Center for Economic Democracy Inc
Center for Economic Democracy Inc. is a Boston-based public charity that organizes coalitions, develops community-led economic models, and moves resources to grassroots organizations and social movements. Its work centers on democratizing economic power and building a solidarity economy.
Center for Economic Democracy Inc at a glance
In short: Center for Economic Democracy Inc gave $1.4M across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $86K), mostly in Massachusetts. 31% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,373,616
- +97.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 16
- +23.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $85,851
- +60.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $65,000
- Total assets
- $7,461,724
- -22.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 31% first-time grantees (5 of 16, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (96% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated November 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Center for Economic Democracy Inc
- Review Cycle
- The published 2025 incubator application deadline was December 6, 2025.
- Deadline
- The published 2025 incubator application deadline was December 6, 2025.
- Contact
Mailing address: 769 Centre Street 143, Boston, MA 02130
Phone: (877) 829-5500
Website: https://economicdemocracy.us
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Center for Economic Democracy Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Resist ($288K). Together the top 10 received $1.2M.
Grant Size Distribution
75 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 56 grants of 75 (75%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
CED is based in Boston, Massachusetts. In 2024, 83% of its grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts, 10% to California, and 6% to Utah.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Center for Economic Democracy Inc open to new grantees?
31%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 16 grantees (31%) were first-time recipients. With only 16 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $56K; repeat grants $99K. How we count
Medians: $60K first-time, $70K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $360K (2019) to $1.7M (2020). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $1.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Resist Jamaica Plain, MA | Grants for participation in the community movement commons. Also, grants for matahari, mutual aid eastie, and the luce network partcipation. | $288,000 |
| Neighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts Education Fund Worcester, MA | Grant for the Luce Network | $260,000 |
| Families for Justice as Healing Roxbury, MA | Grant awards for sei incubator, community wellness lounge project, and the solidarity economy initiative ("sei") pooled fund. | $165,000 |
| Brazilian Women's Group Brighton, MA | Grants for brazilian women's group (BWG) for development of staff, board and leadership, grant funding from solidarity economy initiative, and to support immigrant justice work with the luce network. | $85,000 |
| Beyond Bond and Legal Defense Fund Cambridge, MA | Grant Award for Program Activities | $80,000 |
| Arise for Social Justice Springfield, MA | Grants for willow prec land stewardship program, willow permanent real estate cooperative, and the solidarity economy initiative ("sei") pooled fund | $70,000 |
| Home Coalition of Greater Brockton Inc Brockton, MA | Participation in sei's 2025 grassroots incubator. Grant for internal infrastructure, capacity, and support to sustain the land trust. | $70,000 |
| Urban Revival DBA City Lifevida Urban Boston, MA | Grants for the tenant resilience program and for the fiscally sponsored project keep Massachusetts home to support outreach, education, and organizing for rent stabilization in Massachusetts. | $70,000 |
| Haven of Hope Danville, CA | Grants from sei 2025 grassroot incubator and solidarity economy initiative for uptima. | $60,000 |
| Asian American Resource Workshop Dorchester, MA | Grant for immigrant justice work with the luce network | $40,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Center for Economic Democracy Inc?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $7,461,724 | $4,270,978 | $4,444,973 | $1,373,616 | 16 | $136,129 |
| 2024 | $9,593,066 | $6,465,280 | $4,206,570 | $696,200 | 13 | $49,605 |
| 2023 | $16,276,551 | $4,944,735 | $4,536,716 | $481,745 | 9 | $21,415 |
| 2022 | $15,917,380 | $7,517,905 | $3,002,532 | $396,000 | 9 | — |
| 2021 | $11,558,653 | $3,979,312 | $2,734,017 | $537,430 | 28 | — |
| 2020 | $9,063,197 | $6,158,264 | $3,394,024 | $1,686,860 | 52 | — |
| 2019 | $4,228,535 | $3,287,837 | $1,419,174 | $359,524 | 18 | — |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
CED’s stated mission is to grow community capacity to transform American capitalism into a more just, sustainable, and democratic economy. Its website describes work that includes organizing local coalitions, advancing policy, educating community organizers, and partnering with funders and investors to direct resources to frontline groups.
Its 2024 grants included support for community land trusts, neighborhood initiatives, and other organizations. For example, Chinatown Community Land Trust says it works for community control of land, permanently affordable housing, and development without displacement. Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative says it works to empower residents to organize, plan for, create, and control their neighborhood. Brazilian Women’s Group says its mission is to promote political and cultural awareness in the Brazilian community and contribute to its development. Ayni Institute says it builds trainings and community around understandings and technologies for a more balanced, reciprocal world.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, CED reported 13 grants totaling $696,200. Grants ranged from $7,200 to $196,000, with a median grant of $28,000. The largest awards included $196,000 to Chinatown Community Land Trust, $160,000 to Center for Cooperative Development & Solidarity for its Solidarity Economy Headquarters project, and $70,000 to UpTogether for the Beautiful Seed Fund. Other listed grants included $45,000 to Amauta LLC for fiscal sponsorship; $40,000 each to Urban Revival dba City Life/Vida Urbana and Alternatives for Community & Environment; and $28,000 to Chinatown People Progressive Association. Its 2025 filing, the latest on this page, reports 16 grants totaling $1.4 million.
