We’re heartbroken.

These words are painful to type.

And it’s hard to know where to start.

How do you extinguish the fire that has fueled your small-but-mighty team and has also served as a beacon of hope for so many survivors, nationwide?

Callisto, while revolutionary, has been historically difficult to describe and, in turn, challenging to fund. How do you convince people who don’t want to accept that campus sexual assault is not only a problem, but one worth solving? How do you convince people that empowering survivors is not an alternative to prevention work, but that survivor empowerment leads to perpetrator accountability…and, in turn, is an incredibly powerful form of prevention?

It is sadly common for nonprofits to struggle to stay afloat. Recovering from the pandemic, inflation impacting numerous households, unusually competitive funding opportunities, and breaking through the noise on social media are some of the contributing factors.

But the truth is that this election season has been proven to be uniquely difficult, and has transformed what was otherwise challenging into something heartbreakingly impossible.

With a tiny and dedicated remote team and streamlined expenses, Callisto’s annual budget is $1 million. While this might not seem like much to run an entire tech organization, we have hit both anticipated and unanticipated fundraising challenges.

Therefore, we have been forced to accept that—shy of a miracle occurring in the next week—there is simply no way to keep our doors open. While we haven't completely abandoned hope—miracles can happen—the harsh reality is that a major donor coming forward in the next week is unlikely.

Throughout the course of the last decade, Callisto’s team has been dedicated to uplifting survivors and has been committed to doing right by those who have been harmed both by perpetrators and the current broken systems that so frequently retraumatize them. It is for that reason that we have made the difficult decision to focus our remaining funds during this time period on making sure that Callisto’s technology has the best chance of surviving…even if our organization cannot.

So, we are looking for either a hero who can save us from this devastating and rapidly approaching fiscal cliff or, more realistically, an organization willing to partner with us in the coming weeks to ensure that the vital work we have done on behalf of survivors can continue.

If you know of either, please send them our way.

We want all survivors who have believed in Callisto over the years to know that, while our hearts are absolutely broken, we will work tirelessly with everything we have left to ensure that all you have entrusted us with is protected.

Thank you to everyone who has believed in our work and has poured time, energy, and resources into supporting our mission. We cannot thank you enough for your unwavering support and friendship. And we are so incredibly sorry that we let you down.

Please know that you matter.

And we will not stop fighting to make sure survivors know that they are not alone.

With Sadness & Gratitude,

*Update (9/26/24): Since our painful announcement yesterday, we have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from survivors, allies, and fellow advocates asking how they can help save Callisto. While we initially envisioned the “hero” we needed would be a major donor (or a few), we are inspired that so many want to fight to protect, empower, and show survivors that they are not alone. So, maybe, all of us are the heroes we’re looking for? If you would like to contribute and/or help make this miracle happen, please check out our crowdfunding campaign below.

Q & A

• What happens to my data?

  We remain committed to protecting survivors' data, as we always have. In the coming days, we will contact everyone who has created an account in Callisto Vault to explain what will happen with their information. If any data needs to be deleted, we will provide a specific timeframe during which users can download their personal information. Our priority is ensuring that all survivors have control over their data and ample opportunity to secure it before any changes occur.

• I need additional support as a survivor.

  If you need support, please use the following resources

  • Crisis text line, Text HOME to 741741

  • MeToo. International’s Survivors Sanctuary

  • Free Therapy from EROC x BetterHelp

• If I have additional questions, who should I direct them to?

  You can email contact@projectcallisto.org for further questions.

Callisto Ambassadors Q & A

• What do I do with any Callisto materials that I still have remaining?

  Please feel free to keep any Callisto materials you would like for your personal use or memento and dispose of the remaining materials.

• How do I tell my peers that this valuable resource is no longer available?

  Be honest. It is okay to express your disappointment in Callisto closing — we all share the same sentiments of being heartbroken. However, it is important to remember that Callisto is a nonprofit organization whose ability to operate is anchored in access to funding. Unfortunately, we were unable to secure the critical funding we needed to continue operations. Nonprofits go under all the time for this exact reason and unfortunately, it happened to us too. We still believe that our services were life-changing for survivors. We encourage you to keep being a champion of survivor needs. Your campuses still need your voices and activism to be better and do better for survivors.

• What messaging will Callisto be sending out to campus administrators?

  Callisto will be sending out communications via social media, email, and newsletter to ensure that campus partners are aware of our closing. We will also create a landing page that will reflect any relevant changes or updates about the status of Callisto and/or Callisto Vault.