irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $279KCONVENING AND FACILITATION: RTT BRINGS TOGETHER LEADERS ACROSS IDEOLOGICAL, RELIGIOUS, AND REGIONAL DIVIDES IN FORUMS AND INITIATIVES THAT BUILD MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING, TRUST, AND PROBLEM-SOLVING. RTT CONVENINGS ARE ROOTED IN MEDIATION TOOLS AND COMMUNICATION FRAMEWORKS THAT ALLOW PARTICIPANTS TO MOVE FROM IMPASSE, ANIMOSITY, AND MISTRUST TO CONNECTION AND COLLABORATION. LONGITUDINAL EVALUATION FINDS THESE ENCOUNTERS CATALYZE LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS, INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE, AND DOWNSTREAM IMPACTS. PARTICIPANTS GO ON TO CHAMPION BRIDGE-BUILDING IN THEIR SPHERES OF INFLUENCE, DISARMING TENSIONS, FORGING BONDS AND TRUST, AND COLLABORATING ACROSS DIFFERENCES FOR THE BETTERMENT OF OUR COUNTRY AND SOCIETY.
- #2 $625KCONTENT CREATION: RTT ENGAGES IN AND CATALYZES MASS STORYTELLING TO SCALE IMPACT AND MODEL HEALTHY CONFLICT AND BRIDGING DIVIDES. RTT PROVIDES DAY-LONG TRAININGS, MULTI-DAY RETREATS, AND PERSONALIZED CONSULTATION TO STORYTELLERS IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY, SUPPORTING THE INTEGRATION OF BRIDGE-BUILDING SENSIBILITIES INTO TV, VIDEO GAMES, AND FILM. RTT ALSO PRODUCES AND DISTRIBUTES ORIGINAL CONTENT, SUCH AS DOCUMENTARY-STYLE SHORTS, THAT HAVE REACHED MORE THAN 100,000 VIEWERS IN MUSEUMS, UNIVERSITIES, CONGREGATIONS, AND SCHOOLS. THESE EFFORTS EXTEND RTTS METHODOLOGY FAR BEYOND THOSE WE REACH DIRECTLY, CONTRIBUTING TO SHIFTING SOCIETAL NORMS AND PROMOTING EMPATHY, RELATIONSHIP, AND COLLABORATION ACROSS DIVIDES AT SCALE.
named programs · 3 · from sources
What they call their work
Content Creation
Produces and distributes original storytelling content, including documentary-style shorts, and trains entertainment industry professionals to integrate bridge-building narratives into TV, film, and video games
Convening and Facilitation
Brings together leaders across divides for forums and initiatives using mediation tools to build trust and problem-solving capacity; includes day-long trainings, multi-day retreats, and personalized coaching
Purple Film Project
Distributes short films and discussion guides to museums, universities, congregations, and schools to model healthy conflict and promote empathy across divides
activities · 8 groups
What they do
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Conflict Mediation & Resolution Services 4 activities
- Facilitation and conflict resolution training for leaders across dividesProvides intensive training and hands-on coaching in conflict resolution and bridge-building through programs ranging from year-long cohorts to day-long workshops and 90-minute film screenings with skill-building components. These programs equip participants with actionable skills to facilitate productive conversations across differences, supported by live coaching and feedback.
- Specialized facilitation intensives for specific professional and faith communitiesConducts targeted facilitation intensives for higher education administrators, Jewish and Christian professionals, and entertainment industry storytellers to build capacity for courageous dialogue on polarizing issues. These programs include hands-on practice, coaching, and tailored frameworks for addressing conflict within specific institutional and cultural contexts.
- Train-the-trainers programs for sustained dissemination of toolsRuns “Train-the-Trainers” cohorts lasting seven or more months to prepare participants to teach and coach others in RTT’s communication framework and deliver its signature workshop to diverse audiences, ensuring long-term dissemination of bridge-building skills.
- Training and consultation for entertainment industry professionalsProvides training and consultation to TV showrunners, writers, and other entertainment industry professionals on shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Star Wars to integrate bridge-building practices into storytelling and foster empathy across social and political divides.
