Rise Survivor Rise: Survivor Leadership, Financial Assistance, Programs, and Public Contact Information
Snapshot
Rise Survivor Rise is a nonprofit initiative founded and led by survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse. Its public materials describe assistance for survivors of sexual, domestic, and financial abuse, combining practical support with education, economic independence, and community. Its relevance to the Epstein record comes from survivor leadership and recovery work.
| Field | Publicly documented information |
|---|---|
| Public name | Rise Survivor Rise |
| Legal organization named by its website | Epstein Survivor Sisters, doing business as Rise Survivor Rise |
| Formation date reported by the organization | July 2026 |
| Public launch | Its official Instagram profile describes an October 2026 launch |
| Founder and board chair | Lara Blume McGee |
| Cofounder and board member | Sharlene Rochard |
| Geographic scope advertised for grants | United States |
| Main assistance areas | Sexual abuse, domestic abuse, and financial abuse |
| Public contact routes | Website form, published organizational email and telephone, and official social accounts |
| Tax documentation | Organization hosted determination letter naming Epstein Survivor Sisters; details and verification limits below |
| Information checked | October 6, 2026 |
The organization’s current website presents a launch stage initiative with named leadership and several programs. Applicants should read the detailed grant policy alongside the promotional pages because the published descriptions differ on referrals, documentation, and conditions attached to assistance.
Origins and Mission
The mission page describes a progression from immediate advocacy to sustained recovery and financial independence. The organization emphasizes practical assistance, survivor leadership, and volunteers who do not receive salaries. Its public language focuses particularly on women rebuilding their lives after abuse.
The assistance overview identifies three populations: people recovering from sexual abuse and exploitation, individuals and families affected by domestic violence, and survivors seeking independence after financial abuse. The described mission extends beyond survivors of Epstein himself.
The official Instagram account, linked from the organization’s website and linking back to it, describes the initiative as launching in October 2026. That public launch date should be distinguished from its reported formation in July.
| Date | Documented milestone | Source |
|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | Founding month reported by the organization | Transparency page |
| July 30, 2026 | Effective exemption date stated in the published letter | Determination letter |
| August 17, 2026 | Date appearing on the published determination letter | Determination letter |
| October 2026 | Launch month advertised in the organization’s Instagram biography | Official Instagram |
Leadership and Survivor Participation
The leadership page groups six people under “Advisory Board” and assigns the following individual titles. These are the organization’s published designations.
| Person | Published role |
|---|---|
| Lara Blume McGee | Founder and Board Chair |
| Sharlene Rochard | Cofounder and Board Member |
| Lisa Phillips | Board Member |
| Marijke Chartouni | Board Member |
| Teresa Helm | Board Member |
| Chauntae Davies | Board Member |
The Survivors Resilience Circle lists nine Empowerment Envoys: Andrea Sterling, Ashley Rubright, Audra Lynn Fasano, Jena Lisa Jones, Joanna Harrison, Liz Stein, Marina Lacerda, Rachel Benavidez, and Wendy Pesante. The website describes this group as contributing lived experience to program development and the organization’s mission.
The public roster identifies participation and titles. It does not establish each person’s legal officer status, voting rights, board term, or individual responsibility for financial administration. Those distinctions would require governing documents or additional organizational disclosures.
Programs
The programs page describes five areas of activity. These descriptions establish what Rise advertises; they do not independently establish service capacity or completed results.
| Program | Described assistance |
|---|---|
| Lifeline to Safety | Navigation toward shelter, emergency essentials, and safer transportation |
| Rise Micro-Grant & Scholarship Fund | Funding connected to education, credentials, childcare, and small business development |
| Phoenix Healing Collective | Monthly virtual groups providing facilitated peer support |
| Holistic Wellness Workshops | Activities involving expressive arts, yoga, mindfulness, and somatic movement |
| Voices Rising | Public speaking and storytelling workshops, with a proposed live storytelling component |
The financial assistance guide also describes transportation, employment related clothing and tools, emergency needs, and childcare during training or the beginning of employment. The guide directs readers to the Rise Fund rather than identifying each expense category as a separate fund.
