SACRED (South Asian American Coalition to Renew Democracy)

What SACRED (South Asian American Coalition to Renew Democracy) does

SACRED (South Asian American Coalition to Renew Democracy), operating under the DBA "SACRED Acts," is a 501(c)(4) nonpartisan nonprofit headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, that focuses on exposing alliances between wealthy South Asian American actors and extremist policy agendas — explicitly tracking political contributions linked to organizations such as the RSS and its affiliates. The organization conducts action research (e.g., the 'Raja Will Take Money From Anyone' report documenting $793,262 in Trump-aligned contributions to a sitting congressman), runs public-education and narrative-change campaigns, and organizes multiracial, multifaith, anti-caste coalitions to counter authoritarianism in the U.S. Its flagship initiative, the Illinois Nonviolence Pledge, has secured signatures from over 50 elected officials committing to reject extremist-linked campaign contributions.

The core product is civic organizing and advocacy rather than a technology platform: SACRED publishes free downloadable research PDFs, hosts fundraisers (Soho House Chicago, 2025), candidate forums (Illinois 9th Congressional District), and cultural events (Unity Fest), and convenes partners including Hindus for Human Rights Action, Muslim Civic Coalition, ACRE, AAPIP, and Public Narrative. Operating geography is concentrated in Illinois and the Midwest, with national conference presence at events such as AAPIP's 35th Anniversary and Public Narrative's media conference.

Revenue is generated exclusively through donations and fundraising; SACRED accepts contributions via PayPal and does not sell products or services. The organization runs with a small full-time team of approximately 9 employees, anchored by Co-Founder and Executive Director Pushkar Sharma (2024 Soros Equality Fellow, former UN humanitarian), Board Chair Sufyan Sohel, and Co-Founder Cyrus Rab. As a 501(c)(4), SACRED is privately governed by a board of directors with no venture capital, private equity backing, parent company, or disclosed revenue figures.

Name

SACRED (South Asian American Coalition to Renew Democracy)

Legal name

South Asian American Coalition to Renew Democracy

Website

https://sacreddemocracy.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SACRED Acts is a Chicago-based 501(c)(4) civic engagement nonprofit that exposes extremist-linked South Asian American political contributions and builds multiracial, multifaith coalitions, serving Illinois elected officials, journalists, and progressive South Asian American communities through action research, advocacy, and organizing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Engagement and Advocacy

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB), Civil Society Strengthening & Civic Space (BPADAGAD), Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA)

Keywords

• Civic engagement advocacy
• Nonprofit research
• Community organizing
• Democracy strengthening
• Coalition building

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. Donations and Fundraising: The organization raises funds through annual fundraisers, direct donations via PayPal, and community contributions to support its democracy strengthening programs and research.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SACRED Acts renews democracy through public education, narrative change, community organizing, and action research. It produces verified research reports on extremist South Asian American political funding, builds multiracial, multifaith, anti-caste coalitions, and operates the Illinois Nonviolence Pledge initiative that has secured commitments from 50+ elected officials to reject campaign contributions tied to anti-democratic actors.

