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CENTER FOR POPULAR DEMOCRACY INC

BROOKLYN, NY · EIN 453813436 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE W012 · Public & Societal Benefit · Large ($10M-$50M) · populardemocracy.org
revenue
$40.9M
expenses
$31.8M
net assets
$38.5M
employees
125
volunteers
10
program ratio
83%
mission · from form 990

BUILD A REPRESENTATIVE, MULTIRACIAL SOCIETY AND GOVERNMENT WHERE ALL THRIVE, NO EXCEPTIONS.

profile · synthesized from sources

The Center for Popular Democracy is a national network advancing a multiracial, representative democracy through grassroots organizing, narrative power, and policy advocacy. It supports 47 member organizations across 32 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico that organize Black, brown, and low-income communities. The organization focuses on building political power, protecting voting rights, and challenging authoritarianism through collective action and leadership development.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $4.89M
    BASE-BUILDING: CPD'S BASE-BUILDING PROGRAM PROVIDES DIRECT FIELD CAPACITY TO OUR NETWORK OF ORGANIZATIONS AND HELPS THEM BUILD THEIR MEMBERSHIP AND LEADERSHIP. CPD'S ORGANIZERS AND TRAINERS WORK ALONGSIDE AFFILIATE LEADERS TO ACHIEVE OUR COLLECTIVE GOALS OF GROWING OUR SHARED BASE, DEVELOPING THE LEADERSHIP OF IMPACTED PEOPLE, AND INCREASING THE MOVEMENT'S RESILIENCE AND IMPACT OVER TIME. IN 2024, THE CPD NETWORK GREW TO 3.5 MILLION PEOPLE. EIGHTEEN AFFILIATES IDENTIFIED 113,231 POTENTIAL MEMBERS, AND 4,093 PEOPLE WERE TRAINED IN CIVIC EDUCATION AND ORGANIZING SKILLS.
  2. #2 $3.64M
    EXECUTIVE OFFICE PROGRAMS: EXECUTIVE OFFICE PROGRAMS IN 2024 INCLUDED THE NETWORK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, THE FORGE ORGANIZING JOURNAL, AND SPECIAL CULTURAL INITIATIVES. IN 2024, CPD'S NETWORK MANAGEMENT TEAM PROVIDED SUPPORT AND CAPACITY-BUILDING TO CPD'S NETWORK OF 51 AFFILIATES, INCLUDING PROVIDING COACHING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IN THE AREAS OF DATA MANAGEMENT, ORGANIZING FLOW, AND MEMBER LEADERSHIP TO THE NETWORK, PUBLISHING AND MAINTAINING AN ONGOING CALENDAR OF ENGAGEMENT AND ACTION OPPORTUNITIES FOR AFFILIATES IN THE NETWORK, AND ORGANIZING AND CONVENING NETWORK MEETINGS WITH SENIOR STAFF FROM AFFILIATES TO STRATEGIZE AND PLAN AROUND KEY PRIORITIES. THE FORGE IS AN ONLINE JOURNAL AND COMMUNITY FOR ORGANIZERS. THE FORGE STRENGTHENS THE FIELD OF ORGANIZING BY CREATING SPACE FOR ORGANIZERS ACROSS TRADITIONS TO REFLECT, LEARN, AND STRATEGIZE, AND BY GENERATING CONVERSATION AND COLLABORATION AMONG ORGANIZERS THROUGH PUBLISHING LEARNINGS AND RESPONSES. IT PRODUCES ISSUES OF AN ONLINE JOURNAL, SPECIAL SERIES, STANDALONE ARTICLES, INTERVIEWS, PUBLIC EVENTS, PANELS AND ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS, AND OTHER MEDIA. IN 2024, THE FORGE PUBLISHED OVER 80 ARTICLES ON ITS WEBSITE ON VARIOUS TOPICS, INCLUDING RACIAL JUSTICE, RACIAL EQUITY, BUILDING RESILIENT ORGANIZATIONS, AND YOUTH ORGANIZING.IN 2024, CPD'S MURALS UNITE PROGRAM CREATED STREET ART WITH WORLD-RENOWNED ARTISTS IN 5 CITIES, ALLENTOWN, PA, PHOENIX, AZ, LAS VEGAS, NV, DETROIT, MI AND LONG ISLAND, NY. WE ALSO ORGANIZED 3 HIP HOP CONCERTS CALLING FOR PEACE.
named programs · 3 · from sources

What they call their work

ICE Out for Good Coalition
Nationwide campaign demanding accountability for ICE violence and advocating for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Leadership Development Program
Network-wide training initiative that equips emerging leaders with skills in base-building, civic engagement, and campaign strategy
Narrative Power Building
Initiative using culture, art, and storytelling to shift public imagination and advance transformative change
activities · 3 groups

