Reclaim Philadelphia is a fiscally sponsored project of Pennsylvania Stands Up and focuses on left-of-center criminal justice and prison administration. Reclaim Philadelphia advocates for a society with “no need” for police and prisons. ¹ The organization was founded by supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) after he suspended his 2016 presidential campaign. ² The organization specifically recognizes that it donates to “Democratic candidates and policies.” ³

Background and Policy Positions

Reclaim Philadelphia by several Philadelphia-based activists disappointed with Sen. Bernie Sanders’s loss in the 2016 Democratic presidential primaries decided to form an activist group in order to continue to advocate for his proposed policies. ²

The organization claims that the “criminal legal system has perpetuated conditions of class domination, racism, gender oppression, and poverty.” ¹

Reclaim Philadelphia has advocated against additional funding for the Philadelphia Police Department and called for higher taxes. ⁴ The group has criticized Philadelphia’s mayor for failing to “re-imagine other ways we can keep our community safe beyond police.” ¹ Reclaim Philadelphia claims that Philadelphia should work toward cutting “the police budget to reinvest in under-funded community programs and services.” ¹ It has also spoken against the Philadelphia mayor’s planned tax cuts to business income and the city’s wage tax. ¹ The nonprofit also directs a “Mass Liberation Taskforce” with the goal of abolishing police and prisons. ¹

The group states that its vision includes “universal automatic voter registration,” “reparations to ethnic communities,” and “housing guaranteed to all as a right.” Reclaim Philadelphia offers positions in various “subcommittees” that aim to elect left-wing candidates to political office in Philadelphia. ⁵

The organization gives to “Democratic candidates and policies,” specifically ones that “ensure everyone’s right to quality education, health care, a livable environment, housing, safety and justice, regardless of economic background, immigration status, gender or ethnicity.” ³

The group runs a “H.E.A.R.T. Series” that serves as “digital storytelling” to advance the group’s goals of the abolition of police and prison. ⁶  The nonprofit’s lead organizer, Kelly Morton, helped lead a campaign in Philadelphia promoting divestment from Wells Fargo Bank. ⁷

Parent Group

Reclaim Philadelphia’s parent group is a nonprofit called Pennsylvania Stands Up, which advocates for many left-of-center criminal justice policies. The group collected petition signatures to force a vote on a ballot measure that abolishes solitary confinement in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. ⁸ The group trains “community leaders” to become local Democratic Party Precinct Committee Persons (PCPs). The PCPs that PA Stands Up trains are tasked with “registering, educating and mobilizing Democratic voters.” ⁹

The group blames “racially-discriminatory housing policies,” and “a deepening climate crisis” for Pennsylvania’s housing problems. ¹¹

In 2020, the group fought for a “People’s Bailout” and organized rallies and marches for the Black Lives Matter movement. ¹²

Pennsylvania Stands Up received $2,000 from the Pennsylvania Stands Up PAC from 2019-2020. The PA Stands Up PAC also gave Scale to Win $57,726 from 2019-2020, ¹³ and Scale to Win gave PA Stands Up $57,726 in the 2020 cycle. Donations made to Pennsylvania Stands Up pass through the left-of-center ActBlue Civics group. ¹⁴

1. “Mass Liberation.” Reclaim Philadelphia. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20220810070333/https://www.reclaimphiladelphia.org/mass-liberation.
2. Otterbein, Holly. “‘A political revolution’: Meet the left-wing group that’s slaying Democratic giants in Philly.” July 23, 2018. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/politics/reclaim-philadelphia-elizabeth-fiedler-larry-krasner-democratic-socialists-20180723.html.
3. “Member Information.” Reclaim Philadelphia. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://www.reclaimphiladelphia.org/memberinformartion.
4. ^[1] “Mass Liberation.” Reclaim Philadelphia. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20220810070333/https://www.reclaimphiladelphia.org/mass-liberation.
5. “Join a Subcommittee for Electoral Strategy!” The Action Network. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://actionnetwork.org/forms/join-a-subcommittee-of-our-electoral-strategy-taskforce?source=direct_link&.
6. “Heal, Empower, Atone, Restore, Transform.” Reclaim Philadelphia. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://www.reclaimphiladelphia.org/heart.
7.  “Organizers.” Reclaim Philadelphia. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://www.reclaimphiladelphia.org/mentor-team
8. “Up to Us.” Pennsylvania Stands Up. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://pastandsup.org/up-to-us/.
9. PA Stands Up. Twitter Post. August 4, 2022, 11:30 am. Accessed April 14, 2023.  https://twitter.com/pastandsup/status/1422942906415976448?lang=en.
11. “Statement of Organization.” Federal Election Commission. Accessed April 14, 2023.  https://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/579/202207209522440579/202207209522440579.pdf#navpanes=0[//note] PA Stands Up seeks a fund that would authorize $50,000 grants to homeowners and give loans to “small landlords.” ¹⁰ “Pennsylvania Stands Up PAC to PAC/Party.” OpenSecrets. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/pennsylvania-stands-up/C00743021/pac-to-pac/2022.
12. “Get Organized BK PAC Expenditures.” OpenSecrets. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/get-organized-bk/C00678078/expenditures/2022.
13. “Pennsylvania Stands Up PAC Expenditures.” OpenSecrets. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/pennsylvania-stands-up/C00743021/expenditures/2020.
14. “Donate today so we can keep winning in Pennsylvania.” ActBlue Civics. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/winpa2022.