The Workmen's Circle
The Workers Circle is a 501(c)(4) progressive Jewish nonprofit founded in 1900 that delivers Yiddish cultural programming, secular Jewish education, and social-justice advocacy (voting rights, immigrant rights, economic justice) to members, families, students, and coalition partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1900
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Workmen's Circle does
The Workers Circle is a private 501(c)(4) social welfare nonprofit founded in 1900 by Eastern European Jewish immigrants and headquartered in New York City. The organization operates a 360-degree model that combines progressive Jewish identity-building, Yiddish cultural programming, and social-justice advocacy, serving Jewish adults, children, and families seeking connection to Yiddish heritage alongside broader progressive constituencies including voters of color in suppressed states and immigrant communities.
Its core programs fall into three product lines: cultural and educational (Yiddish language classes, Workers Circle Schools in Manhattan and Brooklyn, Let There Be Yiddish for adults 60+, Yiddishland trips, the College Network); advocacy and organizing (Democracy Circles, Freedom Vigils at detention sites, phone/text banking for voter outreach, Action for Democracy campaigns, Talk to Your Sheriff coalition work); and archival/legacy (digitization of the historic Call newsletter). There is no proprietary technology product; the platform is a Squarespace website (circle.org) with email, Zoom-based events, YouTube content, and coalition-coordinated field operations.
The business model is nonprofit and multi-stream: recurring membership dues, donations and sponsorship (including the Ann Toback Leadership Fund), event fees, and Yiddish class tuition. Distribution is primarily community-led and event-driven, supported by earned media in major outlets and a broad coalition of 200+ to 250+ partner organizations across civil rights, labor, and faith-based networks.
The Workmen's Circle firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Workmen's Circle
- Legal name
- The Workers Circle
- Website
- https://circle.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1900
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Workers Circle is a 501(c)(4) progressive Jewish nonprofit founded in 1900 that delivers Yiddish cultural programming, secular Jewish education, and social-justice advocacy (voting rights, immigrant rights, economic justice) to members, families, students, and coalition partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Workmen's Circle industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cultural and Social Justice Nonprofit Services
- NAICS
- Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Labor, Worker Rights & Employment Policy Advocacy (BPAGAFAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Youth Leadership, Civic Education & Service-Learning Nonprofits (BPAGADAI)
Keywords
Where The Workmen's Circle is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Workmen's Circle business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: The organization operates on a membership model where members pay dues and receive benefits including discounts on classes and events, and more. Membership powers progressive Jewish identity through cultural engagement and social justice activism.
- Donations and Sponsorship: The organization accepts donations and sponsorships. Special member rates apply for events. The Ann Toback Leadership Fund supports the organization's work.
- Event Revenue: Revenue generated from ticketed events including cultural programs, classes, and annual benefits. Special member pricing available for some events.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Workmen's Circle product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Workmen's Circle is a progressive Jewish nonprofit that delivers Yiddish language classes, secular Jewish Sunday schools, and a slate of social justice campaigns (voting rights, immigrant rights, workers' rights). It sustains a member-based community through cultural programming, educational programs for children and adults, grassroots advocacy, and coalition organizing around democracy and immigrant rights issues.
Product overview
The Workers Circle is a social justice organization that operates as a unified platform offering progressive Jewish identity-building through multiple interconnected programs. The core offerings include Yiddish language learning (classes, music, cultural programming), social justice campaigns (democracy, workers' rights, immigrant rights), and multigenerational Jewish education through its Workers Circle Schools. Additional programs include Democracy Circles for grassroots organizing, the College Network for campus engagement, Freedom Vigils for immigrant rights activism, and The Call Archive digitization initiative. The organization also offers membership with event discounts and community connection opportunities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Yiddish Language Learning Yiddish language classes and cultural programming offered online and in-person at multiple skill levels for adults seeking to engage with Jewish heritage.
- Workers Circle Schools Secular Jewish Sunday schools in Manhattan and Brooklyn offering child-centered, social-justice-oriented curricula for multigenerational Jewish families.
- Social Justice Advocacy Campaigns Advocacy campaigns focused on strengthening democracy, workers' rights, and immigrant rights, including voting rights protection, union support, and anti-detention activism.
- Freedom Vigils Weekly public vigils held outside detention sites, courthouses, and immigration facilities to oppose detention and deportation, led by local community organizers.
- The Call Archive (Digitization Initiative) Digitization project of the historic Yiddish newsletter 'The Call' enabling readers to explore the daily lives of Yiddish-speaking immigrants and conduct historical and genealogical research.
- Let There Be Yiddish / Zol Zayn Yidish Community connection and life-long learning program for adults 60 and beyond, featuring online sing-alongs, presentations, and cultural events in Yiddish.
- Membership Program Annual membership offering discounts on classes and events, powering progressive Jewish identity through cultural engagement and social justice activism.
Quantifiable outcome
- Nearly 700,000 DREAMers protected through Supreme Court DACA decision
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use The Workmen's Circle
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Workmen's Circle technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Workmen's Circle partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Center for Common GroundcoreWeekly phone banking partnership to reach Black voters in suppressed states (Georgia, Virginia, Wisconsin) with voter registration information. Also co-sponsor of Democracy vigils and effective advocate training programs.
