About Courage
The Center for Institutional Courage™ – Courage – is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) institution dedicated to transformative research and education about institutional betrayal and how to counter it through institutional courage.
Mission
Courage exists to conduct transformative research and education about institutional betrayal and how to counter it through institutional courage.
Vision
Courage sees a future where our institutions act courageously: with accountability, with transparency, actively seeking justice, and making changes where needed despite unpleasantness, risk, and short-term costs.
Our Mission in Action
Our transformative research:
We conduct our own rigorous research, and we also fund external research projects through our grants program. We research foundational issues regarding institutional courage, institutional betrayal, and related concepts. A key research focus is how to implement institutional courage. We develop and provide research and measurement tools.
Our transformative education:
We deliver wide-reaching education designed to inspire action. We translate research findings so that they are easily understood, targeting other researchers, policy makers, institutional leaders, and the public. We develop and provide educational resources and assessment tools for changemakers, so that the research can drive systems-level, cultural change in our institutions and society.
Current Focus
We are currently prioritizing institutional courage in addressing sexual violence across various kinds of institutions. Additional areas will be added to our research and education agendas as we grow. In all of our research and educational projects, we consider the roles of power, privilege, and marginalization in how institutions both betray and act courageously.
Governance and Operations
Courage is governed by a Board of Directors drawn from the private sector and academic community. Three advisory committees (Senior Advisors, Research Advisory Committee, and Education Advisory Committee), composed of accomplished scientists and professionals, assist the Board and President in ensuring a high standard of scientific and educational excellence. Two additional teams (Research Associates and Affiliated Educators) are actively contributing to our research and education missions.
About the Founder
“For the past decade, my graduate students and I have spent so much energy on institutional betrayal—discovering how harmful it is, how prevalent it is. I started thinking, ‘It doesn’t have to be this way.’”
- Jennifer Freyd
Founder, President and Chair of the Board, Center for Institutional Courage
Jennifer Freyd founded the Center for Institutional Courage in January 2020. Read more about her story and inspiration to create the Center for Institutional Courage on the Founder Page.