irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $0none
- #2 $0None
named programs · 6 · from sources
What they call their work
Execution Petitions
Online petitions targeting scheduled and postponed executions in multiple states, delivered to state officials on behalf of signers
Impacted Communities Support
Resource and liaison program connecting murder victim families and families of people on death row with peer support and public fundraising opportunities
March4Mercy
Public action campaign in Tennessee held prior to scheduled executions, involving protests and community mobilization
Starvin' for Justice: Annual Fast & Vigil
Summer-long fast and vigil at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, DC, organized through the Abolitionist Action Committee
The People vs. The Death Penalty Film Series
Documentary series featuring personal stories of individuals impacted by the death penalty, including exonerees and victim family members
Wrongful Conviction Case Listing
Public database highlighting cases of individuals claiming innocence while on death row or previously exonerated
activities · 3 groups
What they do
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Criminal Justice Policy Advocacy 5 activities
- Advocacy to abolish the death penalty through public campaigns and legislative actionConducts advocacy campaigns at state and federal levels to oppose executions and abolish the death penalty, including supporting the passage of abolition bills in states such as Colorado (2020) and Virginia (2021), advocating for repeal legislation in Ohio, and leading a campaign urging President Biden to commute federal and military death sentences—resulting in 37 of 44 commutations. Also leads congressional advocacy to abolish the federal death penalty.
- Capacity building for state-level anti-death penalty organizationsProvides support to establish and strengthen state-based organizations opposing the death penalty, including in South Carolina (2021), Idaho (2024), and Utah (2025), and helped form South Carolinians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty.
- Collection and public dissemination of wrongful conviction casesOperates an online submission platform to collect information on alleged wrongful convictions for public dissemination and maintains a public list of such cases to direct attention toward investigative review and systemic flaws in the death penalty system.
- Public education and awareness through media and case documentationProduces and disseminates educational media, including eight mini-documentaries in "The People vs. The Death Penalty" series, videos calling for clemency, and awareness campaigns such as For Whom the Bells Toll and March4Mercy. Maintains public listings of featured death row cases and wrongful conviction cases to inform public discourse and prompt investigative review.
- Research and documentation of death penalty systemic issuesProduces research-based content identifying systemic flaws in the U.S. death penalty, including racism, geographic disparity, prosecutorial overreach, high error rates, and inadequate legal representation, to support advocacy and public education efforts.
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Support for Families Impacted by Incarceration 1 activity
- Direct support services for families impacted by the death penaltyProvides emotional and peer support to co-victims (family members of murder victims) and families of people on death row through a dedicated prisoner family liaison and online request forms. Offers experiential support from individuals with lived experience in the death penalty system.
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Uncategorized 2 activities
- Facilitation of public participation in anti-death penalty advocacyOperates petition delivery systems, maintains email sign-up forms, and organizes public actions such as protests, vigils, and fasts—including the annual Starvin’ for Justice event at the U.S. Supreme Court—to mobilize public opposition to executions and support for abolition.
- Organizing national and regional events and conferencesOrganizes and manages national and regional events, including the "Human Rights in Crisis" and "End of Executions" conferences (2020–2021), the Texas Journey of Hope (2017), and statewide advocacy tours such as in Ohio (2019), to build movement and coordinate opposition to executions.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$478K
Contributions & grants$478K100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$468K
Program expenses69%
Admin / overhead21%
Fundraising9%
Salaries & benefits$297K
Grants paid out$6K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$48K
Cash$23K
Investments$0
Liabilities$10K
Net assets$38K
Liquid reserves0.6 mo
2 years on record · 2023–2024 · YoY revenue +14.8%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abraham Bonowitz | Executive Director | 50 | $88K |
board members · 5
- C Anthony Muse — Board Member
- Chris Brown — Board Member
- Connie Johnson — Board Member
- David Senior — Board Member
- Frank Thompson — Board Member
relationships · 45
Who they work with
- Abolitionist Action Committee Partner — Manages the annual Starvin' for Justice fast and vigil on behalf of the committee.
- Alaskans Against the Death Penalty Partner — State-level organization in Alaska opposing the death penalty, listed as a resource.
- Arkansas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty Partner — Provided management and support during the 2017 death penalty crisis in Arkansas.
