Activating Change is a left-of-center nonprofit organization that provides services for deaf and disabled victims of violence and other crimes. It also advocates for policies that reduce incarceration for deaf and disabled individuals as well as other forms of “institutionalization.” ¹

Activating Change employs the identity politics concept of intersectionality in its advocacy for resources for deaf and disabled victims, and particularly those who are ethnic minorities, claiming they are in greater need due to societal oppression and the disadvantages they have by being disabled. As a result, it states that it prioritizes the hiring of ethnic minorities. ²

Background

Activating Change originated in 2005 as a project of the Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) and was originally named Center on Victimization and Safety and provided resources to victims of crimes. In 2021, it formed its own independent nonprofit organization and in 2022 changed its name to Activating Change. ³

From 2016 to 2021, under Vera, Activating Change organized the National Resource Center for Reaching Victims alongside nine other organizations. The network of organizations helped victims of crimes find resources to help them recover. ⁴ After becoming an independent organization in 2021, it focused its services on providing resources for disabled and deaf individuals who were victims of crimes, such as providing interpreters for deaf victims. ^{5 6}

Originally, Activating Change, while it was operating as Center on Victimization and Safety, operated mainly under its Accessing Safety Initiative program, which was funded by U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women and served to provide resources to deaf and disabled victims of violent crimes. ⁷

Partner Organizations

Activating Change is a partner of DeafHope, an organization that provides resources to deaf victims of domestic and sexual violence. DeafHope also claims that women face increased rates of domestic violence due to there being a “patriarchal society where violence against women is allowed and institutionalized,” and it campaigns to undo this cause of women facing higher rates of domestic violence. ^{8 9}

Projects

End Abuse of People with Disabilities

End Abuse of People with Disabilities is a project of Activating Change that fundraises on behalf of organizations that provides resources for disabled individuals who are victims of violent crimes. It also campaigns for advocacy organizations and programs for violence survivors to acknowledge that disabled persons have an increased likelihood of being victims of violent crimes. ¹⁰

Deaf Action

Deaf Action is a project of Activating Change that claims to be the first deaf led resource organization for deaf victims. Due to its deaf leadership, it claims to be best equipped to train staff to assist deaf victims as opposed to the other victim resource organizations that are led by hearing individuals. ¹¹

Criminal Justice Advocacy

Activating Change trains activists to join left-of-center criminal justice advocacy groups to advocate on behalf of disabled ethnic minorities by promoting the identity politics concept of intersectionality, claiming disabled ethnic minorities require special attention. It advocates for policy changes that will result in the reduction of jail populations and disparities in incarceration rates among racial groups. ¹²

In 2023, Activating Change received a $453,293 grant from the MacArthur Foundation to support its criminal justice advocacy. ¹³

Financials

In 2022, Activating Change reported receiving $2.8 million in contributions according to its tax returns. ¹⁴ It also reported having $569,000 in total expenditures, $504,000 of which was spent on employee salaries and compensation. ¹⁵

Leadership

Nancy Smith is the executive director of Activating Change and was the director of its predecessor, Vera Institute of Justice’s Center on Victimization and Safety, starting in 2004. ¹⁶

1. “Our Mission.” Activating Change. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://www.activatingchange.org/our-mission.
2. “Expanding Deaf Services and Advocacy.” Activating Change. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://www.activatingchange.org/expanding-deaf-services-advocacy.
3. “Our Mission.” Activating Change. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://www.activatingchange.org/our-mission.
4. “Our Websites.” Activating Change. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://www.activatingchange.org/our-websites.
5. “Our Mission.” Activating Change. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://www.activatingchange.org/our-mission.
6. “Expanding Deaf Services and Advocacy.” Activating Change. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://www.activatingchange.org/expanding-deaf-services-advocacy.
7. “Vera Launches the Center on Victimization and Safety.” Vera Institute of Justice. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://www.vera.org/newsroom/vera-launches-the-center-on-victimization-and-safety.
8. “Expanding Deaf Services and Advocacy.” Activating Change. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://www.activatingchange.org/expanding-deaf-services-advocacy.
9. “About Deafhope.” DeafHope – Together We Can End Violence. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://www.deaf-hope.org/about-deafhope/.
10. “Our Work.” End Abuse of People with Disabilities, April 14, 2021. https://www.endabusepwd.org/about-the-movement/our-work/.
11. “Expanding Deaf Services and Advocacy.” Activating Change. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://www.activatingchange.org/expanding-deaf-services-advocacy.
12. ^[1] “Ending Incarceration.” Activating Change. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://www.activatingchange.org/ending-incarceration.
13. Activating change. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://www.macfound.org/grantee/activating-change-10115820/.
14. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Activating Change Inc. 2022. Part I, Line 8.
15. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Activating Change Inc. 2022. Part I, Lines 15-18.
16. “Nancy Smith.” Activating Change. Accessed January 14, 2024. https://www.activatingchange.org/nancy-smith.