ONE Northside receives state taxpayer money to advocate for bigger state government and higher state taxes. | Facebook
ONE Northside receives state taxpayer money to advocate for bigger state government and higher state taxes. | Facebook
As part of Chicago City Wire's new "Illinois DOGE" series, we will profile Illinois "non-profit" organizations that receive all or an overwhelming majority of their funding from government/taxpayers to provide services the state also provides.
State-funded activists from ONE Northside meet with Illinois State Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago).
| Facebook
See previous profiles:
Indo-American Center, llinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, TMH Mancave, the Black Researchers Collective, Chicago Therapy Collective
Organizing Neighborhoods For Equality Northside
A/K/A "ONE Northside"
4750 N. Sheridan Road, Suite 200, Chicago
Uptown neighborhood
Highlights:
- ONE Northside is a non-profit that purports to "unite diverse communities and build collective power to eliminate injustice through bold and innovative community organizing." It advocates for higher taxes, rent control, larger welfare state budgets, more taxpayer-funded Section 8 housing, cuts to police budgets, and preserving street homelessness.
- 2020 total revenue: $1,011,454
- 2024 total revenue: $2,733,575
- 2025: the State of Illinois appropriated ONE Northside $1.25 million in state taxpayer grants
Organizing Neighborhoods for Equality Northside, commonly known as "ONE Northside," is a non-profit originally founded in to support the building of more government-subsidized housing for blacks and hispanics in majority-white Chicago neighborhoods.
Today, it broadly advocates for more government spending and for raising taxes, while opposing calls for government efficiency and limiting public debt.
ONE Northside now promises "racial, social and economic justice for all."
Executive Director Jesse Hoyt, a political consultant to U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Chicago) and former aide to U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia (D-Chicago) and Illinois State Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana), says government spending cuts are a form of "injustice."
"With the election of Donald Trump, we know that there will be serious consequences in all our lives," Hoyt wrote. "The antidote to despair is action."
The organization has grown with its expanded issue portfolio.
It brought in $2.7 million last year, up from $600,000 in 2015, an increase of more than 400 percent.
According to its web site and public filings, that money is used almost exclusively to stage protests and rallies, or to recruit and train "organizers" on how to do so. Unlike other non-profits receiving taxpayer support, it doesn't also purport to be providing "social services" with the money.
ONE Northside is an organization dedicated to issue advocacy.
Last week, ONE Northside employees and paid contractors helped lead a protest of U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) founder Elon Musk in front of a South Loop Tesla Service Center.
They slammed "the Musk-Trump Administration’s plan" to cut federal government waste, demanding Illinois elected officials "reject harmful program cuts on the local level."
They didn't mention the cuts could include those making grants to political advocacy organizations like their own.
In Illinois 2024-25 state budget, lawmakers and Gov. J.B. Pritzker earmarked $1.25 million for ONE Northside, in three separate grants.
The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority granted ONE Northside two state taxpayer grants of $500,000 each for "administrative expenses," with the funds coming from the "State Coronavirus Urgent Remediation Emergency Fund."
A third, $250,000 state grant to ONE Northside was to cover "violence prevention programs, youth employment programs, and operational expenses" administered by the group.
ONE Northside claimed only $22,681 in government grants on its annual 2015 Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 990 form and just $3,597 in 2021.
But that number jumped to $330,543 in 2022.
In April 2020, U.S. Small Business Administration records show ONE Northside also received two PPP loans totaling $314,970.
"Get a sense of how you can make change"
Founded in 2013 as the merger of two small tenant groups opposing new real estate development on Chicago's North Side, ONE Northside now serves effectively as a state-funded political operation for far-left elected officials, hosting public political events featuring them and recruiting volunteers for their future campaigns.
Though it is entirely funded by state taxpayers and 501(c)(3) donations legally prohibited from political use, ONE Northside doesn't shy away from publicly backing and promoting elected officials.
The group documented its March 4 trip to Springfield on social media, posting a series of portraits featuring ONE Northside employees gathered around the group's favorite state legislators. They included State Sen. Mike Simmons (D-Edgewater) and State Representatives Will Guzzardi (D-Logan Square), Theresa Mah (D-McKinley Park) and Kevin Olickal (D-West Rogers Park)
Chicago Ald. Matt Martin (D-47) of Lincoln Square was "special guest emcee" at the group's annual fundraiser on April 8 at Furama Restaurant Hall in Uptown. Illinois State Rep. Hoan Huynh (D-Uptown) was touted as a member of the event host committee.
ONE Northside's April 15 Tesla protest featured speeches by State Representatives Will Davis (D-East Hazel Crest) and Mah and State Senators Robert Peters (D-Kenwood) and Graciela Guzman (D-Logan Square). They called for raising state taxes by $6 billion, incuding new taxes on digital advertising and businesses.
The organization is allowed to recruit staff and volunteers in Chicago Public Schools.
On March 13, "Community Safety and Youth Organizer Tharina" spoke with Sullivan High School students "about our organizing work and opportunities for them to get involved."
She invited students to ONE Northside's "March Youth Mixer," promoted on Instagram as "a fun event to get to know your community, get introduced to ONE Northside, and get a sense of how you can make change."
Last year, ONE Northside "Basebuilding Organizer Eliza" presented to Senn High School students on "environmental justice" and how to "make our schools healthier and more climate change ready."
"CPS needs a lot of money-- $14.4 billion-- for basic repairs... and up to $30 billion to make schools healthy, modern and safe" reads a ONE Northside slide presented to Senn H.S. students.
"Eliza" argued to students that their schools need to spend more money on solar panels.
ONE Northside's two predecessor groups are the Lakeview Action Coalition and the Organization of the NorthEast, which was based on Edgewater.
In 2017, it backed a failed ballot initiative to tax home sales to “fund the homeless.”
The tax would have been $20,000 on a $1 million home sale; 54 percent of Chicagoans voted against it.
ONE Northside: Revenue by year
| Year | Revenue |
| 2015 | $663,416 |
| 2016 | $776,057 |
| 2017 | $1,010,154 |
| 2018 | $1,045,498 |
| 2019 | $1,284,831 |
| 2020 | $1,011,454 |
| 2021 | $1,470,077 |
| 2022 | $2,368,084 |
| 2023 | $1,834,689 |
| 2024 | $2,733,575 |
| Total | $14,197,835 |
Source: Internal Revenue Service
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