- Charles Keith Partner — Impacted Communities Liaison who provides peer support based on personal experience with the death penalty system.
- Congregation of St. Joseph Ministry Against the Death Penalty Partner — Religious organization engaged in anti-death penalty work, listed as a resource.
- Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty Partner — National organization working on death penalty abolition, listed as a resource.
- Death Penalty Alternatives for Arizona Partner — State-level organization in Arizona advocating alternatives to the death penalty, listed as a resource.
- Death Penalty Focus Partner — California-based organization working to end the death penalty, listed as a resource.
- Death Penalty Information Center Partner — Partner organization providing regularly updated data on the death penalty.
- Death Row Support Project Partner — Organization facilitating pen pal connections with death row inmates, listed as a resource.
- Delaware Citizens Opposed to the Death Penalty Partner — State-level organization in Delaware opposing the death penalty, listed as a resource.
- Equal Justice USA Partner — Collaborates by sharing Spanish-language resources on the death penalty.
- Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty Partner — State-level organization in Florida promoting alternatives to capital punishment, listed as a resource.
- Georgians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty Partner — State-level organization in Georgia advocating alternatives to the death penalty, listed as a resource.
- Idahoans Against the Death Penalty Partner — Assisted in founding the organization in 2024.
- Idahoans Against the Death Penalty Partner — State-level organization in Idaho opposing the death penalty, listed as a resource.
- Iowans Against the Death Penalty Partner — State-level organization in Iowa opposing the death penalty, listed as a resource.
- Journey of Hope ...From Violence to Healing Partner — Organization supporting healing from violence and opposing the death penalty, listed as a resource.
- Kansas Coalition Against the Death Penalty Partner — State-level organization in Kansas opposing the death penalty, listed as a resource.
- Kentucky Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty Partner — State-level organization in Kentucky working to abolish the death penalty, listed as a resource.
- Louisiana InterFatih against Executions Partner — Interfaith organization in Louisiana opposing executions, listed as a resource.
- Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty Partner — State-level organization in Missouri advocating alternatives to the death penalty, listed as a resource.
- Nebraskans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty Partner — State-level organization in Nebraska advocating alternatives to the death penalty, listed as a resource.
- Nevada Coalition Against the Death Penalty Partner — State-level organization in Nevada opposing the death penalty, listed as a resource.
- New Hampshire Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty Partner — State-level organization in New Hampshire working to abolish the death penalty, listed as a resource.
- North Carolina Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty Partner — State-level organization in North Carolina promoting alternatives to capital punishment, listed as a resource.
- Ohioans to Stop Executions Partner — Assisted in stopping scheduled executions and co-led a 10-day statewide tour in 2019.
- Ohioans to Stop Executions Partner — State-level organization in Ohio working to stop executions, listed as a resource.
- Oklahoma Coalition To Abolish The Death Penalty Partner — State-level organization in Oklahoma working to abolish the death penalty, listed as a resource.
- Oregonians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty Partner — State-level organization in Oregon promoting alternatives to the death penalty, listed as a resource.
+ 15 more
strategies · 5
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.
- Healing-Centered, Cross-Community Engagementmethodology: healing-centered_engagementBy providing support to both victims’ families and families of people on death row, the organization fosters healing across divided communities, because recognizing shared trauma builds moral consensus against the death penalty.
- Integrated Advocacy, Education, and Direct Actionmethodology: civil_rights_advocacyBy combining advocacy, education, and direct action, the organization builds broader public and political momentum for death penalty abolition, because interconnected methods create reinforcing pathways for systemic change.
- Movement Capacity Building and Strategic Coordinationmethodology: movement_support_and_capacity_buildingBy resourcing and aligning local, state, and national groups through leadership, logistics, and unified communications, the organization amplifies collective impact, because coordinated infrastructure strengthens the broader abolition movement.
- Story-Based Organizing and Media Exposuremethodology: story-based_organizingBy centering personal stories and media exposure—especially of wrongful convictions and human impacts—the organization generates public empathy and accountability, because narrative and visibility shift public perception and policy discourse.
- Targeted, Time-Sensitive Public Mobilizationmethodology: timed_public_mobilizationBy timing public education and petition campaigns around executions and legislative actions, and by focusing on compelling individual cases, the organization drives urgent public engagement, because immediacy and specificity increase advocacy pressure and participation.