Community Alliance of Tenants
Community Alliance of Tenants is a Portland-based nonprofit founded in 1996 that educates, advocates for, and organizes Oregon's 1.5 million renters through free education, a Renters' Rights Hotline, and policy advocacy, funded by grants and donations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersPortland, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Community Alliance of Tenants does
Community Alliance of Tenants (CAT) is a nonprofit tenant advocacy organization founded in 1996 and headquartered in Portland, Oregon. The organization educates and empowers Oregon's approximately 1.5 million renters through three integrated service pillars: Tenant Education (Know Your Rights resources, Tenant Power Handbook, bi-monthly Tenant Protection Talks), Tenant Advocacy (direct support via the Renters' Rights Hotline, eviction defense referrals, and state-level policy representation), and Tenant Organizing (building-level groups, tenant leadership cohorts, and coalition advocacy). Services are delivered free of charge to tenants in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and limited Russian and Burmese, across phone, in-person, and virtual channels, with a member base of roughly 6,000 statewide.
CAT operates a community-led go-to-market model: the organization mobilizes tenants through paid leadership development programs, partner referrals (Legal Aid Services of Oregon, APANO, Coalition of Communities of Color, 211info), and grassroots events including an annual member meeting where constituents vote on policy priorities and board leadership. Revenue is derived entirely from grants (Oregon Housing and Community Services, Portland Housing Bureau, Multnomah County, Oregon Community Foundation), individual donations, and modest workshop contracting — there is no fee-for-service pricing. The organization has no proprietary technology platform; service delivery is staff-intensive and dependent on multilingual human organizers and educators.
The organization has a documented track record of policy influence, having contributed to the passage of Oregon SB608, SB611, and HB2001 and having helped secure hundreds of millions of dollars in rent assistance alongside partners. Operationally, CAT has faced material financial stress: the non-renewal of a $1.2 million OHCS grant in FY21-22 triggered a 2023 cost-containment layoff process, reductions in hotline operating hours, and ongoing labor negotiations with the CAT Labor Union (CLU). Current executive leadership is anchored by Executive Director Kim McCarty, a member-elected board, and a unionized workforce.
Community Alliance of Tenants firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Community Alliance of Tenants
- Legal name
- Community Alliance of Tenants
- Website
- https://oregoncat.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Community Alliance of Tenants is a Portland-based nonprofit founded in 1996 that educates, advocates for, and organizes Oregon's 1.5 million renters through free education, a Renters' Rights Hotline, and policy advocacy, funded by grants and donations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Community Alliance of Tenants industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Tenant Advocacy and Housing Rights Services
- NAICS
- Other Community Housing Services (624229), Human Rights Organizations (813311)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Specialty & Adaptive-Use Tenant Representation (BPAJALAJ), Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)
Keywords
Where Community Alliance of Tenants is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Community Alliance of Tenants business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Grants and Government Funding: CAT receives grants from government agencies including Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS), Portland Housing Bureau (PHB), and Multnomah County. The organization has experienced funding challenges including non-renewal of a $1.2 million OHCS grant for Fiscal Year 21-22.
- Donations and Fundraising: CAT conducts annual fundraising campaigns including virtual fundraisers. Their 2024 fundraiser goal was $300,000 to expand critical tenant support services across Oregon. Individual donations are accepted through their website.
- Foundation Grants: CAT receives grants from private foundations. They received a $30,000 grant from the Ned and Sis Hayes Family Fund of Oregon Community Foundation for general support in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Workshop Contracting: CAT offers workshop contracting opportunities for organizations seeking tenant rights training. Independent Contractor Request for Proposals for workshops is available on their website.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels10 records
Community Alliance of Tenants product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Community Alliance of Tenants is a member-led nonprofit that educates and empowers Oregon renters through free tenant education, advocacy, and organizing services. Its core offerings include a Renters' Rights Hotline, multilingual Know Your Rights resources, free renters' rights workshops, and policy advocacy campaigns that have produced state-level tenant protection laws. All services are provided at no cost to tenants, with the organization funded through grants, donations, and foundation support.
