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Non-profit

Causa Justa Just Cause 9 (CJJC)

Website:

cjjc.org/
Location:

OAKLAND, CA
Tax ID:

55-0883038
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2023):

Revenue: $2,529,887
Expenses: $2,327,906
Assets: $5,112,277
Type:

Tenant and Immigration Community Organizing
Formation:

2010
Executive Director:

Shaketa Redden

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Causa Justa Just Cause (CJJC) was a former left-of-center community-organizing nonprofit focused on housing policy, tenant advocacy, voter mobilization, youth empowerment, and immigrant issues primarily for Black and Latino low-income residents of the San Francisco Bay Area. 1  2

CJJC permanently closed at the end of 2024 due to difficulty in hiring and retaining staff and maintaining momentum within its community organizing efforts. CJJC distributed its remaining resources and funds to partner organizations. 3

Activities

Housing and Tenant Advocacy

Causa Justa Just Cause opposed gentrification and “displacement,” blaming the practices for the racial and economic disparities that racial minorities faced within the San Franciso Bay Area. 4 CJJC contributed to the passage of more than a dozen tenant ordinances. 1 CJJC partnered with the Right to the City Alliance (RTTC), a group of nearly 90 left-leaning advocacy groups involved in tenant organizing, which also created the Homes for All campaign. 4

CJJC advocated for government regulations of housing, rent control with restrictions around rent increases, and limitations on the percentage of upgrade costs that could be passed on to tenants. 5

CJJC regularly held “tenant rights clinics” that were modeled after the service approach of the Black Panther Party. It also connected left-leaning organizations across the Bay Area and California, including Oakland Rising, San Francisco Rising, and Bay Resistance, all organizations that claimed to respond to discrimination caused during the first Trump administration. 2

Immigration Advocacy

Causa Justa Just Cause worked on immigration-related advocacy, including supporting sanctuary city policies in both San Francisco and Oakland, and limiting cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on immigration holds. 1

History

Causa Justa Just Cause was the result of several mergers of San Francisco Bay Area groups, including Just Cause Oakland and St. Peter’s Housing Committee in 2010, and then POWER, an economic justice group, in 2015. 3

Financials

In 2023, Causa Justa Just Cause reported $1,825,086 in total revenues, approximately 58 percent of which derived from government grants. 6

In 2020, CJJC was selected by the Levi Strauss Foundation, the left-leaning philanthropic arm of Levi Strauss & Co. clothing company, for its Pioneers 2020 program. 2 The Pioneers 2020 program was an effort by the Levi Strauss Foundation to support and fund “frontline grassroots leaders.” The Levi Strauss Foundation allocated $3.6 million to fund the initiative. 7

The San Francisco Foundation, one of the nation’s largest community foundations, allocated $140,000 in 2023 8 and $360,000 in 2022 to CJJC. 9

The California Endowment, a left-leaning grantmaking organization, allocated $253,000 in 2024, 10 $250,000 in 2023, 11 $250,000 in 2022, 12 $250,000 in 2021,  13 and $235,000 in 2020 to CJJC. 14

The Stupski Foundation, a left-leaning philanthropic foundation focused on health, food, and education, allocated $250,000 in 2023to CJJC. 15

Leadership

At the time of Causa Justa Just Cause’s closing, Shaketa Redden was the executive director; she received $103,701 in compensation. 16

Dawn Phillips was the co-director of programs at CJJC while serving as the chair of the steering committee of the Right to the City Alliance. 4 As of January 2026, she is the executive director of the Alliance 17 and was one of the organization’s founding members. Phillips is a career community organizer. 18

