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Center for Law and Human Values Inc
Ridgewood, NY · EIN 133085049 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE B99 · Education · Medium ($1M-$10M) · actionlabny.org
revenue
$4.5M
expenses
$4.6M
net assets
$2.6M
employees
26
volunteers
7
program ratio
66%
mission · from form 990

TO PROMOTE STUDY AND UNDERSTAND SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE.

profile · synthesized from sources

The Action Lab is a strategy center for social movements that fosters political and personal liberation through cross-movement collaboration. It provides spaces and programs for organizers, artists, and leaders to develop strategy, build collective power, and advance racial and economic justice. The organization operates in New York and Puerto Rico, focusing on tenant rights, child care justice, small business protection, and cultural organizing.

named programs · 6 · from sources

What they call their work

Law and Organizing Academy
Collaborative learning program exploring community organizing, movement lawyering, and strategies for advancing racial and economic justice
Liberation Summer
Cultural and community programming across Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Manhattan featuring performances, workshops, and gatherings centered on collective resistance
Providers Organized for Power
Campaign advocating for affordable child care and fair wages for Family Child Care providers in New York City
Salsa y Resistencia
Cultural event series in the Bronx combining music, political education, and community connection to strengthen social movements
Small Business United
Coalition of independent businesses across New York City advocating for commercial rent stabilization and protection from displacement
Tenant Power Act
Statewide policy initiative to strengthen tenant organizing, support tenant unions, and increase landlord accountability in New York
activities · 9 groups

What they do

  • Community Festival & Event Production 2 activities
    • Host cultural gatherings centered on resistance and community
      Hosts recurring cultural events such as Salsa y Resistencia in the Bronx and May Day gatherings in Los Sures and Astoria, featuring music, poetry, political education, and community organizing to celebrate resistance, honor workers, and resist displacement and gentrification.
    • Organize citywide public engagement programs
      Organizes Liberation Summer 2026, a citywide program across New York City featuring performances, workshops, and community gatherings to advance collective liberation.
  • Nonprofit Sector Research & Data Analysis 1 activity
    • Advance social and economic justice through research
      Promotes the study and understanding of social and economic justice through published reports, including the 2025 End of Year Report, the 2024 Annual Report, and research from a delegation trip to Brazil on social movement strategies.
  • Housing Policy Advocacy & Tenant Organizing 1 activity
    • Advocate for tenant and immigrant rights
      Advocated for the introduction of the Tenant Power Act in New York to strengthen tenant organizing and support tenant unions, and hosted the premiere of the documentary No One Is Safe to highlight the impacts of immigration enforcement on vulnerable communities.
  • Youth Leadership Development Programs 1 activity
    • Build leadership and organizing capacity
      Offers fellowship programs such as Art of Purpose, Craft of Strategy, and Take A Breath, and conducts the five-day Youth Organizing Institute for young leaders across NYC, focusing on political education, movement history, organizing skills, and collaborative campaign design.
  • Free Outdoor Music Concerts 1 activity
    • Co-host public cultural events honoring social justice legacies
      Co-hosted a free public performance with BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! featuring Common and special guests to honor Harry Belafonte's legacy of justice and collective liberation, including recognition of Common as the 2025 Belafonte Fellow.
  • Published Narrative Projects 1 activity
    • Develop movement resources and frameworks
      Published the report “A Gathering about Gatherings,” a reference guide based on practices shared at a collaborative retreat, to support organizing efforts.
  • Film Festival and Screening Programming 1 activity
    • Host movement-building retreats and educational series
      Hosted retreats and film series in 2023 to build momentum for future organizing efforts and strengthen social justice movements.
  • Documentary Film Production 1 activity
    • Produce documentary content on cultural history
      Produces a short documentary series documenting the cultural history and community of Jimmy's Corner, a boxing bar in Times Square.
  • Subsidized Rehearsal and Performance Space 1 activity
    • Provide physical spaces for movement collaboration
      Operates two physical spaces in Ossining, NY for organizers, leaders, and artists to gather and collaborate, hosting convenings, workshops, and retreats for up to 50 day participants and 15 overnight, with plans to open a multigenerational community, arts, training, and cultural production hub in 2026.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$4.51M
Contributions & grants$3.75M83%
Program service revenue$764K17%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$4.62M
Program expenses66%
Admin / overhead21%
Fundraising10%
Salaries & benefits$2.29M
Grants paid out$707K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$2.86M
Cash$377K
Investments$0
Liabilities$303K
Net assets$2.56M
Liquid reserves1.0 mo
3 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +34.6%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 5
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
CHRISTINE HABIB MANAGING DIRECTOR 15 $186K
BENJAMIN PARISI DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION AND LEARNING 15 $178K
SUMITRA RAJKUMAR DIRECTOR OF EVOLUTION CULTURAL STR 15 $178K
KARINA CLAUDIO BETANCOURT DIRECTOR LA TEJEDORA INITIATIVE 15 $172K
ANDREW FRIEDMAN SENIOR DIRECTOR OF STRATEGY 4 $133K
board members · 7
  • ALOE BLACC — DIRECTOR
  • JENNIFER EPPS-ADDISON — DIRECTOR
  • JESSICA BAUMAN — DIRECTOR
  • JOHN WHITLOW — PRESIDENT
  • KOFI TAHA — DIRECTOR
  • LAURA Y LIU — SECRETARY
  • RACHEL CHANOFF — DIRECTOR
relationships · 14

