Logo for InfluenceWatch InfluenceWatch

Donate
Non-profit

Just Associates (JASS)

Website:

justassociates.org
Location:

WASHINGTON, DC
Tax ID:

06-1597668
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2021):

Revenue: $4,343,292
Expenses: $6,185,040
Assets: $26,815,142
Type:

Left-of-center Activist Organization
Formation:

2003
Executive Director:

Shereen Essof

Contact InfluenceWatch with suggested edits or tips for additional profiles.

Just Associates (JASS) is an international feminist activist organization that operates in the United States, Central America, the Netherlands, Southern Africa, and Southeast Asia. 1 Built upon the theory that collective power can be leveraged to “create fundamental change,” 2 JASS works to organize transnational activists movements that focus on a variety of left-of-center causes including abortion advocacy, sex work, anti-racism, environmental justice, and LGBT issues.

Though formally based in Washington, D.C., JASS has staff around the world. 3 Executive director Shereen Essof is based in Zimbabwe, 4 though she previously worked as a feminist activist in Cape Town, South Africa, focusing on “the gendered nature of neo-liberal, patriarchal systems” and how to “imagine and organize towards alternatives.” 5

Founding and History

Just Associates was founded in 2003 when a collection of activists and members of academia from 20 countries joined together to offer fee-for-service training to international organizations and activists groups aligned with left-of-center causes. 6

The group now operates in 26 countries including the United States, the Netherlands, Mexico, Kenya, South Africa, Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia. 7 JASS helps organize movements based on the principles of feminism and gender theory. 8 JASS also has programming to train women activists, 9 to build connections between left-of-center groups across the globe, 10 and to influence policymaking within the countries where it operates. 11 The organization operates a mobilization fund that seeds money to activists and advocacy groups. 12

Activism

Just Associates advocates in favor of a variety of left-wing positions in the countries where it operates. The organization expresses strong support for abortion and increasing women’s access to abortion clinics at any stage of pregnancy. The organization calls for “abortion on demand, without apology or explanation, for all people who want or need them.” 13

JASS also proactively supports prostitution through advocacy for so-called sex work, calling for protection of the human rights of people to sell sex for profit. 14

Even while supporting the monetization and marketing of sex, JASS nonetheless states that it rejects capitalism. 15

JASS works in favor of what it calls anti-racism, the theory that it is not enough to refrain from judging people on the basis of their race, but that people must remove systems of racism that pervade all aspects of society. 16 The organization links its advocacy for anti-racism to the plight of “women, LGBTIQ people, sex workers, migrants, refugees, and other excluded people.” 17

One of JASS’s top concerns is environmental justice, 18 and it supports the theory that extreme weather events are the direct results of climate change. 19

Other advocacy efforts of JASS focus on LGBT issues, 20 gender justice, 21 and HIV. 22

Funding

According to its 2021 990 Form, Just Associates reported nearly $27 million in net assets, largely in part to significant donations from other organizations. 23  In 2020,  JASS received $1 million from the Ford Foundation, one of the largest foundations in the United States that gives significant sums to left-wing organizations. JASS also received over $13 million from Power Up, 24 an organization that trains people in computer science. 25

Other funders of JASS include George Soros’s Open Society Fund; NoVo Foundation, founded by Peter Buffett, which supports groups that advocate for abortion, LGBT interests, and liberal economics; and Oak Foundation, a left-leaning environmentalist grantmaking foundation. 26

In 2022, JASS was also the recipient of a grant from Mackenzie Scott, formerly Mackenzie Bezos, 27 the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and a major supporter of left-wing organizations and political movements such as Black Lives Matter 28 and Planned Parenthood. 29

