SCOM

What SCOM does

SCOM (Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment), legally Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment, is a 53-year-old, member-driven nonprofit grassroots organizing organization headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1972 as "Save Our Cumberland Mountains" by residents of Appalachian coalfield communities who organized to tax absentee land corporations and address underfunded schools and roads, the organization rebranded to its current name in 2008 to reflect its statewide Tennessee footprint. SCOM trains local leaders and develops and sustains democratically run, locally rooted membership chapters across at least 14 Tennessee counties, working on environmental justice, public education funding, housing justice, community-driven development, voting rights, healthcare access, and immigrant rights. It is governed by a member-elected Board of Directors (officers, chapter reps, three at-large reps) and led by Executive Director Austin Sauerbrei and Board President Chauncey O'Dell. Documented wins include the Fall Creek Falls 61,000-acre mining designation, severance tax victories, Surface Rights Law, founding of Knoxville's first eviction prevention program, and coalition work that helped defeat HB793.

SCOM has no proprietary technology products, software platforms, APIs, or AI/ML capabilities. Its "products" are human-powered advocacy campaigns — Public School Strong Tennessee (public education), the Housing Justice Campaign (tenant rights and eviction prevention), the Community-Driven Development Initiative (local control over landfill/quarry siting under the Jackson Law), and the Back to the Basics of Base Building (door-to-door relational organizing program) — plus the SOCM Sentinel quarterly newsletter and the SOCM Chapters Network. Operational infrastructure consists of roughly a dozen trained staff organizers covering East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, Knoxville, McMinn, Montgomery, Rutherford, and Sumner counties, a Communications Consultant, a Director of Finance/Development/Operations, and a Leadership Development Coordinator, supported by a Wix-hosted website, EveryAction for email, and Facebook/Instagram/YouTube channels.

Revenue mechanics are those of a traditional 501(c)-adjacent nonprofit: member dues, an Annual Fund, and contributions channeled through the SOCM Resource Project, a separately incorporated charitable affiliate that provides tax-deductible giving infrastructure. No revenue figures are publicly disclosed. The organization's growth metrics are campaign wins, chapter expansion, and membership engagement rather than financial scale, with a 2025-2030 Strategic Plan formally approved in 2024 setting the agenda for the next planning cycle.

Name

SCOM

Legal name

Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment

Website

https://socm.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SCOM (Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment) is a 53-year-old, member-driven nonprofit grassroots organizing organization headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, training local leaders and running advocacy campaigns across 14+ Tennessee counties on environmental, housing, education, and community-development justice.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Organizing and Advocacy Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL), K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB), Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government) (EDAAAFAC)

Keywords

• Grassroots community organizing
• Social justice advocacy
• Community leadership development
• Environmental justice campaigns
• Member-driven organizing

Headquarters

HQ city

Knoxville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

SCOM trains local leaders and develops and sustains long-term, democratically run, locally rooted membership organizations in communities across Tennessee. It delivers its work through statewide advocacy campaigns on social, economic, and environmental justice (Public School Strong Tennessee, Housing Justice Campaign, Community-Driven Development Initiative), grassroots base-building programs, leadership development trainings (SOCM 101), and a network of volunteer chapters. Member dues, donations, and affiliated charitable contributions fund the organization's staff organizers and operations.

Product overview

SCOM (Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment) is a member-driven nonprofit organization, not a technology company. It offers no software products; instead, its offerings consist of advocacy campaigns (Public School Strong Tennessee, Housing Justice Campaign, Community-Driven Development Initiative), organizing programs (Base Building), a quarterly newsletter (SOCM Sentinel), and a network of local chapters across Tennessee. These programs work together as a unified approach to grassroots community organizing for social, economic, and environmental justice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SOCM Sentinel Quarterly newsletter written by SOCM members and staff featuring stories and updates on the organization's community work, campaigns, and chapter activities, distributed to members across Tennessee.
• Public School Strong Tennessee Statewide campaign organizing Tennessee parents, educators, and community members for fully-funded, equitable, honest, and safe public schools through school board engagement, community organizing, and legislative advocacy.
• Housing Justice Campaign Multi-year statewide campaign focused on tenant rights, eviction prevention, and housing stability in Tennessee, led by the Knoxville Chapter with SOCM planning statewide expansion.
• Community-Driven Development Initiative Statewide initiative advocating for community-based decision-making in development, local control over landfill siting through the Jackson Law, and opposing unwanted quarry and landfill expansions across Tennessee.
• Back to the Basics of Base Building Grassroots organizing initiative focused on building relationships, welcoming new members, developing local leaders, and deepening community connections through door-to-door conversations and one-on-one engagement across Tennessee chapters.
• SOCM Chapters Network Network of local SOCM chapters (Cumberland County, KCEC, McMinn County Neighbors, SOCMoCo, Knoxville, Plateau & Valley, RuCo, Roaring River, Maury County) that work on local issues while supporting statewide advocacy campaigns.