Product overview
Community Alliance of Tenants (CAT) is a tenant advocacy nonprofit organization in Oregon that operates as a unified service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. CAT's core portfolio consists of three interconnected service areas: Tenant Education (providing Know Your Rights information and the Tenant Power Handbook), Tenant Advocacy (direct support and policy representation), and Tenant Organizing (building collective tenant power through leadership development and coalition work). These services are delivered through multiple channels including the Renters' Rights Hotline, in-person workshops, virtual Tenant Protection Talks, and the Tenant Leadership Cohort training program. The organization serves tenants across Oregon with multilingual resources in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and limited Russian and Burmese.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Renters' Rights Hotline
- Free Renters' Rights Workshops
- Tenant Protection Talks (TPT Talks)
- Tenant Union 101
- Tenant Leadership Cohort
- Know Your Rights Resource Library
- Tenant Power Handbook
- Workshop Contracting Services Contracted tenant rights training workshops delivered to organizations seeking tenant rights education. CAT accepts Independent Contractor Requests for Proposals for workshops and provides interpreter and translation contractor opportunities.
Quantifiable outcome
- Helped lower rent cap limits through SB611
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Community Alliance of Tenants
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Community Alliance of Tenants technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Community Alliance of Tenants partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Legal Aid Services of OregoncorePartner in free renters' rights workshops conducted in multiple languages. Legal Aid provides legal expertise complementary to CAT's organizing and education work. Joint workshops serve diverse tenant communities including Spanish-speaking populations.
- HAKI (Housing is a Human Right Initiative)coreCommunity partner that helped turn out community members for CAT's Annual Member Meeting and provided translation services. HAKI focuses on housing justice and works with CAT on tenant advocacy campaigns.
- Ethiopian and Eritrean Cultural & Resource CenterminorCommunity partner that helped turn out community members for CAT's Annual Member Meeting and provided translation services for Amharic and Tigrigna speaking community members.
- Sen. Kayse Jama (Senate Housing Committee Chair)coreChair of the Senate Housing Committee who joined CAT's Annual Member Meeting and spoke to members about the importance of organizing for social change. Represents key legislative partner for CAT's policy agenda.
- Vitalidad Movement Arts CenterminorCommunity arts organization that provided salsa lessons at CAT's Annual Member Meeting, helping create an engaging community-building experience.
- Cinco Estrellas PupuseriaminorLocal business that provided food (pupusas) for CAT's Annual Member Meeting, supporting the community gathering aspect of the event.
- Sharon Gary-Smith (Former Portland NAACP President)minorFormer Portland NAACP president and CAT member who attended the Annual Member Meeting, representing potential future partnership with civil rights organizations.
- Coalition of Communities of ColorcoreLed by Marcus Mundy, this coalition joined CAT's call for $100 million in housing stability funding, citing disproportionate impact of Oregon's housing crisis on communities of color.
- Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO)corePartner in Vietnamese & English Renters' Rights Workshop. APANO serves Asian and Pacific Islander communities in Oregon and partners with CAT to provide culturally-specific tenant education.
- Stable Homes CoalitioncoreCoalition partner in the Fair Shot Coalition's People's Budget proposal for $100 million housing stability and homelessness prevention funding. Part of broader advocacy coalition including Basic Rights Oregon, Fair Shot for All, SEIU, Unite Oregon.
- Portland State University (Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative)coreResearch partner that worked with CAT on tenant surveys during COVID-19 pandemic, documenting housing insecurity and rent debt. Joint research on eviction costs informed policy advocacy.
- PolicyLinkcoreNational data experts who partnered with CAT on the 'Cancel the Rent' Digital Town Hall, presenting groundbreaking county-by-county renters data and national and local speakers.