What they do

  • Civil Rights Advocacy & Litigation 1 activity
    • Advances narrative and policy goals through collective action and coalition engagement
      Builds narrative power centered on working-class empowerment and engages in collective action with network partners to advance shared policy and social justice goals.
  • Women's Empowerment and Leadership Development 1 activity
    • Builds organizing capacity through network-wide training and leadership development
      Engages thousands of activists in training programs, develops leaders, and grows the organizational base in strategic locations to strengthen community organizing power.
  • Policy Advocacy & Research 1 activity
    • Conducts legislative advocacy campaigns at local and national levels
      Drives policy wins through coordinated legislative advocacy efforts in local communities and national campaigns, including issuing public statements on key decisions and mobilizing collective action.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$40.88M
Contributions & grants$38.18M93%
Program service revenue$835K2%
Investment income$1.85M5%
Other revenue$8K
expenses
Total expenses$31.79M
Program expenses83%
Admin / overhead13%
Fundraising4%
Salaries & benefits$14.61M
Grants paid out$9.23M
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$42.36M
Cash$8.46M
Investments$22.05M
Liabilities$3.85M
Net assets$38.52M
Liquid reserves11.5 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +42.5%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 12
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
DAMAREO COOPER CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 34 $235K
ANALILIA MEJIA CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 35 $233K
JENNIFER FREEDMAN CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER 38 $225K
JENNIFER ALICE FLYNN WALKER CO-CHIEF OF CAMPAIGNS 39 $213K
STEVEN KEST SENIOR ADVISOR 40 $208K
OONA CHATTERJEE CHIEF OF STAFF 38 $208K
STEVEN DOOLEY DIRECTOR OF ORGANIZING 39 $205K
ALISHA BROOKS CHIEF OF EQUITY, PEOPLE & CULTURE 40 $202K
CLAIRE DAVIS DIRECTOR OF FINANCE 40 $193K
JULIO LOPEZ VARONA CO-CHIEF OF CAMPAIGNS 40 $184K
STEPHANIE YAZGI CHIEF OF NETWORK ENGAGEMENT 40 $178K
ELIZABETH ALEX CHIEF OF BASEBUILDING 36 $165K
board members · 10
  • AARON DORFMAN — BOARD CHAIR
  • ALICIA RUSSELL — BOARD MEMBER
  • BRIANNA BROWN — BOARD VICE CHAIR
  • CHRISTINA LIVINGSTON — BOARD MEMBER
  • JOSE LOPEZ — BOARD SECRETARY
  • KIRK NODEN — BOARD MEMBER
  • LADON LOVE — BOARD MEMBER
  • MATT HOLLAMBY — BOARD MEMBER
  • RAFAEL NAVAR — BOARD TREASURER
  • RAMON RAMIREZ — BOARD MEMBER
relationships · 20

Who they work with

  • ACCE Partner — Partner organization recruiting for various positions in coordination with CPD.
  • CASA Partner — Partner organization recruiting for various positions in coordination with CPD.
  • COPAL MN Partner — Partner organization recruiting for various positions in coordination with CPD.
  • CUFFH Partner — Partner organization recruiting for various positions in coordination with CPD.
  • Congress Government — Demands congressional action to reject an executive order and related legislation perceived as voter suppression.
  • DaMareo Cooper Partner — Executive Director of CENTER FOR POPULAR DEMOCRACY INC who issued a public statement on U.S. strikes in Venezuela
  • Detroit Action Partner — Partner organization recruiting for various positions in coordination with CPD.
  • Fair Work Center Partner — Partner organization recruiting for various positions in coordination with CPD.
  • Florida Rising Partner — Partner organization recruiting for various positions in coordination with CPD.
  • ICE Out For Good Coalition Coalition — Member of the coalition organizing a nationwide weekend of action to demand accountability for the killing of Renee Nicole Good.
  • Leaders Igniting Action Partner — Partner organization recruiting for various positions in coordination with CPD.
  • Make the Road New York Partner — Partner organization recruiting for various positions in coordination with CPD.
  • Make the Road States Partner — Partner organization recruiting for various positions in coordination with CPD.
  • New York Attorney General Charities Bureau Government — Entity from which financial information is available upon request.
  • OnePA Partner — Partner organization recruiting for various positions in coordination with CPD.
  • Planned Parenthood South Atlantic Partner — Jointly issued a public statement in response to a Supreme Court ruling affecting Medicaid access.
  • Popular Democracy Network Network — Center for Popular Democracy is a core part of the Popular Democracy Network, a coalition of 47 grassroots organizations across 32 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
  • Rights & Democracy (RAD) Partner — Partner organization recruiting for various positions in coordination with CPD.
  • United for a New Economy (UNE) Partner — Partner organization recruiting for various positions in coordination with CPD.
  • Workers Defense Project Partner — Partner organization recruiting for various positions in coordination with CPD.
strategies · 4

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Leader Recruitment and Development for Community Power
    methodology: leader_recruitment_and_development
    By recruiting, training, and developing emerging leaders, the organization builds scalable, community-driven political power because sustained change requires leadership rooted in and accountable to affected communities.
  • Narrative Power to Shift Cultural and Political Conditions
    methodology: narrative_power
    By shaping public narratives and using popular education, the organization shifts cultural and political conditions to support progressive change because public perception determines the boundaries of political possibility.
  • Partnership-Driven Organizing for Policy Transformation
    methodology: partnership-driven_organizing
    By building strong partnerships with community-based organizing groups and recruiting candidates, the organization transforms policy because durable power requires both grassroots infrastructure and strategic political entry points.
  • Research-to-Strategy Integration for Base Building
    methodology: research_to_strategy
    By translating research and political insights into actionable tools, the organization grows its organizing base and builds governing power because data-informed strategy increases movement effectiveness and targeting precision.