The Descendants Project

What The Descendants Project does

The Descendants Project is a non-profit organization founded in 2021 and based in Wallace and Vacherie, Louisiana (St. John the Baptist Parish), serving Black descendant communities in the Louisiana River Parishes. Co-founded and led by Jo Banner and Dr. Joy Banner, the organization operates across four interrelated program areas: education, advocacy, cultural preservation, and environmental justice. Its core offerings include the Woodland Plantation Museum (heritage tourism with descendant-led tours), the Liberation Labyrinth (a planned $2.5 million heritage and education site targeted for completion by 2027), the Climate Resilience Hub, the Movement House organizing program, and the H.O.P.E. community program. The organization also leads land-rights and environmental advocacy, most notably a successful campaign that halted the proposed Wallace Grain Elevator.

The Descendants Project generates revenue through a non-profit funding model comprising individual donations, fundraising events, event sponsorships, and museum/heritage tourism fees. It maintains institutional partnerships with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Center for Constitutional Rights, Tulane Environmental Law Clinic, Midlo Center for New Orleans Studies, and Design Jones, which provide legal, academic, and design support. The organization received national visibility through CNN's "This Land" documentary series. Staff size is reported at 1–10 employees, indicating a lean operating model despite a broad programmatic mandate.

The organization's strategic positioning combines place-based cultural stewardship with regulatory and environmental advocacy, leveraging descendant leadership as a source of moral and institutional authority. Its geographic focus on St. John the Baptist Parish anchors it in a specific historic corridor, while national media exposure and major foundation partnerships suggest an emerging national fundraising footprint alongside local programmatic operations.

Name

The Descendants Project

Legal name

The Descendants Project

Website

https://thedescendantsproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Descendants Project is a Wallace, Louisiana-based non-profit founded in 2021 that supports Black descendant communities through heritage tourism, cultural preservation, environmental justice, and land-rights advocacy, operating the Woodland Plantation Museum and developing a $2.5M Liberation Labyrinth by 2027.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Community Advocacy and Cultural Preservation Services

NAICS

Historical Sites (712120), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Arts, Culture & Creative Placemaking Enterprises (BPAGALAO), Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG)

Keywords

• Community advocacy services
• Cultural heritage preservation
• Environmental justice nonprofit
• Historical site stewardship
• Community resilience programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Vacherie

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The organization operates primarily through donations from individuals, foundations, and supporters. The website features a donation portal (DonorPerfect) and mentions that Woodland's programming remains free and open to the public, supported by charitable contributions.
2. Sponsorships for Events: The organization generates revenue through event sponsorships, as evidenced by the July-teenth celebration mentioning sponsorship opportunities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Descendants Project is a nonprofit advocacy and cultural preservation organization that runs community programs serving the Black descendant community in Louisiana's River Parishes. It stewards the Woodland Plantation Museum & Cultural Center, runs environmental justice and community resilience initiatives (Climate Resilience Hub, Stop the Wallace Grain Elevator, H.O.P.E.), develops cultural projects (Liberation Labyrinth, Movement House, Research Journal), and hosts free public events. Programming is funded by donations, sponsorships, and grants.

Product overview

The Descendants Project is a non-profit advocacy organization that offers a portfolio of community programs, cultural preservation initiatives, and environmental justice campaigns rather than a unified software product. Its core offerings include the Woodland Plantation Museum & Cultural Center, the Liberation Labyrinth contemplative garden, the Climate Resilience Hub for disaster preparedness, and the Movement House for scholars. Advocacy initiatives include Stop the Wallace Grain Elevator (opposing industrial development) and Hands of the People Empowered (H.O.P.E) for community empowerment. The organization also publishes a Research Journal covering local history and hosts public events and programs including the annual July-teenth Celebration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Liberation Labyrinth: A contemplative garden themed 'land as liberation,' honoring the histories of Indigenous and Black communities. The $2.5 million project is planned for completion by 2027.
• Climate Resilience Hub
• Movement House
• Hands of the People Empowered (H.O.P.E)
• Woodland Plantation

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully stopped the Wallace Grain Elevator project through community organizing
• +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

