Leveling Up: Inside SURJ’s Shift in Non-Profit Status

By Felicia Gustin

When SURJ Bay Area launched in 2015, it operated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit. This structure helped build a solid foundation for education, organizing, and fundraising. But as political conditions shifted and the stakes for racial justice work intensified, SURJ made a bold move: we are now a 501(c)4 organization taking over the work of our previous 501(c)3. What does this actually mean? And how will it change the way SURJ shows up in movements for justice? I sat down with Natalie from SURJ Bay Area’s Finance Crew to unpack the shift and its deeper purpose.

Felicia: Natalie, for those who don’t “speak IRS,” what’s the actual difference between a 501(c)3 and a 501(c)4 nonprofit?

Natalie: When you hear “501(c)3” or “501(c)4,” you're hearing sections of the tax code—that’s basically how the IRS categorizes how an organization is or isn’t taxed. A 501(c)3 exists exclusively for what the IRS calls “charitable” purposes. Because of that, donations are tax-deductible for donors. A 501(c)4, on the other hand, isn’t just limited to charitable activities. It can also be involved in more political activities and it has much more flexibility. Efforts can range from lobbying elected officials to actually endorsing candidates. And c4s have the freedom to talk about why a certain candidate does or doesn't align with our vision and goals for the world.

Felicia: So with a c4, donations are no longer tax-deductible to donors. But the tradeoff seems pretty significant, right?

Natalie: Exactly. The decision to operate as a c4 non-profit came out of SURJ reflecting on our role—and the role of white people—in shifting where and how power sits in our communities.

When you're talking about moving and building power, you have to talk about elections, elected officials, and how policies get made. Elections are one of the key places where power moves in real time so it became clear that we needed the flexibility to engage with power in that way.

Also, a lot of our people-of-color-led coalition partners are already 501(c)4s and we, as white people, want to show up alongside them fully and unapologetically, without worrying about bumping into 501(c)3 barriers.

Felicia: What are some examples of work SURJ can now do that weren’t allowed under c3 rules?

Natalie: We can actively advocate against harmful recall campaigns targeting progressive officials, for example. We can proactively support local, state, or national progressive candidates. We can align ourselves, to whatever degree we choose, with political parties or partisan work.

Even if we're not directly doing electoral work ourselves, we are free to tell our members about electoral work and campaigns in our weekly newsletter or publicizing info across SURJ social media.

Our c3 status only allowed us to work on strictly non-partisan getting out the vote efforts, but operating as a c4, we can promote voting for specific candidates. We can canvass for candidates and even mobilize people to travel out of state to support a campaign. 

Felicia: And this matters even more now, given current Trump administration policies that run counter to everything SURJ stands for.

Natalie: Absolutely. This change gives us more freedom to do the work that actually needs to get done to shift power. Everything we’ll be doing in the electoral arena as a c4 is ultimately about building power to resist and block the Trump administration’s immoral and illegal policies.

There’s also a particular wrinkle: it’s very possible Trump will use nonprofit status as leverage to silence opposition. There have already been threats to challenge the 501(c)3 status of foundations like the Open Society Foundation and Ford Foundation, as well as organizations doing Palestine solidarity work. By operating as a c4, we’ll be a bit more protected. We’re not as vulnerable to being targeted simply because we’re speaking out.

Felicia: SURJ’s current work focuses on two campaigns—Palestine Solidarity and Invest in Community, our campaign for reimagining public safety. We’re also involved in immigrant support efforts. All of this requires funding. Will SURJ still be fundraising for its own work?

Natalie: Yes—absolutely. By operating as a c4, we’re essentially starting from scratch with our fundraising. We need to be able to cover our monthly expenses: things like our website, database, tech tools, meeting and event spaces, and the basic costs of running campaigns and putting on events. Donations to SURJ will fund our organizing infrastructure and our campaigns—everything required to keep our work going and growing—while moving as much as we can to our BIPOC-led partner organizations.

Felicia: And if people want to support SURJ’s new c4?

Natalie: Please donate! Truly—every contribution matters. To educate, engage, and bring more white people into the multiracial movement for justice, we need support from everyone who shares our mission and values. 

Felicia: Thanks, Natalie. And to our community: this is a pivotal moment for SURJ and we’re asking you to help us build the foundation of our c4 from day one. By clicking the donate button below, you can be one of the first contributors powering SURJ’s c4 work.

As Natalie emphasized, every single dollar fuels the organizing, education, and action needed to confront this political moment with courage and integrity. We’re deeply grateful for your partnership as SURJ embraces this bold next step.  

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