irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2023
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $1.94MLOCAL ECONOMIES PROJECT & PARTNERS FOR CLIMATE ACTION HUDSON VALLEY PROJECT:THE LOCAL ECONOMIES PROJECT SUPPORTS VIBRANT, INTERCONNECTED COMMUNITIES THAT ARE POWERED BY THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE. WE SEE FOOD AND FARMING AS A CORNERSTONE OF EVERY REGION AND CRITICAL TO THE MOVEMENT TOWARDS STRONGER, MORE RESILIENT ECONOMIES. OUR MAJOR INITIATIVES: PARTNERS FOR CLIMATE ACTION AND LOCAL STEWARDSHIP AND COMMUNITY, REVOLVE AROUND SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES IN REPAIR OF OUR NATURAL SYSTEMS, MEND OUR CIVIC FABRIC, AND USHER IN A MORE COOPERATIVE AND RESILIENT FUTURE.
- #2 $1.00MPHX - PHOENIX FUND AT NWF WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1996 AND IS DEDICATED TO EMPOWERING U.S. WORKERS AND THEIR RIGHTS THROUGH STRONG UNIONS. THROUGH THE PHOENIX FUND GRANTMAKING PROGRAM, WE ARE INVESTING IN FRONTLINE ORGANIZATIONS AND COLLABORATIONS THAT ARE BUILDING ECONOMIC JUSTICE MOVEMENTS FROM THE BOTTOM UP. OUR WORK IS FOCUSED ON ORGANIZING IN AREAS WITH AND WITHOUT WORKER CENTERS AND REPRESENTATION, AND BUILDING DEEP RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ORGANIZED LABOR, UNORGANIZED WORKERS, AND OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS. WE ARE ALSO INVESTING IN THE CREATION OF SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGNS AND NETWORKS THAT WILL HELP ACTIVISTS TURN THE VICIOUS CIRCLE OF GLOBALIZATION, WHICH PITS ONE GROUP OF WORKERS AGAINST ANOTHER, INTO A VIRTUOUS CIRCLE, WHERE WORKING PEOPLE CAN COME TOGETHER TO RAISE THE FLOOR FOR ALL.
named programs · 4 · from sources
What they call their work
Civic Engagement Program
Supports grassroots organizing, voter protection, and leadership development to strengthen democratic participation, particularly among historically excluded communities.
Climate Action Fund
Invests in community-driven climate solutions that confront climate injustice and build resilience among communities most affected by environmental harm.
Phoenix Fund
Founded in 1996, supports frontline organizations, labor unions, and worker centers to build worker and community power, with a focus on organizing, leadership development, and equitable economic development.
Quality Jobs Fund
Invests in job quality through grants and impact-first investments, supporting small businesses, workforce training, and sustainable working-class communities in economically distressed areas.
activities · 4 groups
What they do
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Civil Rights Advocacy & Litigation 2 activities
- Provides early and sustained financial support to civil rights and social justice organizationsDelivered foundational funding to key civil rights groups including SNCC and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, supported leaders like Cesar Chavez, and pioneered investments in youth organizing, environmental justice, and ACT UP.
- Supports grassroots organizing and social movements through strategic grantmakingConvenes leaders across social movements, supports grassroots initiatives, and challenges systemic barriers through long-standing engagement in civil rights, environmental justice, peace, and economic equity movements. Focuses on amplifying marginalized voices and building cross-movement alliances.
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Flexible Grants to Grassroots Organizations 1 activity
- Conducts place-based and community-driven direct service grantmakingInvests in direct support for working-class communities disproportionately affected by environmental harm and economic inequity. Funded initiatives that created quality jobs, grew small businesses, upskilled workers, and advanced health and civic equity in targeted communities.
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Nonprofit Capacity Building Services 1 activity
- Provides capacity-building support to grassroots and emerging organizationsBuilds organizational capacity through leadership development, strategic communications, alliance-building, and infrastructure support. Prioritizes long-term organizing and sustainability for frontline groups, worker centers, and coalitions in low-union-density regions.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Offers fiscal sponsorship and donor-advised funding infrastructureProvides fiscal sponsorship to emerging organizations and projects aligned with its mission, enabling them to receive philanthropic funding. Operates donor-advised funds and pooled funding mechanisms to channel resources efficiently to community-led initiatives across multiple issue areas and time horizons.
