Southside Together

What Southside Together does

Southside Together is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community organizing organization headquartered at 602 E 61st St in Chicago, Illinois, founded circa 2004 and reorganized in November 2024 through the merger of STOP (Southside Together Organizing for Power) with Not Me We. It operates three core programs: a Housing program that organizes tenant associations across roughly 30 buildings (including Grove Parc, Park Shore East, and 7500 South Shore) and runs Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) campaigns; a Health program centered on the Treatment Not Trauma campaign and the Collaborative for Community Wellness coalition, focused on public mental health clinics and police-free crisis response; and a Youth program conducting restorative justice and school-safety organizing at Parkside Elementary and Hyde Park Academy.

The organization has a documented track record of policy wins, including a $40-48M University of Chicago trauma center, a 2020 Woodlawn CBA Housing Ordinance reserving 52 vacant lots and mandating 30% affordable units, a 72% staffing increase (29 positions, $2.1M/year) at city mental health clinics, and successful removal of school resource officers from partner schools. Its distribution model is direct community engagement: door-to-door canvassing, town halls, coalition meetings, public actions, and grassroots fundraising events rather than technology-mediated channels.

Revenue derives from a mix of individual donations, membership dues ($60+/year or $5+/month), foundation grants (Woods Fund, Field Foundation, Peters for Illinois, Groundswell Alliance), union sponsorship (Chicago Teachers Union), and an annual gala. The 2024 gala raised $46,000, doubling the $23,000 raised in 2023. Dixon Romeo serves as executive director following the merger, succeeding Alex Goldenberg, who led the organization for nearly 20 years. Dominic Surya, the Development Director, is departing at the end of June 2025 after seven years, creating a near-term fundraising leadership transition.

Name

Southside Together

Legal name

Southside Together Organizing for Power

Website

https://southsidetogether.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Southside Together is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit formed in 2024 from the merger of STOP and Not Me We, organizing tenants, mental health advocates, and youth in Woodlawn, South Shore, and Hyde Park through direct-action campaigns, tenant unions, and Community Benefits Agreement advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Organizing and Advocacy Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Other Community Housing Services (624229), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Development & Neighborhood Revitalization (CDBG, Place-Based Initiatives) (BPAIANAE), Public Health & Health Equity Organizations (BPAGACAL), Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

Keywords

• Community organizing
• Tenant rights advocacy
• Affordable housing organizing
• Mental health advocacy
• Youth organizing

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual donations and membership dues: Monthly or one-time donations from individuals. Membership requires affirming mission, attending two events/meetings, and contributing $60+ per year or $5+ per month.
2. Foundation and grant funding: Gala fundraising and foundation grants from organizations like Woods Fund, Field Foundation, and Chicago Teachers Union.
3. Event-based fundraising: Annual gala events raising significant funds ($46,000 in 2024, double from $23,000 in 2023).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Southside Together is a 501(c)(3) community organizing nonprofit that runs three primary programs: a Housing Program organizing tenants and conducting Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) campaigns; a Health Program leading the Treatment Not Trauma campaign and the Collaborative for Community Wellness coalition for public mental health clinics and police-free crisis response; and a Youth Program organizing students and conducting restorative-justice work at local schools. The organization supports tenant unions, trains community leaders, and engages in direct-action campaigns in Chicago's South Side (Woodlawn, South Shore, Hyde Park).

Product overview

Southside Together is a community organizing nonprofit organization (501(c)(3)) that operates three primary programs: (1) Housing Program organizing tenants and conducting Community Benefits Agreement campaigns, (2) Health Program focused on mental health advocacy through the Treatment Not Trauma campaign and Collaborative for Community Wellness coalition, and (3) Youth Program organizing students and conducting restorative justice work at local schools. The organization does not offer technology products or services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Housing Program / Tenant Union Organizing
• Treatment Not Trauma Campaign / Health Program
• Youth Program / Restorative Justice Organizing

Quantifiable outcome

• Won $48M trauma center at University of Chicago
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Collaborative for Community WellnesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity-wide coalition co-led by Southside Together, focused on Treatment Not Trauma campaign for public mental health clinics and police-free crisis response.
• Tenant Union FederationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational coalition of tenant union organizations; Southside Together is a founding member, organizing tenant associations across the country.
• Obama CBA CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition organized around Community Benefits Agreement for Obama Center area, including housing advocacy and displacement prevention.
• Not Me WecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMerger completed in late 2024, combining two fierce community organizing organizations in South Shore to form unified Southside Together.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Chicago Coalition for the Homeless: Chicago's leading homeless-services and housing-rights advocacy coalition; comparable to Southside Together on tenant organizing, displacement prevention, and policy campaigns around affordable housing at municipal and state level.
• ONE Northside: A Rogers Park-to-Uptown Chicago federation of 30+ member institutions doing tenant organizing, affordable housing advocacy, and mental-health campaigns. Directly comparable in mission, coalition model, and policy-wins-oriented organizing approach to Southside Together.
• Brighton Park Neighborhood Council: Southwest Side Chicago community organization that runs multi-issue campaigns on housing, immigration, youth, and public safety. Comparable in staff size, coalition approach, and tenant-rights work to Southside Together.
• Metropolitan Tenants Organization: Chicago-based tenant rights organization providing hotline, organizing support, and policy advocacy for renters. Direct functional peer to Southside Together's housing program with overlapping tenant-union and displacement-prevention work in the Chicago market.
• Kenwood Oakland Community Organization: KOCO is a South Side Chicago congregation- and tenant-based community organizing group with comparable multi-issue campaigns on housing, schools, and public safety. Operates in directly adjacent neighborhoods to Southside Together's footprint and shares the same faith-rooted, CBA-style organizing model.
• Lugenia Burns Hope Center: Bronzeville/Grand Boulevard-based Black-led organizing group focused on housing, economic justice, and youth development. Closely comparable in geography, racial-justice framing, and community-organizing methodology to Southside Together.

Broad incumbents

• Center for Community Change: National intermediary that supports grassroots community organizing on housing, immigration, and economic justice. Comparable in mission and target population to Southside Together but operates nationally with much greater budget and staff.
• Right to the City Alliance: National alliance of more than 80 community-based organizations organizing against gentrification and displacement. Southside Together's Tenant Union Federation membership is directly affiliated with this broader national network of comparable tenant unions.
• People's Action: National progressive organizing network of more than 40 state and local affiliates running multi-issue campaigns on housing, healthcare, and economic justice. Southside Together operates with comparable theory of change at a local scale.

Regional players

• Woodlawn Community Development Corporation: Woodlawn-focused community development nonprofit focused on affordable housing and commercial corridor development. Adjacent to Southside Together's housing work in the same neighborhood but operates more on real-estate development than grassroots organizing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ssidetogether
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@southsidetogether
• Facebookfacebook.com/southsidetogether
• Instagraminstagram.com/southsidetogether
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southsidetogether

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Southside Together