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Interfaith Dialogue & Peacebuilding 2 activities
- Capacity building for faith and denominational leadersPartners with national and regional denominational bodies and faith-based institutions across evangelical, historic Black church, mainline Protestant, Catholic, Muslim, and Jewish traditions to disseminate bridge-building tools and support faith leaders in creating inclusive spaces for discussing difficult issues.
- Convening leaders across ideological and religious dividesConvenes leaders from evangelical, Black and Brown, progressive, and other communities—particularly in Greater Buffalo—to build trust across differences, prevent violence, and solve shared problems through structured dialogue and collaborative problem-solving initiatives such as the Listening Campaign.
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Educator Training in Equity and Inclusion 2 activities
- Provision of educational resources for community leadersProvides educational resources and tools designed to support leaders and educators in fostering pluralism within their communities and networks, enabling broader replication of bridge-building practices.
- Support for higher education leaders in managing campus discourseEquips deans, DEI directors, chaplains, and other campus leaders with tools and human infrastructure to defuse tensions, build trust, and promote open inquiry in higher education settings through training, consultation, and program design.
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Israel and Jewish Heritage Educational Travel 1 activity
- Development and delivery of multivocal educational contentOffers multivocal educational sessions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict using a dual narrative approach to present multiple perspectives on core issues, fostering deeper understanding and dialogue across divides.
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Documentary Film Production 1 activity
- Distribution of educational media and discussion resourcesProduces and distributes the short film "Purple" and accompanying discussion guides to promote perspective-taking and collaboration across differences, reaching over 100,000 viewers across 49 states in universities, schools, religious communities, and government settings.
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Leadership & Policy Dialogue Forums 1 activity
- Expert talks and thought leadership on constructive dialogueDelivers expert talks and thought leadership on constructive dialogue and conflict transformation at colleges, think tanks, conferences, and cultural institutions to promote broader understanding of bridge-building practices.
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Program Evaluation and Impact Research 1 activity
- Research and impact assessment of bridge-building programsDevelops rigorous impact assessment tools and conducts pre/post and longitudinal surveys in collaboration with external research firms to measure shifts in consciousness, motivation, ability, and behavior among leaders and communities, demonstrating sustained improvements in addressing polarized divisions.
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Alumni Leadership and Career Support Programs 1 activity
- Scaling impact through sustained alumni engagementEnsures long-term impact by fostering sustained use of tools and skills among alumni, with 95% continuing to apply them five or more years after participation, leading to downstream impacts across institutions and sectors.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$8.27M
Contributions & grants$7.69M93%
Program service revenue$489K6%
Investment income$92K1%
Other revenue$1K
expenses
Total expenses$2.57M
Program expenses86%
Admin / overhead8%
Fundraising6%
Salaries & benefits$2.07M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$7.07M
Cash$2.84M
Investments$2.60M
Liabilities$115K
Net assets$6.96M
Liquid reserves25.4 mo
2 years on record · 2023–2024 · YoY revenue +536.5%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 2
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| MELISSA WEINTRAUB | DIRECTOR, CO-CEO | 40 | $91K |
| EYAL RABINOVITCH | SECRETARY, CO-CEO | 40 | $89K |
board members · 2
- LAURA MANDEL — DIRECTOR, TREASURER
- LISA LEPSON — DIRECTOR, CHAIR
relationships · 34
Who they work with
- Amblin Studios Partner — Collaborates with media leaders, including executives at Amblin Studios, to promote tools for cross-divide engagement in the entertainment industry.
- Amblin Studios Partner — Engages with RTT through executive participation in workshops focused on cross-divide storytelling and creative development.
- American University Hillel Partner — Provides training to staff at American University Hillel, supporting application of skills with students.
- Arizona State University Hillel Partner — Works with Jewish educators at ASU Hillel to apply RTT skills in teaching and pastoral settings.
- Center for Lifetime Study Partner — Partner organization whose executive director has participated in and endorsed RTT programming.
- Congregation, Los Angeles, CA Partner — Partners with a synagogue in Los Angeles to build internal capacity for ongoing dialogue using RTT tools.
