Unbroken Promise Initiative
Unbroken Promise Initiative is an organization affiliated with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement that was formed by Jordan Clemons, 1 one of the leaders of the 2020 BLM protests in Ithaca, New York. 2
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Finances
Unbroken Promise Initiative does not have tax records for 2021 other than the IRS “e-Postcard” because it received under $50,000 in gross receipts that year. 3
In filings with the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency, the organization stated that in 2022 it received $415,000 in contributions, made $403,232 in expenditures, and held $11,768 in net assets. 4 In the same filing, the organization stated that in 2023 it received $2,797,500 in contributions from the city of Ithaca. 5
In 2023, the organization’s GoFundMe page listed that it received $29,359 in contributions since 2020. 6
Demands
In 2020, the Unbroken Promise Initiative sent a letter to the Ithaca Police Department demanding the “defunding” and “reformative overhaul” of the police department. 7 The organization also made more specific demands, including the elimination of the Ithaca Police Department’s SWAT team, removal of rifles such as AR-15s from police inventories, and eliminating alleged corruption within the department. 7
Housing Project
In 2022, Unbroken Promise Initiative, under the project name Geno Legacy Project, applied for a $150,000 grant to provide blocks of $15,000 to $25,000 mortgage assistance and home repair assistance to an unspecified number of low-income families in Ithaca, NY. 5 In support of its application, the organization stated that it is seeking the grant to further its purpose of “empower[ing] all disenfranchised citizens through community education aimed at healing racial, domestic, or other trauma[.]” 8 Clemmons was named the best “social justice advocate” of 2020 in Ithaca, New York for his role in Black Lives Matter demonstrations. 2
Clemons has admitted to having been a crack cocaine dealer in the past, 7 and to having supplied crack cocaine to his mother. 7 Clemmons has stated that just as he recognizes that his actions were wrong, the officers of the Ithaca Police Department should “reflect on the system they are a part of” and resign from their positions. 7 Clemmons has commented on the future existence of police departments: “F*ck your reforms, the system needs to go. If it’s going to continue to exist, it continues on our terms.” 7
Financial Statistics
Total Assets
Total Revenue
Total Expenses
Revenue Detail
Expenses Detail
Grant Activity
All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:
- Total Grant Value: $70,000
- Number of Grants: 4
- Number of Funders: 4
Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:
| Amount | Year | Funder | Subject |
|---|---|---|---|
| $47,000 | 2022 | Center for Transformative Action | RE-GRANTING OF FUNDS |
| $10,500 | 2022 | Community Foundation of Tompkins County | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| $10,000 | 2022 | Park Foundation | YOUTH ENRICHMENT PROGRAM (PILOT) |
| $2,500 | 2021 | Ben & Jerry's Foundation | Discretionary Fund-General Support |