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SOCIETY FOR MARTIAL ARTS INSTRUCTION INC
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 200392897 · Form 990EZ · FY2024 · NTEE N60 · Recreation & Sports · Micro (<$100K) · self-offense.com
revenue
$35K
expenses
$28K
net assets
$-24K
employees
—
mission · from form 990

OFFER FULL AND PARTIAL SCHOLARSHIPS TO PEOPLE ATTENDING KARATE CLASSES, SELF OFFENSE (PREVENTATIVE PERSONAL PROTECTION TRAINING) AND KIDS ON THE OFFENSE (ANTI-BULLYING), DE-ESCALATION AND LISTENING, AND TEACHER TRAININGS AND COMMITTED TO EMPOWERING PEOPLE OF ALL AGES THROUGH THEKNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE OF MARTIAL ARTS AND SOMATIC BASED MOVEMENT PRACTICES.

profile · synthesized from sources

Society for Martial Arts Instruction Inc operates as Self Offense, offering preventative personal protection and anti-bullying workshops rooted in martial arts and somatic movement practices. The organization serves individuals of all ages through programs focused on de-escalation, boundary setting, and self-defense, with specialized offerings for youth, workplaces, and community groups. Based in New York, it emphasizes empowerment through awareness, listening, and proactive safety strategies.

named programs · 6 · from sources

What they call their work

Kids On The Offense
Anti-bullying workshop for children aged 6-12 and teens 12-17 that teaches communication skills, awareness, and personal safety tactics to prevent and de-escalate harmful social and physical interactions.
Listening & De-Escalation Training
Customizable workshops teaching listening skills and conflict resolution techniques to de-escalate tense situations and prevent violence through non-verbal communication and spatial awareness.
Monthly Self Offense Awareness & Self Defense Program
Ongoing monthly program combining preventative personal protection strategies with practical self-defense techniques for sustained skill development.
Quarterly Preventative Personal Protection Workshop
Intensive workshop focusing on listening, boundary setting, and awareness skills to shift participants' mindset from defense to proactive safety and empowerment.
Self Offense: Personal Protection Workshop
A preventative personal protection program teaching awareness, boundary setting, and self-defense techniques through movement exercises focused on space, time, and eye contact.
Workplace Self Offense
Sexual harassment prevention training for organizations that goes beyond compliance by teaching verbal and non-verbal boundary setting, de-escalation, and workplace safety culture.
activities · 8 groups