- Oregon Law Center / Eviction Defense ProjectcoreReferral partner for tenants receiving eviction notices. Provides legal representation and defense. CAT directs tenants to their hotline (888-585-9638) or web form for eviction defense assistance.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Community Alliance of Tenants competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Tenants Together: California's statewide tenant rights coalition, providing a directly analogous model of multilingual tenant education, hotline support, policy advocacy, and coalition building — serving as the closest functional peer to CAT.
- City Life/Vida Urbana: Boston-based tenant organizing nonprofit that combines direct tenant defense, leadership development, and anti-displacement policy advocacy in Greater Boston — structurally similar grassroots tenant-rights model.
- ACCE Institute: Los Angeles tenant and worker organizing group combining tenant rights education, foreclosure/eviction defense, and state-level housing policy advocacy through a member-driven base.
- Make the Road New York: Multi-issue organizing group including strong tenant rights/housing justice programs, member leadership development in immigrant communities, and state-level policy advocacy in New York.
- Metropolitan Tenants Organization: Chicago-area tenant rights hotline, education, and organizing nonprofit — directly comparable scope (city/region-wide tenant coalition, hotline-driven service model, Illinois policy advocacy).
- Right to the City Alliance: National alliance of 80+ grassroots tenant and housing justice organizations running member-driven organizing and federal-level advocacy — the closest national peer/umbrella to CAT's coalition model.
- Housing Action Illinois: Illinois statewide tenant/housing coalition combining policy advocacy, tenant education, and coalition building — comparable state-tenant-rights model with hotline and policy work.
Broad incumbents
- National Low Income Housing Coalition: Long-established national policy and research nonprofit focused on affordable rental housing — comparable advocacy mission but operating at federal scale and research depth rather than state-level direct services.
Emerging players
- Anti-Eviction Mapping Project: Data, storytelling, and advocacy project producing eviction mapping and renter profiles; partial overlap with CAT's story-collection and policy research functions rather than direct service delivery.
- Renters Rising Massachusetts: Massachusetts tenant advocacy coalition organizing renters around tenant protections and elections — adjacent geographic and model analog to CAT's "We Rent, We Vote" statewide voter mobilization approach.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Community Alliance of Tenants social profiles
Digital presenceCommunity Alliance of Tenants financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Community Alliance of Tenants leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Community Alliance of Tenants funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Community Alliance of Tenants M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Community Alliance of Tenants
What does Community Alliance of Tenants do?
Community Alliance of Tenants is a member-led nonprofit that educates and empowers Oregon renters through free tenant education, advocacy, and organizing services. Its core offerings include a Renters' Rights Hotline, multilingual Know Your Rights resources, free renters' rights workshops, and policy advocacy campaigns that have produced state-level tenant protection laws. All services are provided at no cost to tenants, with the organization funded through grants, donations, and foundation support.
Is Community Alliance of Tenants a public or private company?
Community Alliance of Tenants is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Community Alliance of Tenants founded?
Community Alliance of Tenants was founded in 1996. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Community Alliance of Tenants based?
Community Alliance of Tenants is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Community Alliance of Tenants make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Grants and Government Funding is the primary driver. The others are donations and Fundraising, foundation Grants and workshop Contracting.
Who are Community Alliance of Tenants's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Tenants Together, City Life/Vida Urbana, ACCE Institute, Make the Road New York, Metropolitan Tenants Organization, Right to the City Alliance and Housing Action Illinois. National Low Income Housing Coalition is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Anti-Eviction Mapping Project and Renters Rising Massachusetts.
Does Community Alliance of Tenants have an API?
No public API is recorded for Community Alliance of Tenants.
What industry is Community Alliance of Tenants in?
Community Alliance of Tenants's product category is Tenant Advocacy and Housing Rights Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGALAC, Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts), with a secondary code of BPAJALAJ, Specialty & Adaptive-Use Tenant Representation. Its NAICS code is 624229 and its SIC code is 8300.