New Leaders Council (NLC)

The New Leaders Council (NLC) is a Washington, D.C. networking nonprofit catering to liberal political activists. The group provides training and “thought leadership” for individuals seeking to run for public office.

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At-A-Glance

Type: Non-profit, 501(c)(3)
Website: www.newleaderscouncil.org
Location: Washington, DC View on map
Tax ID: 56-2581640
Most Recent Filing: 2024
Budget (2024): Assets: $227,483 Revenue: $1,033,227 Expenses: $1,201,274

Contents

    NLC has chapters in 28 states and the District of Columbia. 1

    Projects

    Millennial Policy Initiative

    The Millennial Policy Initiative is a project of the New Leaders Council, and operates out of NLC’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. 2 The Initiative provides policy reforms aimed at the Millennial generation that it claims will “reform and repair the country.” 3

    NLC Community Action Initiative

    The NLC Community Action Initiative provides fundraising, nonprofit compliance, digital content and outreach, and strategic communications support to young left-wing candidates for public office. 4 While the Initiative does not endorse candidates for public office (a violation of the group’s tax-exempt status), it does tout the elected officials from the NLC network.

    Funding

    The New Leaders Council has received grants from a number of left-leaning organizations, including the Walton Family Foundation, Jennifer and Jonathan Allan Soros Foundation, National Philanthropic Trust, Pritzker Family Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund (a donor-advised fund provider). 5

    NLC uses the left-leaning fundraising platform ActBlue Charities, which caters to 501(c)(3) nonprofits. 6

    Leadership

    Mark Riddle is the CEO of the New Leaders Council and the founder and CEO of Wildcat Digital, a management and brand consulting firm. 7 A former executive director of the Kentucky Democratic Party and longtime Democratic activist and consultant, he has served numerous roles with campaigns ranging from press secretary, campaign manager, political director, and media advisor for numerous center-left organizations. 8

    Chris Kelly is the chairman of the board of directors for New Leaders Council. Previously, he served as Head of Global Policy, Chief Privacy Officer, and general counsel for Facebook. 7 Kelly left Facebook in 2009 to run for the Democratic nomination for Attorney General of California. After losing the June 2010 primary with sixteen percent of the vote, Kelly became an investor in technology, media, and finance companies. He previously served as a policy advisor to President Bill Clinton. 9

    Financial Statistics

    Total Assets

    Total Revenue

    Total Expenses

    YearTotal AssetsTotal RevenueTotal ExpensesFiling
    2024 $227,483 $1,033,227 $1,201,274 View
    2023 $614,684 $1,263,780 $1,132,622 View
    2022 $204,118 $1,153,223 $1,477,763 View
    2021 $503,250 $1,265,587 $963,187 View
    2020 $442,803 $1,105,524 $972,045 View

    Prior year filings: 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011

    Revenue Detail

    Expenses Detail

    Employee Compensation

    • Number of Employees: 4

    Highest Earning Employees

    EmployeeTitleTotal Compensation
    Clare Bresnahan English-92024President/CEO$140,128
    Karen Pandy-CherryPresident/CEO$126,073
    Adela GhadimiDirector$25,700
    Ty LimDirector$24,000

    Grant Activity

    All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $3,459,961
    • Number of Grants: 169
    • Number of Funders: 86

    Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $300,0002023 The Allstate FoundationMULTI-YEAR: NLC ELP ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT GRANT
    $200,0002024 The Allstate FoundationMULTI-YEAR GRANT: NLC ELP ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT GRANT
    $100,0002023 New ProfitPROGRAM EXPANSION
    $100,0002023 Silicon Valley Community Foundation
    $100,0002022 Sherry & Gerald Merfish Family FoundationGENERAL FUNDS
    $80,0002023 Winthrop Rockefeller FoundationGeneral Operating Support
    $70,0002023 The Allstate FoundationOCTOBER 2023 PEER TO PEER ARP CONVENING-NLC LEADERSHIP TRACKS
    $70,0002022 Houston Jewish Community FoundationGeneral Support
    $60,0002023 AARPSponsorship of 2023 convention
    $59,8562021 American Online Giving Foundation IncGENERAL SUPPORT
    $54,8002023 Sherry & Gerald Merfish Family FoundationGENERAL FUNDS
    $53,7802024 Sherry & Gerald Merfish Family FoundationGENERAL FUNDS
    $50,0002023 The Allstate FoundationELP ALUMNI REUNION 2024
    $50,0002021 American Federation of State County and Municipal EmployeesGeneral
    $40,0002020 PROTEUS FUND INCDEMOCRACY
    $35,0002023 American Federation of State County and Municipal EmployeesGeneral
    $35,0002022 American Federation of State County and Municipal EmployeesGeneral
    $31,7752022 American Online Giving Foundation IncGENERAL SUPPORT
    $30,0002023 Charter FundCHARTER SCHOOL CAPACITY-BUILDING
    $30,0002020 The D J Mcmanus Foundation IncGENERAL SUPPORT
    $26,7462023 American Online Giving Foundation IncGENERAL SUPPORT
    $25,0002023 The Allstate FoundationNEW LEADERS COUNCIL 2023 CONVENTION – ACCESSIBILITY FUND
    $25,0002020 AARPSponsorship of the Convention: At Home Panel
    $24,3642025 American Online Giving Foundation IncGENERAL SUPPORT
    $23,7502023 Houston Jewish Community FoundationGeneral Support

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    Contact Us

    Financials, employee compensation, and grant information provided by Candid.

    Mentioned in this Article

    References

    1. “Chapters.” New Leaders Council. Accessed February 26, 2019. https://www.newleaderscouncil.org/chapters
    2. “About Us.” Millennial Policy Initiative. Accessed February 22, 2019. https://www.millennialpolicyinitiative.org/about-us
    3. “Home.” Millennial Policy Initiative. Accessed February 22, 2019. https://www.millennialpolicyinitiative.org/
    4. “Training.” NLC Community Action Initiative. Accessed February 22, 2019. https://www.nlcaction.org/training
    5. “Grant Visualizer: New Leaders Council.” Information provided by Foundation Search. Accessed February 22, 2019. FoundationSearch.com
    6. “Donate to New Leaders Council.” ActBlue Charities. Accessed February 22, 2019. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/new-leaders-council-1
    7. “Board of Directors.” New Leaders Council. Accessed February 26, 2019. https://www.newleaderscouncil.org/board-of-directors
    8. “Mark Riddle.” Wildcat Campaigns. Accessed February 26, 2019.  http://www.wildcatcampaigns.com/mark-riddle/
    9. “Chris Kelly.” Ballotpedia. Accessed February 26, 2019. https://ballotpedia.org/Chris_Kelly_(entrepreneur)