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Non-profit

WESPAC Foundation

Website:

wespac.org
Location:

WHITE PLAINS, NY
Tax ID:

13-3109400
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2017):

Revenue: $360,122
Expenses: $414,702
Assets: $581,711
Formation:

1974, became non-profit in 1982
Type:

Non-Profit, left-of-center grantmaking organization
Executive Director:

Nada Khader

WESPAC (Westchester People’s Action Coalition) Foundation is a left-of-center nonprofit that supports advocacy movements for social reformation. Founded in 1974, WESPAC advocates for progressive social change in Westchester County, New York, and beyond. 1 It is a supporter of the Green New Deal,2 Strike With Us,3 and Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS). 4

Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions

WESPAC supports the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement by funding or acting as a fiscal sponsor for (and thereby collecting tax-deductible donations on behalf of) several pro-Palestinian groups involved in the campaign to delegitimize Israel including the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN),5 National Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), the Palestine Freedom Project, Adalah-NY: Campaign for the Boycott of Israel,6 and the Palestinian Youth Movement USA. 7

The New York Jewish Week reported in 2015 that WESPAC “provides a list of companies for BDSers to target.” 8

U.S. Palestinian Community Network

Established in 2006, U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) is a Palestinian community-based grassroots organizing group. USPCN organized the Palestinian Popular Conference in 2008, the first conference to occur in over a decade. 9 The USPCN Student Committee emerged from the 2010 Conference’s Palestinian Movement Assembly (PMA). 10 USPCN supports boycotts of business that do business in Israel including Coca Cola, and Airbnb,11 and has chapters in California, Chicago, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, St. Louis, the District of Columbia, and Wisconsin. 12

National Students for Justice in Palestine

National Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) is the national coordinating body for approximately 200 campus-based Students for Justice in Palestine chapters at American colleges and universities. Established in 2010, SJP’s primary activity is organizing national conferences, where it provides training and guidance for local chapter leaders on BDS activities. 13 These conferences have attracted detractors of Israel like Noam Chomsky and Anna Baltzer. 14 New York Jewish Week reported that WESPAC took contributions designated to support SJP activities. 15

While SJP claims that their actions are merely a legitimate criticism of Israel, its movement is seen as largely anti-Semitic by many Jewish leaders. 16 The group strongly condemned President Donald Trump’s executive order17 that reiterated that Jewish people are to be protected from discrimination at taxpayer-funded universities, in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act,18 claiming that the order is meant to “nullify the rights of pro-Palestine groups on campus.” 19

Local SJP chapters are known for intimidating Jewish students on campuses with their theatrical tactics with include “die-ins,” creating mock checkpoints, and distributing eviction notices in dormitories. 20

While BDS has had few tangible victories, the movement has succeeded in biasing students against Israel, and has magnified its support by developing allies with organizations like the Movement for Black Lives. 21 22

SJP receives grants from groups like Cultures of Resistance Network. 23

The Palestine Freedom Project

The Palestine Freedom Project (PFP) was founded in 2005 in support of pro-Palestine activists worldwide. PFP claims that Israel is human rights abuser, and supports activist groups in spreading these false charges. 24 The group sponsors workshops, publishes activist handouts, and provides a list of companies to boycott, claiming these companies are “profiting from the Occupation.” PFP has worked with anti-Israel speakers like Ali Abunimah, Anna Baltzer, Max Blumenthal, Richard Falk, and Jeff Halper. 25 PFP Receives grants from groups like Cultures of Resistance Network. New York Jewish Week reported that WESPAC had taken contributions on behalf of PFP. 26

Adalah-NY: Campaign for the Boycott of Israel

Adalah-NY: Campaign for the Boycott of Israel, formerly the Ad-Hoc Coalition for Justice in the Middle East, began organizing anti-Israel actions in 2006. The group merged with the New York Campaign for the Boycott of Israel (NYCBI) in 2010. Adalah-NY organizes actions and co-sponsors BDS related and political events. 27 Adalah-NY promotes actions like cultural and consumer boycotts, including the boycotts of the Israeli Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall,28 Sabra hummus, Hewlett-Packard,29 and SodaStream,30 among others. Adalah-NY receives grants from groups like Cultures of Resistance Network. 31

