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DRUM Desis Rising Up and Moving Inc
Jackson Heights, NY · EIN 383652741 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE S20 · Community Improvement · Medium ($1M-$10M) · drumnyc.org
revenue
$4.0M
expenses
$2.1M
net assets
$4.7M
employees
19
program ratio
75%
mission · from form 990

Public Charity - established to educate and organize low-income South Asian immigrants in New York City for immigrant rights, access to education, and social justice. DRUM is a multigenerational, membership led organization. To build power of South Asian low wage immigrant worker

profile · synthesized from sources

DRUM Desis Rising Up and Moving is a multigenerational, membership-led organization founded in 2000 that organizes low-wage South Asian and Indo-Caribbean immigrants, workers, and youth in New York City. It builds leadership and power through grassroots campaigns focused on immigrant rights, education justice, labor rights, and racial justice. The organization runs community programs, legal clinics, and advocacy initiatives to advance social and policy change at local and national levels.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $552K
    Building Power & Safety Through Solidarity Program Educates our community about the changing conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic, provide resources such as food and direct relief for those in need, build community support networks to keep our families and communities safe and connected, and build leadership of members on issues such as housing and workers excluded from federal and relief funds. This included Vaccine Education, nonpartisan voter education, and PPE Distribution, the Excluded Workers Fund Campaign, and Housing Relief Campaign
  2. #2 $246K
    Education Justice & YouthPower! Program - Educates and builds leadership of low-income immigrant youth to improve access to public education. Includes grassroots campaigns to End Institutionalized Bullying in schools, win more resources for restorative justice practices, counselors and social workers.
named programs · 9 · from sources

What they call their work

Building Power & Safety Through Solidarity Program
Provides education about pandemic conditions, distributes food and PPE, supports excluded workers and housing relief, and conducts voter and vaccine education in immigrant communities.
Education Justice & YouthPower! Program
Youth-led initiative that builds leadership among low-income immigrant youth, campaigns to end institutionalized bullying, and advocates for restorative justice, counselors, and social workers in schools.
Excluded Workers Fund Campaign
Organized to win $2.1 billion in state budget funding for immigrant workers excluded from federal relief; provided direct application assistance to over 400 individuals.
Gender Justice Program
Develops leadership among young women to lead gender justice and social change efforts in schools, homes, and communities.
Global Justice Program
Builds international coalitions for peace and migrant rights, connecting local organizing to global movements.
Hate Free Zones
Establishes neighborhood-based community defense systems and safety mechanisms to protect against hate violence.
Housing Relief Campaign
Advocates for rent and mortgage relief for low-income immigrant families; mobilized over 20,000 community members.
Racial & Immigrant Justice Program
Offers legal clinics, leadership development, and advocacy for immigrant rights; includes the Hate Violence Prevention Initiative and participation in the Citywide Immigrant Legal Empowerment Collaborative (CILEC).
South Asian Workers Center
Educates and assists low-wage workers on labor rights, addresses employment discrimination, and runs legal clinics for worker protection.
activities · 11 groups