References

  1. “Where We Are.” JASS: Just Power. Accessed April 14, 2022.  https://justassociates.org/where-we-are/.
  2. “Change Theory.” JASS: Just Power. Accessed April 14, 2022. https://justassociates.org/who-we-are/change-theory/.
  3. “Teams and Leadership.” JASS: Just Power. Accessed April 14, 2022. https://justassociates.org/who-we-are/teams-and-leadership/.
  4. “Teams and Leadership.” JASS: Just Power. Accessed April 14, 2022. https://justassociates.org/who-we-are/teams-and-leadership/.
  5. “Shereen Essoff.” Forward Together. Accessed April 14, 2022. https://forwardtogether.org/people/shereen-essof/.
  6. “History.” JASS: Just Power. Accessed April 14, 2022. https://justassociates.org/who-we-are/history/.
  7. “Where We Are.” JASS: Just Power. Accessed April 14, 2022.  https://justassociates.org/where-we-are/.
  8. “Influence Policy and Practice.” JASS: Just Power. Accessed April 14, 2022. https://justassociates.org/strategies-we-use/influence-policy-and-practice/.
  9.  “Develop Women Leaders.” JASS: Just Power. Accessed April 14, 2022. https://justassociates.org/strategies-we-use/develop-women-leaders/.
  10. “Build Cross-Movement Networks/” JASS: Just Power. Accessed April 14, 2022. https://justassociates.org/strategies-we-use/build-cross-movement-networks/.
  11. “Influence Policy and Practice.” JASS: Just Power. Accessed April 14, 2022. https://justassociates.org/strategies-we-use/influence-policy-and-practice/.
  12. “JASS Mobilization Fund.” JASS: Just Power. Accessed April 14, 2022. https://justassociates.org/all-resources/jass-mobilization-fund/.
  13. “Fighting for Abortion Access amid Bans & Gag Rules.” JASS: Just Power. July 11, 2019. Accessed April 14, 2022. https://justassociates.org/blog/fighting-abortion-access-amid-bans-gag-rules/.
  14. JASS – Just Associates [@jass4justice]. “Tweet Message.” Twitter. March 16, 2022. https://twitter.com/jass4justice/status/1504081893238616072.
  15. JASS – Just Associates [@jass4justice]. “Tweet Message.” Twitter. March 30, 2022. https://twitter.com/jass4justice/status/1509173677010546689?cxt=HHwWgsCrqdPd1PEpAAAA.
  16. “Why Anti-Racist Struggles Are Critical for Our Liberation.” JASS: Just Power. March 21, 2022. Accessed April 14, 2022. https://justassociates.org/blog/anti-racist-struggles-critical-for-liberation/.
  17. “Why Anti-Racist Struggles Are Critical for Our Liberation.” JASS: Just Power. March 21, 2022. Accessed April 14, 2022. https://justassociates.org/blog/anti-racist-struggles-critical-for-liberation/.
  18.  “Change Theory.” JASS: Just Power. March 7, 2022. Accessed April 14, 2022. https://justassociates.org/who-we-are/change-theory/.
  19. “Caution Women Are Crossing the Line.” JASS: Just Power. Accessed April 14, 2022. https://justassociates.org/caution-women-are-crossing-the-line/.
  20. “Why Anti-Racist Struggles Are Critical for Our Liberation.” JASS: Just Power. March 21, 2022. Accessed April 14, 2022. https://justassociates.org/blog/anti-racist-struggles-critical-for-liberation/.
  21. “Just Power.” JASS: Just Power.” Accessed April 14, 2022. https://justassociates.org/who-we-are/just-power/
  22. “Stigma & Discrimination Kill The Soul: What We Learnt From HIV & AIDS.” Just Power (JASS), August  1, 2020. https://justassociates.org/stigma-discrimination-kill-the-soul-what-we-learnt-from-hiv-aids/
  23. “Just Associates, Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). 2021. Part 1 https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/61597668/202223199349322477/full
  24. “Financial Statements: Just Associates, Inc for the year ended December 31, 2020 with Summarized Financial Information for 2019.” GFRCPA. June 30, 2021. p. 15
  25. “PowerUp.org. Powerup.org. Accessed April 14, 2022. https://www.powerup.org/.
  26. “Financial Statements: Just Associates, Inc for the year ended December 31, 2020 with Summarized Financial Information for 2019.” GFRCPA. June 30, 2021. p. 15
  27. Scott, Mackenzie. “Helping Any of Us Can Help Us All.” Medium. March 23, 2022. Accessed April 11, 2022. https://mackenzie-scott.medium.com/helping-any-of-us-can-help-us-all-f4c7487818d9
  28. Hasson, Peter. “MacKenzie Bezos Reveals Donation To Movement For Black Lives, Which Wants to Abolish Police, Prisons.” Daily Caller New Foundation. July 28, 2020. https://dailycaller.com/2020/07/28/mackenzie-bezos-movement-black-lives-abolish-police-prisons/.
  29. Scott, Mackenzie. “Helping Any of Us Can Help Us All.” Medium. March 23, 2022. Accessed April 11, 2022. https://mackenzie-scott.medium.com/helping-any-of-us-can-help-us-all-f4c7487818d9.
  See an error? Let us know!

Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: January 1, 2001

    • 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 Dec Form 990 $4,343,292 $6,185,040 $26,815,142 $756,568 N $3,794,220 $537,990 $4,681 $302,634
    2020 Dec Form 990 $26,451,791 $3,536,719 $28,291,286 $390,964 N $26,169,643 $242,318 $16,338 $230,970
    2019 Dec Form 990 $1,242,966 $3,176,971 $5,401,596 $407,894 N $961,635 $265,426 $7,608 $132,471 PDF
    2018 Dec Form 990 $4,852,831 $3,559,737 $7,071,869 $192,739 N $4,742,726 $83,931 $2,073 $113,340 PDF
    2017 Dec Form 990 $939,892 $3,052,770 $5,856,896 $183,578 N $815,671 $98,071 $2,426 $111,110 PDF
    2016 Dec Form 990 $1,904,303 $3,110,523 $7,888,562 $123,273 N $1,855,703 $959 $283 $122,742 PDF
    2015 Dec Form 990 $10,042,153 $2,386,692 $9,043,804 $55,996 N $10,010,692 $26,180 $228 $95,011 PDF
    2014 Dec Form 990 $1,410,549 $2,715,725 $1,485,039 $139,453 N $1,407,578 $0 $2,516 $112,493 PDF
    2013 Dec Form 990 $1,074,450 $2,553,765 $2,742,100 $81,603 N $1,072,095 $244 $2,111 $138,136 PDF
    2012 Dec Form 990 $3,963,379 $1,992,665 $4,265,594 $78,559 N $3,957,576 $2,505 $3,298 $110,833 PDF
    2011 Dec Form 990 $1,824,778 $1,652,305 $2,223,637 $59,568 N $1,821,923 $0 $2,855 $101,952 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    Just Associates (JASS)

    2040 S ST NW STE 203
    WASHINGTON, DC 20009-7124