Palestinian Youth Movement

The Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) USA opposes Israel and seeks to build support for Palestine in the United States. While PYM does not claim affiliation with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a foreign terrorist organization,32 PYM uses PFLP’s imagery and rhetoric on its social media feeds. 33 PYM mourns known terrorist leaders, and advocates for the release of prisoners held for their support of terrorist organizations. 34

PYM will be co-hosting the “2020 Youth for Palestine Conference.” 35

People

Nada Khader has been the Executive Director of WESPAC Foundation since May 2001. 36 Khader formerly served for the United Nations Development Program as a consultant in the Gaza Strip. 37 Khader has been a speaker at events hosted by both SJP and Adalah-NY. 38

Board of Directors

Marina Guvenc is a Senior Program Manager at the Wall Street Journal, former Program Manager at the New York Times, and senior Project Manager at both Reuters and The Economist. 39

Other board members include: Bobbi Siegelbaum, Delia Marx, Ema Froning, Gayle Dunkelberger, Howard Horowitz, Jeanne Shaw, Latifa Williams, Natalie Kabasakalian, and Board President Teresa Delgado.

References

  1. “About.” WESPAC Foundation, 2020. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://wespac.org/category/s5-static-info/c37-about/.
  2. “Rally for a #ClimateDebate.” WESPAC Foundation, 2020. Accessed January 19, 2020.  https://wespac.org/event/rally-for-a-climatedebate/.
  3. “Climate Strike.” WESPAC Foundation, 2020. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://wespac.org/event/climate-strike/.
  4. “Militarism and Foreign Policy.” WESPAC Foundation, 2020. Accessed January 19, 2020.  https://wespac.org/category/s7-communities-focuses/c42-middle-east/.
  5. “Donate to Support USPCN.” US Palestinian Community Network. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://uspcn.org/donate-to-support-uspcn/.
  6. Bard, Mitchell. “BDS Money Trail Suggests Opaque Funding Network.” The New York Jewish Week, October 14, 2015. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/bds-money-trail-suggests-opaque-funding-network/.
  7. “Year in Review.” Palestinian Youth Movement. Accessed January 24, 2020. https://www.pymusa.com/year-in-review.
  8. Bard, Mitchell. “BDS Money Trail Suggests Opaque Funding Network.” The New York Jewish Week, October 14, 2015. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/bds-money-trail-suggests-opaque-funding-network/.
  9. “About.” US Palestinian Community Network. Accessed January 24, 2020. https://uspcn.org/about/.
  10. “USPCN Students.” US Palestinian Community Network. Accessed January 24, 2020. https://uspcn.org/uspcn-students/.
  11. “Actions.” US Palestinian Community Network. Accessed January 24, 2020.  https://uspcn.org/category/actions/.
  12. “About.” US Palestinian Community Network. Accessed January 24, 2020. https://uspcn.org/about/.
  13. “About Us.” National Students for Justice in Palestine. Accessed January 24, 2020.  https://www.nationalsjp.org/about-nsjp.html.
  14. Bard, Mitchell. “BDS Money Trail Suggests Opaque Funding Network.” The New York Jewish Week, October 14, 2015. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/bds-money-trail-suggests-opaque-funding-network/.
  15. Bard, Mitchell. “BDS Money Trail Suggests Opaque Funding Network.” The New York Jewish Week, October 14, 2015. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/bds-money-trail-suggests-opaque-funding-network/.
  16. Bard, Mitchell. “BDS Money Trail Suggests Opaque Funding Network.” The New York Jewish Week, October 14, 2015. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/bds-money-trail-suggests-opaque-funding-network/.
  17. “SJP Condemns Trump’s Executive Order.” National Students for Justice in Palestine. Accessed January 24, 2020. https://www.nationalsjp.org/sjpunitedstatement.html.
  18. “Executive Order on Combating Anti-Semitism.” The White House, December 11, 2019. Accessed January 24, 2020. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-combating-anti-semitism/.
  19. “SJP Condemns Trump’s Executive Order.” National Students for Justice in Palestine. Accessed January 24, 2020. https://www.nationalsjp.org/sjpunitedstatement.html.
