named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
Ain't I A Woman Campaign
Podcast and advocacy initiative highlighting exploitative conditions faced by live-in domestic workers, particularly during the pandemic.
Domestic Worker Town Halls
Weekly virtual gatherings during the pandemic featuring expert presenters on health, legal rights, financial literacy, and mental health for domestic workers.
Fresh Food Box Program
Partnership with Maple Street Community Garden to provide domestic workers with access to fresh, local, and seasonal produce.
Know Your Rights Sessions
Workshops educating domestic workers on labor protections, including paid sick leave, overtime, and workplace safety under New York’s Domestic Workers Bill of Rights.
Worker Writers School
Writing workshops for domestic workers to share personal stories, build leadership skills, and support organizing efforts through creative expression.
activities · 4 groups
What they do
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Worker Rights Advocacy & Wage Protection 3 activities
- Direct support services for domestic workersProvides Know Your Rights sessions, worker town halls, job and skills training, leadership development, political education, healthcare referrals, legal advocacy, and emergency financial assistance to domestic workers, particularly during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Hosts monthly member meetings and has supported members with applications to relief programs like New York State’s Excluded Workers Fund.
- National and international movement building for domestic workersCo-founded the National Domestic Workers Alliance in 2007 and represented it as a founding member of the International Domestic Workers Network in 2010, expanding advocacy beyond New York to build cross-state and global solidarity among domestic workers.
- Organizing and advocacy for domestic workers' labor rightsOrganizes Black, immigrant, Caribbean, African, and Latinx domestic workers to advocate for fair labor standards, racial justice, and policy change, including leading campaigns for the New York Domestic Workers Bill of Rights and supporting similar efforts in other states. The organization played a key role in securing landmark legislation granting domestic workers overtime pay, rest days, paid leave, and protections against harassment.
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Immigrant Rights Advocacy & Policy Reform 1 activity
- Advocacy for immigrant and TPS holder rightsParticipates in rallies in New York and Washington, DC to advocate for Congressional action protecting Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders from deportation, linking labor rights with immigrant justice.
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New Play Development Programs 1 activity
- Arts, culture, and storytelling initiatives for worker empowermentEngages domestic workers in arts and cultural activities, including producing original theater based on workers’ stories through a Creatives Rebuild New York Artist Employment Grant, co-producing a podcast documenting exploitative conditions during the pandemic, and hosting dialogues on integrating creative workers into labor organizing.
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Community-Based Urban Agriculture 1 activity
- Food access and mutual aid program for domestic-worker-headed householdsDistributes organic fresh fruits, vegetables, and culinary herbs weekly to 35–70 domestic-worker-headed households in New York City from June to November, sourcing produce through a partnership with Maple Street Community Garden.
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financials · form 990EZ · fy2025
revenue
Total revenue$113K
Contributions & grants$113K100%
Program service revenue——
Investment income——
Other revenue—
expenses
Total expenses$68K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits—
Grants paid out$3K
balance sheet
Total assets$155K
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$155K
3 years on record · 2023–2025 · YoY revenue -30.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2025
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHRISTINE LEWIS | SECRETARY | 40 | $3K |
relationships · 44
Who they work with
- Ain’t I A Woman Campaign Partner — Co-produced a podcast documenting the working conditions of live-in domestic workers during the pandemic.
- Andolan Organizing South Asian Workers Partner — Co-founded Domestic Workers United in 2000 alongside CAAAV and DWU members.
- Breaking Bread NYC Partner — Collaborated during winter 2020–2021 to support community food distribution through CSA bags.
- Brooklyn Community Foundation Funder — Provided financial support for DWU programs and worker stipends.
- Brooklyn for Peace Partner — Collaborated on telemedicine sessions related to Covid-19 for domestic workers.
- Brooklyn for Peace Partner — Supported DWU by providing telemedicine sessions on Covid-19 for domestic workers.
- CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities Partner — Collaborated with CAAAV's Women Workers Project to found Domestic Workers United in 2000.
- CUNY Law School Partner — Collaborated with DWU through faculty and students to provide legal education and support on executive orders and workers' rights during the pandemic.