Product overview

SACRED Acts is a civic engagement and democracy organization, not a technology product company. It does not offer a software platform, SaaS product, or technology solution. Its activities center on organizing, public education, research, and advocacy to counter extremism and strengthen democracy through multiracial, multifaith coalitions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Illinois Nonviolence Pledge A civic pledge program that invites Illinois state and local elected officials and candidates to publicly commit to rejecting campaign contributions tied to anti-democratic, extremist-linked South Asian actors such as the RSS and its affiliates. It is designed for elected officials and candidates seeking to demonstrate commitment to democratic norms.
• Action Research Reports Verified, publicly accessible research publications that document financial and ideological connections between extremist South Asian American actors and U.S. political campaigns. Reports are distributed as free downloadable PDFs and are intended for journalists, researchers, community leaders, and the general public.
• Annual Fundraiser Event Annual fundraising event featuring elected officials, coalition partners, and community supporters to raise donations for SACRED's democracy-strengthening programs and recognize human rights leadership.
• Congressional District Candidate Forum A nonpartisan voter-engagement forum co-hosted with coalition partners to give Illinois voters direct access to congressional candidates from both parties.
• Unity Fest An inclusive cultural celebration of the South Asian American community featuring performers from across the region, intended to build cross-community solidarity and advance the organization's coalition-building mission.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50 elected officials signed Nonviolence Pledge committing to reject RSS-linked contributions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hindus for Human Rights ActioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 February 2026Co-partner with SACRED in the Illinois Nonviolence Pledge initiative, bringing together a multifaith coalition of over 50 elected officials committed to rejecting anti-democratic, extremist-linked campaign contributions.
• Muslim Civic CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 February 2026Co-partner with SACRED in the Illinois Nonviolence Pledge initiative, contributing to the multifaith, multiracial coalition working to safeguard democratic institutions.
• ACRE (American Constitutional Rights and Education)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint producer of the research report 'Raja Will Take Money From Anyone,' providing Illinois primary voters with details of Congressman Krishnamoorthi's financial relationships with Trump-aligned special interests.
• Midwest Ambedkarites' AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of the 134th Ambedkar Jayanti celebration honoring Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's legacy and contributions to social justice.
• Muslim Civic Coalition–ActivatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of the 2025 Illinois 9th Congressional District Candidate Forum, partnering to provide voters a nonpartisan opportunity to meet candidates.
• Glenbrook Muslim Civic AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of the 2025 Illinois 9th Congressional District Candidate Forum in Skokie, Illinois.
• Illinois Muslim Action Network (IMAN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of the 2025 Illinois 9th Congressional District Candidate Forum, contributing to the diverse coalition of community partners.
• Public NarrativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted a panel discussion at Public Narrative's 'Connecting Media and Community' Conference on understanding the South Asian American community, with 25 attendees.
• AAPIP (Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresented at AAPIP's 35th Anniversary Conference on 'Building Our SACRED Democracy: Embracing Our Legacy to Overcome Hate,' reaching 20+ participants in a public education session.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Public Narrative: Co-host of SACRED's panel at the 'Connecting Media and Community' Conference; a civic leadership and narrative-change organization that overlaps thematically with SACRED's public-education and coalition work.

Direct peers

• Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC): Advocacy organization focused on Indian American civil rights and countering Hindu nationalist extremism; highly comparable to SACRED on anti-extremism research and policy advocacy targeting the South Asian American diaspora.
• Hindus for Human Rights: Co-partner of SACRED on the Illinois Nonviolence Pledge; a South Asian American civil rights and human rights advocacy organization focused on pluralism and opposing Hindu nationalism — directly comparable in mission, constituency, and policy focus.
• ACRE (American Constitutional Rights and Education): Co-producer with SACRED of the 'Raja Will Take Money From Anyone' research report; a civic research and accountability organization whose action-research approach mirrors SACRED's.
• South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT): National advocacy organization for South Asian American communities, addressing civil rights, immigration, and civic participation; directly comparable in community focus and civic-advocacy model, though broader in scope than SACRED.
• Muslim Civic Coalition: Co-partner of SACRED on the Nonviolence Pledge and candidate forums; a faith-based civic engagement and coalition organization directly comparable in multiracial coalition-building and voter engagement work.
• Equality Labs: South Asian American human rights organization focused on caste discrimination and anti-caste advocacy; directly aligned with SACRED's anti-caste coalition framing and South Asian American human rights agenda.

Broad incumbents

• Color Of Change: Large national racial-justice advocacy organization using research, campaigns, and voter mobilization; comparable in civic-advocacy and research-driven campaign model, though focused on Black communities at much greater scale.
• ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union): Premier U.S. civil liberties and constitutional rights advocacy organization; comparable in civil-rights advocacy mission, though vastly larger in scope and operating at national scale.
• AAPI Victory Fund: National AAPI civic engagement and political organization focused on voter mobilization and elected-official support; comparable constituency (AAPI Americans) but operates at broader national scale than SACRED.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/sacred.democracy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sacreddemocracy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 SACRED (South Asian American Coalition to Renew Democracy)