Non-profit

Center for Story-Based Strategy (SmartMeme)

Website:

www.storybasedstrategy.org/

Location:

OAKLAND, CA

Tax ID:

20-1897585

Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2021):

Revenue: $1,981,299
Expenses: $1,295,608
Assets: $2,683,742

Type:

Nonprofit Consulting

Formation:

2002

Board President:

Reuben Hayslett

Budget (2022):

Revenue: $1,968,605
Expenses: $1,368,806
Assets: $2,961,906 1

References

  1. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). SmartMeme Inc. 2022.

Contact InfluenceWatch with suggested edits or tips for additional profiles.

Center for Story-Based Strategy (formerly SmartMeme) is a left-of-center organization that advises advocacy campaigns to create stories or narratives and to use literary elements to persuade individuals to support its advocacy and to disparage its political opponents. 1 It has aligned with environmentalist causes, signing a group letter alongside environmentalist groups promoting the Green New Deal and opposing nuclear energy. 2

In a December 2023 blog post about using the “Story-Based Strategy” to support the idea of defunding the police, Center for Story-Based Strategy Fellow Jesus Valenzuela stated that the campaign was required to be deliberate about what facts were included when presenting a narrative about the topic. He stated that narratives presented by campaigns should focus on information that aligns with real-world data. The blog post stated that support to reduce police budgets was gained by campaigning on specific facts and ideas that created a narrative more favorable to the policy. 3

Background

Center for Story-Based Strategy, formerly known as SmartMeme Inc., is a left-of-center organization that was founded in 2002. It provides trainings and advises left-wing organizations on how to use knowledge of literary elements to advance political narratives. 4

Principles

Center for Story-Based Strategy’s advocacy is based on far-left concepts on race and climate, with the organization operating under “Anti-Oppression Principles.” The Principles unify all left-wing issues under “holistic analysis,” vowing to “bring power analysis as a lens to all of our work.” The organization claims, “Racism is the single most critical barrier to building effective coalitions for social change” and states that it will “prioritize listening to elders, youth, women, queer folks, and people of color.” 5

The group further affirms that it is inspired by other left-wing organizations and statements of intention, including the “Principles of Environmental Justice,” 6 the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond’s Anti-Racist Principles, and Haymarket Peoples Fund. 7

Center for Story-Based Strategy states that the European Dissent Accountability Statement is one of the documents that guides its principles and advocacy. 8 The document is prefaced with a statement that all white people are racist and must accept that belief to “undo racism.” It states that to “undo racism,” white people should attend training that informs them on how they are perpetuating racism and maintain ongoing meetings with anti-racist organizations. It also mandates that supporters should recruit other white people to engage in anti-racism and to only follow Black leaders who align with the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond’s Anti-Racist Principles. 9

Center for Story-Based Strategy’s states that its environmental advocacy is guided by the Rainforest Action Network’s “Anti-Oppression Principles.” 10 The principles claim that environmental issues are equally connected to social and economic issues. As a result, it states that environmentalist advocacy should address social and economic issues, including from the perspective of people being oppressed by the existence of private companies. 11

Trainings

Center for Story-Based Strategy offers political advocacy trainings in which organizations and individuals are taught how to use elements of a story to promote or oppose narratives, depending on advocacy objectives. It explains different literary elements so that narratives promoted by political opponents can be criticized to delegitimize them. The trainings also teach individuals to create stories that persuade individuals to agree with a desired political objective. 12

It offers a four-hour training, for which individuals are charged between $100 and $300, depending on the budget of the organization with which they are affiliated. It also offers a four-day course that costs between $750 and $1,500, also depending on budget size. 13

The “Story-Based Strategy” advises activists to frame political issues in favor of their advocacy, to use language that is accessible and appealing to the target audience, and to incite emotional responses. 14

In 2022, Center for Story-Based Strategy reported spending $1.05 million to provide trainings, which were provided to over 300 individuals, and received $375,542 in revenue for its trainings, according to its tax returns. 15

Opposition to Nuclear Energy

Center for Story-based Strategy was one of more than 600 co-signing organizations on a January 2019 open letter to Congress titled “Legislation to Address the Urgent Threat of Climate Change.” The signatories declared their support for new laws to bring about “100 percent decarbonization” of the transportation sector but denounced nuclear power as an example of “dirty energy” that should not be included in any legislation promoting the use of so-called “renewable energy.” 16

Nuclear power plants produce no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas emissions, and as of 2021 accounted for 19 percent of American electricity production—the largest source of zero carbon electricity in the United States. 17 An October 2018 proposal from The Nature Conservancy noted that zero-carbon nuclear plants produced 7.8 percent of total world energy output and recommended reducing carbon emissions by increasing nuclear capacity to 33 percent of total world energy output. 18

Partner Organizations

Center for Story-Based Strategy’s website lists the following groups as its partner organizations: Climate Justice Alliance, New Economy Coalition, National Black Worker Center Project, Right to the City, Bay Rising, ETC Group, Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, Virginia Environmental Justice Coalition, and WhyHunger. 19

Financials

In 2022, Center for Story-Based Strategy reported receiving $1.9 million in total revenue, including $375,542 in program service revenue. 20 It also reported having $1.3 million in total expenses, including $1 million spent on employee salaries and compensation. 21

