equity in the center
Equity In The Center is a Washington DC-based 501c3 nonprofit that develops research, frameworks, and training to help nonprofit and philanthropic organizations build Race Equity Culture through workshops, assessments, and cohort programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What equity in the center does
Equity In The Center (EIC) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in 2015 and headquartered in Washington DC that develops research, frameworks, and training to help nonprofit and philanthropic organizations build what it terms a "Race Equity Culture." Originally incubated within the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Social Sector Talent Pipelines Strategy & Learning Lab, EIC became an independent 501c3 in 2020 and is led by President and CEO Kerrien Suarez. The organization's core intellectual property is the Race Equity Cycle® framework, a developmental model describing how organizations move from "Awake" (diversity focus) through "Woke" (inclusion focus) to "Work" (active race equity) by activating specific organizational levers including senior leaders, managers, data, organizational culture, learning environment, board of directors, and communities. Supporting this framework, EIC has published Awake to Woke to Work® (over 75,000 downloads), developed the Race Equity Cycle Pulse Check™ assessment (validated in 2023, adopted by 50+ organizations), and in 2024 adopted Racial Equity Tools (RET), a resource library of 4,500+ items across 98 categories reaching over 1 million unique users.
EIC monetizes its offerings through a diversified nonprofit revenue model: philanthropic grants and donations (including a significant 2021 gift from the MacKenzie Scott $3B initiative), tiered workshop and training fees, multi-year cohort program contracts (including the Race Equity Culture Fellowship co-designed with GEO), and recurring subscription revenue from the AWW on Demand self-paced learning platform. Pricing follows a tiered model adopted in April 2022 aligned with equity values. Distribution is direct-to-customer via the EIC website, the training.equityinthecenter.org portal, and the racialequitytools.org resource hub, with no third-party channel partners. Go-to-market combines event-driven open enrollment workshops, community-led cohort learning via the Deep Equity Practitioners Network (DEPn), and product-led growth through free self-service assessments and resource libraries.
The organization serves two primary customer segments: nonprofit organizations seeking to operationalize equity beyond diversity statements, and philanthropic organizations/grantmakers seeking to embed race equity in institutional practices. The team includes Managing Directors Ericka Hines and Andrew Plumley, Senior Director of Content and Stakeholder Engagement Rebekah Gowler, and a distributed US-based staff that the organization is actively scaling through multiple open hires including VP of Operations, Operations Manager, and various program and communications roles. Strategic partnerships include GEO (Race Equity Culture Fellowship co-development), Service Never Sleeps (allyship training delivery), Independent Sector (thought leadership platform), and Annie E. Casey Foundation (foundational support).
equity in the center firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- equity in the center
- Legal name
- Equity in the Center Inc
- Website
- https://equityinthecenter.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Equity In The Center is a Washington DC-based 501c3 nonprofit that develops research, frameworks, and training to help nonprofit and philanthropic organizations build Race Equity Culture through workshops, assessments, and cohort programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
equity in the center industry classification
Industry- Product category
- DEI and Race Equity Consulting for Nonprofits
- NAICS
- Human Rights Organizations (813311), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Education Equity, Access & Inclusion Policy Research (EDADADAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Education Partnerships for Equity, Inclusion & Gender (EDADALAF)
Keywords
Where equity in the center is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
equity in the center business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Grants: As a 501c3 nonprofit, EIC relies on donations and philanthropic grants as a primary revenue source. The organization received a significant donation from MacKenzie Scott in 2021 as one of 286 organizations sharing in a near $3 billion commitment. Donations can be made via the website, including stock donations.
- Training and Workshop Fees: Revenue is generated through open enrollment workshops (Working Sessions) and partner trainings. A tiered pricing model was adopted in April 2022 aligned with equity values and best practices among national equity leaders such as Rockwood Leadership Institute.
- Cohort Programs: Team-based cohort programs where organizations drive race equity within their organizations with structured guidance and peer learning. The Race Equity Culture Fellowship, designed in partnership with GEO, is one such program.
- Awake to Woke to Work On Demand (AWW on Demand): Subscription-based on-demand training platform providing sustained learning resources for individuals and organizations. Subscription details are available through the training portal at training.equityinthecenter.org.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Open enrollment workshops on Race Equity Cycle framework and research |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Cohort programs for teams driving race equity within organizations |
| Subscription | Monthly | Awake to Woke to Work On Demand subscription |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels10 records
equity in the center product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Equity In The Center is a nonprofit organization that develops research, frameworks, assessments, and training programs to help nonprofit and philanthropic organizations build and sustain Race Equity Culture. Its core deliverables include the Race Equity Cycle® framework, the Awake to Woke to Work® publication, the Race Equity Cycle Pulse Check™ assessment, the Racial Equity Tools resource library, open enrollment workshops, partner trainings, cohort-based learning programs, and a subscription-based on-demand training platform.
