?
Research Action Design is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Research Action Design founded?
Research Action Design was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Research Action Design based?
Research Action Design is headquartered in Covina, United States, in the North America region.
How does Research Action Design make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Foundation Contracts are the primary driver. The others are collaborative Research & Development.
Who are Research Action Design's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are GreenInfo Network, MIT Center for Civic Media, Open Technology Institute at New America, Data & Society, Design Action Collective, CounterTools, Upturn and Palante Technology Cooperative. Broad incumbents are Mozilla Foundation and M+R.
Does Research Action Design have an API?
No public API is recorded for Research Action Design.
What industry is Research Action Design in?
Research Action Design's product category is Social Impact Research & Movement Technology Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAO, Community Engagement & Participatory Planning, with a secondary code of BPAGADAN, Education Policy, Research & Advocacy Organizations (Nonprofit). Its NAICS code is 54172 and its SIC code is 8742.