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SOCIALIST ALTERNATIVE
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 208557552 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE R01 · Civil Rights & Advocacy · Small ($100K-$1M) · socialistalternative.org
revenue
$812K
expenses
$1.1M
net assets
$690K
employees
1
volunteers
1,000
program ratio
100%
mission · from form 990

EDUCATION ADVOCACY AND PARTICIPATION IN SOCIAL JUSTICE

profile · synthesized from sources

Socialist Alternative is a national political organization focused on education, advocacy, and organizing around social justice and labor rights. It produces and distributes educational materials analyzing working-class struggles and promotes independent working-class political action. The group emphasizes rank-and-file labor organizing, anti-corporate campaigns, and building socialist politics through mass movements across the United States.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $120K
    PRODUCING AND DISSEMINATING EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS
  2. #2 $113K
    PARTICIPATION AND ADVOCACY IN SOCIAL JUSTICE CAMPAIGNS
named programs · 3 · from sources

What they call their work

Education and Pamphlet Distribution
Produces and disseminates educational materials on labor history and socialist strategy, including updated editions of key texts like _The Battle of Wisconsin_
Labor Solidarity and Strike Support
Supports rank-and-file labor organizing, promotes strike action, and analyzes lessons from key struggles such as the West Virginia teachers’ strike
Youth and Campus Organizing
Engages young people and students in social justice campaigns, linking movements for racial justice, climate action, and labor rights
activities · 9 groups

What they do

  • Worker Rights Advocacy & Wage Protection 4 activities
    • Advocacy for statewide public-sector general strike in Wisconsin
      Advocated for a statewide, one-day, public-sector general strike during the 2011 Wisconsin uprising as a strategic escalation of the labor movement.
    • Leadership in $15 minimum wage and related policy campaigns
      Led campaigns that contributed to the adoption of the first $15 per hour minimum wage in the U.S., landmark renters' rights protections, and a tax on Amazon to fund affordable social housing in Seattle.
    • Organizing and supporting strike actions
      Helped organize and support strike actions, including a teachers' strike in Madison and a May 1 strike that shut down four coffee shops in solidarity with immigrant rights.
    • Organizing labor campaigns for higher wages
      Currently organizes and supports labor campaigns for Amazon workers and USPS letter carriers to achieve a $30 per hour starting wage.
  • Civil Rights Advocacy & Litigation 2 activities
    • Advocacy against Trump administration policies
      Organized and supported protests against Trump administration policies on women's rights, immigrants' rights, LGBTQ rights, racism, science, the environment, and gun violence starting in 2016.
    • Advocacy for anti-war movement and resistance to Russian invasion of Ukraine
      Advocates for building an anti-war movement and supports Russian workers' resistance to Putin's invasion of Ukraine, while condemning the invasion and calling for immediate withdrawal of Russian troops.
  • Academic Journal and Scholarly Publication 2 activities
    • Publication of International Marxism journal
      Produces and publishes the International Marxism journal, a research publication featuring Marxist theoretical and historical analysis.
    • Publication of Socialist World journal
      Produces and distributes a political journal titled "Socialist World" featuring in-depth international analyses on war, the global economy, and climate change from a working-class perspective.
  • Youth Leadership Development Programs 1 activity
    • Advocacy through social justice campaigns with youth focus
      Engages in advocacy and organizing around social justice issues with a focus on youth development and mobilization.
  • Conflict and Geopolitical Research Analysis 1 activity
    • Analysis of war in Ukraine as inter-imperialist conflict
      Analyzes the war in Ukraine as part of a broader inter-imperialist conflict between U.S. and Chinese imperialism, contributing to strategic understanding within the socialist movement.
  • Organizational Newsletter Production and Distribution 1 activity
    • Distribution of weekly newsletter
      Distributes a weekly newsletter, known as Weekly Round-Up, featuring major stories and updates from Socialist Alternative.
  • Regional Chapter Network Support 1 activity
    • Operation and expansion of local branches
      Operates local branches in multiple U.S. cities and supports the formation of new branches in unrepresented areas by connecting socialists and organizing locally.
  • Public Awareness and Educational Outreach 1 activity
    • Production of educational materials on civil rights and social justice
      Produces and disseminates educational materials related to civil rights and social justice as part of its political education efforts.
  • Uncategorized 4 activities
    • Advocacy on U.S. foreign policy and global demonstrations
      Criticized the unilateral nature of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and highlighted mass global opposition to the Iraq War, including a major demonstration in New York City with 500,000 participants.
    • Production and distribution of books and pamphlets
      Produces and distributes books and pamphlets as part of its educational and political outreach, including reprints and updates of historical analyses such as "The Battle of Wisconsin."
    • Publication of Socialist Alternative newspaper
      Produces and distributes a newspaper titled "Socialist Alternative" 10 times per year, providing socialist analysis, strategy, and tactics for contemporary struggles.
    • Research and analysis of historical and contemporary revolutionary movements
      Conducts research and publishes analyses on revolutionary movements, including the 1968 French general strike and the Arab Spring, using Marxist theoretical frameworks to interpret their significance and strategic lessons.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$812K
Contributions & grants$812K100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$1.07M
Program expenses100%
Admin / overhead0%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$39K
Grants paid out$63K
Largest expense lineProfessional Fees
balance sheet
Total assets$690K
Cash$690K
Investments$0
Liabilities$0
Net assets$690K
Liquid reserves7.7 mo
3 years on record · 2022–2024 · YoY revenue -23.5%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