Product overview
Equity In The Center is a nonprofit organization that offers a portfolio of research-based products and services focused on helping social sector organizations build Race Equity Culture. The core offering consists of the Awake to Woke to Work® publication (the foundational research document), the Race Equity Cycle Pulse Check™ assessment tool, and the Race Equity Cycle® framework. Service offerings include Working Sessions (open workshops), Partner Trainings (custom workshops with partners), and Cohorts (team-based learning programs). Content products include the BEYOND DEI podcast, Video Case Studies, and AWW on Demand (e-learning platform). In 2024, EIC adopted Racial Equity Tools (RET), expanding its portfolio to include a comprehensive resource library serving over 1 million users.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Awake to Woke to Work®: The flagship publication that provides insights, tactics, and practices for social sector organizations to build a Race Equity Culture™
- Race Equity Cycle Pulse Check™
- Racial Equity Tools (RET)
- BEYOND DEI Podcast
Products and services
- Awake to Woke to Work®: Building a Race Equity Culture™ Flagship research publication that provides insights, tactics, and practices for social sector organizations to measurably shift organizational culture, operationalize equity, and move from dominant organizational culture to a Race Equity Culture.
- Race Equity Cycle Pulse Check™ Assessment tool for organizations to determine where they are on the Race Equity Cycle and provides action steps to move between stages (Awake, Woke, Work).
- Working Sessions Open enrollment workshops for individuals and organizations on the Race Equity Cycle framework and research, delivered virtually or in person.
- Partner Trainings Workshops and trainings delivered with partners to center race equity and promote allyship and liberation.
- Cohorts Team-based cohort programs with structured guidance and peer learning for organizations driving race equity within their organizations and across the sector.
- AWW on Demand Subscription-based online training platform providing sustained learning modules to help individuals and organizations move from intention to action in building Race Equity Culture.
- Racial Equity Tools (RET) Comprehensive resource website adopted by EIC in 2024, providing tools, research, tips, curricula and ideas for people working toward racial equity.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 75,000 downloads of Awake to Woke to Work publication
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use equity in the center
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
equity in the center technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
equity in the center partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.
- Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO)coreGEO is EIC's first major partner. Rebekah Gowler of EIC and Jaser Alsharhan of GEO co-authored a blog exploring how grantmakers reimagine racial equity. GEO and EIC co-designed the Race Equity Culture Fellowship learning cohort, combining GEO's grantmaker network with EIC's framework.
- Building For MissioncoreBuilding For Mission (BFM) provided transformative consulting support to EIC during its nonprofit start-up journey. BFM guided organizational development, helped EIC lean into its values, and supported difficult internal conversations — considered a crucial part of EIC's growth.
- Service Never SleepssecondaryService Never Sleeps, founded by Whitney Parnell (EIC partner), facilitates EIC's virtual partner trainings including BIPOC Allies (quarterly) and White Allies (monthly) programs. The partnership extends EIC's training reach through established allyship programming.
- Independent SectorsecondaryEIC partnered with Independent Sector on multiple webinars including a COVID-19 response conversation and the 100 Days for Good podcast featuring Kerrien Suarez. Independent Sector provided a platform for EIC's thought leadership on race equity in the social sector.
- Year UpsecondaryYear Up is featured as a video case study subject, showcasing how the organization applied the Race Equity Culture framework for internal transformation. EIC documented Year Up's equity journey as a model for the sector.
- Leadership for Educational EquitysecondaryFeatured as a video case study subject demonstrating Race Equity Culture implementation, providing real-world example for the EIC resource library.
- SAGEsecondarySAGE is featured as a video case study subject demonstrating Race Equity Culture transformation within the organization.
- DemossecondaryDemos is the subject of both written and video case studies on racial equity transformation, including a timeline of learning objectives for senior and management staff, demonstrating practical Race Equity Culture implementation.
- Racial Equity Tools (RET) Partners/CreatorscoreCreated in 2009, RET was adopted by EIC in 2024 as EIC leads the next phase of expansion. RET provides over 4,500 resources across 98 categories, serving as a critical resource to the race equity field and reaching over 1 million users. EIC is expanding RET's curation, technical assistance, user-friendliness, and accessibility practices.
- Deep Equity Practitioners Network (DEPn)coreA network of deep equity practitioners convened by EIC, publishing shared values illustrating who they are, why they came together, and how they show up in their work. DEPn builds capacity for liberation and supports race equity leaders across the sector.
