Kairos Center

What Kairos Center does

Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice is a New York-headquartered 501(c)(3) nonprofit (fiscally sponsored by Global Impact) founded in 2004 as the Poverty Initiative at Union Theological Seminary and rebranded under its current name in November 2013. The organization builds a national movement to end poverty led by poor and low-income people, combining religious traditions (Christian, Jewish, and Spanish-language), human rights frameworks, policy research, cultural arts, and direct organizing into an integrated portfolio of programs.

Its core offerings span the Freedom Church of the Poor (weekly online worship with thousands of attendees and affiliated La Iglesia del Pueblo and Freedom Shul of the Poor), the Poor People's Campaign (co-anchored with Repairers of the Breach, active in 45+ states), the Songs in the Key of Resistance (SKOR) music and movement songbook initiative with 50+ original works, the Luke 10 Congregations training program co-led with SURJ, the Young Organizers Survival Corps youth network, Policy & Research publications, the recently integrated NYS Labor-Religion Coalition, and the 'It's Kairos Time' podcast. It also publishes books ('We Cry Justice', 'We Pray Freedom', 'You Only Get What You're Organized to Take') and is developing the 'America Will Be' documentary.

Revenue is generated through individual donations (recurring weekly/monthly/quarterly/semi-annual/yearly options accepting ACH, wire, stock, and crypto), book and merchandise sales via Amazon and Broadleaf Press, and suggested-donation fees for the Preachers and Teachers Bureau ($50-$250 for congregations under 100, $250-$1,000 for larger). GTM is community-led: grassroots organizing, faith-based outreach, coalition-building, and event mobilization rather than conventional marketing. Approximately 17-18 staff members operate from the New York office and across the national network.

Name

Kairos Center

Legal name

Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice

Website

https://kairoscenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kairos Center is a New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds a national movement led by poor people to end poverty, combining religious organizing, cultural arts, policy research, and direct action through programs like the Poor People's Campaign, Freedom Church of the Poor, and SKOR movement music.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Justice Advocacy and Movement Building

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Religious Organizations (813110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations (BPAGAJAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ), Youth Leadership, Civic Education & Service-Learning Nonprofits (BPAGADAI)

Keywords

• Social justice organizing
• Faith-based advocacy
• Anti-poverty movement
• Religious community organizing
• Political education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible contributions from individuals supporting the mission to end poverty. Recurring donation options available (weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, yearly). Accepts ACH, wire transfer, stock transfers, cryptocurrency, and checks.
2. Fiscal Sponsorship via Global Impact: Fiscally sponsored by Global Impact, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Also previously mentioned as sponsored by Tides Center.
3. Preachers and Teachers Bureau: Suggested donations for preaching/teaching engagements: $50-$250 for congregations under 100 members, $250-$1000 for larger congregations. Travel and lodging additional.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Kairos Center is a nonprofit movement-building organization that develops leaders from poor and low-income communities and supports national campaigns addressing systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, militarism, and Christian nationalism. It runs a portfolio of interconnected programs — the Poor People's Campaign (co-anchored with Repairers of the Breach), the Freedom Church of the Poor, Songs in the Key of Resistance, Luke 10 Congregations, the Young Organizers Survival Corps, and the NYS Labor-Religion Coalition — alongside cultural arts, policy research, and publications. Its work is funded primarily through tax-deductible donations processed by its fiscal sponsor, Global Impact.

Product overview

The Kairos Center is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs, publications, and cultural resources for anti-poverty movement building. Its core offerings include the Freedom Church of the Poor (weekly worship and Bible study), Songs in the Key of Resistance (SKOR - movement music resources), the Poor People's Campaign coalition, Policy & Research publications, Cultural Arts projects, Religious/Faith organizing programs, and the Luke 10 Congregations training program. Additional offerings include the Young Organizers Survival Corps youth network, the NYS Labor-Religion Coalition, the 'It's Kairos Time' podcast, and publications including the 'We Pray Freedom' book and movement songbook. These programs work together to build a national movement to end poverty led by the poor through organizing, political education, cultural arts, and faith-based engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Songs In The Key Of Resistance (SKOR): A cross-movement project for artists, organizers, faith leaders, and community members to come together in song, creating music for demonstrations, direct actions, and community rituals.
• Freedom Church of the Poor
• Young Organizers Survival Corps (TYOSC)

Products and services

• Freedom Church of the Poor

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, foundational and minor.