The scholarship guide identifies tuition, course fees, professional credentials, books, technology, and vocational training as potential education expenses. It states that applying is free. A listed expense is a possible use of assistance, rather than a promise that a particular applicant will receive funding.
Grants, Eligibility, and Applications
The grant information page advertises assistance nationwide for survivors whose requests concern education, employment, or financial independence. It directs readers to an online application and describes private review. Its FAQ does not promise a fixed award to each applicant.
The detailed grant policy sets out the following conditions:
- Applicants need an eligible abuse history, financial need, a complete application, and a referral from an approved professional or organization
- Grants generally range from $250 to $2,500, subject to need and available funding
- Ordinarily, one application and one award are permitted per calendar year; documented exceptions are possible
- Payments should go to providers or vendors where practical
- Supporting documents and later proof of approved use may be requested; intentional misuse can lead to a repayment request
- Review and disbursement require appropriate secondary authorization, with recusal for conflicts
- Unnecessary graphic accounts of abuse should not be required; information is restricted to people with an organizational need
- Applicants may seek reconsideration with additional or previously overlooked information
The policy’s effective date and review date fields were blank when checked. Eligibility does not guarantee an award.
The programs page describes partner referrals and minimal documentation but also says recipients are not asked for receipts. Its open application form and broader resource pages invite individuals to apply. These descriptions require clarification before applicants can reliably know the current process. A prospective applicant or referring advocate should ask which requirements apply to the specific request.
Public Contact Information
The website’s contact page offers a form for support requests, partnerships, and general inquiries. It asks for a name, email address, optional subject, and message. Although it has an “Email us” heading, the rendered page did not display a direct email address when checked.
The official Facebook page, linked from the Rise website and linking back to it, publicly lists the following organizational contact details.
| Contact method | Published information |
|---|---|
| Website contact form | Contact Rise Survivor Rise |
| Public organizational email | lara@teamupworld.org |
| Public organizational telephone | (501) 952-3544 |
| Publicly listed business address | 319 President Clinton Ave, Suite 201, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States |
| @risesurvivorise | |
| Rise Survivor Rise |
These are public organizational listings. The telephone is not identified as an emergency hotline, and the address does not establish that appointments, mail intake, or walk in services are available. Confirm the appropriate contact method before sending documents or visiting. The Instagram handle contains one fewer “r” than the website’s full name; the spelling above follows the linked account.
Program Intake and Emergency Resources
The programs page contains separate forms for assistance and program interest. The following links lead to the published intake sections.
| Purpose | Website route |
|---|---|
| Crisis navigation request | Programs page |
| Financial assistance | Rise Fund application |
| Peer support groups | Support group signup |
| Wellness activities | Workshop signup |
| Speaking and storytelling | Voices Rising signup |
The Get Help page links to national hotlines and state level domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking resources. Those services are operated by the named outside organizations. Their availability should not be attributed to Rise’s own form, telephone, or volunteer team.
In immediate danger in the United States, call 911 when it is safe to do so. A submitted web form does not establish that someone has received the request or will respond immediately. The reviewed pages do not publish a guaranteed response time for Rise’s intake channels.
Funding and Public Financial Claims
The donation page offers individual and monthly contributions, identifies Stripe as its payment processor, and says monthly gifts can be canceled. It states that board members and volunteers take no salaries and that donations support survivors. These are organizational representations.
The impact page displays claims of 100 percent of donations reaching survivors, zero salary payments, three assistance areas, and continuous compassion. It does not provide a reporting period, an aggregate number of people served, a total amount distributed, or an independently audited calculation supporting the donation percentage. Its reference to continuous compassion is not a published emergency staffing schedule.
The transparency page lists instructor, materials, venue, and technology costs. Zero salaries does not mean zero operating expenses. Financial statements would clarify the treatment of donations, merchandise income, fees, and program costs.
Published Activity Allocations
The organization’s activity description presents approximate allocations across past, present, and planned activities. It does not identify them as audited expenditure results for a completed fiscal year.
| Activity | Share of time | Share of expenses |
|---|---|---|
| Crisis navigation | 20% | 15% |
| Grants and scholarships | 35% | 50% |
| Peer support circles | 15% | 10% |
| Wellness workshops | 15% | 15% |
| Speaking and storytelling | 15% | 10% |
| Total | 100% | 100% |
These allocations do not establish dollar totals, completed services, or measured outcomes.