References

  1. “Finding Aid to the Causa Justa/Just Cause Organizational Records, 1996-2017.” Ethnic Studies Library – University of Berkeley. 2019. Accessed January 15, 2026. https://eslibrary.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/cjjcfindingaid.final_.pdf
  2. “Causa Justa::Just Cause’s Vanessa Moses – A New Role + Energy For the Fight.” Levi Strauss & Co. December 18, 2017. Accessed January 15, 2026. https://www.levistrauss.com/2017/12/18/causa-justa-justice-centers-vanessa-moses-new-role-new-energy-fight/
  3. Orenstein, Natalie. “Causa Justa Closing After 22 Years of Tenant Organizing in Oakland and SF.” The Oaklandside. December 6, 2024. Accessed January 15, 2026. https://oaklandside.org/2024/12/06/causa-justa-closing-tenant-organizing-oakland-sf/#:~:text=Causa%20Justa/Just%20Cause%20(CJJC)%20is%20a%20Bay,**Immigration%20rights**%20Working%20on%20immigration%20rights%20campaigns
  4. Phillips, Dawn. “We Will Not Be Moved.” Reimagine. Accessed January 15, 2026. https://www.reimaginerpe.org/20-1/phillipsMAY?qt-archive_covers=0
  5. Kane, Will. “Oakland Landlords, Tenant Groups Reach Deal on Rental Upgrades.” SFGate. March 19, 2014. Accessed January 15, 2026. https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/oakland-landlords-tenant-groups-reach-deal-on-5329688.php
  6. Causa Justa Just Cause, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2023, Part VIII, Line e. Accessed January 15, 2026. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/550883038/202540369349301619/full
  7. “Funding the Frontlines of Social Change.” Levi Strauss & Co. Accessed January 15, 2026. https://www.levistrauss.com/values-in-action/levi-strauss-foundation_old/pioneers-2020/
  8. The San Francisco Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2023, Schedule I, Part II. Accessed January 18, 2026. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/10679337/202541339349302554/full
  9. The San Francisco Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2022, Schedule I, Part II. Accessed January 18, 2026. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/10679337/202431359349311628/full
  10. The California Endowment, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2024, Part XIV, 3, a. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/954523232/202523179349103557/full
  11. The California Endowment, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2023, Part XIV, 3, a. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/954523232/202540449349100304/full
  12. The California Endowment, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2022, Part XIV, 3, a. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/954523232/202420469349100607/full
  13. The California Endowment, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2021, Part XIV, 3, a. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/954523232/202300459349100400/full
  14. The California Endowment, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2020, Part XIV, 3, a. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/954523232/202200419349100325/full
  15. Stupski Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2023, Part XIV, 3, a. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/680397103/202403209349108340/full
  16. Causa Justa Just Cause, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2023, Part VII, 1a. Accessed January 15, 2026. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/550883038/202540369349301619/full
  17. Pollio, Mike; Delaney, Will; Phillips, Dawn; and Deguzman, Lorraine. “It’s Time for Funders to Put Their Money Behind Community Ownership.” Next City. March 17, 2025. Accessed January 15, 2025. https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/its-time-for-funders-to-put-their-money-behind-community-ownership
  18. Dawn Phillips. Convergence. Accessed January 15, 2025. https://convergencemag.com/authors/dawn-phillips/
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: June - May
  • Tax Exemption Received: November 1, 2004

    • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2023 Jun Form 990 $2,529,887 $2,327,906 $5,112,277 $1,116,693 N $2,482,410 $3,250 $39,411 $105,534
    2022 Jun Form 990 $1,904,716 $2,512,175 $4,190,420 $396,817 N $1,855,926 $32,500 $8,704 $104,168 PDF
    2021 Jun Form 990 $3,483,728 $2,871,332 $4,981,855 $649,438 N $3,416,124 $43,333 $12,206 $260,149
    2020 Jun Form 990 $2,346,820 $2,623,812 $4,598,535 $878,514 N $2,245,935 $68,028 $18,839 $159,721 PDF
    2019 Jun Form 990 $3,870,086 $2,501,152 $4,295,269 $298,256 N $3,727,180 $91,650 $23,574 $145,908 PDF
    2018 Jun Form 990 $2,384,486 $2,595,499 $2,924,379 $296,300 N $2,203,618 $166,840 $17,204 $143,832 PDF
    2017 Jun Form 990 $1,484,446 $1,355,830 $3,242,645 $403,553 N $1,417,107 $56,225 $0 $134,915 PDF
    2016 Dec Form 990 $3,231,395 $2,637,181 $2,842,573 $132,097 N $3,186,059 $26,851 $0 $123,074 PDF
    2015 Dec Form 990 $3,113,710 $2,154,394 $2,306,445 $190,183 N $2,989,222 $60,934 $0 $138,005 PDF
    2014 Dec Form 990 $2,321,422 $1,930,615 $1,366,635 $209,689 N $2,268,380 $31,765 $0 $107,429 PDF
    2013 Dec Form 990 $1,565,418 $1,831,479 $1,001,274 $235,135 N $1,532,694 $7,150 $0 $116,032 PDF
    2012 Dec Form 990 $1,574,723 $1,371,439 $1,012,489 $94,758 N $1,547,866 $25,780 $0 $105,769 PDF
    2011 Dec Form 990 $1,460,013 $1,166,998 $807,113 $92,666 N $1,452,817 $6,631 $0 $107,706 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    Causa Justa Just Cause 9 (CJJC)

    PO BOX 3596
    OAKLAND, CA 94609-0596