Most nonprofits are built to last forever. 1M4 was never meant to be one of them.
When Tansy McNulty founded 1 Million Madly Motivated Moms (1M4) on June 13, 2018, she set an ambitious timeline: end police violence in the United States within a single generation.
Not decades from now. Not someday in the future. Within 20 years.
That timeline began on the day the organization was founded, and it ends on June 13, 2038. By this date, one of two things must be true: either police violence will have been fundamentally transformed in this country, or the work will have pushed the system so far forward that the next generation can cross the finish line with far fewer obstacles.
That urgency shapes everything about how 1M4 operates. When you only give yourself one generation to solve a systemic issue, there is no room for slow progress. You move quickly, build boldly, and focus on solutions that change lives in real time.
Building what the country needed
In 2020, the country entered a period of uprising and profound national reflection. Across the nation, people were asking an urgent question: if police aren’t always the right response to a crisis, what is?
At the time, there was no single place where someone could easily find alternatives with teams trained to respond to mental health crises, behavioral health emergencies, or substance use situations without police involvement.
So 1M4 built one.
In July 2021, during Minority Mental Health Month, the organization launched the first version of what would become the Right Response Directory, a national database of non-police crisis response resources. It began with just 150 programs. There was no massive research budget behind it and no government infrastructure supporting it.
The directory was built through sheer determination: phone calls, social media outreach, direct research, and community connections.
But the need was clear. Between 2021 and 2023, about 3,000 people found their way to the directory searching for safer responses during moments of crisis. What began as a grassroots resource quickly became something larger: one of the most trusted national tools for alternative response information.
When women find the work
Behind many of the organization’s biggest milestones is a simple but powerful pattern: women discovering the work and deciding to support it. In 2021, the Sosozei Foundation, led by Melissa M. Beck, found 1M4 and became one of its premier funders, helping sustain the organization during its early growth.
Then in 2024, another woman helped spark the next chapter. Rebecca Fredette discovered the work and helped connect the organization with Players Coalition, leading to a partnership that allowed the Right Response Directory to be completely rebuilt and relaunched. The new version received its own branding, expanded features, and a national media rollout.
Within the first six months of 2024 alone, 1M4’s marketing efforts reached an estimated 500 million people through national media coverage. Today, across both versions of the directory, more than 10,000 people have used the resource to find alternative crisis response teams in their communities.
For an organization of its size, the accomplishment is remarkable. Even more remarkable: it filled a gap that federal systems had struggled to address.
When the nation started paying attention
As the organization’s impact grew, so did national recognition. Over the years, the work of 1M4 has been featured in major outlets, including Essence, Black Enterprise, Business Insider, and the Business Journal, as well as appearances on national television, including Good Morning America’s Third Hour.
These moments helped amplify a message that had long struggled to reach mainstream platforms: that communities deserve safe, effective alternatives during moments of crisis.
But sometimes recognition arrives in unexpected ways.
One of the most memorable moments came late one night. After the organization appeared on television discussing its work, a message arrived from the BeyGOOD Foundation, Beyoncé’s philanthropic initiative. There had been no application and no formal request, just a message asking for documentation so the organization could receive a grant. Shortly after, the funding arrived—an unexpected show of support that helped sustain the work and affirmed that the mission was resonating far beyond traditional advocacy spaces.
Sometimes the right people are simply watching.
Standing with families seeking accountability
While 1M4 was building national tools, it was also doing deeply personal work behind the scenes. Since its founding, the organization has supported seven families directly impacted by police violence—providing microgrants, court support, advocacy assistance, and long-term emotional support. These families have received direct support through the nonprofit’s work, and in many cases, the relationship continues for years.
For families navigating complex legal battles and profound loss, having someone present—at court hearings, in media conversations, or simply in moments of grief—can make a powerful difference.
That support has helped lead to meaningful outcomes:
Terence Richardson and Ferrone Claiborne, two Black men who had been wrongfully incarcerated for more than 25 years, were ultimately freed with support from the 1M4 community and many others.
In another case, the officer responsible for killing Atatiana Jefferson was indicted and is now serving a prison sentence. Other families have seen long-delayed indictments move forward after years of advocacy and persistence. Advocacy connected to the organization has also supported families seeking accountability in cases like Jamarion Robinson, whose mother fought for years before indictments were secured, and Xzavier Hill, where court support and continued visibility helped sustain the pursuit of justice.
These outcomes cannot erase the harm and pain that families have experienced, but they represent something powerful: the possibility of accountability and the reminder that families seeking justice should never have to fight alone.
Creating space for healing
Movements require strategy, but they also require care. Over the past five years, 1M4 has hosted over 70 virtual Sista Check-Ins, gatherings designed to create supportive spaces for women navigating grief, activism, and community care.
The sessions have taken many forms. Some nights are guided yoga sessions. Others are writing circles, grief discussions, or conversations with therapists, life coaches, and community leaders.
There have been sessions with impacted families, conversations with police officers about community concerns, and moments simply dedicated to breathing and reflection.
Because the work of transforming systems can be heavy, healing is an essential part of sustaining the people doing the work.
The next chapter
Today, the organization continues to grow. What began with a board of four people has expanded to eleven members, and the community surrounding the work continues to deepen. Partnerships with organizations like Right To Be and Georgetown Law’s Center for Innovations in Community Safety have expanded education around bystander intervention and community safety.
Technology partnerships are also helping bring new tools to the movement, providing people with resources like real-time video documentation, cloud recording, and rapid legal support during encounters with law enforcement. For example:
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ANJELTech: Provides immediate access to safety technology, including live streaming and cloud storage, so your loved ones can see events in real time—like having your own personal body cam.
And the next chapter may take the story even further. Over the years, 1M4 has hosted and participated in countless webinars, panels, and training sessions focused on alternative response to help communities understand what safer crisis interventions look like.
Now, plans are underway to develop a TV series showcasing alternative crisis response programs across the country and around the world, giving audiences a clear view of what change can (and does) look like in action.
Because many people want change, but they often need to see it first.
A generation to finish the work
In just a few years, 1M4 has built national tools, supported families seeking justice, created healing spaces for Black women, and helped elevate the conversation around alternative response across the country. But the organization measures success differently than most nonprofits, not by how long it exists, but by whether it completes the mission.
June 13, 2038 is the deadline. A single generation to fundamentally change one of the nation’s most persistent systemic challenges. It’s an ambitious timeline, but every major transformation in history began with someone willing to believe that change could happen within their lifetime.
And 1M4 was built on exactly that belief.
Spread Some Blessings!
The consequences of police violence extend far beyond the loss of life. For families affected, it’s the loss of income, the sacrifice of basic necessities, and the start of a high-cost legal fight. If you have the capacity, consider donating to 1M4. Proceeds help support impacted families and sustain the work of 1M4 toward ending police violence for good.
To ensure our community has the resources provided by 1M4 and are fully empowered to shield their immediate community from harm, our Founder will hold weekly office hours to answer any questions and walk members through our safety resources.
No registration required. Simply join 1M4 through the button below then tap into our online community at 12pm EST every Tuesday starting this week.
Got a pressing question? Reply here and we’ll answer you via email and first thing Tuesday at noon EST.
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