COMMON MAPS
Map version new-york activity top-down
Main site Contact
Menu
↑ parent activity group ·
research dossier

STATE DEMOCRACY PROJECT

BROOKLYN, NY · EIN 522003442 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE W200 · Public & Societal Benefit · Very Large (>$50M) · statedemocracyproject.org
revenue
$50.1M
expenses
$48.6M
net assets
$4.4M
employees
0
volunteers
5
program ratio
99%
mission · from form 990

SDP SEEKS TO IMPROVE DEMOCRACY BY ENCOURAGING CITIZEN PARTICIPATION.

profile · synthesized from sources

The State Democracy Project is a fiscal sponsor that supports grassroots organizations focused on democratic engagement and social justice. It provides administrative and financial infrastructure to allow activist groups to focus on organizing, particularly in marginalized communities. The organization operates nationwide, nurturing progressive initiatives to strengthen citizen participation in governance.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2020

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $25K
    COMMUNICATIONS, STRATEGY, POLICY RESEARCH, AND OUTREACH PROGRAMS- DURING 2020, THE SDP TEAM AND BOARD MEMBERS DEVOTED CONSIDERABLE EFFORT TO EDUCATING ALLIES AND SUPPORTERS ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION'S APPROACH AND EXPANDED STAKEHOLDER COMMUNITY. MOST ACTIVITY WAS CONDUCTED THROUGH INFORMAL BRIEFINGS OR ONE-TO-ONE CONTACTS.
named programs · 1 · from sources

What they call their work

Fiscal Sponsorship Program
Provides fiscal sponsorship to grassroots organizations aligned with SDP’s mission of improving democracy through citizen participation, using the Pre-Approved Grant Relationship model
activities · 4 groups

What they do

  • Democracy and Civic Engagement Support 1 activity
    • Fiscal sponsorship for grassroots initiatives
      Provides fiscal sponsorship to grassroots initiatives, particularly those based in historically marginalized communities and aligned with strengthening democracy through increased citizen participation and responsive government institutions.
  • Community Foundation & United Way Support 1 activity
    • Funding for educational, cultural, and charitable activities
      Funds and sponsors educational, cultural, and charitable activities of partner organizations as part of its grantmaking function.
  • Community Capacity Building & Leadership Networks 1 activity
    • Incubation of progressive initiatives
      Incubates promising progressive initiatives to strengthen grassroots organizing efforts as part of broader democracy-building work.
  • Policy Advocacy & Research 1 activity
    • Policy research and outreach
      Conducts policy research and engages in informal briefings and one-to-one outreach to educate allies and supporters on issues related to democratic participation and governance.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$50.08M
Contributions & grants$49.16M98%
Program service revenue$818K2%
Investment income$105K0%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$48.61M
Program expenses99%
Admin / overhead1%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$807K
Grants paid out$46.90M
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$4.99M
Cash$3.38M
Investments$0
Liabilities$562K
Net assets$4.43M
Liquid reserves0.8 mo
3 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +153.9%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 4
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
YONG JUNG CHO ED OF SDP'S BPRC PROJECT 35 $180K
MILES RAPOPORT AS OF APRIL DEM PROJECT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 35 $134K
RAAHEELA AHMED AS OF MARCH DEM PROJECT NATIONAL LEG/ORG DIR. 35 $120K
BETH SCHULMAN SDP DIRECTOR 30 $90K
board members · 5
  • ASA SHAW — DIRECTOR
  • DAN CANTOR — TREASURER
  • NORA RANNEY — DIRECTOR
  • RAJAN NARANG — DIRECTOR
  • TAMARA BRUMMER — CHAIR & SECRETARY
relationships · 17

Who they work with

  • 100% Democracy Partner — Supported and sponsored by State Democracy Project for its educational, cultural, and charitable activities.
  • Black Men Build Partner — Supported and sponsored by State Democracy Project for its educational, cultural, and charitable activities.
  • Broadway Votes Partner — Supported and sponsored by State Democracy Project for its educational, cultural, and charitable activities.
  • Building Power Resource Center Partner — Supported and sponsored by State Democracy Project for its educational, cultural, and charitable activities.
  • Freedom School Partner — Collaborates with Freedom School on elder engagement and civic education programming.
  • Gender Liberation Movement Partner — Supported and sponsored by State Democracy Project for its educational, cultural, and charitable activities.
  • Grassroots Arkansas Partner — Supported and sponsored by State Democracy Project for its educational, cultural, and charitable activities.
  • Green New Deal Network Partner — Supported and sponsored by State Democracy Project for its educational, cultural, and charitable activities.
  • Leaders of Kenosha Partner — Supported and sponsored by State Democracy Project for its educational, cultural, and charitable activities.
  • National Network of Fiscal Sponsors Network — Follows best practices as embraced by the National Network of Fiscal Sponsors in developing its fiscal sponsorship program.
  • New Jersey Working Families Alliance Partner — Supported and sponsored by State Democracy Project for its educational, cultural, and charitable activities.
  • New York Renews Partner — Supported and sponsored by State Democracy Project for its educational, cultural, and charitable activities.
  • Organized Power In Numbers Partner — Supported and sponsored by State Democracy Project for its educational, cultural, and charitable activities.
  • Our Hawai'i Foundation Partner — Supported and sponsored by State Democracy Project for its educational, cultural, and charitable activities.
  • Reclaim Rhode Island Partner — Supported and sponsored by State Democracy Project for its educational, cultural, and charitable activities.
  • The Forge Partner — Supported and sponsored by State Democracy Project for its educational, cultural, and charitable activities.
  • United Fort Worth Partner — Supported and sponsored by State Democracy Project for its educational, cultural, and charitable activities.
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.

  • Fiscal Sponsorship for Grassroots Innovation
    methodology: fiscal_sponsorship_for_grassroots_innovation
    By providing a pre-approved, low-overhead fiscal sponsorship model with agile governance, we enable grassroots organizations to access tax-exempt funding and operational legitimacy, because reducing administrative barriers accelerates innovative civic projects that might otherwise lack institutional support.
  • Grassroots Democratic Empowerment
    methodology: grassroots_democratic_empowerment
    By investing in regular people’s capacity to build community, understand policy, and lead advocacy, we strengthen democracy, because durable civic change emerges from locally rooted leadership and participatory engagement rather than top-down initiatives.
  • Nonpartisan Civic Funding
    methodology: nonpartisan_grantmaking
    By directing grants exclusively toward educational, cultural, and charitable activities while prohibiting political expenditures, we maintain public trust and legal compliance, because sustained civic innovation depends on a nonpartisan foundation that welcomes diverse participants across the political spectrum.