Just Act Partners

What Just Act Partners does

Just Act Partners is a Chicago-based, privately-held professional services firm founded in 2023 by Juatise Gathings and Matt Johanson. The firm advises organizations on how to execute place-based equity strategies — particularly on Chicago's south- and west-sides — providing strategic advisory, execution support, capability building, and organizational equity assessment. Its target buyers are corporations, nonprofits, and public/private entities seeking to move beyond business-as-usual community engagement toward sustained, operationally rigorous equity outcomes. The firm positions itself as a collaborative, shoulder-to-shoulder partner rather than a detached advisor, emphasizing deep community relationships and cross-sector coordination (public, private, philanthropy, nonprofit, community).

The business model is classic boutique management consulting: revenue is generated through client engagements, likely project-based or retainer arrangements, with quote-based, engagement-specific pricing (no public pricing disclosed). Distribution is purely direct and relationship-led — the firm operates a minimal digital footprint (website and email newsletter) and relies on the founders' professional networks, anchored in their prior careers at Discover Financial Services. The company is founder-owned, with Gathings as the major owner and lead and Johanson as full partner; there are no institutional investors, parent entities, or disclosed funding rounds.

The competitive positioning rests almost entirely on the founders' human capital: 40+ combined years at Discover Financial Services, including direct executive leadership of Discover's Chatham Customer Care Center, which relocated 1,000 jobs to Chicago's south side. There are no technology products, proprietary IP, patents, certifications, or AI capabilities disclosed — the offering is people-intensive advisory work delivered by a two-principal team.

Name

Just Act Partners

Legal name

Just Act Partners

Website

https://justactpartners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Just Act Partners is a Chicago-based boutique consulting firm, founded in 2023 by Juatise Gathings and Matt Johanson, that advises corporations, nonprofits, and public-sector clients on executing place-based equity strategies on Chicago's south- and west-sides through hands-on, project-based advisory engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Equity Strategy Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Strategic Partnerships, Alliances & JVs Advisory (BPAHADAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Consumer Rights & Public Interest Advocacy (BPAGAFAK)

Keywords

• Equity strategy consulting
• Place-based investment advisory
• Social impact consulting
• DEI execution support
• Community development consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Professional consulting services focused on equity strategy development, execution support, capability building, and organizational assessment. Revenue is generated through client engagements, likely project-based or retainer arrangements typical of management consulting.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Just Act Partners is a Chicago-based consulting firm that partners shoulder-to-shoulder with corporations, nonprofits, and public-private entities to develop and execute equity strategies and place-based investments, particularly on Chicago's south- and west-sides. The firm helps clients build operational capabilities, establish deep community relationships, expand partnership networks, and remediate inequitable organizational practices. Service delivery is relationship-driven and consultative, with the co-founders directly engaging each client engagement.

Product overview

Just Act Partners is a consulting firm that provides strategic advisory and execution support services for organizations seeking to advance equity initiatives in Chicago. They offer shoulder-to-shoulder partnership to help clients execute equity strategies with excellence and build sustained impact capabilities, including community relationship building, partnership network expansion, and organizational equity assessment and remediation. The firm was co-founded in 2023 by Juatise Gathings and Matt Johanson.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Equity Strategy Execution Consulting Shoulder-to-shoulder partnership with organizations to develop and execute equity strategies with operational rigor, building client capabilities for sustained impact through aligned actions and rigorous problem solving. Targeted at corporations, nonprofits, and public-private entities pursuing place-based equity initiatives in Chicago.
• Place-Based Investment Advisory Advisory support for organizations seeking to deploy place-based investments and economic opportunity initiatives in Chicago's south- and west-side communities, drawing on the founders' direct experience relocating 1,000 jobs to Chicago's south side through Discover's Chatham initiative.
• Organizational Equity Assessment & Remediation Diagnostic and remediation support to help organizations identify and remediate ways in which they need to operate more equitably in order to deliver equity for others. Designed for corporations and other entities undertaking internal equity reviews.
• Community Relationship & Partnership Network Building Support for clients in building substantive, mutually beneficial community relationships aligned to community priorities and in expanding partnership networks with like-minded thought leaders across public, private, philanthropy, nonprofit, and community sectors. Targeted at organizations seeking to coordinate and amplify equity efforts in Chicago.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• McKinsey & Company: Global management consultancy with a sizable ESG, DEI, and social-impact practice serving Fortune 500 clients. Comparable as an incumbent that competes for the same corporate equity-strategy mandates from a position of far greater scale and brand.
• Deloitte: Big Four professional services firm with a prominent DEI and human capital practice serving enterprise clients. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing for strategic DEI and ESG transformation mandates.
• Boston Consulting Group: Global management consultancy with a dedicated Social Impact and Climate & Sustainability practice. Comparable as a broad incumbent that also advises large corporations on equity and ESG strategy.

Direct peers

• Living Cities: Collaborative of philanthropies and financial institutions working to advance racial equity and economic opportunity in U.S. cities. Directly comparable through its focus on place-based investment and cross-sector partnerships in urban communities.
• FSG: Social-impact strategy consulting firm advising foundations, corporations, and nonprofits on equity-centered strategy and evaluation. Directly comparable as a boutique consultancy operating at the intersection of strategy and social impact.
• Just Capital: Nonprofit that ranks and analyzes U.S. corporations on stakeholder performance, including issues of equity and community impact. Comparable as a peer advising and influencing corporations on equity-related strategy.
• Purpose Built Communities: National nonprofit supporting place-based, holistic community revitalization with a focus on equity outcomes. Directly comparable as a place-based equity operating partner serving cross-sector coalitions.
• GreenLight Fund: National nonprofit that identifies and scales local solutions to break the cycle of poverty, with a place-based model operating across multiple U.S. cities. Comparable as a peer in place-based equity and community investment work.
• The Bridgespan Group: Strategy consulting firm focused on the social sector, advising nonprofits, philanthropies, and impact-driven organizations. Closely comparable as a mission-oriented strategy consultancy offering targeted advisory to organizations pursuing social outcomes.

Others

• B Lab: Nonprofit that certifies B Corporations and promotes stakeholder-oriented business practices. Adjacent ecosystem participant shaping the same corporate-equity landscape that JAP advises clients on.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/just-act-partners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Just Act Partners