- MP Associates Consulting (Maggie Potapchuk)minorMaggie Potapchuk, lead of MP Associates Consulting and EIC board member, contributes to EIC's strategic direction and field infrastructure discussions, identifying key infrastructure needs for the race equity ecosystem.
- Blue Agave Partners (Dr. Raquel Gutierrez)minorDr. Raquel Gutierrez, founder and CEO of Blue Agave Partners, serves as an EIC advisor and member of EIC's team of seasoned racial equity practitioners. She contributes to strategic discussions on EIC's role in field coordination and has begun adapting race equity language for broader accessibility.
- Black Women Thriving (Ericka Hines)minorEricka Hines, founder of Black Women Thriving and EIC's Managing Director, contributes to EIC's strategic thinking on operating in inhospitable climates and transparently demonstrating sustainable organizational models.
- Global Health Visions (Andrew Plumley)minorAndrew Plumley, senior consultant at Global Health Visions, was the second employee hired by EIC as Senior Program Manager (later Managing Director), contributing to EIC's foundational development and programmatic scaling.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
equity in the center competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Race Forward: Race Forward is a racial equity research, policy, and capacity-building organization that produces tools, trainings, and publications for institutions seeking to advance racial justice — directly comparable to EIC's research, training, and advisory model in the social sector.
- National Equity Project: National Equity Project partners with education and social sector organizations to build equitable systems through coaching, professional development, and frameworks — overlapping with EIC's framework-driven capacity-building approach.
- PolicyLink: PolicyLink is a racial equity research and advocacy organization that produces research, policy analysis, and tools to advance equity — comparable to EIC's research publication model and field-building role in equity practice.
- The Winters Group: The Winters Group is a DEI consulting firm specializing in organizational culture transformation, leadership development, and equity-centered change management — closely comparable to EIC's Race Equity Culture framework and cohort-based training offerings.
- Cook Ross: Cook Ross is a DEI consultancy offering organizational assessments, leadership coaching, and equity-centered training programs — comparable to EIC's Pulse Check assessment and Working Sessions training model for embedding equity into organizational practice.
- Building Movement Project: Building Movement Project supports social sector organizations in building internal infrastructure for equity and inclusion through research, tools, and training — directly comparable to EIC's nonprofit-focused race equity culture work.
- Rockwood Leadership Institute: Rockwood Leadership Institute is a leadership development organization focused on social justice, explicitly cited by EIC as a model for its tiered equity pricing approach — directly comparable in serving movement and social sector leaders with cohort-based programming.
- Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO): GEO is a philanthropic effectiveness organization that provides research, resources, and learning opportunities to grantmakers, and co-developed the Race Equity Culture Fellowship with EIC — a peer in social sector capacity building that already partners closely with EIC.
Broad incumbents
- Independent Sector: Independent Sector is a national membership organization that convenes and advocates for the nonprofit and philanthropic sector, providing research and policy leadership — a broader incumbent whose sector-building role overlaps with EIC's convening function.
- Center for Effective Philanthropy: Center for Effective Philanthropy is a broader nonprofit research and advisory organization serving grantmakers and nonprofits with assessments and benchmarking — overlapping with EIC's measurement and Pulse Check offerings, though at a more general philanthropic effectiveness level.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
equity in the center social profiles
Digital presenceequity in the center financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
equity in the center leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
equity in the center subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
equity in the center funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
equity in the center 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 equity in the center
What does equity in the center do?
Equity In The Center is a nonprofit organization that develops research, frameworks, assessments, and training programs to help nonprofit and philanthropic organizations build and sustain Race Equity Culture. Its core deliverables include the Race Equity Cycle® framework, the Awake to Woke to Work® publication, the Race Equity Cycle Pulse Check™ assessment, the Racial Equity Tools resource library, open enrollment workshops, partner trainings, cohort-based learning programs, and a subscription-based on-demand training platform.
Is equity in the center a public or private company?
equity in the center is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was equity in the center founded?
equity in the center was founded in 2015.
Where is equity in the center based?
equity in the center is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does equity in the center make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations and Grants are the primary driver. The others are training and Workshop Fees, cohort Programs and awake to Woke to Work On Demand (AWW on Demand).
Who are equity in the center's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Race Forward, National Equity Project, PolicyLink, The Winters Group, Cook Ross, Building Movement Project, Rockwood Leadership Institute and Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO). Broad incumbents are Independent Sector and Center for Effective Philanthropy.
Does equity in the center have an API?
No public API is recorded for equity in the center.
What industry is equity in the center in?
equity in the center's product category is DEI and Race Equity Consulting for Nonprofits. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDADADAF, Education Equity, Access & Inclusion Policy Research, with a secondary code of EDADALAF, Education Partnerships for Equity, Inclusion & Gender. Its NAICS code is 813311 and its SIC code is 8600.