• Repairers of the BreachflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 December 2017Co-anchor organization of the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. Both organizations share leadership of this major social movement with co-chairs Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis (Kairos) and Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II (Repairers of the Breach). Partnership represents the core organizing vehicle for Kairos's mission to build a movement to end poverty.
• Showing up for Racial Justice (SURJ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-leads Luke 10 Congregations: Equipping Churches to Do Justice program - a 9-month training program for Christian churches to understand Christian nationalism's relationship to poverty and racism, and engage in justice work alongside local partners.
• Global ImpactcoreOthers501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that serves as Kairos Center's fiscal sponsor. Provides administrative infrastructure, donor management, and compliance services for tax-deductible contributions.
• Tides CentercoreOthers501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Previously served as fiscal sponsor for certain programs including the Religions, Faith and Organizing program area.
• Union Theological SeminaryfoundationalStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhere Kairos was founded in 2004 (originally as Poverty Initiative). Organization was born out of Union's 177-year heritage and commitment to communities in struggle for justice. Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis continues to teach at Union. Collaboration continues through student involvement and intellectual development.
• Design Action CollectiveminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides graphic design and visual communications for the organization. Supports progressive and social change organizations through professional design services.
• It's Kairos Time Podcast PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partners for podcast series include: National Homelessness Law Center, Detention Watch Network, Abahlali baseMjondolo, W.V. Cant Wait, DRUM NYC, Labor Religion Coalition of NYS, Detroit Disability Power, Rolling Nation Network, Put People First PA, Kansas Interfaith Action, Center for Earth Ethics, Coalition on Human Needs, Common Defense, Congressional Hunger Center, The People's Forum, National Welfare Rights Union, Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Greater Birmingham Ministries, and others.
• Songs in the Key of Resistance CollaboratorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-movement project involving artists, organizers, faith leaders, and community members. Retreat collaborators include: Highlander Research Center, Black Youth Project 100, SSSing Network, Jewish Voice for Peace, Domestic Workers United. Produces music video playlists, live recordings, song challenges, and movement songbook.
• Broadleaf PressminorOthersPublisher for We Pray Freedom: Liturgies and Rituals from the Freedom Church of the Poor (2025) and other Kairos publications.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Sojourners: Long-standing evangelical Christian social justice organization with a magazine, advocacy, and movement programs. Overlaps with Kairos on faith-rooted anti-poverty and anti-racism work but operates a broader media and policy portfolio.
• NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice: Faith-based lobbying and advocacy organization rooted in Catholic social teaching, focusing on economic justice, immigration, and anti-poverty policy. Comparable in faith + policy advocacy model but anchored in a different religious tradition.
• Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility: Coalition of 300+ faith-based institutional investors using shareholder power for social and environmental justice. Overlaps with Kairos on faith + justice framing but operates through financial markets rather than grassroots movement building.
• Faith in Action: One of the largest U.S. faith-based community organizing networks (formerly PICO National Network), operating across 40+ states. Comparable in faith-rooted organizing for racial and economic justice but at significantly greater scale and institutional reach than Kairos.

Direct peers

• Dream Defenders: Florida-based youth-led organizing group working on racial, economic, and gender justice. Directly connected via Kairos Director of Culture, Faith and Organizing Ciara Taylor (former Political Director) and shared anti-extremism/anti-authoritarianism framing.
• Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ): National network organizing white people for racial and economic justice. SURJ co-leads the Luke 10 Congregations program with Kairos and shares the grassroots organizing, faith-aligned, and movement-building orientation, making it a direct programmatic partner and peer.
• National Welfare Rights Union: Direct-action organization of welfare recipients and low-income people fighting for economic justice. Liz Theoharis's organizing history includes the NWRU, and it remains a model for the poor-people-led organizing approach Kairos promotes.
• Highlander Research and Education Center: Tennessee-based movement education and leadership development center with a 90+ year history of training social movement leaders. Collaborates with Kairos on Songs in the Key of Resistance and shares the organizing + popular education orientation.
• Coalition of Immokalee Workers: Worker-led organization of low-wage agricultural laborers in Florida. Kairos's Executive Director Liz Theoharis organized with the CIW; it is a flagship example of the "poor people-led organizing" model that Kairos explicitly centers in its theory of change.
• Repairers of the Breach: Co-anchor organization of the Poor People's Campaign alongside Kairos Center. Founded by Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, it is a faith-based movement organization focused on moral fusion politics, anti-poverty work, and Christian nationalism—directly comparable in mission, scale, and organizing model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kairoscenternyc
• Instagraminstagram.com/kairoscenternyc
• Xx.com/KairosCenterNYC

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries3 records

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 Kairos Center