Southern Movement Committee

What Southern Movement Committee does

The Southern Movement Committee (SMC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community organizing and civic engagement organization founded in 2021 and headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. It operates a multi-program platform for racial justice and human rights work, anchored by the Youth Assembly (a 14-25 year-old leadership and civic engagement cohort with stipends up to $700), the Black Nashville Assembly (a local People's Movement Assembly focused on building independent political power for Black Nashvillians), an Arts & Culture program that includes the Get The Goods Podcast and The Meat & Three Tour concert series, and the Varsity Spending Plan — a $10 million policy proposal advocating for community center programming, restorative justice in schools, and an Office of Youth Safety. The organization also runs the Black Educators Collective, Campus Connect programming for Black college students, and branded merchandise as a cultural organizing asset.

SMC's core "technology" is grassroots organizing infrastructure: People's Movement Assemblies, mass meetings, community dinners, town halls, door-to-door canvassing, and coalition campaigns with other Southern movement organizations. It does not develop proprietary technology products; its digital footprint is built on standard nonprofit SaaS (Squarespace website, DonorBox donations, Substack newsletter, Action Network event RSVPs, Instagram, YouTube). Its budget-advocacy model has nonetheless produced concrete municipal outcomes — three consecutive years of $1 million allocations from Metro Nashville's amended budget (2024-2026), the creation of Nashville's first Office of Youth Safety via executive order from Mayor Freddie O'Connell, and a 2026 Vanderbilt Peabody College academic study of its youth-led safety work.

SMC's revenue model is donation- and grant-driven. It accepts tax-deductible individual donations via DonorBox and receives grant funding from foundations and donors to support youth programs and organizing initiatives. Public budget wins under the Varsity Spending Plan are explicitly directed to Metro Nashville Parks and the Mayor's Office, not to SMC itself, so they fund implemented public goods rather than the organization's operating budget. The customer base is not commercial; counterparties are individual donors, foundation grantors, and a distributed community membership of 50+ members, 20+ block captains, and 10,000+ Black Nashvillians engaged through 36+ political events. Geographic scope spans Nashville, Middle Tennessee, and the State of Tennessee.

Name

Southern Movement Committee

Legal name

Southern Movement Committee

Website

https://oursmc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Southern Movement Committee is a Nashville-based 501(c)(3) that organizes Black communities in Tennessee for racial justice through youth leadership training, cultural programming, and policy advocacy, most notably the Varsity Spending Plan which has secured three consecutive years of municipal youth-safety funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Engagement & Community Organizing

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (81331), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Leadership, Civic Education & Service-Learning Nonprofits (BPAGADAI), Civic, Citizenship & Community Engagement Education (EDAAAEAI), Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government) (EDAAAFAC), Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ)

Keywords

• Community organizing
• Civic engagement
• Racial justice advocacy
• Youth leadership development
• Participatory democracy

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

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: The organization accepts tax-deductible donations from individuals as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The website features a DonorBox integration for collecting donations.
2. Grant Funding: The organization receives grant funding from foundations and donors to support youth programs and organizing initiatives. Youth Assembly participants receive stipends up to $700 from program funds.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Southern Movement Committee is a community organizing and civic engagement nonprofit that builds democracy and power in Tennessee through grassroots base building, leadership development, and policy advocacy. Its core offerings include the Youth Assembly for ages 14–25, arts and culture programming (Get The Goods Podcast, Meat & Three Tour), and the Varsity Spending Plan policy initiative advocating for youth safety investments. The organization delivers services through direct community engagement, training cohorts, public events, and co-governance partnerships with elected officials.

Product overview

The Southern Movement Committee is a community organizing and civic engagement organization that operates multiple interconnected programs. Its core offerings include the Youth Assembly for youth leadership development, the Arts and Culture program featuring cultural initiatives like the Get The Goods Podcast and The Meat & Three Tour, and the Varsity Spending Plan—a $10 million policy initiative for community safety. The Black Nashville Assembly serves as the regional vehicle for building democracy through participatory governance. These programs work together to advance racial justice and human rights in Tennessee through base building, leadership development, and political engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Black Nashville Assembly: Local People's Movement Assembly dedicated to building independent political power for Black people in Nashville, started in 2020.

Products and services

• Youth Assembly Youth organizing and leadership development program training young people ages 14-25 to practice participatory democracy and organize for power, including civic engagement training, Varsity Spending Plan campaign participation, community outreach, and stipend opportunities up to $700.
• Arts and Culture Program Cultural programming using arts, music, storytelling, fashion, and celebration to spark connection, build community, and create entry points for organizing engagement, including the Get The Goods Podcast, The Meat & Three Tour concert series, and Family Field Day events.
• Varsity Spending Plan A $10 million investment proposal developed by Nashville community members and proposed by the Southern Movement Committee, seeking funding for Community Center Programming ($4M), Restorative Justice in high schools ($2M), and an Office of Youth Safety ($4M) to build safer communities and address gun violence.
• Black Nashville Assembly A local People's Movement Assembly founded in 2020 dedicated to building independent political power for Black people in Nashville through Black-led participatory democracy and co-governance practices.
• Get The Goods Podcast Podcast featuring real conversations on Black liberation, Southern organizing, and community stories, breaking down news and uplifting Black art while keeping joy at the center of grassroots struggles and celebrations.
• The Meat & Three Tour Tennessee-based concert series featuring hip hop and R&B performances designed to bring communities together through culture while promoting civic and political engagement, offering pathways into organizing.
• Membership Program Community membership program inviting people to get hands-on in making communities safer through organizing activities, door-to-door outreach, and spreading the word about the Varsity Spending Plan.
• Black Educators Collective Program for educators and parents working alongside the Youth Assembly to address the school-to-prison pipeline and criminalization of young people.
• Campus Connect Gathering for Black college students interested in community, leadership, social change, connecting with other students, learning about community organizing, and discussing issues impacting Black students.

