Hip Hop Caucus

What Hip Hop Caucus does

Hip Hop Caucus is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit and non-partisan organization founded in September 2004 by Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr. and headquartered in Washington, DC, with a second office in Los Angeles. The organization leverages hip hop culture to mobilize communities of color around racial, climate, and economic justice, operating four core programmatic verticals: Think 100% (climate justice), Respect My Vote! (voter registration and mobilization, launched 2008), Justice Paid in Full (economic justice and the Bank Black & Green campaign), and Good Trouble Dept. (civil and human rights). It reaches 25 million people worldwide, drives 2.3 million advocacy actions annually, and sustains a network of more than 50 Artivists (artist-activists) including high-profile recording artists.

The organization does not develop proprietary technology. Its 'product' surface consists of advocacy campaigns, original media content produced through Caucus Productions (the HOME climate album, Speak Up single, films including Underwater Projects, Big Oil's Last Lifeline, #WhileBlack, and Ain't Your Mama's Heat Wave), podcasts (The Coolest Show, Official Ignorance, Rhythm & Bloom), and digital organizing infrastructure (websites, SMS short code 79591, Action Network petitions). Distribution occurs across owned websites, Netflix, YouTube, Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, and through major media partnerships with Apple, Meta/Facebook, Discovery Communications, and BET Networks, with additional amplification from 50+ celebrity partners.

The revenue model is donation- and grant-based. Primary revenue streams are tax-deductible individual donations and foundation grants supporting climate, voting rights, and economic justice programs. Media partnerships provide value-in-kind promotional support rather than direct revenue. The organization employs approximately 30 staff across leadership, campaigns and advocacy, storytelling and communications, and advancement. Operating primarily in the U.S. with global content distribution, the entity is legally organized as the Hip Hop Caucus Education Fund, incorporated in the District of Columbia.

Name

Hip Hop Caucus

Legal name

Hip Hop Caucus Education Fund

Website

https://hiphopcaucus.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hip Hop Caucus is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit that mobilizes communities of color through hip hop culture to advance racial, climate, and economic justice. It runs voter engagement, climate advocacy, and civil rights campaigns, producing films, podcasts, and music, reaching 25 million people worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals are a primary revenue stream, supporting grassroots organizing, cultural campaigns, and direct action programs.
2. Grants and Foundation Funding: The organization receives grant funding to support campaigns and programs focused on climate justice, voting rights, and economic justice.
3. Donated Services and Media Partnerships: Hip Hop Caucus has secured major media partnerships with companies such as Apple, Facebook/Meta, Discovery Communications, and BET Networks. These partnerships provide promotional and media support rather than direct revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels13 records

Core offering

Hip Hop Caucus is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that leverages hip hop culture to mobilize communities of color around racial, climate, and economic justice. Its core offerings consist of four programmatic campaigns — Think 100% (climate justice), Respect My Vote! (voter engagement), Justice Paid in Full (economic justice), and Good Trouble Dept. (civil and human rights) — supported by Caucus Productions, an in-house content studio producing podcasts, films, and music to drive cultural engagement and advocacy actions.

Product overview

Hip Hop Caucus is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that leverages hip hop culture to mobilize communities of color to fight for racial, climate, and economic justice. The organization operates as a platform of interconnected campaigns and content productions rather than a single unified product. Its core programs include Think 100% (climate justice activism platform), Respect My Vote! (voter engagement), Justice Paid in Full (economic justice with Bank Black & Green campaign), and Good Trouble Dept. (civil & human rights). These programmatic platforms are supported by Caucus Productions, a content hub producing original music (the album HOME, Speak Up single), films (Underwater Projects, Big Oil's Last Lifeline, #WhileBlack), podcasts (The Coolest Show, Official Ignorance, Rhythm & Bloom), and video series (Green Justice League, Weathering the Storm documentary). The organization reaches 25 million people worldwide with 2.3 million annual actions taken through online and in-person organizing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Think 100%: Award-winning climate communications and activism platform comprising podcast, film, music, and activism opportunities.
• Respect My Vote!
• Good Trouble Dept.
• Justice Paid in Full
• Caucus Productions

