irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2023
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $2KSCHOLARSHIPS FOR YOUNG PERSONS INTERESTED IN THE LABOR MOVEMENT.
- #2 $1KTO COLLECT, ANALYZE, EVALUATE, CREATE & DISSEMINATE LABOR HISTORY AND LABOR STUDIES CURRICULUM & RELATED MATERIALS TO K-12 TEACHERS & STUDENTS NATIONWIDE & TO PROMOTE THE CREATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF CURRICULUM AND RELATED MATERIALS ON THE HISTORY, ORGANIZATION, STRUCTURE, ACTIVITIES & ISSUES AFFECTING THE AMERICAN LABOR MOVEMENT.
named programs · 3 · from sources
What they call their work
Kate Mullany House Restoration
Preservation and educational use of the home of Kate Mullany, a pioneering labor leader, designated as a National Historic Site focusing on labor, women’s, and immigrant history.
Labor History Lesson Plans
Curriculum resources for K-12 teachers covering topics such as child labor, union organizing, civil rights, and labor strikes, aligned with primary source documents and historical inquiry methods.
Labor Songs Project
Uses music as a teaching tool to convey the history and spirit of the American labor movement, featuring songs like "Solidarity Forever" and "Joe Hill" with audio clips and historical context.
activities · 5 groups
What they do
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History Education Curriculum Development 3 activities
- Conduct research on labor history and curriculum representationProduces original research including a six-part video series on U.S. labor union history, a report on the underrepresentation of labor history in textbooks, and maintains a comprehensive bibliography of labor history resources. Also reviewed the Boy Scout American Labor Merit Badge requirements for historical accuracy.
- Develop and distribute labor history curricula for K-12 educatorsCreates and disseminates standards-based educational materials on U.S. labor history, including a five-unit curriculum with 16 lessons and 46 handouts for middle and high school teachers, as well as a curriculum on the 9/11 attacks for grades 5–12. These resources are distributed nationwide to support classroom instruction.
- Produce and publish labor history educational resourcesProduces illustrated guides, lesson plans, and study materials such as a 62-page illustrated resource for students aged 9–12, a lesson guide titled “A Short History of American Labor,” and the “Lessons in Labor History” curriculum developed in collaboration with state education agencies.
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Youth Writing Contests & Recognition Programs 1 activity
- Administer student awards and contests in labor historySponsors an annual labor history essay contest for Wisconsin high school students and provides prizes for labor history projects in National History Day competitions. Also provides scholarships to young people interested in the labor movement.
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University-Specific Endowment and Program Funding 1 activity
- Manage a grant program for student research on labor historyAdministers the Legacy Fund, established nearly 20 years ago, which awards cash grants of $500 to $1,000 to undergraduate and graduate students conducting research on Wisconsin labor history.
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Educator Conferences & Professional Development Events 1 activity
- Provide professional development for educators on labor historySponsors workshops, courses, conferences, and other training events to equip teachers with tools and methods for teaching labor history effectively in K-12 classrooms.
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Uncategorized 3 activities
- Advocate for inclusion of labor history in public educationHas advocated since 1981 for legislation requiring the teaching of labor history in Wisconsin schools, promoting systemic integration of labor studies into state educational standards.
- Document and disseminate labor songs for educational useCollects, preserves, and makes available historical labor songs, including Joe Glazer's recordings, as educational resources. Provides interdisciplinary materials to integrate labor songs into history, music, and government curricula.
- Preserve historic labor-related sitesOwns and is restoring the Kate Mullany House in Troy, New York, a site of historical significance to the labor movement.
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financials · form 990EZ · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$11K
Contributions & grants$2K22%
Program service revenue$2002%
Investment income——
Other revenue—
expenses
Total expenses$33K
Program expenses55%
Admin / overhead45%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits—
Grants paid out—
Largest expense lineFacilities
balance sheet
Total assets$480K
Cash$54K
Investments$0
Liabilities$0
Net assets$480K
Liquid reserves19.4 mo
3 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -18.6%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
board members · 16
- ANTHONY MCCANN — Director
- DR RACHEL BERNSTEIN — Director
- FRED KOWAL — Director
- GEORGE NEE — Director
- HOLLY CLARK — Director
- IRWIN YELLOWITZ — Director
- JANET CONTI — Director
- JEFF STARK — Director
- KAREN WOJCIK-HESS — Director
- MARIO CILENTO — Director
- PAUL BRAY — Director
- STEPHEN LEBERSTEIN — Director
- STEVE ZAHURAK — Director
- THOMAS CARROLL — Director
- THOMAS Y HOBART JR — Director
- TONY BIFARO — Director
relationships · 22
Who they work with
- 9/11 Tribute Center at the World Trade Center Partner — Co-developed or provided a standards-based curriculum on the 9/11 attacks distributed by the American Labor Studies Center.
