Non-profit

People Powered: Global Hub for Participatory Democracy (People Powered)

Website:

www.peoplepowered.org/

Location:

Brooklyn, NY

Tax ID:

85-3664003

Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2022):

Revenue: $1,737,652
Expenses: $1,139,659
Assets: $1,504,544

Type:

Grantmaking Organization

Formation:

2020

Co-Executive Directors:

Greta Rios

Josh Lerner

Budget (2023):

Revenue: $2,646,195

Expenses: $1,806,568

Assets: $2,379,570 18

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People Powered: Global Hub for Participatory Democracy (People Powered) is a left-of-center activist and grantmaking organization that supports the concept of participatory democracy through the incorporation of citizens’ assemblies, participatory budgeting, participatory planning, and legislative theater.1

Since 2021, the organization has received at least $1,510,000 in grants from the left-of-center William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. 2 3 4 5 The organization has also received $760,000 in grants from George SorosOpen Society Foundations from 2022 to 2023. 6

History and Leadership

People Powered: Global Hub for Participatory Democracy was founded in 2020, where it received its tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that same year. 1  7

Greta Rios and Josh Lerner are co-executive directors of People Powered. 8 Prior to joining People Powered, Lerner was the director of the Global Participatory Budgeting Hub and worked as the executive director of the Participatory Budgeting Project. 9

Members of the board include Sanjiv Rao, who worked in the Biden administration White House Office of Management and Budget, for Race Forward, and at the Ford Foundation; 10 Carole Excell of the Waverly Street Foundation and World Resources Institute; 11 and Brittany Giroux of Results for America and the Open Government Partnership. 12

Activities and Funding

People Powered: Global Hub for Participatory Democracy is a left-of-center organization that supports participatory democracy, a process it claims is when voters engage directly with the government on issues instead of just elected representatives. 1 The group claims it advocates for participatory democracy through citizens’ assemblies, participatory budgeting, participatory planning, and legislative theater. 1

The organization has staff located in the United States, Mexico, Columbia, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Spain, Singapore, Brazil, South Africa, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, France, and Argentina. 13 1

Activism

According to its 2023 990 form, People Powered spent $169,876 on partnering “with researchers, organizers, technologists, and designers” to create tools and content for implementing participatory democracy. That same year it spent over $442,000 on developing capacity building, online courses, and training for participatory democracy and an additional $442,000 on community building with like-mined organizations. 14

The group claims to run a “Climate Democracy Accelerator” program that pushes to develop a network of like-minded individuals to advocate climate-related policy towards weather-dependent energy sources, green transportation, and decarbonization. Those that choose to participate are awarded $10,000 grants to implement their ideas.  15

Grantmaking

As of October 2024, the organization has allocated donated over $530,000 in project funding to several left-of-center groups including the left-of-center William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and One Project. 16 17

Funding

People Powered: Global Hub for Participatory Democracy receives most of its funding from contributions and grants. In 2023, the organization reported revenue of $2,646,195 and expenses of $1,806,568. In 2022, the People Powered reported revenue of $1,737,652 and expenses of $1,139,659. 18

People Powered received $760,000 in grants from George Soros’s Open Society Foundations between 2022 to 2023. 6 In 2023, People Powered received $166,667 from the National Endowment for Democracy and $48,960 from the World Resources Institute. 19

People Powered received $240,000 in grants from the left-of-center Ford Foundation since 2021, including $100,000 in 2022 alone. 20

Since 2021, the organization has received at least $1,510,000 from the left-of-center William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. 3 4 5

Other funders of the group include the Waverly Street Foundation, One Project, the National Endowment for Democracy, the National Democratic Institute, the International Republican Institute, the World Resources Institute, and Bertelsmann Stiftung. 21

According to its website, the group’s online resources page is partially funded by the European Union. 22

References

  1. “We Are People Powered.” People Powered YouTube. Uploaded 19, 2023. Accessed October 6, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1Rwasn98mo&t=1s.
  2. “Grant.” William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://hewlett.org/grants/people-powered-for-leadership-transition-and-fund-development/.
  3. “Grant.” William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. January 2013. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://hewlett.org/grants/people-powered-for-general-operating-support-2/.
  4. “Grant.” William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. April 2022. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://hewlett.org/grants/people-powered-for-upgrading-crm-and-learning-management-system-capacities/.
  5. Grant.” William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. August 2021. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://hewlett.org/grants/people-powered-for-general-operating-support/.
  6. “Search Results for People Powered.” Open Society Foundations. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/past?filter_keyword=people+powered.
  7. “Notice of Determination.” Department of Treasury Internal Revenue Service. June 9, 2021. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/dl/FinalLetter_85-3664003_PEOPLEPOWERED-GLOBALHUBFORPARTICIPATORYDEMOCRACYINC_12212020_00.tif.
  8. “Staff & Board.” People Powered. Accessed October 6, 2024. https://www.peoplepowered.org/about/staff-board.
  9. “Experience.” Josh Lerner LinkedIn Profile. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshalerner/details/experience/.
  10. “Sanjiv Rao.” LinkedIn Profile. Accessed October 6, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjivrao3011/.
  11. “Carole Excell.” People Forward. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://www.peoplepowered.org/staff-and-boards/carole-excell-wri.
  12. “Brittany Giroux Lane.” People Powered. Accessed October 7, 12024. https://www.peoplepowered.org/staff-and-boards/brittany-giroux-lane-co-president-what-works-cities-at-results-for-america-new-york-city-usa.
  13. “Staff and Board.” People Powered. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://www.peoplepowered.org/about/staff-board.
  14.  “People Powered Global Hub for Participatory Democracy Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990). 2023. Part III. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/853664003/202411189349300101/full.
  15. “Climate Democracy Accelerator.” People Powered. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://www.peoplepowered.org/climate-democracy-accelerator.
  16. “Funding.” People Powered. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://peoplepoweredhub.squarespace.com/funding.
  17. “2022 Budget.” People Powered. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://participate.peoplepowered.org/processes/budget/f/27/
  18. “People Powered Global Hub for Participatory Democracy Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990). 2023. Part I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/853664003/202411189349300101/full.
  19. “People Powered Global Hub for Participatory Democracy.” Cause IQ. Accessed October 6, 2024. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/people-powered-global-hub-for-participatory-democr,853664003/.
  20. “Grants Database.” Ford Foundation. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/awarded-grants/grants-database/?search=global+hub+for+participatory+democracy+.
  21.  “Partners.” People Powered Global Hub for Participatory Democracy. Accessed October 7,2 024. https://peoplepoweredhub.squarespace.com/about/partners.
  22. “Resources.” People Powered. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://www.peoplepowered.org/resources.
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: June 1, 2021

  • 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
    2022 Dec Form 990 $1,737,652 $1,139,659 $1,504,544 $42,089 N $1,504,929 $232,136 $102 $186,903
    2021 Dec Form 990 $1,318,227 $453,765 $925,326 $60,864 N $1,257,797 $60,430 $0 $61,953

    People Powered: Global Hub for Participatory Democracy (People Powered)

    157 13th Street
    Brooklyn, NY 11215-4702