Quantifiable outcome

• Won appeal requiring taxation of absentee land corporations in 1972
• +6 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Legal Aid of East TennesseecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnered with SOCM, the City of Knoxville, and UT Law School to establish Knoxville's first eviction prevention program.
• City of KnoxvillecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Key government partner in establishing Knoxville's first eviction prevention program, which SOCM members helped create.
• UT Law SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnered with SOCM, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, and the City of Knoxville to establish Knoxville's first eviction prevention program.
• Appalachian Justice Research CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSOCM members supported the production of the 'Housing Stability and Tenant Representation in a Changing Knoxville' report on eviction in Knox County.
• Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSOCM members stood with TIRRC and immigrant students to help defeat HB793 harmful legislation.
• Alliance for AppalachiamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSOCM became a founding member of this coalition of groups in central Appalachia working to combat mountaintop removal mining.
• Citizens Lead on Energy Action Now (CLEAN) / American Clean Energy AgendamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSOCM united with this national network of grassroots organizations to develop broader energy policy positions for good jobs and clean energy future.
• JONAH (Jordan Organization for Neighborhood Action and Growth)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPredominantly African-American community organization in rural West Tennessee that allied with SOCM, eventually combining forces to create SOCM's first West Tennessee Chapter.
• Tennesseans for Fair TaxationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition working for structural state tax reform.
• Southern Organizing CooperativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative formed with other community organizations to improve the art, practice, and funding of community organizing in the South.
• Tennessee Partnership on Organizing and Public PolicyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition formed with nine other organizations for organizing and public policy work.
• Cattywampus Puppet CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArts organization co-sponsoring 'We Dwell Together' street festival and parade in Knoxville, and the 'We Are Inskip: Parade and Block Party' event.
• TN4SafeHomesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner conducting 'Know Your Rights' trainings and canvassing events in Maury County.
• LOCAL Campaign PartnersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of local community groups, river conservancies, neighborhood organizations, solid waste managers, and elected officials working to preserve local control over landfill siting decisions through the Jackson Law.
• YWCA of Nashville and Middle TennesseeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAngela Wynn, SOCM Treasurer, serves with this organization, demonstrating community leadership connections.
• Needlink NashvilleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAngela Wynn, SOCM Treasurer, serves with this organization providing housing assistance.
• Public School Strong Tennessee (PSSTN) TeamscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of parents, educators, and community members organizing across Tennessee school districts to fight for fully-funded, equitable, honest, and safe public schools.
• SOCM Resource ProjectcoreOthersCharitable organization that exists to support community organizing, education and leadership development. Donations to SOCM Resource Project are tax-exempt.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Appalachian Voices: Regional nonprofit doing base-building organizing across Appalachia on environmental and economic justice issues; mirrors SOCM's founding environmental justice mission, anti-mountaintop removal work, and Appalachia community-organizing roots.
• Alabama Arise: Alabama statewide citizens' organization advancing social and economic justice through grassroots organizing and coalition campaigns; closest comparable to SOCM in member-driven, multi-issue, state-level community organizing structure.

Broad incumbents

• Center for Community Change: National organizing backbone supporting state and local grassroots groups (including Southern organizations) on economic and racial justice; comparable to SOCM as an established hub for the same movement space in which SOCM operates.

Regional players

• Tennessee Equality Project: Statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization using grassroots organizing and lobby days in Tennessee; similar membership-driven advocacy model and statewide Tennessee footprint to SOCM.
• Kentucky Equal Justice Center: Kentucky-based advocacy organization supporting low-income communities through organizing and policy; neighboring geographic region and similar Appalachian/coalfield community organizing focus to SOCM.
• Southern Coalition for Social Justice: Durham-based organization pursuing racial and economic justice in the U.S. South through organizing, advocacy, and litigation; comparable to SOCM in grassroots civil rights and economic justice orientation across Southern states.
• Tennessee Justice Center: Tennessee-based social justice nonprofit advocating for healthcare access and economic security through policy advocacy and community organizing; comparable to SOCM in mission-driven, Tennessee-focused, advocacy-and-organizing hybrid model.
• Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC): Statewide Tennessee-based immigrant rights coalition that organizes directly affected communities; SOCM partnered with TIRRC on legislative fights, making it a close regional peer in grassroots, member-led civic advocacy.

Others

• National Community Land Trust Network / Grounded Solutions Network: National membership network supporting community land trusts and affordable housing models; comparable to SOCM's housing justice work on tenant rights and eviction prevention, especially community-driven development and local land-use control.

Emerging players

• West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy: West Virginia research and advocacy organization working on economic justice, tax fairness, and community issues; similar Appalachian community-advocacy profile but more research/policy-oriented vs SOCM's member-led organizing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SOCMtube/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/SOCMTN
• Instagraminstagram.com/socmtn
• Xx.com/SOCM
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/statewide-organizing-for-community-empowerment-socm-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SCOM