named programs · 4 · from sources
What they call their work
Candidate Endorsements
Endorses and supports progressive candidates for local office, including school board and Common Council positions
Civic Engagement & Education
Conducts community outreach, voter education, and narrative change efforts to increase resident participation in local democracy
Issue-Based Campaigns
Organizes around key local issues including housing justice, police accountability, school board elections, and municipal budget oversight
Who Rules Buffalo?
Produces and distributes a political education resource analyzing Buffalo’s local power structure and governance
activities · 4 groups
What they do
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Civil Rights Advocacy & Litigation 2 activities
- Advocacy for racial, social, and economic justice through policy and systems changeWorks to advance racial, social, and economic justice in Buffalo by advocating for systemic changes and equitable policies, including fair district maps, city charter reforms, and opposition to regressive budget proposals.
- Grassroots organizing and public advocacy campaigns on local governance and equity issuesOrganizes and leads city-wide campaigns on issues including police surveillance funding, housing justice, and corporate accountability, such as opposing ShotSpotter funding and organizing rallies against developer practices at Richardson Hotel and Hyatt Regency.
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LGBTQ+ Community Events and Celebrations 1 activity
- Direct support for community outreach and event operationsProvides logistical and material support during community events, including distributing free shirts at Pride Parade, using portable chargers, walkie-talkies, wagons, sidewalk chalk, and trash bags to facilitate communication, transportation, messaging, and site cleanup.
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Labor-Backed Candidate Endorsements & Electoral Support 1 activity
- Progressive candidate endorsement and political campaign supportEndorses and supports progressive candidates for local office, including mayoral, school board, and Common Council campaigns, and played a role in electing Buffalo’s mayor; also provided informal consultation to state-level campaigns opposing neoliberal policies.
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Urban Policy and Equity Research 1 activity
- Research and publication on Buffalo’s power structure and fiscal policiesConducts and publishes research analyzing Buffalo’s political economy, including a report on the city’s power structure and an analysis of tax revenue, culminating in the publication of the book "Who Rules Buffalo?" as a civic education resource.
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financials · form 990EZ · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$39K
Contributions & grants$39K100%
Program service revenue——
Investment income$20%
Other revenue—
expenses
Total expenses$65K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits—
Grants paid out—
balance sheet
Total assets$7K
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$7K
2 years on record · 2023–2024 · YoY revenue -59.7%
relationships · 11
Who they work with
- Amazon Partner — Platform used to source essential supplies for outreach events
- Buffalo residents Coalition — Residents are organized as coalition members to advance racial, social, and economic justice.
- Delaware North Partner — Engaged in public protest against labor practices of Delaware North
- India Walton Partner — Endorsed and supported in political campaign.
- India Walton Partner — Supported India Walton's campaign for Mayor of Buffalo.
- Jen Mecozzi Partner — Supported Jen Mecozzi's re-election campaign for Buffalo School Board.
- Kathryn Franco Partner — Endorsed Kathryn Franco's campaign for Buffalo Common Council.
- Movement Generation Partner — Organization whose Just Transition framework has informed OCAB's strategic thinking around governance.
- Our City Buffalo Partner — Collaborates on the publication of "Who Rules Buffalo?" and related organizing resources.
- Sean Ryan Partner — Supported the mayoral campaign of Sean Ryan as part of its electoral advocacy work.
- www.ourcitybuffalo.com Network — Related website used for organizing and information sharing.
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.
- Community-Led Systems Changemethodology: community-led advocacyBy organizing Buffalo residents into a collective coalition, the organization drives policy and systemic change, because resident-led movements build authentic power and produce more sustainable equity outcomes than top-down reforms.
- Just Transition Governance Buildingmethodology: just_transition_frameworkBy applying the Just Transition framework, the organization strengthens community governance capacity as a foundation for structural change, because equitable systems must be co-created through democratic community control rather than imposed reforms.
- Member-Driven Organizing Modelmethodology: member-drivenBy centering member participation in campaign design and governance, the organization sustains long-term engagement and effectiveness, because community ownership increases accountability and legitimacy in advocacy work.
- Power Analysis and Narrative Changemethodology: power-structure-analysisBy researching local power structures and shifting public narratives, the organization weakens entrenched systems of inequity, because understanding and reframing power dynamics enables marginalized communities to claim political agency.