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Non-profit

Movement Labs

Website:

movementlabs.com/
Location:

Oakland, CA
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Type:

Non-Profit Technology Consultant
Founded:

2017
CEO:

Yoni Landau

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Movement Labs, formerly known as Resistance Labs, is a left-of-center nonprofit technology consultant that focuses on using peer-to-peer texting to promote left-of-center activist organizations and political candidates. The organization re-invests its revenue into “experiments for the movement,” creating “social welfare organizations,” and working pro bono for left-of-center activists. 1

Movement Labs is partnered with several left-of-center organizations including Black Voters Matter, UltraViolet, and the Declaration for American Democracy, a coalition of left-leaning activist groups that advocates for a series of governmental and electoral administration policy changes. 2 3

Background

Movement Labs, formerly known as Resistance Labs, is a left-of-center nonprofit technology consultant that focuses on using peer-to-peer texting to recruit political candidates to run for office, assist said candidates in winning, and create support for other left-of-center organizations. 4

The organization has utilized approximately 11,000 volunteers, sent over 200 million texts, and worked with several left-of-center organizations and political campaigns in all 50 states. 5

Movement Labs claims that it invests its revenue into “experiments for the movement,” creating “social welfare organizations,” and working pro bono for left-of-center activists. One of its main programs is Contest Every Race, a coalition of organizations that aims to promote left-of-center activists and Democratic Party politicians in rural, Republican Party-held constituencies. The organization also stated that it had a COVID response program, and a program to “de-radicalize the far right.” 6

Funding

Movement Labs was originally founded as Resistance Labs in 2017. According to OpenSecrets, Resistance Labs received substantial amounts of money from candidates and PACs during the 2018, 2020, and 2022 election cycles. 7

Under its former name, Resistance Labs, the organization received a total of $138,105 during the 2018 election cycle, $32,500 of which came from Andrew Janz for Congress, $16,000 from Nancy Pelosi for Congress, and $12,600 from the Democratic Party of California. 8

The organization’s revenue jumped to $576,477 during the 2020 election cycle. Resistance Labs received $286,600 from the Progressive Turnout Project, a left-of-center political action committee based in Chicago, Illinois, that supports Democratic Party candidates for public office. Resistance Labs also received $73,413 from Alloy Future, and $29,000 from MoveOn Political Action, which jointly operates MoveOn.org with its associated 501(c)(4) organization MoveOn Civic Action, a left-of-center advocacy organization. 9 10

The organization’s revenue decreased to $218,089 during the 2022 election cycle. It received $109,937 from the Black Voters Matter Action PAC, a left-of-center PAC formed in the fall of 2020 and was involved in the 2020 U.S. Senate races in Georgia. Resistance Labs also received $37,186 from the Left of Center PAC, and $30,000 from the Service Employees International Union, one of America’s largest, most controversial, and most politically involved labor unions. 11

Under its current name, Movement Labs received $54,419 in 2022 from the Texas Freedom Network, a left-of-center lobbying organization that opposes religious conservatives on issues such as sex education, legal abortion, and Bible study in public schools. The group was founded by former Planned Parenthood head Cecile Richards, the daughter of former Texas Governor Ann Richards (D). Movement Labs also received $3,250 from the Texas Freedom Network PAC. 12 13

Under its Advocacy Lab program, Movement Labs launched a $300,000 texting grant program in 2021. The grant would be split and provided to twelve left-of-center organizations that were “working to build power and drive progressive change in marginalized communities.” 14 15

Other Movement Labs programs include the Grassroots Abortion Defense Fellowship and the Grassroots Gun Reform Grant. 16

Partner Organizations

Movement Labs is partnered with several left-of-center organizations including Black Voters Matter, UltraViolet, and the Declaration for American Democracy, a coalition of left-leaning activist groups that advocates for a series of governmental and electoral administration policy changes. The main priorities of the coalition are to criticize the 2020 election process and support Congressional legislation that would enact several left-leaning policy priorities surrounding elections including enacting automatic voter registration and placing restrictive regulations on political campaign-related speech acts. 17 18 19

References

  1. “About.” Movement Labs. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://movementlabs.com/about/.
  2. “The Advocacy Lab.” Movement Labs. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://movementlabs.com/advocacy-lab/.
  3. “Declaration for American Democracy | A Coalition of 240+ Member Organizations working together to make the promise of democracy real for all of us..” Declaration for American Democracy. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://dfadcoalition.org/.
  4. “About.” Movement Labs. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://movementlabs.com/about/.
  5. “About.” Movement Labs. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://movementlabs.com/about/.
  6. “About.” Movement Labs. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://movementlabs.com/about/.
  7. “Vendor/Recipient Profile: Resistance Labs.” Accessed February 20, 2023. https://www.opensecrets.org/campaign-expenditures/vendor?cycle=2022&vendor=Resistance+Labs.
  8. “Vendor/Recipient Profile: Resistance Labs.” Accessed February 20, 2023. https://www.opensecrets.org/campaign-expenditures/vendor?cycle=2018&vendor=Resistance+Labs.
  9. “Vendor/Recipient Profile: Resistance Labs.” Accessed February 20, 2023. https://www.opensecrets.org/campaign-expenditures/vendor?cycle=2020&vendor=Resistance+Labs.
  10. “MoveOn.” LinkedIn. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/company/moveon.org/.
  11. “Vendor/Recipient Profile: Resistance Labs.” Accessed February 20, 2023. https://www.opensecrets.org/campaign-expenditures/vendor?cycle=2022&vendor=Resistance+Labs.
  12. “Movement Labs.” TransparencyUSA. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://www.transparencyusa.org/tx/payee/movement-labs-llc.
  13. “Mission.” Texas Freedom Network. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://tfn.org/mission/
  14. “The Advocacy Lab Texting Fellowship.” Movement Labs. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://movementlabs.com/advocacy-lab/texting-fellowship/.
  15. Staff, C&E. “Movement Labs Unveils $300K Texting Grant Program.” Campaigns & Elections. August 11, 2021. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://campaignsandelections.com/industry-news/movement-labs-unveils-300k-texting-grant-program/.
  16. “The Advocacy Lab.” Movement Labs. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://movementlabs.com/advocacy-lab/.
  17. “The Advocacy Lab.” Movement Labs. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://movementlabs.com/advocacy-lab/.
  18. “Declaration for American Democracy | A Coalition of 240+ Member Organizations working together to make the promise of democracy real for all of us..” Declaration for American Democracy. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://dfadcoalition.org/.
  19. “About.” Declaration for American Democracy. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://dfadcoalition.org/about/.
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Movement Labs


Oakland, CA