Products and services

• Think 100% Award-winning climate communications and activism platform that challenges environmental injustices and shares just solutions to the climate crisis, advocating for a transition to 100% renewable energy for all. Targets Black, Brown, and Indigenous frontline communities.
• Respect My Vote! Voter registration and mobilization campaign working with hip hop artists to register and engage young voters. Has mobilized young BIPOC voters across nine election cycles.
• Justice Paid in Full Economic justice platform focused on the Bank Black & Green campaign to redirect capital toward Minority Depository Institutions and CDFIs, supporting affordable housing, small business lending, climate adaptation, and fair credit.
• Good Trouble Dept. Civil and human rights division acting as a watchdog over culture's most pressing issues, including criminal justice reform, LGBTQ+ rights, immigration, housing, education, healthcare, women's rights, and gun reform.
• Caucus Productions In-house content hub producing original music, films, and podcasts that amplify Black, Brown, and Indigenous voices and visionary artistry across the climate justice movement through the lens of hip hop culture.
• The Coolest Show Podcast Podcast presented by Think 100% addressing climate justice and environmental issues, featuring community stories and just solutions to the climate crisis.
• Official Ignorance: The Death in Custody Podcast NAACP Image Award-nominated podcast focused on deaths in custody, driving petitions targeting the U.S. Department of Justice that generated over 300,000 actions.
• The A. Donald McEachin Environmental Justice Award Award bestowed to Congressional members who exemplify leadership on racial justice and environmental justice on behalf of disadvantaged communities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 million young BIPOC voters mobilized across nine election cycles
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Context Collaborative / Hollywood Climate SummitmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2026Hip Hop Caucus participated as a featured partner in the 2026 Hollywood Climate Summit (7th year), hosting panels and a comedy showcase. The organization also sponsored the 'SCORED: Comedy Show' at the Summit alongside the Spike Center for Sustainability at CU Boulder.
• Apple (iTunes, Apple Music)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerApple served as a major media distribution partner for Hip Hop Caucus music and podcast content. Hip Hop Caucus functioned as a record label producing the climate album HOME (featuring artists such as Common, NE-YO, Elle Varner and Crystal Waters), distributed via Apple platforms.
• BET NetworksmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerBET Networks entered into a major media partnership with Hip Hop Caucus for content distribution and promotional support across BET's television and digital platforms.
• Discovery CommunicationsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerDiscovery Communications partnered with Hip Hop Caucus as a media partner for content distribution across Discovery's television and digital networks.
• Meta/FacebookmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerFacebook/Meta provided a media partnership to support Hip Hop Caucus' digital organizing campaigns and amplify cultural content to broader audiences.
• Beyond Petrochemicals CampaigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHip Hop Caucus partners with the Beyond Petrochemicals Campaign to block the expansion of petrochemical plants across the U.S. The partnership has defeated 19 petrochemical expansion projects to date as part of the Think 100% climate justice initiative.
• Memphis Communities Against Pollution (MCAP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHip Hop Caucus worked with MCAP to stop the Byhalia Pipeline project in southwest Memphis neighborhoods, successfully blocking the pipeline from being built through communities of color.
• Sunrise MovementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed among environmental leaders that support Hip Hop Caucus' bridging work between hip hop communities and the broader Green Movement.
• League of Conservation VotersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed among environmental organizations that support Hip Hop Caucus' climate advocacy and bridging of communities of color with mainstream environmental campaigns.
• EarthjusticeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a supporting environmental organization in Hip Hop Caucus' climate justice advocacy network.
• Zero HourminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a supporting environmental organization in Hip Hop Caucus' climate justice network.
• Black Voters Matter FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlexis Buchanan Thomas, now Senior Director of Development at Hip Hop Caucus, previously led development at Black Voters Matter Fund, scaling revenue from $5M to $40M. This reflects an organizational connection and shared mission in voter engagement.
• Minderoo PicturesmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMinderoo Pictures sponsored the 'The Plastic Detox' Netflix documentary panel at the 2026 Hollywood Climate Summit, featuring Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr. The documentary explores the impact of plastic on communities and the environment.
• Spike Center for Sustainability at CU BouldermajorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Spike Center for Sustainability at CU Boulder co-sponsored the SCORCHED Comedy Show with Hip Hop Caucus at the 2026 Hollywood Climate Summit, combining climate messaging with comedy and entertainment.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HipHopCaucus
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@hiphopcaucus
• Facebookfacebook.com/hiphopcaucus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hiphopcaucus.org
• Instagraminstagram.com/hiphopcaucus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Hip Hop Caucus