  20. Bard, Mitchell. “BDS Money Trail Suggests Opaque Funding Network.” The New York Jewish Week, October 14, 2015. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/bds-money-trail-suggests-opaque-funding-network/.
  21. Bard, Mitchell. “BDS Money Trail Suggests Opaque Funding Network.” The New York Jewish Week, October 14, 2015. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/bds-money-trail-suggests-opaque-funding-network/.
  22. “Letter in Support of the Movement for Black Lives.” National Students for Justice in Palestine. Accessed January 24, 2020. https://www.nationalsjp.org/m4bl-solidarity.html.
  23. “Groups We Support.” Cultures of Resistance. Accessed January 24, 2020. https://culturesofresistance.org/groups-we-support.
  24. “Palestine Freedom Project (PFP).” Discover the Networks, January 24, 2020. Accessed January 24, 2020. https://www.discoverthenetworks.org/organizations/palestine-freedom-project-pfp/.
  25. Bard, Mitchell. “BDS Money Trail Suggests Opaque Funding Network.” The New York Jewish Week, October 14, 2015. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/bds-money-trail-suggests-opaque-funding-network/.
  26. “Groups We Support.” Cultures of Resistance. Accessed January 24, 2020. https://culturesofresistance.org/groups-we-support.
  27. “Adalah-NY Statement.” Adala-NY. Accessed January 24, 2020. https://adalahny.org/page/130/adalahny-statement.
  28. “Cultural Boycott.” Adala-NY. Accessed January 24, 2020. https://adalahny.org/cultural-boycott.
  29. “Consumer Boycott.” Adala-NY. Accessed January 24, 2020. https://adalahny.org/consumer-boycott.
  30. “Boycott SodaStream.” Adala-NY. Accessed January 24, 2020.  https://adalahny.org/boycott-sodastream.
  31. “Groups We Support.” Cultures of Resistance. Accessed January 24, 2020. https://culturesofresistance.org/groups-we-support.
  32. “Country Reports on Terrorism 2017 – Foreign Terrorist Organizations: Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.” United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2020. Accessed January 24, 2020. https://www.refworld.org/docid/5bcf1f2fa.html.
  33. Havard, Kate. “Congress should be wary of Palestinian youth group.” The Hill, April 22, 2017. Accessed January 24, 2020. https://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/international/329822-congress-should-be-wary-of-palestinian-youth-group.
  34. Schildcrout, Zac. “Hatred Comes to Ann Arbor.” Jewish News Syndicate, January 23, 2020. Accessed January 24, 2020. https://www.jns.org/opinion/hatred-comes-to-ann-arbor/.
  35. Schildcrout, Zac. “Hatred Comes to Ann Arbor.” Jewish News Syndicate, January 23, 2020. Accessed January 24, 2020. https://www.jns.org/opinion/hatred-comes-to-ann-arbor/.
  36. “About.” WESPAC Foundation, 2020. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://wespac.org/category/s5-static-info/c37-about/.
  37. “Nada Khader.” War Resisters League. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://www.warresisters.org/magazine-authors/nada-khader.
  38. Bard, Mitchell. “BDS Money Trail Suggests Opaque Funding Network.” The New York Jewish Week, October 14, 2015. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/bds-money-trail-suggests-opaque-funding-network/.
  39. “Marina Guvenc.” LinkedIn, 2020. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/marinaguvenc/.
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: August - July
  • Tax Exemption Received: May 1, 1982

    • 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
    2017 Aug Form 990 $360,122 $414,702 $581,711 $1,771 N $252,782 $-7,778 $5,134 $0 PDF
    2016 Aug Form 990 $548,102 $604,620 $634,240 $-280 N $411,850 $37,947 $3,483 $0
    2015 Aug Form 990 $1,126,472 $836,117 $691,850 $812 N $733,099 $72,603 $3,749 $0 PDF
    2014 Aug Form 990 $677,548 $380,749 $401,982 $1,299 N $491,032 $83,611 $1,073 $0 PDF
    2013 Aug Form 990 $311,213 $306,679 $105,411 $1,527 N $291,824 $5,134 $1,012 $0 PDF
    2012 Aug Form 990 $226,053 $180,141 $100,481 $1,131 N $203,729 $13,018 $1,095 $0 PDF
    2011 Aug Form 990 $136,894 $129,364 $54,041 $1,131 N $105,685 $24,242 $1,459 $0 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    Map image for WESPAC Foundation

    WESPAC Foundation

    77 TARRYTOWN RD SUITE 2W
    WHITE PLAINS, NY 10607-1639