Social Security Works is a social welfare organization that lobbies for left-of-center policy reforms related to Social Security. It is the convening member of the Strengthen Social Security Coalition, a network of left-progressive groups advocating expansions of welfare programs.

History

Social Security Works was founded in 2010¹ by Eric Kingson, the current chair of the board, and Nancy Altman, the current president. ² The organization furthers left-of-center welfare initiatives by promoting the protection and expansion of Social Security benefits. ³ After its founding, Social Security Works convened a group of the nation’s left-of-center labor union, civil rights, and disability organizations, among others, to address perceived threats to Social Security. ⁴

In 2010, the group formally became the Strengthen Social Security Coalition;⁵ the Coalition is comprised of over 300 organizations. ⁶

Activities

Social Security Works is the convening member of the Strengthen Social Security Coalition, a national coalition that includes a number of left-of-center members such as the AFL-CIO, Democratic Socialists of America, NAACP, and the Service Employees International Union. ⁷

As part of the Strengthen Social Security Coalition, Social Security Works aims to advance the coalition’s principles of opposing any private account system under Social Security, supporting tax increases to increase funding for the program, backing increased Social Security benefits, and endorsing stabilizing the program’s retirement age requirements. ⁸ During President Barack Obama’s administration, Social Security Works advocated for expanding Social Security benefits and opposed President Obama’s proposed cuts to the program in 2012. ⁹

Finance

According to the organization’s Form 990 from 2018, it recorded $1,068,332 in total revenue while incurring more than $1.2 million in expenses. ¹⁰ The previous year, Social Security Works recorded $1,064,788 million in total revenue and only incurred $1,018,683 in expenses. ¹¹

Social Security Works has received grants from left-wing funding organizations including the Civic Participation Action Fund, CREDO, the Open Society Foundations, and the Retirement Research Foundation. ¹²

It has also received sizable grants from The Atlantic Philanthropies through the foundation’s “Ageing Programme.” ¹³ Atlantic Philanthropies supported Social Security Works with grants in the amount of $2 million in 2012 and just over $1.75 million in 2014. ¹⁴

Leadership

The current chair of the board, Eric Kingson, and the current president of the organization, Nancy Altman, co-founded Social Security Works in 2010. ¹⁵

Nancy Altman works as the president of Social Security Works and has an extensive background in the areas of private pensions and Social Security, which includes her work on the Social Security Advisory Board by virtue of an appointment by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). ¹⁶ She also sits on the boards of other left-of-center organizations including the Alliance for Retired Americans Educational Fund, Economic Opportunity Institute, Institute for America’s Future, Latinos for Secure Retirement, and the Pension Rights Center. ¹⁷ From 1983 to 1989, Altman served as a member of the faculty of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Additionally, she taught courses relating to Social Security and private pensions at Harvard Law School and is also the author of The Battle for Social Security. ¹⁸

Alex Lawson serves as the organization’s executive director. Previously, he served as a team leader for Media Matters for America,¹⁹ a left-progressive web-based information center that frequently criticizes conservative commentators. ²⁰ He is also the owner of We Act Radio,²¹ a local Washington, DC-based radio station that airs left-wing talk show host Thom Hartmann. ²²

Co-founder Eric Kingson serves as the chair of the board and is also a professor of social work at Syracuse University. ²³ In 2015, Kingson was re-elected to serve on the board of the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI) and was also the past chair of the Social Research, Policy and Practice division of the Gerontological Society of America. ²⁴ He served on the advisory committee to the Social Security Administration’s transition team after volunteering on President Obama’s campaign’s advisory committee on retirement security policy. ²⁵

1. Altman, Nancy J., and Eric R. Kingson. Social Security Works! Why Social Security Isn’t Going Broke and How Expanding It Will Help Us All, 3–3. New York, NY: New Press, 2015.
2. “About Us.” Social Security Works, October 7, 2020. https://socialsecurityworks.org/about/.
3. “Social Security Works.” Strengthen Social Security. Accessed October 6, 2020. https://strengthensocialsecurity.org/social-security-works
4. Altman, Nancy J., and Eric R. Kingson. Social Security Works! Why Social Security Isn’t Going Broke and How Expanding It Will Help Us All, 3–3. New York, NY: New Press, 2015.
5. “Social Security Works.” Strengthen Social Security. Accessed October 6, 2020. https://strengthensocialsecurity.org/social-security-works.
6. “About.” Strengthen Social Security. Accessed October 5, 2020. https://strengthensocialsecurity.org/about/.
7. “Coalition.” Strengthen Social Security. Accessed October 6, 2020. https://strengthensocialsecurity.org/about/coalition/.
8. “About.” Strengthen Social Security. Accessed October 6, 2020. https://strengthensocialsecurity.org/about/.
9. Jilani, Zaid. “Obama Wanted to Cut Social Security. Then Bernie Sanders Happened.” The Intercept. First Look Media, June 2, 2016. https://theintercept.com/2016/06/02/obama-wanted-to-cut-social-security-then-bernie-sanders-happened/.
10. Social Security Works, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2018, Part I Summary
11. Social Security Works, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2017, Part I Summary
12. “About Us.” Social Security Works, October 7, 2020. https://socialsecurityworks.org/about/.
13. “Social Security Works Speaks Out on Proposed Cuts: Atlantic Philanthropies.” The Atlantic Philanthropies. The Atlantic Philanthropies. Accessed October 7, 2020. https://www.atlanticphilanthropies.org/news/social-security-works-speaks-out-proposed-cuts.
14. “Alliance for Retired Americans: Atlantic Philanthropies.” The Atlantic Philanthropies. Accessed October 5, 2020. https://www.atlanticphilanthropies.org/grantees/alliance-for-retired-americans.
15. “About Us.” Social Security Works, October 6, 2020. https://socialsecurityworks.org/about/.
16. “Nancy Altman.” Social Security Works, August 26, 2020. https://socialsecurityworks.org/2017/04/18/nancy-altman/.
17. “Nancy Altman.” Social Security Works. August 26, 2020. Accessed October 7, 2020. https://socialsecurityworks.org/2017/04/18/nancy-altman/.
18. Altman, Nancy J., and Eric R. Kingson. Social Security Works! Why Social Security Isn’t Going Broke and How Expanding It Will Help Us All, 3–3. New York, NY: New Press, 2015.
19. “Alex Lawson.” LinkedIn. Accessed October 5, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lawson-13263948/.
20. “About Us.” Media Matters for America. Accessed October 5, 2020. https://www.mediamatters.org/about-us.
21. “Alex Lawson.” Social Security Works. Accessed October 6, 2020. https://socialsecurityworks.org/alex-lawson/.
22. “Chasing the Truth.” We Act Radio. March 30, 2017. Accessed October 7, 2020. http://www.weactradio.com/about/.
23. “Eric Kingson.” Kingson, Eric – Falk College – Syracuse University. Syracuse University. Accessed October 7, 2020. https://falk.syr.edu/people/kingson-eric/.
24. “Eric Kingson.” Kingson, Eric – Falk College – Syracuse University. Syracuse University. Accessed October 7, 2020. https://falk.syr.edu/people/kingson-eric/.
25. “Eric Kingson.” Kingson, Eric – Falk College – Syracuse University. Syracuse University. Accessed October 7, 2020. https://falk.syr.edu/people/kingson-eric/.