Sunrise DC

In 2020, Sunrise DC expressed support for the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) and adopted an anti-police position. The D.C. chapter has also endorsed statehood for the District of Columbia, pro-Palestinian activism, and expansionist immigration policies while opposing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities. The organization was criticized by its own parent organization for the release of a 2021 statement calling for the exclusion of Zionist Jewish organizations from left-of-center activism. ^{2  1  4  5  6  7}

Activism

Sunrise DC advocates expansive, left-wing environmentalist legislation it refers to as a Green New Deal. The group also supports universal government-funded health care, housing, and job security. It hosts meetings and conferences covering these and other related left-of-center activist topics. ^{1  3}

In 2020, Sunrise DC expressed its support for the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) and adopted as part of its mission an anti-police stance, pushing the narrative that the police system in the United States is racist. The group has also advocated for defunding police departments and has argued that climate activism and racial activism are united causes. ^{2  1}

In July 2021, Sunrise DC submitted written testimony to Congress in support of the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, a bill to grant statehood to the District of Columbia. ⁸

In October 2021, Sunrise DC called for the removal of three left-of-center Jewish organizations from the voting rights coalition Declaration for American Democracy for their pro-Israel political stances. The national Sunrise Movement condemned Sunrise D.C.’s statement and apologized for what the group claimed was an “unacceptable and antisemitic” act. ⁷

In 2024, Sunrise DC endorsed the March on Washington for Gaza (March4Gaza) pro-Palestinian protest in Washington, D.C. ⁵

Sunrise DC also supports expansionist immigration policies and opposes law enforcement activities by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In February 2025, Sunrise DC organized a protest outside Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta’s home in Arlington to protest the hotel brand’s refusal to prohibit ICE agents from staying in Hilton hotels. ⁶

In June 2026, Sunrise DC partnered with the Washington, D.C. branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) to oppose the construction of a data center in Dickerson, Maryland. ⁹

Affiliated Groups

Sunrise Movement

Sunrise DC is a Washington, D.C.-based chapter of the Sunrise Movement, a left-of-center 501(c)(4) environmental advocacy group. Founded in 2017, the organization endorses left-of-center and far-left Democratic Party candidates for public office and organizes alongside other activist groups to support radical environmentalist legislation, including the Green New Deal. ¹⁰ Sunrise PAC is the 527 political action arm of the Sunrise Movement. ¹¹

The group has organized large-scale protests and disrupted public officials by staging sit-in demonstrations, including at the U.S. Capitol offices of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and then-House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD). U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) joined the protesters in Pelosi’s office for the sit-in. ^{12  13  14}

In 2020, the Sunrise Movement endorsed Bernie Sanders for president. ¹⁵ After Joe Biden (D) won the 2020 election, The Hill reported that his administration communicated regularly with Sunrise activists to pursue the group’s environmental policies, including halting the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline and banning natural gas exploration by hydraulic fracturing on federal land. ¹⁶

As of June 2026, the national Sunrise Movement had endorsed the No Kings protests, opposed all ICE law enforcement operations across the country, and opposed Zionism. ^{17  18  19}

Sunrise Movement Education Fund

The Sunrise Movement Education Fund is the charitable educational arm of the Sunrise Movement. The group has received extensive funding from major left-of-center grantmaking organizations and other climate activist groups, including the MacArthur Foundation and the ClimateWorks Foundation. ^{20  21}

Leadership

Sunrise DC does not publish its leadership directly on its website. ²² As of 2026, Gitanjali Eva Sadana was the hub coordinator of Sunrise DC. She was also working as an organizer for Rising Organizers and the Washington, D.C. chapter of the Sierra Club. Sadana previously worked as a teaching assistant for the New York City Department of Education and as an intern at the Climate Reality Project. She received a dual BA in anthropology and political science from Columbia University and Sciences Po Paris. ^{23  24}

Financials

As an affiliated chapter of the 501(c)(4) Sunrise Movement, Sunrise DC does not report its own financial information through traditional federal tax filings. The group accepts donations through an online Linktree page. ²⁵

In 2024, the national Sunrise Movement reported $2,626,860 in total revenue, $1,580,328 in total expenses, and $4,927,325 in total assets. ²⁶