Leadership

Nayantara Sen is the executive director of Center for Story-Based Strategy. She previously worked as the senior director of field and funder learning at Pop Culture Collaborative, director of narrative and cultural strategies at Race Forward, and programs director at Food Culture Collective. 22

References

  1. “Story Based Strategy 101.” The Commons, July 25, 2023. https://commonslibrary.org/story-based-strategy-101/.
  2.  “Group letter to Congress urging Green New Deal passage.” Earthworks. January 10, 2019. Accessed July 27, 2023. https://www.earthworks.org/publications/group-letter-to-congress-urging-green-new-deal-passage/
  3. Valenzuela, Jesus. “Reimagining #defund the Police.” Center for Story-based Strategy, December 5, 2023. https://www.storybasedstrategy.org/blog-full/jesusvcasestudy.
  4. “Center for Story-Based Strategy.” LinkedIn. Accessed May 12, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/company/center-for-story-based-strategy/.
  5. “Anti-Oppression Principles.” Center for Story-based Strategy. Accessed May 12, 2024. https://www.storybasedstrategy.org/anti-oppression-principles.
  6. Principles of Environmental justice. Accessed May 12, 2024. https://www.ejnet.org/ej/principles.html.
  7. “Anti-Oppression Principles.” Center for Story-based Strategy. Accessed May 12, 2024. https://www.storybasedstrategy.org/anti-oppression-principles.
  8. “Anti-Oppression Principles.” Center for Story-based Strategy. Accessed May 12, 2024. https://www.storybasedstrategy.org/anti-oppression-principles.
  9. “European Dissent Accountability Statement.” European Dissent Accountability Statement | A Katrina Reader. Accessed May 12, 2024. https://katrinareader.cwsworkshop.org/node/454.html.
  10. “Anti-Oppression Principles.” Center for Story-based Strategy. Accessed May 12, 2024. https://www.storybasedstrategy.org/anti-oppression-principles.
  11. “Anti-Oppression Principles.” Rainforest Action Network. Accessed May 12, 2024. https://www.ran.org/anti_oppression/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw0YGyBhByEiwAQmBEWpL2pibH2s3JqGmEPV9DWs8Q7ene6eqqY1vNAH4FbQ5d6KEWF8flOxoCVnsQAvD_BwE.
  12.  “Story-Based Strategy.” Center for Story-based Strategy. Accessed May 12, 2024. https://www.storybasedstrategy.org/what-is-storybased-strategy.
  13. “Live Trainings.” Center for Story-based Strategy. Accessed May 12, 2024. https://www.storybasedstrategy.org/live-trainings.
  14. “Story-Based Strategy.” Center for Story-based Strategy. Accessed May 12, 2024. https://www.storybasedstrategy.org/what-is-storybased-strategy.
  15. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). SmartMeme Inc. 2022. Part III.
  16. “Group letter to Congress urging Green New Deal passage.” Earthworks. January 10, 2019. Accessed July 27, 2023. https://www.earthworks.org/publications/group-letter-to-congress-urging-green-new-deal-passage/
  17. “Nuclear explained.” U.S. Energy Information Administration. Accessed July 25, 2023. https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/nuclear/us-nuclear-industry.php
  18. “The Science of Sustainability.” The Nature Conservancy. October 13, 2018. Accessed July 25, 2023. https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/the-science-of-sustainability/
  19. “Partners.” Center for Story-based Strategy. Accessed May 12, 2024. https://www.storybasedstrategy.org/partners.
  20. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). SmartMeme Inc. 2022. Part I, Lines 9-12.
  21. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). SmartMeme Inc. 2022. Part I, Lines 15-18.
  22. “Staff.” Center for Story-based Strategy. Accessed May 12, 2024. https://www.storybasedstrategy.org/staff.
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: July - June
  • Tax Exemption Received: September 1, 2006

  • 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
    2021 Jul Form 990 $1,981,299 $1,295,608 $2,683,742 $545,479 N $1,301,714 $677,386 $0 $178,071
    2020 Jul Form 990 $1,843,727 $1,239,359 $1,842,700 $390,128 N $1,478,597 $360,527 $3,584 $167,520 PDF
    2019 Jul Form 990 $1,121,149 $1,195,366 $983,527 $135,323 N $823,499 $296,844 $132 $210,254 PDF
    2018 Jul Form 990 $1,095,990 $1,067,567 $987,000 $64,579 N $738,228 $355,881 $82 $151,118 PDF
    2017 Jul Form 990 $1,018,197 $723,040 $954,747 $60,749 N $701,181 $313,016 $0 $109,553 PDF
    2016 Jul Form 990 $846,790 $717,080 $661,837 $62,996 N $618,669 $226,466 $41 $59,450 PDF
    2015 Jul Form 990 $725,405 $631,174 $555,653 $86,522 N $655,457 $69,887 $48 $63,650 PDF
    2014 Jul Form 990 $504,340 $451,940 $418,601 $43,701 N $397,049 $107,267 $24 $81,617 PDF
    2013 Jul Form 990 $594,978 $498,423 $379,100 $56,600 N $447,497 $147,468 $13 $102,417 PDF
    2012 Jul Form 990 $562,542 $428,373 $279,715 $53,770 N $450,445 $112,080 $17 $98,400 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    Center for Story-Based Strategy (SmartMeme)

    654 13TH ST STE 2
    OAKLAND, CA 94612-1074