Skip to content 
Image: Painting of Amanda Nguyen with “Rise” in backdrop; courtesy of My HERO Project.
Rise is a civil rights organization founded by survivor and activist Amanda Nguyen, whose fight to protect her own rape kit inspired a national reform effort. Her story helped ignite a grassroots movement that empowers survivors to write, pass, and implement laws that safeguard their rights.
Mission and Origins
Founded in 2014, Rise exists to equip survivors of sexual assault with the tools to change the law. The organization centers survivor leadership, bipartisan action, and trauma-informed advocacy to transform individual resilience into systemic reform.
What Rise Does
• Rise Justice Labs: A 12-week accelerator that trains survivors and allies to draft legislation, build coalitions, meet with lawmakers, pitch media, and run winning campaigns, with mentorship and seed support.
• Legislative Campaigns: Rise helped author and pass the federal Survivor Bill of Rights and continues to support state-level Survivor Bill of Rights efforts nationwide.
• Community Initiatives: Programs like Survivor Safe Haven and storytelling platforms (including exhibits and fashion events) amplify survivor voices, reduce stigma, and recruit new advocates.
Impact
Rise’s work has contributed to passage of dozens of survivor-centered laws across the U.S., a federal framework establishing core rights for survivors, and global recognition of survivor justice. The model demonstrates that everyday people, given training and community, can navigate legislatures and deliver durable change.
How Survivors Can Engage
• Apply to Rise Justice Labs to turn a local gap in protections into a bill.
• Join or support state campaigns advancing Survivor Bill of Rights legislation.
• Partner with Survivor Safe Haven or attend community events that elevate survivor narratives and public education.
Why You Should Rise Up
Survivors often confront legal systems that are confusing, inconsistent, or retraumatizing. Rise closes that gap by teaching survivors how to advocate for themselves and others, converting lived experience into concrete protections that outlast news cycles and leadership changes. (SurvivorsRights.com may help connect survivors of rideshare or institutional sexual abuse with attorneys who specialize in that area of litigation. Fill out the brief, confidential form if you feel ready to have your case evaluated.)
Learn More
Visit Rise at risenow.us to explore programs, view current campaigns, and get involved. To see how individual courage catalyzes reform, read these Survivor Success Stories on our website here.