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CENTER FOR POPULAR DEMOCRACY ACTION FUND INC

BROOKLYN, NY · EIN 453860271 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE B99 · Education · Medium ($1M-$10M) · cpdaction.org
revenue
$2.8M
expenses
$3.1M
net assets
$2.2M
employees
104
volunteers
9
program ratio
84%
mission · from form 990

BUILD A REPRESENTATIVE, MULTIRACIAL SOCIETY AND GOVERNMENT WHERE ALL THRIVE, NO EXCEPTIONS.

profile · synthesized from sources

Center for Popular Democracy Action Fund Inc. builds power in low-income communities and communities of color by supporting a national network of grassroots organizations. It focuses on base-building, civic engagement, and policy campaigns around housing, worker protections, racial justice, and democratic participation. The organization provides field organizing, data tools, leadership training, and campaign coordination across the U.S.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $644K
    CANVASS NETWORK: CPDA'S CANVASS LLC PROVIDES DIRECT FIELD CAPACITY TO OUR NETWORK OF ORGANIZATIONS AND HELPS THEM BUILD THEIR MEMBERSHIP AND LEADERSHIP. CPDA'S ORGANIZERS AND TRAINERS WORK ALONGSIDE AFFILIATE LEADERS TO ACHIEVE OUR COLLECTIVE GOALS OF GROWING OUR SHARED BASE, DEVELOPING THE LEADERSHIP OF IMPACTED PEOPLE, AND INCREASING THE MOVEMENT'S RESILIENCE AND IMPACT OVER TIME. IN 2024, THE CANVASS LLC CALLED 1,275 VOTERS IN KEY STATES ON VOTER PROTECTIONS AND HOUSING ISSUES.
  2. #2 $309K
    DATA: IN 2024 CPDA EXPANDED THE LOUISE JEFFERSON INITIATIVE (LJI), A SERIES OF STATE HEAT MAPS THAT USE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA FROM THE VOTER FILE (RACE, REGISTRATION STATUS, ISSUE SCORING, ETC.) TO VISUALIZE OUR COMMUNITIES. THESE MAPS INCLUDE DISTRICT BOUNDARY LINES FOR THE US HOUSE, UPPER AND LOWER CHAMBERS OF STATE LEGISLATURES, AND VOTING PRECINCTS ALONGSIDE OTHER DENSITY MAPS THAT CAN HELP US DEVELOP CAMPAIGNS AND CRAFT MESSAGING. WE HAVE COMPLETED MAPS FOR 15 STATES AND HAVE TRAINED AFFILIATES IN THOSE AREAS TO USE THE MAP EFFECTIVELY. OUR DATA TEAM ALSO PROVIDES ADDITIONAL SUPPORT TO OUR AFFILIATES AND ACCESS TO ADDITIONAL DATA TOOLS.
named programs · 6 · from sources

What they call their work

Basebuilding Program
Supports affiliate organizations in building membership and leadership in communities impacted by structural racism and capitalism through political trainings, member acquisition, and train-the-trainer models
Campaigns Program
Runs national and local campaigns with network affiliates on issues including affordable housing, worker protections, immigrant rights, and criminal justice reform, aiming for policy victories
Canvass Network
Provides direct field organizing capacity to affiliate organizations through remote phone and text outreach, voter contact, and leadership development; supports membership growth and collective action
Civic Engagement Program
Conducts year-round voter outreach, registration, and education in BIPOC and working-class communities, using culturally competent messaging and data tools to increase participation
Louise Jefferson Initiative (LJI)
Produces state-level demographic heat maps using voter file data to support campaign planning, messaging, and targeting in key districts and precincts
Network Management Program
Provides technical assistance, coaching, and coordination to a national network of 48 affiliate organizations in areas including data, organizing, and leadership development
activities · 4 groups

What they do

  • Civic Engagement and Voter Mobilization 2 activities
    • Direct voter engagement and mobilization
      Conducted large-scale voter outreach in 2020, including over 31 million calls, 12 million texts, two million door knocks, 200,000 voter registrations, and 150,000 vote-by-mail signups.
    • Support for frontline organizers in electoral advocacy
      Prepares frontline organizers for electoral engagement, including voter outreach and advocacy around voter protections, in advance of the 2026 midterms.
  • Housing Policy Advocacy & Tenant Organizing 1 activity
    • Advocacy for housing policy and tenant protections
      Engages in advocacy campaigns focused on housing policy, including winning policy victories that impact millions of renters through tenant protections and affordable housing initiatives.
  • Volunteer and Professional Training Programs 1 activity
    • Capacity building for affiliate organizations
      Provides training, coaching, technical assistance, and strategic convenings to strengthen organizing, data management, and member leadership across affiliate organizations; hosted 120 training events with over 1,400 attendees and convened over 1,200 participants at the 2023 People's Convention.
  • Uncategorized 1 activity
    • Development and dissemination of demographic research tools
      Expanded the Louise Jefferson Initiative in 2024 by creating demographic heat maps for 15 states and training affiliates to use them for campaign development and messaging.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$2.77M
Contributions & grants$1.36M49%
Program service revenue$1.19M43%
Investment income$225K8%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$3.15M
Program expenses84%
Admin / overhead11%
Fundraising4%
Salaries & benefits$1.11M
Grants paid out$687K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$3.72M
Cash$2.01M
Investments$1.44M
Liabilities$1.52M
Net assets$2.21M
Liquid reserves13.2 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +44.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 3
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
DAMAREO COOPER CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 6 $38K
ANALILIA MEJIA CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 5 $35K
JENNIFER FREEDMAN CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER 2 $13K
board members · 9
  • BRANDEN SNYDER — BOARD MEMBER
  • BRIANNA BROWN — BOARD MEMBER
  • CHRISTINA LIVINGSTON — BOARD CHAIR
  • DEBBIE SOTO — BOARD SECRETARY (THROUGH JANUARY)
  • GUSTAVO TORRES — BOARD MEMBER
  • MAURICE MITCHELL — BOARD TREASURER
  • REYNA LOPEZ — BOARD MEMBER (THRU AUG); SECRETARY
  • ROB SOLANO — BOARD VICE CHAIR
  • THEO OSHIRO — BOARD MEMBER
relationships · 3

Who they work with

  • CENTER FOR POPULAR DEMOCRACY Partner — Collaborated on civic engagement efforts including making over 31 million voter contacts in 2020.
  • Instagram Partner — Uses Instagram to share updates from its network and engage supporters.
  • Popular Democracy in Action Network — Member of the Popular Democracy in Action network engaged in collective political action.
strategies · 4

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.

  • Collective Base-Building for Political Power
    methodology: collective_base_building
    By providing direct field capacity to affiliate organizations and co-developing membership and leadership with impacted communities, we build collective power that increases movement resilience and political impact, because grassroots ownership and shared strategy produce more sustainable and effective advocacy.
  • Coordinated Collective Action Networks
    methodology: collective_action_networks
    By engaging in coordinated action with network partners, we amplify political and social change efforts, because aligned movements with shared goals and strategies achieve greater systemic impact than isolated organizations.
  • Layered Civic Engagement to Build Trust
    methodology: layered_civic_engagement
    By combining services navigation, issue advocacy, and voter education through year-round, culturally competent outreach, we build durable community trust and engagement, because repeated, multifaceted interactions deepen relationships and increase civic participation more than transactional or episodic efforts.
  • Narrative Power to Shift Public Vision
    methodology: narrative_power_building
    By shaping public narratives that center working-class communities, we advance a transformative political vision, because cultural storytelling and message leadership can shift public perception and create space for structural policy change.