- AFL-CIO Network — Member organization whose songbook and curated music collections are referenced as resources.
- Albert Shanker Institute Partner — Collaborated on the publication and dissemination of a report about labor representation in U.S. history textbooks.
- Baseball Hall of Fame Partner — Collaborated to develop the "Hardball and Handshakes" educational curriculum.
- Boy Scouts of America Partner — Collaborates on promoting the American Labor Merit Badge and its educational goals.
- George Meany Memorial Archives Partner — Provided group discussion and role-playing activities on labor and civil rights for use in educational programming.
- Joe Glazer Partner — Collaborates to provide access to his labor song recordings for educational purposes.
- Kate Mullany House Partner — Owns and is restoring the Kate Mullany House, a National Historic Site focused on labor, women's, and immigrant history.
- Labor Heritage Foundation Partner — Source of labor song CDs and parodies referenced for educational use.
- Labor and Working Class History Association Partner — Collaborates with LAWCHA to produce and maintain a bibliography of U.S. labor history resources.
- Organization of American Historians (OAH) Partner — Publisher of educational content on labor history, including articles on using union songs in teaching.
- UAW Region 9 Partner — Partner union that offers assistance to scouts pursuing the labor merit badge.
- Union Songs (unionsong.com) Partner — Comprehensive online resource for union songs, authors, and related materials used to support educational programming.
- United States Library of Congress Partner — Provider of educational materials including lesson guides and rubrics for teaching reform songs.
- Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Partner — Collaborated to develop the "Lessons in Labor History" curriculum resource.
- Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Partner — Collaborated with the organization to publish a labor history curriculum and develop social studies standards.
- Wisconsin Education Association Council, NEA Partner — Collaborated to develop the "Lessons in Labor History" curriculum resource.
- Wisconsin Federation of Teachers, AFT, AFL-CIO Partner — Collaborated to develop the "Lessons in Labor History" curriculum resource.
- Wisconsin Labor History Society Partner — Collaborated to develop the "Lessons in Labor History" curriculum resource.
- Wisconsin Labor History Society Partner — Provided partial support for the production of the labor history video series.
- Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Partner — Collaborated to develop the "Lessons in Labor History" curriculum resource.
- Worker Institute at Cornell ILR Partner — Sponsors Union Communications Services, which collaborates with the American Labor Studies Center.
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.
- Culturally Responsive Pedagogy Using Labor Songsmethodology: cultural-pedagogyBy using labor songs as educational tools, we cultivate empathy and understanding of working-class values and dignity, because music serves as a culturally resonant medium that connects students emotionally and intellectually to labor history and protest movements.
- Curriculum Integration and Advocacymethodology: curriculum_integrationBy developing classroom-ready curricula and advocating for legislative mandates, we ensure labor history is systematically taught in K–12 education, because institutional change and teacher support are necessary to overcome systemic underrepresentation and bias in existing materials.
- Experiential and Collaborative Learningmethodology: experiential-educationBy employing role-playing and collaborative group work with historical materials, we help students understand complex labor dynamics and multiple perspectives, because experiential engagement deepens comprehension and retention beyond passive learning.
- Primary-Source-Based Inquirymethodology: primary-source-based-inquiryBy engaging students with primary source documents and inquiry-based methods, we foster critical analysis of labor history and diverse perspectives, because direct interaction with historical evidence promotes deeper understanding and independent thinking without indoctrination.
- Resource Curation for Accessibilitymethodology: resource_curationBy aggregating and curating labor history resources into accessible formats, we enable broader use by educators and union members, because reducing barriers to high-quality materials increases adoption and educational impact in diverse settings.