Quantifiable outcome

• $1 million allocated to Metro Nashville budget for youth safety programming in 2024, with funds directed to Metro Nashville Parks and Mayor's Office for public implementation
• +3 more outcomes

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

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Vanderbilt Peabody College FacultycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 March 2026Vanderbilt Peabody College faculty launched a study on youth-led community safety efforts in Nashville. Youth participants ages 14-25 are members of the SMC Youth Assembly internship program. The study examines how the program prepares young people to lobby state and city governments on human rights issues.
• Metro Nashville Government (Parks Department and Mayor's Office)coreOthersSMC worked through co-governance to ensure the Varsity Spending Plan vision was implemented. The $1 million in funding was allocated to Metro Nashville Parks and Mayor's Office (not directly to SMC) to implement community center programming, restorative justice in schools, and the Office of Youth Safety as public goods.
• Delishia Porterfield (Metro Budget Chair)coreOthersMetro Budget Chair Delishia Porterfield championed the Varsity Spending Plan, allocating $1 million in her amended local budget in 2024, including $750,000 for the Office of Youth Safety. She serves as a key co-governance partner for implementing community-driven policy.
• Black Nashville AssemblycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlack Nashville Assembly (BNA) is described as 'an extension of the Southern Movement Committee' and serves as the vehicle for building democracy and practicing co-governance in Nashville/Middle Tennessee. Started in 2020, BNA hosts events including Trivia Night and Family Field Day.
• Project SouthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of the Southern Movement Assembly initiative. Emery Wright, Executive Director of Project South, serves as a featured speaker at Mountaintop. Stephanie Guilloud, Senior Strategist in Movement Organizing at Project South, is featured at SMC events.
• Raphah InstitutesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerTravis Claybrooks, Founder and CEO of Raphah Institute, led a Restorative Justice Workshop at SMC's Mountaintop event. Raphah Institute advances community safety through restorative justice and economic mobility initiatives.
• Highlander Research and Education CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDenzel Caldwell serves on the Education team at Highlander Research and Education Center (based in New Market, TN), leading workshops on solidarity economies throughout the US South. Highlander has a legacy of Southern organizing.
• Working Families PartysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerBritney Whaley, Southeast Regional Director for the Working Families Party, participated in SMC's Mountaintop event. WFP builds governing power centering BIPoC and working-class communities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• In Our Names Network: A national network committed to ending police violence against Black women, girls, trans, and gender-nonconforming people, led by SMC board member Lauren Williams Batiste. Shares the racial justice and community accountability organizing model.
• Raphah Institute: A Tennessee-based organization advancing community safety through restorative justice and economic mobility, directly aligned with SMC's Varsity Spending Plan priorities. Raphah leads restorative justice workshops in SMC programs and shares the youth safety and racial justice mission.
• Project South: A Southern-based movement building organization that co-sponsors SMC's Southern Movement Assembly initiative. Project South focuses on community organizing, leadership development, and political education for social change across the US South, directly comparable in geography and methodology.
• Southern Center for Human Rights: A Southern-based legal and advocacy organization focused on human rights, criminal justice reform, and racial justice. The Southern Center for Human Rights has representation on SMC's board and shares the racial justice and human rights organizing focus.
• Highlander Research and Education Center: A long-standing Tennessee-based movement education and organizing institution with deep Southern organizing roots. SMC partners with Highlander staff and draws on its tradition of popular education and leadership development, making it a directly comparable civic engagement peer.
• Black Nashville Assembly: Founded in 2020 and described as an extension of SMC, the Black Nashville Assembly operates as SMC's local Nashville vehicle for building Black political power through People's Movement Assemblies and participatory democracy, making it the closest direct peer in mission and structure.

Regional players

• Tennessee Justice Center: A Tennessee-based advocacy organization working on economic justice, healthcare access, and civil rights. Operates in the same state and frequently engages on overlapping policy issues affecting low-income and Black Tennesseans.
• Tennessee Alliance for Economic Mobility: A Tennessee-based economic mobility nonprofit that previously employed SMC's Program Manager and focuses on education, employment, and wraparound services. Operates in the same Tennessee geography and serves overlapping community populations around economic justice.
• New Jersey Institute for Social Justice: A Newark-based advocacy organization advancing democracy reform, voting rights restoration, and racial justice, where SMC's Policy Manager previously worked. Directly comparable in policy and legal advocacy approach though focused on New Jersey.

Broad incumbents

• Working Families Party: A national political organization building governing power centering BIPoC and working-class communities. SMC partners with WFP's Southeast Regional Director and shares the model of community-led electoral and policy power building, though WFP operates at significantly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/reel/CqTDGFkJK-L/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southern-movement-committee

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Southern Movement Committee