What they do

  • Self-Defense Training Programs 3 activities
    • Deliver personal protection and safety awareness training
      Teaches practical tools for identifying potentially dangerous situations, using intuition, managing spatial and temporal dynamics, setting boundaries, and taking preventative safety actions through workshops and a monthly program focused on awareness and self-defense techniques.
    • Offer scholarships for martial arts and personal protection programs
      Provides full and partial scholarships to increase access to martial arts classes and personal protection training programs, particularly for underserved populations in New York City.
    • Teach physical self-defense techniques against multi-directional attacks
      Provides instruction in physical self-defense methods designed to protect against attacks from multiple directions, including front, behind, and above, as part of comprehensive personal protection curricula.
  • Conflict Mediation & Resolution Services 2 activities
    • Lead listening and communication workshops for organizations
      Offers listening and communication workshops to profit and nonprofit organizations globally, focusing on improving interpersonal dynamics, trust, and safety in professional environments.
    • Offer de-escalation and conflict resolution training
      Teaches techniques for recognizing and de-escalating potentially harmful interactions, reducing negative emotional reactions, transforming threatening situations into peaceful negotiations, and improving listening and boundary-setting skills in conflict.
  • Workplace DEI Research and Training 1 activity
    • Conduct workplace harassment prevention and safety training
      Leads mandatory and customized workshops in sexual harassment prevention, de-escalation, and workplace safety that meet compliance requirements and aim to improve trust, communication, and safety while reducing fear, turnover, and conflict-related drama.
  • Anti-Bullying Education and Prevention Programs 1 activity
    • Deliver anti-bullying and youth safety workshops
      Provides anti-bullying programs for children (ages 6–12) and teens (12–17) that build communication, awareness, and personal safety skills to disarm and de-escalate harmful social and physical interactions.
  • Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention Education 1 activity
    • Deliver feminist-forward safety and boundary-setting education
      Provides a feminist-informed approach to personal safety that includes setting boundaries, assessing risk, and defusing violence, integrated into workshops and training programs.
  • Anti-Hate Incident Response & Support 1 activity
    • Host community-specific safety and empowerment workshops
      Conducts tailored workshops for specific communities, such as the AAPI community, fostering peer learning and increasing participants’ sense of personal control over their safety and confidence in public spaces.
  • Volunteer and Professional Training Programs 1 activity
    • Provide customized organizational training programs
      Designs and delivers tailored workshops for organizations and departments, addressing specific needs related to safety, communication, de-escalation, and harassment prevention.
  • Martial Arts Instruction and Training 1 activity
    • Provide martial arts and somatic movement instruction for personal empowerment
      Offers martial arts and somatic movement practices that emphasize personal empowerment and transformative life skills to people of all ages, including youth and adults, through ongoing classes and structured programs.
financials · form 990EZ · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$35K
Contributions & grants——
Program service revenue$35K100%
Investment income——
Other revenue—
expenses
Total expenses$28K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits—
Grants paid out—
balance sheet
Total assets$39K
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$-24K
3 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +163.9%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

board members · 1
  • DIANE BANK — SECTY/DIRECTOR
relationships · 12

Who they work with

  • Broadway Dance Center Partner — Collaborated on educational programming, with endorsement from former leadership.
  • Connecticut Renaissance Partner — Provided staff training for an organization serving clients who may become verbally or physically aggressive.
  • Gene Dunn’s Karate, Brooklyn BJJ Partner — Received endorsement from martial arts leadership in Brooklyn.
  • Karate-Do Ken Wa Kan Partner — Partner organization hosting SFMAI scholarship programs
  • ListenFirst Partner — Co-founded by Ed Lisbe, who contributes listening training expertise to Self Offense programs.
  • Parachute Health Partner — Delivered training attended by staff, with positive feedback on engagement and insight.
  • Princeton University Partner — Engaged with dance faculty who endorsed the workshop for students.
  • SOCIETY FOR MARTIAL ARTS INSTRUCTION INC Partner — Provides listening and conflict resolution training under the Self Offense program.
  • Self Offense Services Network — Michelle is the founder and lead instructor of Self Offense Services, indicating organizational affiliation.
  • Self Offense Services Partner — Partner organization hosting SFMAI scholarship programs
  • The Society for Martial Arts Instruction Partner — Hosts Self Offense at its location in New York, NY.
  • Transfix Transportation Solutions Partner — Conducted safety training for employees with plans to make it an annual event.
strategies · 3

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.

  • Empowerment-Based Self-Defense Through Somatic and Instinctive Practices
    methodology: somatic_empowerment
    By integrating martial arts and somatic movement with instinct-based awareness, the organization fosters personal empowerment and safety across age groups, because tapping into natural protective instincts and bodily awareness builds confidence and reduces reliance on physical strength, making self-protection accessible to all.
  • Proactive Harassment Prevention Through Cultural and Behavioral Reeducation
    methodology: proactive_prevention
    By reframing self-defense as "self-offense" and embedding boundary-setting into workplace and youth contexts, the organization prevents harassment before it occurs, because proactive communication, personalized strategies, and cultural relevance shift norms and increase individual ownership of safety and respect.
  • Transformative, Participant-Centered Workshop Model
    methodology: transformative_workshop_model
    By using interactive, engaging, and reflective workshops that center participant experience and storytelling, the organization fosters lasting behavioral change, because personal relevance and active participation deepen receptivity and internalization of safety and empowerment concepts.