Who they work with

  • Aloe Blacc Partner — Engaged as a board stakeholder in 2020, contributing to the organization's evolution into an independent mission-driven entity.
  • BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Partner — Co-hosted a public event featuring Common and special guests to honor Harry Belafonte’s legacy of justice and culture.
  • BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Partner — Co-hosted a public event honoring Harry Belafonte's social justice legacy.
  • BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Partner — Co-presents a public performance with The Action Lab to honor Harry Belafonte’s legacy.
  • Center for Law and Human Values Partner — Operates as The Action Lab under a DBA
  • Center for Popular Democracy Network — Previously managed the site as a Movement Center for strategy and action for its network.
  • Center for Social Justice and the Arts at The Action Lab Partner — Collaborates to support resident artists and fellows who engage with The Action Lab's programming.
  • Common Partner — Collaborates with artist Common, named as the 2025 Belafonte Fellow, to advance cultural and social justice initiatives.
  • El Maestro Boxing Gym Partner — Host venue for the Salsa y Resistencia event in the Bronx.
  • Future Currents Partner — Co-hosted a retreat with The Action Lab to share organizing practices.
  • Harry Belafonte Partner — Engaged as a board stakeholder in 2020, contributing to the organization's evolution into an independent mission-driven entity.
  • Many Hands Workshop Partner — Collaborated on a collaborative art build during the Youth Power celebration event.
  • NYU's Urban Democracy Lab Partner — Co-hosted the Real Utopias: Decommodifying Housing convening with The Action Lab.
  • The Bori Collective Partner — Participates in a conversation at the Salsa y Resistencia event about Puerto Rico's Proyecto Esencia.
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.

  • Cross-Movement Collaboration for Collective Power
    methodology: cross-movement_collaboration
    By fostering collaboration across disciplines and movements, we expand collective imagination and build long-term capacity because diverse perspectives generate more resilient and innovative strategies for social change.
  • Culture-Infused Movement Building
    methodology: culture-as-organizing
    By integrating cultural expression with political education and organizing, we build sustained movement power because culture fosters joy, belonging, and collective imagination that deepen engagement and resilience.
  • Integrated Learning and Movement Lawyering
    methodology: movement-lawyering
    By combining community organizing with legal strategy in collaborative learning spaces, we advance racial and economic justice because legal advocacy grounded in community knowledge is more responsive and transformative.
  • Youth-Led, Creativity-Centered Organizing
    methodology: youth-led organizing
    By centering youth leadership and creative expression in organizing, we build community power because it cultivates agency, intergenerational solidarity, and culturally rooted strategies that sustain movements.