Project Truth and Reconciliation is a seemingly defunct left-of-center activist organization that was founded in 2020 with the goal of advancing “intersectional” activism and promoting the payment of racial reparations. The organization was financially successful after its founding and announced in 2023 that it would be merging with the activist organization Get Free. It is unclear what the project used its funding for other than paying two staff members or what those staff members did. It is also unclear what relation is between the project and Get Free, as the Project was a charitable organization and Get Free is not. ^{1 2 3}

Finances

In 2021, Project Truth and Reconciliation reported $372,229, of which the entire amount was derived from grants and contributions. It reported $292,124 in expenses, of which $205,089 was spent on salaries and compensation. The organization ended the year with $193,011 in net assets. ⁴

The Ford Foundation reported making two grants to the organization. ⁵

Organization Philosophy

Project Truth and Reconciliation was driven by the left-of-center principle of “intersectionality” and promoted the fact that it was founded by  “Black women and gender non-conforming people” and that it was led by a black and indigenous team. Besides emphasizing staff diversity, the organization had goals to publicize root causes of inequalities and advocate for reparations. ⁶

The organization claimed America is an extractive “caste system” that requires the country to “collectively” process its dark history in order that inequitable structures can be dismantled, and land and wealth redistributed. ⁷

Policies and Projects

As of April 2024, the organization’s website does not appear to have been updated since 2020. For instance, in April 2024 the organization’s mission page stated that it would be launching a movement to address its stated goals in 2021. ⁸

At one point, Project Truth and Reconciliation merged with Get Free, a left-of-center activist organization with similar rhetoric regarding the need to overthrow oppressive white supremacist institutions that are allegedly oppressing and genocide people in the United States. The relationship between these organizations is unclear. Notably, whereas Project Truth and Reconciliation had charitable status, Get Free’s donation page is linked to ActBlue Civics and notes that donations are not tax deductible. ^{9 10 11}

In 2021 nearly $185,000 of the Project’s $205,089 in revenue was paid to two employees, co-directors Nicole Carty and Paige Ingram. ¹²

Leadership

Nicole Carty is the founder and co-director of Project Truth and Reconciliation. She has a long history of working in left-of-center activism. In June 2023, Carty’s LinkedIn page stated that she had stopped working at Project Truth and Reconciliation as a coordinator and had begun working at Get Free as the organization’s executive director. ¹³

1. “Our Mission.” Project Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations. Accessed August 15, 2023. https://www.projecttruthandrec.org/our-mission.
2. “Get Free Together — Donate via ActBlue.” Actblue. Accessed August 15, 2023. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/foundgetfree.
3. “Stay Updated.” Project Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations. Accessed August 15, 2023. https://www.projecttruthandrec.org/mailinglist.
4.  Project Truth and Reconciliation Inc. Return for an organization exempt from income tax (Form 990). 2021 Part I.
5. Ford Foundation. “Project Truth and Reconciliation, Inc. Archives.” Ford Foundation. Accessed August 14, 2023. https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/awarded-grants/grantee/project-truth-and-reconciliation-inc/.
6. “Our Mission.” Project Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations. Accessed August 15, 2023. https://www.projecttruthandrec.org/our-mission.
7. “Our Mission.” Project Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations. Accessed August 15, 2023. https://www.projecttruthandrec.org/our-mission.
8.  “Our Mission.” Project Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations. Accessed August 15, 2023. https://www.projecttruthandrec.org/our-mission.
9. “Stay Updated.” Project Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations. Accessed August 15, 2023. https://www.projecttruthandrec.org/mailinglist.
10. “Get Free Movement.” Get Free. Accessed August 15, 2023. https://www.getfreetogether.org.
11. “Get Free Together — Donate via ActBlue.” Actblue. Accessed August 15, 2023. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/foundgetfree.
12. Project Truth and Reconciliation Inc. Return for an organization exempt from income tax (Form 990). 2021 Part I and Part VII.
13. “Nicole Carty | LinkedIn.” LinkedIn.com. Accessed August 15, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-carty-75b26b14/.