What they do

  • Worker Rights Advocacy & Wage Protection 3 activities
    • Conducting community-led research on labor violations and worker conditions
      Conducts community-led surveys across multiple industries to document labor violations among South Asian low-wage migrant workers in NYC, producing reports and fact sheets with findings and policy recommendations, including a first-ever report on labor abuses and an ongoing survey on small shop organizing.
    • Operating workers’ rights clinics to recover unpaid wages and improve working conditions
      Hosts monthly Workers Rights clinics that serve hundreds of low-wage immigrant workers annually by filing wage claims, providing employer advocacy, and offering rights education to recover unpaid wages and improve job conditions.
    • Securing excluded workers’ access to state-funded pandemic relief
      Mobilized over 20,000 community members and 200 DRUM members in advocacy that contributed to securing $2.1 billion for the New York State Excluded Workers Fund. Hosted weekly legal and application assistance clinics across five boroughs, screening over 600 individuals and securing over $6 million in benefits for South Asian and Indo-Caribbean immigrants, while educating 2,000 undocumented workers about fund eligibility.
  • Immigrant Rights Advocacy & Policy Reform 2 activities
    • Conducting policy advocacy campaigns on immigration, labor, education, and civil rights
      Leads policy campaigns at city, state, federal, and international levels to reform policies on immigration, labor rights, education, and civil rights. Specific efforts include advocating for the Justice for Job Seekers bill, lobbying for reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and mobilizing support for the DREAM Act and full legalization.
    • Engaging in community defense and immigrant rights campaigns
      Conducts community defense campaigns to protect immigrants from detention and deportation, resulting in the release of individuals targeted by ICE and law enforcement. Successfully campaigned to shut down the NSEERS surveillance program and secured the return of Sanwar Ahmed (Baul Dada) to Bangladesh after 42 years in the U.S.
  • Criminal Justice Policy Advocacy 1 activity
    • Advancing police accountability and opposing expanded policing
      Advocates for accountability in cases of police violence, including demanding the firing and prosecution of NYPD officers involved in the killing of Win Rozario and amplifying calls for non-police emergency response after the shooting of Jabez Chakraborty. Organized public actions and sustained pressure to oppose Intro 175-B and prevent expansion of NYPD presence in schools and public spaces.
  • Reproductive Health Advocacy & Education 1 activity
    • Advocating for gender justice and reproductive rights in schools and communities
      Advocates for policy changes including shared reproductive labor, survivor support resources, comprehensive sex education, and nondiscrimination in school dress codes for girls and queer youth as part of broader gender justice programming.
  • Distribution of PPE and Crisis Supplies 1 activity
    • Delivering pandemic relief and essential services to immigrant communities
      Provided direct services during the pandemic including food access, housing support, health outreach, vaccine education, PPE distribution, and financial assistance for burial costs or housing loss. Conducted over 15,000 outreach interactions via phone, text, and in-person contact to promote vaccination, voter engagement, and safety information.
  • Women's Leadership & Peace Network Building 1 activity
    • Leading cultural and gender justice initiatives through art, theater, and public space reclamation
      Organizes the annual Dhaba event and neighborhood-wide women-led Dhaba initiatives since 2016 to engage working-class communities in gender justice work by reclaiming public space through art and culture. Uses street theater and cultural projects to challenge norms around gendered violence and develops community infrastructure to intervene in harassment and abuse.
  • South Asian Cultural Preservation and Community Support 1 activity
    • Organizing immigrant workers, youth, and families for economic, educational, and civil rights
      Organizes South Asian and Indo-Caribbean low-wage immigrant workers, youth, and families in New York City to advance economic and educational justice, civil rights, and immigrant rights through a multigenerational membership base of over 5,000 individuals. Operates membership-driven chapters across six NYC neighborhoods.
  • Youth Leadership Development Programs 1 activity
    • Providing leadership development and organizing training programs
      Offers monthly workshops, trainings, and Leadership Institutes to build members' skills in policy change and social justice advocacy. Runs the annual Summer Youth Organizing Institute to train young people in political education and community organizing, supporting leadership development among youth, women, and elders.
  • Restorative Justice and Peer Mediation Programs 1 activity
    • Reducing school suspensions through student-led peer mediation
      Runs a student-led peer mediation program at Newtown High School in Elmhurst, Queens aimed at reducing suspensions and increasing graduation rates as part of broader education justice work.
  • Immigration Legal Services 1 activity
    • Supporting undocumented youth through DACA legal clinics and education access advocacy
      Hosts monthly DACA legal clinics in partnership with AALDEF and VAMOS Unidos, providing application assistance in multiple South Asian languages for undocumented youth and families across Queens, the Bronx, and Brooklyn. Co-filed a complaint challenging racially inequitable admissions at NYC Specialized High Schools and advocates for equitable school funding.
  • Uncategorized 1 activity
    • Winning legislative victories for student safety and data transparency
      Won passage of the Student Safety Act, which requires the NYC Department of Education and NYPD to report data on student suspensions, arrests, and demographics to increase transparency and accountability in school discipline practices.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$3.99M
Contributions & grants$3.81M96%
Program service revenue$33K1%
Investment income$97K2%
Other revenue$49K
expenses
Total expenses$2.11M
Program expenses75%
Admin / overhead17%
Fundraising8%
Salaries & benefits$1.19M
Grants paid out$46K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$5.22M
Cash$4.18M
Investments$0
Liabilities$499K
Net assets$4.72M
Liquid reserves23.8 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +115.5%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

board members · 7
  • Bekah Wolf — Member
  • Judith LeBlanc — Board Chair
  • Kazembe Balagun — Treasurer
  • Miguel Ramirez — Member
  • Moni Alam — Member
  • Shahed Chowdhury — Secretary
  • Syeda Parvin — Member
relationships · 36

