Southside Together Organizing for Power
Southside Together Organizing for Power is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that organizes South Side tenants, mental-health advocates, and youth to win housing preservation, public mental-health clinic funding, and school-police removal through coalition campaigns and Community Benefits Agreement enforcement.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Southside Together Organizing for Power does
Southside Together Organizing for Power (STOP) is a 501(c)(3) community organizing nonprofit founded in 2004 as the Student Tenant Organizing Project and headquartered at 602 E 61st St in Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood. The organization operates three interlocking member-driven programs: housing (tenant organizing, anti-displacement campaigns, Community Benefits Agreement enforcement), mental health (the Treatment Not Trauma campaign advocating for reopened public mental-health clinics and police-free crisis response), and youth organizing (restorative justice, school-police removal, leadership development at Hyde Park Academy and Parkside Elementary). STOP's membership model requires attendees to affirm the mission, attend two events, and contribute $60/year or $5/month. The organization has secured documented policy and land-use victories including the 2020 Woodlawn Housing Preservation Ordinance, 20+ City-owned vacant lots for affordable housing, $2.1M/year in restored mental-health clinic staffing, and referendums passing at 90%+ voter approval. STOP co-leads multiple coalitions including the Obama CBA Coalition, Collaborative for Community Wellness, and the national Tenant Union Federation, and announced a merger with Not Me We in October 2024 that expanded its geography across additional South Side neighborhoods.
STOP generates revenue through four streams: individual donations (tax-deductible under EIN 71-1034518), annual fundraising galas and community events, membership dues ($5/month or $60/year), and foundation grants from 12+ funders including Woods Fund Chicago, Field Foundation of Illinois, Chicago Community Trust, Albert Pick Jr. Fund, Ben & Jerry's Foundation, RRF Foundation for Aging, Wieboldt Foundation, and Crossroads Fund. The organization runs a lean team of approximately four organizers plus a Development Director, with no proprietary technology products; its stack is built on EveryAction CRM, a Squarespace website, Zoom, and social media. STOP's "products" are programs and policy outcomes: affordable housing units secured, public clinics reopened, school resource officers removed, and referendum ordinances passed.
STOP is currently navigating a leadership transition following the 2024 departure of long-time Executive Director Alex Goldenberg and the June 2025 departure of Development Director Dominic Surya, while actively pursuing the 2025 CBA campaign, a $1 billion reparations demand against the University of Chicago, and intensified support for the 7500 South Shore Tenant Union.
Southside Together Organizing for Power firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Southside Together Organizing for Power
- Legal name
- Southside Together Organizing for Power
- Website
- https://stopchicago.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Southside Together Organizing for Power is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that organizes South Side tenants, mental-health advocates, and youth to win housing preservation, public mental-health clinic funding, and school-police removal through coalition campaigns and Community Benefits Agreement enforcement.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Southside Together Organizing for Power industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Organizing and Advocacy Services
- NAICS
- Social Advocacy Organizations (81331), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Other Community Housing Services (624229), Child and Youth Services (624110)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Housing Policy, Standards & Fair Housing Enforcement (BPAIANAG), Community Health, Prevention & Health Education (BPAGACAC), Gun Violence Prevention & Public Safety Policy Advocacy (BPAGAFAM)
Keywords
Where Southside Together Organizing for Power is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Southside Together Organizing for Power business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: STOP collects one-time and monthly donations from individuals. Donations are tax-deductible as STOP is a 501(c)(3) organization. EIN: 71-1034518. The organization runs periodic matching campaigns (e.g., Foundation for Aging matching donations for senior organizing).
- Annual Gala and Events: STOP hosts annual fundraising galas. The 2024 gala raised $46,000 (double the $23,000 raised in 2023). Galas feature live music, dinners, sponsorship packages, and table sales. STOP's 15th-anniversary gala was held in November 2023.
- Membership Dues: Members contribute $60+ per year or $5+ per month. Dues-paying membership is encouraged but not strictly required for participation.
