Direct Action & Research Training Center

The Direct Action and Research Training Center, Inc. (DART) is a national network of 23 community organizations that unite congregations across racial, religious, and socioeconomic lines to pursue justice.

Unlike charities and direct service providers, DART organizations seek long-term, sustainable improvements at a systemic level. DART organizations regularly conduct direct action assemblies in which thousands of people from a cross-section of faith traditions publicly hold decision-makers accountable on local justice issues.

DART organizations' recent victories include multi-million dollar investments in affordable housing, increased access to primary health and dental care, statewide legislation to rein in the payday loan industry, implementation of restorative justice practices in public schools, and criminal justice system reforms to reverse the growing criminalization of children and provide substance abuse treatment instead of incarceration.