Be The People

What Be The People does

Be The People is a 10-year nationwide civic engagement initiative and storytelling platform operated by Bigger Picture US, Inc., a Virginia-incorporated nonprofit founded in 2025 and headquartered in Arlington, VA. The initiative is timed to coincide with America's 250th anniversary (2026) and is designed to connect everyday Americans with local community problem-solving efforts through a web platform at bethepeople.org, where users can browse community impact stories, create accounts, follow projects, nominate changemakers, and find volunteer opportunities. The platform is built on a standard web stack (Next.js with Contentful CMS, based on asset URL patterns) with Google and Apple single-sign-on and Google Analytics integration; no public API or developer platform is documented.

The initiative does not sell products or services and generates no traditional revenue. It is funded entirely through philanthropic contributions from a coalition of approximately 50 foundations and individual donors, coordinated through Stand Together, the philanthropic network founded by Charles Koch, with the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation named as a founding funder. The targeted first-year budget exceeds $200 million. Be The People has assembled a National Leadership Council of 50+ leaders and organizations, including GivingTuesday, Habitat for Humanity, Goodwill Industries, More Perfect, Martin Luther King III and Arndrea Waters King (Realize the Dream), and Imagine Entertainment (Ron Howard). It has secured high-visibility distribution partnerships with the NBA (USA 250 jersey patches on Finals uniforms, NBA Cares wildfire relief) and the Atlanta Hawks (Atlanta Changemakers campaign, MLK Day 2026 game, documentary series), and co-launched TogetherTuesday (June 23) with GivingTuesday to extend reach. Customers/end-users are individual Americans seeking meaningful ways to contribute, local leaders and changemakers seeking visibility, nonprofit organizations seeking coalition support, and corporate partners pursuing CSR objectives.

Name

Be The People

Legal name

Bigger Picture US, Inc.

Website

https://bethepeople.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Be The People is a 10-year civic engagement initiative and storytelling platform that connects Americans with local community problem-solving efforts through its website, funded by approximately 50 philanthropic foundations and amplified via NBA, Atlanta Hawks, and National Leadership Council partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Engagement Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & Neighborhood Community Platforms (MPACAJAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civic Participation & Leadership Development (Voting, Advocacy, Community Leadership) (EDAAADAL), Interest-Based Communities & Forums (BPAMABAC), Digital Inclusion & Civic Tech (Connectivity, GovTech for Social Good) (BPAGALAK)

Keywords

• Civic engagement platform
• Community storytelling
• Volunteer opportunity matching
• Nonprofit coalition building
• Local community action

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Funding: Funded by a coalition of approximately 50 philanthropic foundations and individual donors. The initiative targets over $200 million for its first year's budget. Key funders include the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and are coordinated through Stand Together, the philanthropic community founded by Charles Koch.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Be The People is a 10-year national civic engagement initiative that operates a web platform (bethepeople.org) for discovering and sharing community impact stories. Users can browse local projects, create accounts, follow initiatives, nominate changemakers, and engage with community problem-solving efforts. The initiative amplifies grassroots work through documentary-style storytelling, partnership activations with sports and entertainment organizations, and a National Leadership Council of more than 50 member organizations and leaders.

Product overview

Be The People is a 10-year nationwide civic engagement initiative and storytelling platform operated by Bigger Picture US, Inc. It is not a traditional software product with modules or a SaaS platform. The initiative centers on a website (bethepeople.org) where community stories are shared, local projects are browsed, and users can create accounts to follow stories, nominate changemakers, and get involved in community action. The offering consists of a single web-based platform for story discovery and community connection, supplemented by music releases and media campaigns rather than distinct software products or add-on modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Atlanta Changemakers: A multi-channel civic pride and community engagement program in partnership with the Atlanta Hawks, celebrating Atlanta's legacy of leadership and everyday changemakers.
• Realize The Dream

Products and services

• Be The People Platform
• Atlanta Changemakers
• Realize The Dream

Quantifiable outcome

• 100 million hours of service by 2029 (through Realize the Dream initiative)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