- CUNY Law School Partner — Provided legal expertise through faculty and students on executive orders, workers' rights, and secure Zoom access for DWU programs.
- Christine Lewis Partner — Primary contact for partnership inquiries with DWU.
- Creatives Rebuild New York Funder — Provided a two-year Artist Employment Grant to support domestic workers in creating and performing original theater.
- Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees Partner — Collaborated with Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees, as evidenced by the introduction of pro bono grantwriter Eileen Condon through its founder Ninaj Raoul.
- Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees Partner — Partnered with DWU in rallies and advocacy efforts to protect Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders from deportation.
- Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees Partner — Provided ongoing allyship and solidarity support to DWU.
- Hand in Hand Partner — Partners to provide guidance and templates for fair employment practices during the coronavirus crisis in New York.
- Human Rights Commission Government — Engaged in educational efforts on know-your-rights topics for domestic workers.
- International Domestic Workers Network Coalition — Founding member of the International Domestic Workers Network, representing the National Domestic Workers Alliance in 2010.
- KH Haitian Dance Classes Partner — Provided cultural programming through KB Minokan Haitian Dance Classes.
- Maple Street Community Garden Partner — Collaborated on the Fresh Food Box Program for food support during the pandemic.
- Maple Street Community Garden Partner — Partner organization providing fresh, local, and seasonal produce to DWU.
- Maple Street Community Garden Partner — Partnered since 2020 to distribute organic produce weekly to domestic-worker-headed households in NYC.
- Maple Street Community Garden Partner — Partnered with DWU to provide fresh, local, and seasonal produce to domestic workers.
- Mayor's Office on Immigrant Affairs Government — Collaborated on a town hall addressing immigrants' rights during the pandemic.
- Mutual Aid NYC Partner — Helped publicize DWU's services during the pandemic.
- NDWA Partner — Collaborates on providing resources and sample contracts for domestic workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- NY Domestic Workers Justice Coalition Partner — Launched the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights campaign in 2003 in collaboration with DWU.
- NYC Dept of Consumer & Workers Affairs (DCWA) Government — Partnered on multiple town halls to educate domestic workers about their rights during the pandemic.
- NYC Poor People's Campaign Partner — Collaborated with DWU on organizing and advocacy efforts, including participation in town halls and community actions.
- NYC Poor People's Campaign Partner — Participated in town hall programming focused on economic justice and worker support.
- National Domestic Workers Alliance Coalition — Founding member of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, formed at the first US Social Forum in 2007.
+ 14 more
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.
- Care Work as Essential Infrastructure Framingmethodology: care_work_recognitionBy framing domestic work as foundational care labor that enables all other economic activity, the organization shifts public perception and strengthens moral and political claims for labor rights and dignity, because recognizing societal dependence on care work justifies transformative policy investment and protection.
- Collective Organizing for Labor Transformationmethodology: worker_led_collective_organizingBy organizing domestic workers through member recruitment, regular member-led meetings, and peer education, the organization fosters democratic participation and collective action that strengthens worker agency and drives systemic change in labor standards, because sustained, participatory membership structures build durable power.
- Direct Action and Advocacy for Policy Changemethodology: direct_action_advocacyBy engaging in direct action advocacy such as rallies and demonstrations, the organization pressures policymakers to enact permanent protections for vulnerable groups like TPS holders, because visible, collective public pressure increases political accountability and accelerates legislative response.
- Storytelling as Strategic Organizing Toolmethodology: storytelling_for_organizingBy using storytelling—both in public forums and internal organizing—to center the lived experiences of domestic workers, the organization builds solidarity, humanizes policy demands, and inspires action, because personal narrative disrupts stigma and creates emotional leverage for structural change.
- Worker-Led Racial Justice Organizingmethodology: black_immigrant_led_organizingBy centering Black immigrant women and domestic workers in leadership and decision-making, the organization builds collective power to transform labor standards and end systemic exploitation, because movements led by those most impacted produce more authentic, sustainable, and intersectional change.