CED’s website describes the Solidarity Economy Fund as a pooled grantmaking vehicle governed by grassroots leaders. It also describes a Solidarity Economy Incubator cohort for projects developing community-led, regenerative economic models. The website’s stated application period for the 2025 incubator cohort was September 20 through December 6; it is a past cycle.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Penn Loh as president; Sarah Jimenez as treasurer; Farhad Ebrahimi, Tiffany Brown, and Khalida Smalls as directors; and Shari Davis as co-executive director, a role she held beginning in August 2024. It lists Aaron Tanaka as director beginning in August 2024 and executive director through July 2024. Other listed staff were Martin Familia, senior director of finance and HR; Maria Christina Blanco, board clerk/operation manager; and Amrita Wassan, senior director of national programs.
Center for Economic Democracy Inc is led by Shari Davis, Co-Executive Director on every filing since 2024; 7 of 13 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Shari Davis
Co-Executive Director
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$53K (2024) → $135K (2025)
Lily Huang
Co-Executive Director
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$35K (2025)
Penn Loh
President
Clerk → President, 2021
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Aaron Tanaka
Director
Executive Director → Director Since Aug ' Executive Director, 2024
Director Since Aug ' Executive Director → Director, 2025
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
$79K (2019) → $0 (2025)
Martin Familia
Senior Director of Finance
Director of Finance → Senior Director of Finance, 2022
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$72K (2019) → $118K (2025)
Amrita Wassan
Senior Director of National Programs
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$112K (2024) → $110K (2025)
Chrislene Dejean
Senior Director of People & Culture
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$107K (2025)
Jennifer Near
Senior Director of Philanthropy & Investing
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$117K (2025)
Khalida Smalls
Director
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Farhad Ebrahimi
Director
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tiffany Brown
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Maria Christina Blanco
Board Clerk & Operations Manager
Board Clerk & Operation Mana → Board Clerk & Operation Manager, 2024
Board Clerk & Operation Manager → Board Clerk & Operations Manager, 2025
On filings since 2021
42 hrs/week
$54K (2021) → $78K (2025)
Sarah Jimenez
Treasurer
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (4)
- Former: Yichen Feng (2023) — Managing Director & Capital Strategies
- Former: Ariel Brooks (2019–2021) — Director of Capacity & Operations
- Former: Elena Letona (2019–2021) — Treasurer
- Former: Kalila Barnett (2019–2020) — President
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $135K, to Shari Davis (Co-Executive Director). 7 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Center for Economic Democracy Inc
How much does Center for Economic Democracy Inc give each year?
Center for Economic Democracy Inc gave $1.4M across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $696K across 13 grants.
What is Center for Economic Democracy Inc's typical grant size?
Center for Economic Democracy Inc's median grant in 2025 was $65,000, and its average grant was $85,851, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Center for Economic Democracy Inc that year got $56K on average.
Where does Center for Economic Democracy Inc give grants?
Center for Economic Democracy Inc gives mostly in Massachusetts: 96% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Roxbury, MA (3 grants), Springfield, MA (2 grants) and Boston, MA (2 grants).
Does Center for Economic Democracy Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 16 grants with a stated purpose on Center for Economic Democracy Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support.
Who are Center for Economic Democracy Inc's largest grantees?
Center for Economic Democracy Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Resist ($288,000), Neighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts Education Fund ($260,000) and Families for Justice as Healing ($165,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 52% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Center for Economic Democracy Inc?
Center for Economic Democracy Inc reported $7.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $4.3M.
What does Center for Economic Democracy Inc fund?
CED’s stated mission is to grow community capacity to transform American capitalism into a more just, sustainable, and democratic economy. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Center for Economic Democracy Inc?
Center for Economic Democracy Inc has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check economicdemocracy.us for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Center for Economic Democracy Inc's EIN?
Center for Economic Democracy Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-3589804. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated November 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS September 22, 2026)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS August 5, 2020)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 31, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS October 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS October 23, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 4, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 3, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Live grants for the work Center for Economic Democracy Inc funds
Community Improvement & Capacity Building Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Center for Economic Democracy Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Center for Economic Democracy Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/center-for-economic-democracy-inc-morg_f3cd73a47f68499e940257daa989a26f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_473589804_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Center for Economic Democracy Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/center-for-economic-democracy-inc-morg_f3cd73a47f68499e940257daa989a26f},
note = {Accessed 2026-11-03. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Center for Economic Democracy Inc's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Center for Economic Democracy Inc down — hundreds of funders to go?