- Foundation Grants: STOP receives grants from foundations including Woods Fund Chicago, Field Foundation of Illinois, Chicago Community Trust, Albert Pick Jr. Fund, Alternatives Inc., Ben & Jerry's Foundation, Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Chicago Racial Justice Pooled Fund, Cricket Island Foundation, Crossroads Fund, RRF Foundation for Aging, Wieboldt Foundation, and others. A reserve fund is maintained.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Membership dues |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels8 records
Southside Together Organizing for Power product offering
Product offeringCore offering
STOP is a grassroots community-organizing nonprofit that mobilizes South Side Chicago residents through three programs: housing justice (tenant associations, CBA campaigns, anti-displacement organizing), mental health advocacy (Treatment Not Trauma campaign for public clinics and police-free crisis response), and youth organizing (restorative justice, school-police removal, leadership development). Services are delivered free of charge to members through door-to-door outreach, leadership training, coalition campaigns, and direct-action tactics.
Product overview
Southside Together Organizing for Power (STOP) is a community organizing organization, not a technology product company. It does not offer software products, platforms, or technology services. STOP's programs consist of community organizing initiatives including housing justice (Chicago Tenants Council, Community Benefits Agreement campaigns), mental health advocacy (Treatment Not Trauma campaign), and youth organizing (school safety, restorative justice).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Housing Justice Program Tenant organizing, rent control advocacy, affordable housing preservation, relocation support, CBA campaigns, and homeownership support for low-income and working-class residents facing displacement on Chicago's South Side.
- Treatment Not Trauma Campaign (Mental Health Program) Advocacy and organizing to reopen public mental-health clinics, increase clinic staffing, and implement police-free mental-health crisis response in Chicago.
- Youth Organizing Program Youth leadership development, school-safety organizing, restorative-justice programming (Peace Room), and campaigns to remove School Resource Officers from Chicago Public Schools.
- 7500 South Shore Tenant Union Support Organizing, emergency relocation fund coordination, legal-support coordination, and media amplification for the 7500 South Shore Tenant Union facing displacement.
- Membership Program Members affirm the mission, attend two events, and contribute $60+ per year or $5+ per month to participate in STOP's organizing campaigns and leadership development.
Quantifiable outcome
- Won 20 City-owned vacant lots on 63rd St for affordable housing (157+ units) — grew from 0 lots through sustained organizing pressure
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Southside Together Organizing for Power
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Southside Together Organizing for Power technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Southside Together Organizing for Power partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and key.
- Not Me WecoreSTOP and Not Me We announced their merger in October 2024, officially combining the two organizations to expand organizing capacity across South Side neighborhoods. The merger was celebrated at a joint gala on November 1, 2024, at the South Shore Cultural Center. The combined organization continues under the STOP name.
- Collaborative for Community WellnesscoreA city-wide coalition co-led by STOP. Its main effort is the Treatment Not Trauma campaign, which fights to open more public mental-health clinics, make clinics more accountable to residents, and replace police with clinicians in mental-health crisis response.
- Tenant Union FederationcoreA national federation of tenant-union organizations; STOP is a founding member. The federation connects tenant unions across the country to share organizing strategies, resources, and campaign support.
- Obama CBA CoalitioncoreCoalition organized around the Obama Presidential Center Community Benefits Agreement. STOP co-leads this coalition with other community organizations, working on housing preservation and anti-displacement measures in Woodlawn and South Shore. Key campaigns include the 2025 CBA ordinance and the Jackson Park Housing Pilot.
- UChicago Against Displacement (UCAD)keyA University of Chicago student group allied with STOP since 2004 (evolved from groups SSN, SHE, and PAC). UCAD and STOP collaborate on CBA campaigns, reparations demands, and campus-community solidarity organizing.
- #CopsOutCPS CoalitioncoreCoalition focused on removing School Resource Officers from Chicago Public Schools. STOP's youth program is a key member; the coalition won removal of police from Hyde Park Academy and is pushing for system-wide changes.
- #Defund CPD / De-fund CPDkeyCoalition campaign that STOP participates in, advocating to redirect police funding toward community services like mental-health care, housing, and restorative justice.
- Access Living (Advance Your Leadership Power)keySTOP partners with Access Living's racial justice organizing group on the Community Emergency Services and Support Act (CESSA) campaign at the state level, advocating for police-free mental-health crisis response throughout Illinois.
- Black Lives Matter ChicagokeySTOP co-hosted a community event with BLM Chicago featuring Brazil's Landless Workers' Movement (MST), demonstrating ongoing solidarity between racial and economic justice movements.