Who they work with

  • African Americans Partner — Builds cross-community alliances with African American communities to amplify progressive movements.
  • Alliance for Educational Justice Coalition — Active member and part of the Strategy Team advancing national education justice campaigns
  • Arab and Middle Eastern communities Partner — Builds cross-community alliances with Arab and Middle Eastern communities to amplify progressive movements.
  • Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) Partner — Partnership to host monthly DACA legal clinics for undocumented youth and families
  • Beldock, Levine, and Hoffman Partner — Legal representation for the Rozario family, working in alignment with DRUM’s advocacy efforts.
  • Citywide Immigrant Legal Empowerment Collaborative Partner — Collaborates to provide legal services and empower immigrant families to access civil and immigrant rights.
  • Civil rights Partner — Collaborates with civil rights organizations to advance justice and equity.
  • Dignity in Schools Campaign Coalition — National Coordinating Committee Member and NY Chapter Steering Committee Member
  • Eckshate Partner — Gender justice program within DRUM focused on building community power among women, men, and gender non-conforming members.
  • Fund Excluded Workers Partner — Collaborated on advocacy to secure state funding for excluded workers during the pandemic.
  • Global Forum on Migration and Development Coalition — Participates in and organizes parallel actions with migrant groups during GFMD meetings as part of the People’s Global Action for Migration and Development.
  • Global South movements Partner — Works in solidarity with movements across the Global South, including in Egypt, South Asia, and Latin America, to advance just global policies.
  • Indigenous communities Partner — Builds cross-community alliances with Indigenous communities to amplify progressive movements.
  • J4JS Coalition Coalition — Member of the coalition advocating for the Justice for Job Seekers bill in New York State.
  • Justice Committee Partner — Collaborated with DRUM in advocating for accountability in the killing of Win Rozario.
  • Justice Committee Partner — Collaborates with DRUM in advocating against police violence and for community-led safety initiatives.
  • Labor Partner — Builds alliances with labor organizations to strengthen social justice movements.
  • Latinos Partner — Builds cross-community alliances with Latino communities to amplify progressive movements.
  • NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) Partner — Co-filed complaint challenging racial inequity in admissions at NYC Specialized High Schools
  • NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams Partner — Joined DRUM in public actions calling for the firing of NYPD officers involved in the killing of Win Rozario.
  • NYPD Government — Engaged in advocacy and public response regarding NYPD's release of body-camera footage and handling of the Jabez Chakraborty incident.
  • National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights Network — Member of the International Working Group, collaborating on migrant rights advocacy at global policy forums.
  • New York State Department of Labor Government — Collaborates with the Wage Watch program on the 'We Respect Jackson Heights Workers' campaign.
  • Queens DA Government — Called for the Queens District Attorney to drop prosecution against Jabez Chakraborty.
  • United National Anti-War Committee (UNAC) Coalition — Founding Member and Coordinator
  • Urban Justice Center’s Community Development Project Partner — Partnership to co-host monthly Workers Rights clinics for filing wage claims and conducting rights trainings.
  • VAMOS Unidos Partner — Joint monthly DACA clinics for Latino and South Asian communities in Queens, the Bronx, and Brooklyn
  • Youth Partner — Engages youth as key partners in building social justice movements.
  • civil liberties experts Partner — Provided expertise and joined DRUM in opposing Intro 175-B on grounds of free speech and racial justice.
  • civil liberties experts Partner — Works alongside civil liberties experts in public advocacy and policy campaigns.
+ 6 more
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.

  • Member-Led Organizing Model
    methodology: member_led_organizing
    By centering low-wage South Asian and Indo-Caribbean immigrants, youth, and undocumented workers in leadership and decision-making, we build sustained community power and drive policy change because authentic representation fosters trust, increases campaign legitimacy, and ensures strategies reflect lived experience.
  • Non-Police Crisis Response Advocacy
    methodology: non-police_crisis_response
    By advocating for community-based, non-police emergency response systems for mental health and medical crises, we reduce harm and prevent escalation because removing law enforcement from these situations decreases violence, especially against Black and Brown communities, while better meeting individual and family needs.
  • Solidarity-Based Mutual Aid and Care-Centered Organizing
    methodology: care_centered_organizing
    By integrating mutual aid, emotional support, and material care into political organizing, we strengthen community resilience and sustain engagement during crises because care functions as both immediate relief and a foundation for collective resistance and long-term mobilization.
  • Transnational Solidarity and Human Rights Advocacy
    methodology: transnational_solidarity
    By linking local immigrant worker struggles in the U.S. with global movements and international human rights mechanisms, we amplify migrant voices and challenge unjust trade and enforcement policies because transnational alliances increase leverage and reframe migration as a human rights issue rather than a criminal one.