Legal Identity and Tax Documentation
The transparency page identifies Epstein Survivor Sisters as the legal organization doing business as Rise Survivor Rise. That page supplies the relationship between the two names.
The published determination letter is dated August 17, 2026, and addressed to Epstein Survivor Sisters. It states that federal exemption under section 501(c)(3) is effective July 30, 2026, gives the public charity classification 170(b)(1)(A)(vi), and states that contributions qualify under section 170. It also identifies an annual federal information filing requirement. The letter itself does not mention the Rise Survivor Rise trade name.
The document is hosted through the organization’s website infrastructure. Reading its contents establishes what the published document says; it does not independently authenticate its issuance by the IRS.
The IRS national Publication 78 download, posted September 10, 2026, and Arkansas Business Master File extract, posted September 8, were checked against the organization’s published identity. No matching record was located in those files. This is a bounded verification limit, not proof that exemption is absent or that the letter is invalid. State incorporation and trade name registration were not independently established.
Donors seeking current tax status confirmation can use the IRS’s official search resources and request supporting documentation from the organization. The website’s tax statements should not be treated as individualized tax advice.
Relationship to Survivor Sisters and Other Organizations
Survivor Sisters is already documented by EpsteinWiki as the advocacy and information website at survivorsisters.org. That profile concerns survivor accounts, public accountability, media, historical material, and resources.
The current Survivor Sisters About page links visitors to Rise Survivor Rise. This shows a public connection between the websites. It does not, by itself, establish that the website and the charitable organization share a legal entity, governing board, or finances. The legal name Epstein Survivor Sisters should not automatically resolve that question solely because the wording is similar.
EpsteinWiki’s survivor organizations directory and Organizations Supporting Jeffrey Epstein Survivors provide broader context. Each organization’s actual services, referral requirements, and operating structure need to be assessed separately.
Volunteering and Other Ways to Participate
The volunteer form invites interest in advocacy, crisis support, fundraising, administration, legal and financial guidance, marketing, and community outreach. It collects contact information, interests, and optional availability. Listing a volunteer category does not establish that the organization currently operates a licensed professional service or dedicated helpline in that area.
The official shop page links to an Amaze Commerce storefront with clothing, mugs, bags, and other merchandise. It states that purchases help fund assistance. The reviewed shop page does not disclose the amount or percentage of each sale retained for charitable work.
The donation page provides the organization’s direct contribution route. Readers considering support should distinguish a donation, a merchandise purchase, and a recurring payment, and review the applicable checkout information before committing.
Questions Requiring Further Documentation
- What current corporate and trade name records establish the legal relationship between Epstein Survivor Sisters and Rise Survivor Rise?
- Can the published federal exemption be independently corroborated through current IRS records?
- Which named leaders serve as legal directors or officers, and what are their voting and financial responsibilities?
- Which application and documentation rules currently control when the program descriptions differ?
- What eligibility restrictions, response times, funding limits, and waiting lists apply to each service?
- When will the grant policy’s effective and review dates be completed?
- What aggregate grant amounts, service counts, reporting periods, and financial statements will be published?
- How are operating costs, payment fees, instructor payments, and merchandise proceeds treated in the 100 percent donation claim?
- What privacy, retention, deletion, and complaint procedures apply to information submitted through the forms?
- What governance or financial relationship, if any, connects the charity with survivorsisters.org?
Sources
- Rise Survivor Rise official website
- Mission and vision
- Who We Are
- How We Help
- Programs and intake forms
- Financial Assistance Grant Policy and Procedures
- Grants for Abuse Survivors
- Financial Assistance for Abuse Survivors
- Scholarships for Abuse Survivors
- Contact page
- Official Facebook page and public contact listing
- Official Instagram profile and launch description
- Get Help resource directory
- Donation page
- Impact page
- Transparency and activity allocations
- Published IRS determination letter dated August 17, 2026
- IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search bulk downloads
- IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File extracts
- Survivor Sisters About page
- Volunteer form
- Official merchandise page
- EpsteinWiki Survivor Sisters profile
- EpsteinWiki survivor organizations directory
- Organizations Supporting Jeffrey Epstein Survivors