- 7500 South Shore Tenant UnioncoreSTOP supports the tenants union at 7500 South Shore through organizing, emergency relocation funds, legal support coordination, and media amplification. STOP's website features the union prominently as a key organizing priority in 2025.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Southside Together Organizing for Power competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Access Living: Chicago disability-rights organizing group; already an active STOP partner on the CESSA campaign for police-free mental-health response. Comparability runs through shared organizing model, Chicago focus, and overlapping Treatment Not Trauma / CESSA coalition work.
- ONE Northside: Chicago-based multi-issue grassroots organizing coalition focused on affordable housing, racial and economic justice, and community development. Closely comparable to STOP in operating model (member-driven, door-knocking, coalition-based campaigns) and geography (North Side vs. STOP's South Side focus).
- Brighton Park Neighborhood Council: Southwest Side Chicago organizing group running multi-issue campaigns on housing, immigration, education, and police accountability. Uses comparable door-to-door, member-led base-building tactics and pursues similar policy wins at the city level.
- Action Now Institute: Chicago grassroots organizing and civic engagement group that builds power in Black and Latinx neighborhoods through door-to-door outreach and base-building. Highly comparable operating model and Chicago focus to STOP.
- Metropolitan Tenants Organization: Chicago tenant-rights organization that organizes renters around habitability, rent control, and anti-displacement — directly overlapping STOP's tenant-association work at Island Terrace, Woodlawn Park, and 7500 South Shore.
- Chicago Rehab Network: Citywide coalition of Chicago neighborhood housing organizations doing affordable housing preservation, anti-displacement policy, and tenant organizing. Highly comparable to STOP on the housing pillar and serves as a peer through coalition overlap.
- Chicago Coalition for the Homeless: Statewide Illinois advocacy and organizing group for people experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. Comparable to STOP in policy-advocacy approach (Treatment Not Trauma analogue: housing-is-a-human-right campaigns) and in relying on member testimony and coalition pressure.
- Grassroots Collaborative: Chicago coalition of community organizing groups (including ONE Northside, BPNC, and similar groups) pursuing progressive state and local policy on housing, schools, and criminal justice. STOP is a comparable member organization and active collaborator.
Broad incumbents
- Community Change (formerly Center for Community Change): National racial and economic justice organization that funds and trains local community-organizing groups on housing, immigration, and worker power. Comparable as a broader-incumbent peer that operates in STOP's organizing space with national infrastructure rather than neighborhood depth.
- People's Action: National federation of community organizing groups running multi-issue campaigns on housing, healthcare, and economic justice. Comparable as the national-level umbrella that STOP's Tenant Union Federation work plugs into, with broader reach but less neighborhood depth than STOP.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Southside Together Organizing for Power social profiles
Digital presenceSouthside Together Organizing for Power financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Southside Together Organizing for Power leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Southside Together Organizing for Power funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Southside Together Organizing for Power 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 Southside Together Organizing for Power
What does Southside Together Organizing for Power do?
STOP is a grassroots community-organizing nonprofit that mobilizes South Side Chicago residents through three programs: housing justice (tenant associations, CBA campaigns, anti-displacement organizing), mental health advocacy (Treatment Not Trauma campaign for public clinics and police-free crisis response), and youth organizing (restorative justice, school-police removal, leadership development). Services are delivered free of charge to members through door-to-door outreach, leadership training, coalition campaigns, and direct-action tactics.
Is Southside Together Organizing for Power a public or private company?
Southside Together Organizing for Power is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Southside Together Organizing for Power founded?
Southside Together Organizing for Power was founded in 2004.
Where is Southside Together Organizing for Power based?
Southside Together Organizing for Power is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Southside Together Organizing for Power make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are annual Gala and Events, membership Dues and foundation Grants.
Who are Southside Together Organizing for Power's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Access Living, ONE Northside, Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, Action Now Institute, Metropolitan Tenants Organization, Chicago Rehab Network, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless and Grassroots Collaborative. Broad incumbents are Community Change (formerly Center for Community Change) and People's Action.
Does Southside Together Organizing for Power have an API?
No public API is recorded for Southside Together Organizing for Power.
What industry is Southside Together Organizing for Power in?
Southside Together Organizing for Power's product category is Community Organizing and Advocacy Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAFAB, Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations, with a secondary code of BPAIANAG, Housing Policy, Standards & Fair Housing Enforcement. Its NAICS code is 81331 and its SIC code is 8300.