Momentum

Momentum Community has been called “a Hogwarts for organizers” by VICE due to its status as a “nonprofit for nonprofits” and for the way it has trained activists to support left-of-center political movements including the “defund the police” movement in 2020 and the campaign to support the Green New Deal. ³

Momentum has trained activists for left-of-center nonprofits, including MoveOn.org and Justice Democrats, as well as the presidential campaigns of Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). Momentum encourages tactics that promote a focus on grabbing headlines through heckling and obstructionist protests at public political events. ⁴

History and Background

Momentum Community is a nonprofit incubator that claims to provide training programs for clients in activist tactics and communications strategies. ¹ Its stated purpose is to challenge “the institutions and policies that uphold capitalism, white supremacy, and patriarchy.” ²

Momentum has provided training for activists connected to left-of-center organizations including Moveon.org and Justice Democrats. In addition, it has provided training to staff for the campaigns of Democrat members of Congress including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). ⁴

The organization was created in 2014 by former Occupy Wall Street activist and Justice Democrats staffer Max Berger; Wisconsin Uprising participant and immigration rights activist Kate Werning; immigration activist and United We Dream staffer Maria Fernanda Cabello; Occupy activists Mimi Hitzemann, Guido Girgenti, and Nicole Carty; and climate activist Belinda Rodriguez. ⁵ All seven founders had departed from Momentum as of December 2024. ⁶

Activities

Momentum Community claims to provide online and in-person training seminars and coaching programs for clients and activists. Momentum further claims to advocate for changes in “material conditions,” or what it defines as “whether they can translate a demand and a new common sense into law.” ² Momentum declares that its strategy is based on the “structure-based organizing” approach developed by Saul Alinksy, where activists assemble coalitions of supporters and make demands on their behalf. ²

Affiliated organizations include Sunrise, Cosecha, Never Again Action, IfNotNow, Dissenters, By the People, GenVote, Truth Reconciliation and Reparations, Black Lives Matter, MoveOn, BYP100, the Rising Majority, Working Families Party, RAICES, 350.org, Southerners on New Ground, Bend the Arc, Detroit Action, Pennsylvania Stands Up, Take Action Minnesota, and Florida Student Power Network. ⁷

Several members have previously worked with Justice Democrats, a political committee that has taken credit for assisting in the elections of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), former Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), and former Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY). Staff have also claimed credit in developing the Green New Deal, supporting the 2020 “defund the police” movement, and supporting Palestinian nationalist organizations and protests as of December 2024. ⁵

According to Tablet Magazine, Momentum Community had a role in training left-of-center groups involved in anti-Israel demonstrations in 2024 including the Maoist Revolutionary Communist Party, the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), the International ANSWER coalition, the March on Washington for Gaza, and the People’s Forum. ⁸

Training Seminars

Momentum offers activism training seminars for members of other left-of-center nonprofits. Seminars range from one day to four weeks in length and are held throughout the year. Topics include guidance on digital activism and specialized activism for a variety of left-of-center causes, including climate change and racial equality. Most seminars have fees for participants ranging from $100-$500+ depending on the assets of the employing organizations. ⁹

Organizations which have sent activists to Momentum training seminars include: ^{10 4}

• Black Lives Matter
• org
• Justice Democrats
• 350 DC
• Working Families Party
• United States Student Association
• Right to the City Alliance
• Power Shift Network
• Resource Generation
• Dream Defenders
• Ignite NC
• Ohio Student Association
• CTZNWELL
• Movement NetLab
• Uprooted & Rising
• Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement
• Georgia Workers Guild

Momentum Movements

Momentum has incubated and launched three independent nonprofits: ¹¹

Founded in 2014, IfNotNow opposes Israel’s policies towards Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. The organization has drawn attention and criticism for its aggressive protest tactics and the use of anti-Semitic imagery. ¹² IfNotNow was co-founded by then-Momentum executive director Alissa Romanow. ⁶

Founded in 2015, Movimiento Cosecha supports permanent legal status for illegal immigrants. The organization came to prominence with its outspoken opposition to presidential candidate Joe Biden in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries. Cosecha protestors heckled Biden at the 2019 July debate with chants of “three million deportations” to attack Biden’s immigration record as Vice President under the Obama administration. ¹³ In November, a Cosecha activist got in an argument with Biden at a campaign event, prompting Biden to tell the activist, “you should vote for Trump.” ¹⁴

Founded in 2017, Sunrise Movement is a 501(C)(4) environmental advocacy group that promotes the Green New Deal and sponsors the Congressional Green New Deal Coalition. The organization has organized protests against numerous U.S. Representatives who oppose its policy goals, including then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and then-House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD). ¹⁵

Financials

In 2023, Momentum Community reported revenue of $1,980,832, expenses of $475,001, and net assets of $1,708,488. ¹⁶

Leadership

As of 2024, Amanda Saich was the executive director of Momentum. ¹⁷