New Left Accelerator (NLA) is a nonprofit advisory organization that helps left-of-center activist groups improve their systems and outreach potential. It was founded after the 2016 election by Deborah Barron, a founding member of Women Lawyers On Guard.

NLA is the sister social-welfare organization of the Capacity Shop, a charitable group.

Background

New Left Accelerator (NLA) was created in response to the 2016 election of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Its founder, Deborah Barron, wanted to improve the operations and outreach efforts of left-of-center advocacy groups. Its guiding principles include “address[ing] systemic oppression” and “equity, justice & liberation” along “racial, gender, and economic” lines. It explicitly aims to “center race and gender equity” to abolish what it sees as “systematic oppression” and institutions that “perpetuat[e] the harms of white supremacy.” ¹

Accelerator Program

The flagship initiative of New Left Accelerator is its Accelerator Program. Each year, the organization accepts a cohort left-of-center nonprofit applicants to join an in-depth coaching and mentorship program where leaders are helped in forming affiliate social-welfare groups and “multi-entity structures” to “maximize impact and power.” The Accelerator Program also offers financial and legal compliance assistance, a capacity building plan, and training resources, all of which totals about $50,000-$75,000 in services according to New Left Accelerator’s estimate. ²

The Accelerator Program’s 2022 cohort included Planned Parenthood Texas Votes, Avow Texas, Deeds Not Words, Mothering Justice Action, Patrisse Cullors’ Dignity and Power Now, Equality New Mexico, Asian American Advocacy Fund, Workers Defense Action Fund, Color Action Fund, Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, Florida Immigrant Coalition, One Arizona, and Arizona Wins. ³

Finances

In 2021, New Left Accelerator had a total revenue of $993,189, total expenses of $758,604, and net assets of $927,768. ⁴

Funding

New Left Accelerator was started with seed funding from Open Society Foundations, a major left-of-center grantmaking organization funded by billionaire financier George Soros. ⁵

New Left Accelerator was given $1 million from the North Fund in 2022. ⁶

According to its website, New Left Accelerator has also received funding from Heising-Simons Action Fund, Open Society Policy Center, the Four Freedoms Fund, Grove Action Fund, David Rockefeller Fund, Groundswell Action Fund, VisionForward (originally Vision 2020), and Gender Equity Action Fund. ⁷

Leadership

Deborah Barron founded New Left Accelerator after the 2016 election. Barron was a founding member of Women Lawyers On Guard, a consulting group that helps left-of-center organizations with legal services. ⁸ As of 2023, Barron was still working as the executive director of New Left Accelerator as well as its 501(c)(3) sister organization the Capacity Shop. Barron sits on the boards of Women Lawyers On Guard and Action Squared. ⁹

In 2023, New Left Accelerator’s advisory board was comprised of Deborah Axt, Adriana Barboza, Sebastian Barreneche, Karla Basta, Jay Carmona, Brittaney Carter, Erika Chen, Bobby Clark, Leigh Anne Collier, Aida Cuadrado Bozzo, Aliza Dichter, Rose Espinola, Donnie Fowler, Eve Fox, Judith Freeman, Norme Greene, Whitney Herrington, Meredith Horton, Chandra Larsen, Abby Levine, Mo Manklang, Susan Misra, Barbara Reiss, Paul Rivera, Julien Ross, Toby Rubin, Justine Sarver, Dinah Stephens, Julie Scarsella, Howie Stanger, Josh Wolf, Joel Yanowitz, and Nijmie Zakkiyyah Dzurinko. ¹⁰

1. “Our Vision.” New Left Accelerator. Accessed December 3, 2023. https://www.newleftaccelerator.org/our-vision.
2. “Accelerator Program.” New Left Accelerator. Accessed December 3, 2023. https://www.newleftaccelerator.org/acceleratorprograms.
3. “Accelerator Program.” New Left Accelerator. Accessed December 3, 2023. https://www.newleftaccelerator.org/acceleratorprograms.
4. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). New Left Accelerator. 2021. Part I. Lines 12, 18, 22.
5. “Our Vision.” New Left Accelerator. Accessed December 3, 2023. https://www.newleftaccelerator.org/our-vision.
6. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). North Fund. 2022. Schedule I, Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments. https://www.influencewatch.org/app/uploads/2023/11/North-Fund-2022-Public-Disclosure-Copy-499977915.pdf.
7. “Our Funders.” New Left Accelerator. Accessed December 3, 2023. https://www.newleftaccelerator.org/our-funders.
8. “Our Vision.” New Left Accelerator. Accessed December 3, 2023. https://www.newleftaccelerator.org/our-vision.
9. “Our Team.” New Left Accelerator. Accessed December 3, 2023. https://www.newleftaccelerator.org/our-team.
10. “Our Advisors.” New Left Accelerator. Accessed December 3, 2023. https://www.newleftaccelerator.org/our-advisors-1.