board members · 5
  • BRIAN HARRISON — DIRECTOR
  • JUSTIN HARRISON — DIRECTOR
  • KELLY BELLIN — TREASURER
  • ROB ROOKE — DIRECTOR
  • TOYA CHESTER — DIRECTOR
relationships · 11

Who they work with

  • Amazon Government — Target of advocacy campaigns including a tax to fund affordable housing and labor organizing for a $30 per hour wage.
  • American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Partner — Critically engaged with AFSCME leadership during the Wisconsin labor struggle, noting their opposition to escalating to strike action.
  • American Federation of Teachers Partner — Critically engaged with AFT leadership during the Wisconsin labor struggle, highlighting their role in holding back strike action.
  • Brown University Costs of War Project Partner — Cited for estimating the financial cost of post-9/11 wars.
  • International Socialist Alternative Network — References publications and analysis from the International Socialist Alternative (ISA) as part of its political framework.
  • International Socialist Alternative Network — Socialist Alternative is the US section of International Socialist Alternative, a global organization of workers and oppressed people.
  • Madison Teachers Inc. Partner — Collaborated with educators in Madison Teachers Inc. to organize a strike on May 1.
  • May Day Strong Coalition — Participated in organizing strike actions in response to the May Day Strong coalition's call for nationwide strike action on May 1.
  • Socialist Party of England and Wales (CWI) Network — Recognizes the Militant tendency as the forerunner of the Socialist Party of England and Wales (CWI), indicating ideological and historical alignment.
  • USPS Partner — Site of ongoing labor organizing led by Socialist Alternative members to win higher wages for letter carriers.
  • Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs Partner — Cited for research on human casualties and displacement caused by the “war on terror.”
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.

  • Anti-Imperialist Solidarity Rooted in Class Analysis
    methodology: anti_imperialist_class_analysis
    By analyzing war and foreign policy through a class lens and opposing imperialist interventions, we mobilize working-class resistance to imperialism, because workers worldwide bear the costs of war while capitalist elites profit, and only transnational working-class solidarity can dismantle imperial dominance.
  • Political Education as Movement Building
    methodology: political_education_through_publication
    By producing and distributing socialist analysis through regular publications like newspapers and theoretical journals, we deepen class consciousness and unify international socialist discourse, because sustained ideological development is essential for strategic coherence and long-term organizing success.
  • Working-Class-Led Revolution Through Independent Political and Economic Action
    methodology: independent_working_class_politics
    By building an independent working-class political party and reviving militant strike tactics, we can develop a mass movement capable of challenging capitalist power and ending exploitation, because electoral independence and direct economic disruption are necessary to break from bourgeois political constraints and build transformative power from below.