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Midlo Center for New Orleans StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the Liberation Labyrinth project, a contemplative garden themed 'land as liberation.' The center is involved in the design and development of this $2.5 million project honoring Indigenous and Black communities.
• Design JonescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign collaboration on the Liberation Labyrinth contemplative garden project, working with community members to shape the land as liberation theme.
• National Trust of Historic PreservationmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerObtained support from this national historic preservation organization in the campaign to stop the Wallace Grain Elevator project.
• Center for Constitutional RightscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLegal team partnership challenging zone designations and permit decisions related to the Wallace Grain Elevator project.
• Tulane Environmental Law CliniccoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLegal team partnership challenging zone designations and permit decisions through the courts.
• Blue Lobster Tales ProductionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the 'Vacation Plantation' documentary that critically examines plantation tourism and its impact on the stories of enslavement, featuring co-founder Jo Banner.
• The Slave Dwelling ProjectmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint partnership for the 'Vacation Plantation' documentary screening event, with Joseph McGill Jr. (founder) participating in panel discussion.
• Rural Roots LouisianaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partnership for food packaging initiatives with next generation camp participants.
• Louisiana Just RecoveryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partnership for food packaging initiatives supporting local communities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• James Madison's Montpelier: Montpelier, the Virginia plantation of James Madison, has undergone a major reinterpretation to center the experiences of enslaved people through its "Constitution Lane" experience and the Mere Distinction of Place exhibition. Like The Descendants Project, it combines a National Trust partnership, archaeological research, descendant engagement, and a reframed narrative of plantation heritage.
• Inclusive Louisiana: Inclusive Louisiana is a co-plaintiff with The Descendants Project in the federal lawsuit against Formosa Plastics over burial site access in St. James Parish. It is a direct peer in Louisiana environmental justice advocacy, sharing overlapping community organizing infrastructure and opposition to petrochemical encroachment on Black descendant communities in Cancer Alley.
• Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park: Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina preserves the site of the first self-governing town of formerly enslaved people in the U.S. It shares The Descendants Project's focus on descendant-led preservation, archaeological research, and educational programming tied to Black freedom and self-determination.
• River Road African American Museum: Located in Donaldsonville, Louisiana along the same River Road corridor, the River Road African American Museum preserves African American history and culture of the lower Mississippi River. It shares The Descendants Project's regional focus on Black descendant communities in Louisiana and its combined cultural preservation and educational programming.
• McLeod Plantation Historic Site: McLeod Plantation on James Island, South Carolina, reinterpreted its narrative to foreground the lives of enslaved people and the Gullah/Geechee culture rather than the planter class. It is a direct peer in the model of reconceived Southern plantation sites emphasizing descendant perspectives, education, and community engagement over traditional tourism.
• The Legacy Museum / Equal Justice Initiative: EJI's Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama links slavery to mass incarceration and racial injustice through narrative-driven exhibits and a dedicated memorial. It is the leading national model for using a museum/visitor site to drive social justice advocacy, closely paralleling The Descendants Project's combination of cultural preservation with environmental and racial justice advocacy.
• Whitney Plantation: Whitney Plantation in Wallace, Louisiana is the most direct peer: a former sugar plantation now operated as a museum dedicated to telling the history of slavery from the perspective of enslaved people. It shares the same Louisiana River Parish geography, museum-driven model, and focus on honest interpretation of slavery's legacy, making it the closest comparable heritage site to Woodland Plantation.

Broad incumbents

• National Trust for Historic Preservation: The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a major national nonprofit that supported The Descendants Project's campaign to stop the Wallace Grain Elevator. As an established broad incumbent in the historic preservation field, it provides grants, advocacy infrastructure, and policy reach that overlap with and support TDP's preservation and cultural heritage work.

Others

• Center for Constitutional Rights: CCR is a legal advocacy organization that partners with The Descendants Project on environmental justice litigation challenging zoning and permits in St. John the Baptist Parish. While not a heritage site operator, it is a meaningful adjacent peer in the legal and advocacy infrastructure that TDP relies on for its environmental justice impact.

Emerging players

• The Slave Dwelling Project: Founded by Joseph McGill Jr., The Slave Dwelling Project works to preserve extant slave dwellings and is a current partner of The Descendants Project on documentary screenings and panel discussions. It is an emerging peer in the niche of preserving and interpreting spaces of enslavement through community engagement and educational events.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/descendantsproject
• Instagraminstagram.com/thedescendantsproject
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-descendants-project

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Descendants Project