- Council on Foundations Partner — Partnered to produce a report on conflict-to-collaboration case studies.
- Council on Foundations Partner — Trains leadership and training staff from the Council on Foundations in RTT’s facilitation framework.
- Damon Centola Partner — RTT's approach is informed by sociologist Damon Centola’s research on the spread of behavior and ideas through social networks.
- Deans at conservative Christian colleges Partner — Collaborates to enable communication and collaboration across political, racial, regional, and religious divides.
- East-Central ELCA Synod of Wisconsin Partner — Engages leaders from this synod in RTT workshops to support dialogue across divides in congregations.
- Georgetown University Partner — Trained administrators at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs.
- Hartman Institute Partner — Works with faculty from the Hartman Institute in dialogue and conflict transformation programming.
- Hebrew College Partner — Engages faculty from Hebrew College in dialogue training and programming.
- Impact Guild Partner — Collaborates with media and entertainment leaders, including co-founders of Impact Guild, to advance tools for bridging divides.
- Jewish Federation of Cleveland Partner — Engages leaders from the Jewish Federation of Cleveland in bridging divides training and leadership development.
- John Paul Lederach Partner — RTT's strategies are informed by the conflict transformation research of John Paul Lederach, particularly his theory of "critical yeast."
- Leading Edge Partner — Engages program directors from Leading Edge in RTT training programs.
- Liberty University Partner — Collaborates with faith leaders from Liberty University through RTT training programs.
- Literate Management & Production Company Partner — Partners with RTT through creative leadership participation in workshops on using storytelling to promote empathy and connection.
- New Pluralists Partner — Collaborated on a report about turning conflict into collaboration.
- NewGround Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change Partner — Collaborates with program leaders from NewGround Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change who have participated in RTT training.
- Pastor Dan Trippie Partner — Evangelical pastor in Buffalo, NY, collaborating with Resetting the Table on interfaith dialogue initiatives.
- Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement Partner — Collaborated on a report about turning conflict into collaboration.
- Swarthmore College Partner — Engaged student leaders in dialogue programs on Israel/Palestine.
- Television Academy Partner — Collaborates with RTT through participation in workshops and integrating bridge-building strategies into storytelling initiatives.
- University of California, Los Angeles Partner — Provided training to staff in the Medical School’s Justice, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion office and the Dialogue Across Differences Initiative.
- University of Washington Partner — Trained the JConnect Director in bridge-building facilitation skills.
- Yale University Partner — Collaborates with leaders from Yale University in restorative practices training and dialogue programming.
- award-winning journalists Partner — Collaborates to enable communication and collaboration across political, racial, regional, and religious divides.
+ 4 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.
- Going Toward the Heat: Conflict as a Path to Rehumanizationmethodology: going-toward-the-heatBy guiding participants to investigate differences directly rather than avoid conflict or seek common ground prematurely, we build trust and receptivity, because authentic engagement with divergence fosters deeper understanding and transforms rigidity.
- Integrated, Research-Backed Dialogue for Political and Faith-Based Dividesmethodology: evidence-based conflict engagementBy applying an evidence-based, integrated methodology combining mediation, peacebuilding, and trauma-informed practice, we transform polarization in high-tension settings, because structured, skilled facilitation enables safe engagement with politically and spiritually charged differences.
- Inter-Group Bridge-Building Through Relational Infrastructuremethodology: inter-group_bridge-buildingBy creating transformative encounters between opposing groups, we replace distrust with trust and foster shared community across divides, because sustained relational contact enables rehumanization and reduces polarization.
- Story-Exchange for Relational Trust Across Dividesmethodology: story-exchangeBy exchanging formative life stories, participants surface shared values and build relational trust, because personal narrative humanizes the "other" and creates a foundation for engaging difficult conversations.
- Tipping Point Change via Influential Norm-Shapersmethodology: social_contagion_through_influencersBy training influential individuals ("critical yeast") within communities to model bridge-building behaviors, we generate social contagion that shifts norms and narratives, because targeted influence from trusted leaders spreads more effectively than broad outreach.