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financials · form 990 · fy2023
revenue
Total revenue$21.21M
Contributions & grants$18.13M85%
Program service revenue$124K1%
Investment income$2.90M14%
Other revenue$62K
expenses
Total expenses$25.60M
Program expenses91%
Admin / overhead8%
Fundraising1%
Salaries & benefits$2.99M
Grants paid out$17.28M
Largest expense lineProfessional Fees
balance sheet
Total assets$122.02M
Cash$6.86M
Investments$99.87M
Liabilities$13.10M
Net assets$108.92M
Liquid reserves50.0 mo
5 years on record · 2019–2023 · YoY revenue +4.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2023
Who runs it
paid leadership · 8
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| COLIN GREER | PRESIDENT | 40 | $484K |
| ROBERT DANDREW | DIR. OF THE LOCAL ECON. PROJECT | 40 | $342K |
| BEATA PUDELKO | DIR. OF FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION | 40 | $289K |
| HEETEN KALAN | PROGRAM OFFICER | 40 | $279K |
| NOAH BERNSTEIN | PROGRAM OFFICER | 40 | $234K |
| JOSHUA COHEN | NETWORK DIRECTOR | 40 | $167K |
| RAHEL TEKOLA | PROGRAM OFFICER | 40 | $149K |
| MIROSLAWA ZALEWSKA | FINANCE ASSOCIATE | 40 | $141K |
board members · 9
- CYNTHIA CHOI — SECRETARY
- DAVID HARRISON — BOARD DIRECTOR
- ELIZABETH HINES — BOARD DIRECTOR
- FRED AZCARATE — BOARD CHAIR
- JONATHAN GLIONNA — VICE CHAIR
- KENT WONG — BOARD DIRECTOR
- LINDA COLON — TREASURER
- MAY BETH MAXWELL — BOARD DIRECTOR
- VINCENT WARREN — BOARD DIRECTOR
relationships · 16
Who they work with
- ACT UP Partner — Backed in its early stages through funding.
- Health & Environmental Funders Network (HEFN) Network — Engaged leadership through participation in the Steering Committee.
- NAACP Legal Defense Fund Partner — Supported through early funding for civil rights organizing.
- People of Color Environmental Summits Partner — Funded the first national gatherings of the People of Color Environmental Summits.
- Phoenix Fund Partner — Philanthropic collaborative of the New World Foundation focused on building worker and community power.
- Quality Jobs Fund Partner — Impact-first investment initiative of the New World Foundation focused on job quality and community economic development.
- SNCC Partner — Supported through early funding for civil rights organizing.
- South Africa Development Fund Partner — Collaborated through board leadership, with Heeten serving as Board Chair.
- donors Partner — Donors whose work aligns with the foundation's mission and priorities
- grassroots leaders Partner — Collaborates with grassroots leaders to build movements and expand civic participation.
- grassroots leaders Partner — Longstanding relationships with grassroots leaders to identify emerging organizations and ideas for donor support.
- grassroots organizations Partner — Partners with grassroots organizations to develop leadership and protect voting rights.
- groundWork Partner — Supported through the founding of the South African Exchange Program on Environmental Justice, which evolved into the US office of groundWork, South Africa’s strongest environmental watchdog.
- like-minded philanthropists Partner — Collaborates with individual donors and foundations to establish and fund pooled funds.
- non-profit and philanthropic peers Partner — Collaborative partners in advancing a more equitable and inclusive democracy.
- philanthropic partners Partner — Worked closely with donors and foundations to strengthen local leadership in civic participation and voter education.
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.
- Fiscal Sponsorship as Incubation for Emerging Movementsmethodology: fiscal_sponsorship_for_emerging_movementsBy providing fiscal sponsorship to early-stage, values-aligned initiatives, the foundation lowers entry barriers to funding and operations, because administrative support allows emerging leaders to focus on organizing and innovation rather than compliance and infrastructure.
- Grassroots Power-Shifting Grantmakingmethodology: grassroots_power_shiftingBy directing resources to grassroots organizations and frontline leaders rather than established institutions, the foundation shifts power to communities most affected by injustice, because this leads to more authentic, sustainable, and equitable social change.
- Integrated Justice Approach to Climate, Health, and Equitymethodology: environmental_justice_integrationBy funding grassroots climate action that centers health and human rights, the foundation treats environmental justice as inseparable from socio-economic equity, because solutions grounded in affected communities produce more resilient and transformative outcomes.
- Pooled & Collaborative Resourcing for Movement Buildingmethodology: pooled_fundingBy aggregating donor funds and aligning them with community-led strategies, the foundation enables larger, more strategic investments in grassroots movements, because pooled resources increase scale, sustainability, and collective learning beyond what individual donors or small grants can achieve.
- Relationship-Centered, Trust-Based Funder Modelmethodology: relationship-centered_grantmakingBy building deep, trust-based relationships with grassroots movements and using those connections to guide funding decisions, the foundation increases relevance and impact, because trust enables responsiveness to real-time community needs and reduces barriers for under-resourced groups.