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

• Stand TogethercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStand Together is the philanthropic community and convener behind Be The People. Founded by billionaire Charles Koch, Stand Together works across a broad range of issues and communities, bringing coalitions together across ideological lines. Brian Hooks serves as chairman and CEO of Stand Together and is a key leader in the Be The People initiative.
• Atlanta HawkscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAtlanta Hawks partnership launched 'Atlanta Changemakers' campaign featuring in-arena events, documentary series, and changemaker recognition. The partnership connects sports entertainment with civic engagement, featuring MLK Day 2026 game activations and ongoing community initiatives.
• National Basketball Association (NBA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerNBA partnership includes NBA Cares collaboration for LA wildfire relief, USA 250 jersey patches featured on NBA Finals uniforms to honor America's 250th birthday, and ongoing community engagement initiatives.
• State Farm ArenamajorGTM or Marketing PartnerState Farm Arena participates in Atlanta Hawks' social impact partnership and Be The People activations, providing venue for community events and changemaker recognition.
• GivingTuesdaymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGivingTuesday CEO Asha Curran is a founding member. The organizations co-launched 'TogetherTuesday,' a National Day of Community Action on June 23rd, expanding reach through GivingTuesday's established nonprofit network.
• Habitat for HumanitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHabitat for Humanity is listed as a founding member of the National Leadership Council, bringing its homebuilding and community development expertise to the coalition.
• Goodwill IndustriesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoodwill Industries is listed as a founding member of the National Leadership Council, contributing its workforce development and community support programs to the coalition.
• Imagine Entertainment (Ron Howard)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRon Howard's Imagine Entertainment is listed as a founding business member, bringing entertainment industry expertise and storytelling capabilities to the initiative.
• More PerfectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMore Perfect is listed as a founding member nonprofit of the National Leadership Council.
• Martin Luther King III and Arndrea Waters KingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMartin Luther King III and Arndrea Waters King are founding partners linking their Realize the Dream initiative to Be The People. Realize the Dream aims to achieve 100 million hours of service by 2029, Dr. King's 100th birthday. They were honored as the first Atlanta Changemaker.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GivingTuesday: A founding Be The People council member and a global generosity movement that runs the annual GivingTuesday day of giving. Highly comparable as a coalition-driven civic engagement platform; Be The People is even co-launching 'TogetherTuesday' with GivingTuesday.
• Goodwill Industries International: A founding Be The People council member operating a national network of workforce development and community programs. Comparable as a coalition member with a distributed local-impact footprint.
• DoSomething.org: A youth-focused civic engagement nonprofit running digital campaigns that connect young people to volunteer opportunities and social impact actions. Comparable digital-first, story-driven community engagement model.
• Points of Light: A civic engagement nonprofit that operates a global service movement and Hand On Network for volunteer mobilization. Directly comparable mission of activating civic participation and connecting people to community problem-solving.
• Habitat for Humanity: A founding Be The People council member and one of the largest U.S. housing/community development nonprofits. Comparable as a coalition-driven community impact organization with local affiliate networks.
• VolunteerMatch: The largest volunteer matching platform in the U.S., directly comparable to Be The People's core function of connecting individuals with local nonprofit opportunities. Operates a similar web-based discovery and signup flow.
• Idealist (now Birdhouse): A long-standing online platform connecting volunteers and professionals with nonprofit jobs and volunteer opportunities. Directly comparable marketplace/discovery model for civic engagement.

Broad incumbents

• Bonterra (formerly Network for Good + Social Solutions): A large social-good software platform serving nonprofits with CRM, fundraising, and volunteer management tools. Comparable as an enabling technology layer for the civic engagement and nonprofit ecosystem Be The People operates within.
• AmeriCorps: The federal government's flagship national service program, which mobilizes millions of Americans into community service. Comparable as a national-scale civic engagement institution but funded and operated by the federal government.

Emerging players

• Network for Good: A fundraising and donor management platform serving nonprofits, with overlapping donor-engagement and nonprofit-tech capabilities to Be The People's philanthropic coalition model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/results?search_query=Be+The+People+BTP
• Instagraminstagram.com/bethepeople
• Facebookfacebook.com/joinbethepeople

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Be The People