- Sanctuary of the SouthcorePartnership to provide legal counsel for every unrepresented detainee at Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention facility. Joint advocacy and legal intervention campaign to secure releases.
- Leadership Conference for Civil and Human RightscoreCoalition partnership for voting rights advocacy. Signed onto amicus brief in Brnovich v. DNC Supreme Court case. Joint advocacy for Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act.
- Declaration for American DemocracycoreCoalition of 250+ organizations working on federal voting rights legislation. Workers Circle has advocated for end to filibuster since 1957.
- Coalition of Immokalee WorkerscorePartnership to support Fair Food Program and Wendy Boycott to expand human rights program for farmworkers. Addresses sweatshop conditions, wage theft, and modern slavery in agricultural supply chains.
- IndivisiblecoreNational partnership for anti-ICE warehouse detention actions. Joint organizing for Communities Not Cages National Day of Action against mass detention expansion.
- Detention Watch NetworkcoreCoalition partnership for stop ICE warehouse detention national organizing. Joint training calls and action coordination.
- Disappeared in AmericaminorCoalition partnership for national organizing against immigration detention and deportation.
- LUNAR CollectiveminorPartnership with College Network for walking tours exploring Asian and Jewish histories in Lower East Side.
- Vote LatinominorCo-sponsor of Talk to Your Sheriff movement calls and voter empowerment initiatives.
- Faithful AmericaminorCo-sponsor of Talk to Your Sheriff campaign, faith-based organizing for immigrant protection.
- SojournersminorCo-sponsor of Talk to Your Sheriff campaign, faith-based social justice organizing.
- Jews for Secular DemocracyminorCo-sponsor of Talk to Your Sheriff movement calls.
- LCLAA (Labor Council for Latin American Advancement)minorCo-sponsor of Talk to Your Sheriff campaign.
- Coalition on Human NeedsminorCo-sponsor of Talk to Your Sheriff campaign.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Workmen's Circle competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bend the Arc: Jewish Action: Progressive Jewish social justice advocacy organization with overlapping member-led activism, immigration reform focus, and voter mobilization campaigns. Comparable in mission, GTM motion (community-led organizing), and target progressive Jewish donor base.
- HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society): Jewish-founded immigrant rights organization with direct overlap in detention advocacy, refugee resettlement, and legal counsel partnerships. Highly comparable on immigrant rights programming and coalition-based advocacy model.
- Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA): National Jewish community relations and advocacy umbrella that convenes coalitions on voting rights, immigrant rights, and civil rights. Comparable coalition infrastructure and policy advocacy focus.
- Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC): Social justice advocacy arm of the Reform Jewish movement, running voter mobilization, immigrant rights campaigns, and legislative advocacy. Comparable advocacy scope but anchored to a larger denominational infrastructure.
- T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights: Progressive Jewish human rights organization mobilizing rabbis and Jewish communities around immigrant rights, criminal justice, and democracy. Direct overlap on detention advocacy and rabbinic/Jewish community mobilization.
- National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW): Progressive Jewish women's advocacy organization with overlapping work on voting rights, immigrant rights, and reproductive justice through coalition partnerships and member-led activism.
- J Street: Progressive Jewish political advocacy organization with similar coalition-based lobbying, member engagement model, and donor-funded advocacy infrastructure. Comparable in progressive Jewish positioning and policy advocacy depth.
Emerging players
- Avodah: Jewish social justice service corps and advocacy organization focused on anti-poverty work and progressive Jewish identity-building. Comparable mission in Jewish-anchored social justice but smaller and service-oriented.
- YIVO Institute for Jewish Research: Premier Yiddish language, literature, and cultural research institution with overlapping Yiddish archival mission. Highly relevant for the Yiddish cultural programming and The Call archive initiative.
- New Israel Fund: Progressive Jewish grantmaking and advocacy organization supporting Israeli and American civil society. Adjacent peer in progressive Jewish donor base and advocacy mission but with international focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Workmen's Circle social profiles
Digital presenceThe Workmen's Circle financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Workmen's Circle leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
The Workmen's Circle funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Workmen's Circle 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 The Workmen's Circle
What does The Workmen's Circle do?
The Workmen's Circle is a progressive Jewish nonprofit that delivers Yiddish language classes, secular Jewish Sunday schools, and a slate of social justice campaigns (voting rights, immigrant rights, workers' rights). It sustains a member-based community through cultural programming, educational programs for children and adults, grassroots advocacy, and coalition organizing around democracy and immigrant rights issues.
Is The Workmen's Circle a public or private company?
The Workmen's Circle is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Workmen's Circle founded?
The Workmen's Circle was founded in 1900. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Workmen's Circle based?
The Workmen's Circle is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Workmen's Circle make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are donations and Sponsorship and event Revenue.
Who are The Workmen's Circle's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC), T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) and J Street. Emerging players are Avodah, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and New Israel Fund.
Does The Workmen's Circle have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Workmen's Circle.
What industry is The Workmen's Circle in?
The Workmen's Circle's product category is Cultural and Social Justice Nonprofit Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAFAH, Labor, Worker Rights & Employment Policy Advocacy, with a secondary code of BPAGADAI, Youth Leadership, Civic Education & Service-Learning Nonprofits. Its NAICS code is 8133 and its SIC code is 8300.