AFT Massachusetts Directs Union Funds to Radical Anti-Israel Groups, Investigation Reveals
Investigation by the NAVI K-12 Extremism Tracker reveals that the American Federation of Teachers in Massachusetts directed over $145,000 to anti-Israel organizations involved in student protests
A newly published investigation by the NAVI K-12 Extremism Tracker documents that the American Federation of Teachers (AFT)-Massachusetts has donated at least $145,000 since 2021 to Resist Inc., a Boston-based activist funding organization, and the Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance (MEJA), which operates under Resist Inc.’s fiscal sponsorship.
According to the investigation, Resist Inc. has provided funding to groups involved in anti-Israel demonstrations. These include groups that have expressed support for Palestinian terrorism, such as National Students for Justice in Palestine, the Palestinian Youth Movement, and Within Our Lifetime, raising questions about how teacher union dues are allocated and whether members are adequately informed about the downstream political activities their contributions support.
Financial Trail Reveals Multi-Year Funding Pattern
According to financial records cited in the report, AFT-Massachusetts contributed $50,000 to Resist Inc. in both 2021 and 2023, followed by an additional $20,000 in 2024. The union also provided $25,000 to MEJA for political activities and lobbying in 2024, according to AFT-Massachusetts’s federal labor filing. The national AFT headquarters has separately donated over $100,000 to the Boston Education Justice Alliance, another MEJA member organization, between 2019 and 2023.
The controversy centers on Resist Inc.’s grant-making activities. The organization, which was founded in the late 1960s by academics including Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn to support anti-Vietnam War activism, has evolved into a broader progressive funding vehicle. Resist describes its mission as challenging “white supremacy, patriarchy, heteronormativity, capitalism and Christian hegemony,” with its “Theory of Change” asserting that traditional philanthropic organizations “replicate the logic of oppressive systems.”
According to its website, Resist has distributed more than $12 million to over 6,000 organizations throughout its history, raising questions about whether rank-and-file teachers who pay union dues are aware their contributions are supporting organizations led by individuals making such statements and funding groups involved in aggressive activism, occasionally even crossing the line into violence.
Union Leaders Sat on Board of Organization They Funded
MEJA outlines its mission on its website as focused on elevating student and parent voices on racial equity issues in public education. The organization works closely with both the American Federation of Teachers-Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Teachers Association, a larger union affiliated with the National Education Association. The organization works closely with both the AFT-Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA), a larger union affiliated with the National Education Association.
The report identifies a pattern of overlapping leadership that raises conflict of interest concerns. According to tax filings, Merrie Najimy, who served as president of the MTA from 2018 to 2022, simultaneously held a board position with MEJA throughout much of her tenure. Her predecessor as MTA president, Barbara Madeloni, also served on MEJA’s board during her union leadership from 2017 to 2018.
Resist Leadership’s Controversial Statements
Resist Inc.’s co-director Nicki Kattoura has made highly inflammatory statements on social media regarding Israel and the Jewish people. On September 9, 2024, Kattoura posted images of Palestinians posing on Israeli military tanks during the October 7th terrorist attack along with the caption: "The most heartbreaking, life-changing, and devastating year. Everything, always for Palestine. Always, always, and always. From the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea."
One year later, on his 29th birthday, Kattoura posted "Death to Israel" on Instagram. In other posts, Kattoura has written dismissively about concerns over antisemitism.
Broader Concerns About Union Dues
The findings underscore a growing concern among education observers about whether rank-and-file teachers are fully informed about how their mandatory or effectively mandatory union dues are being spent.
While unions have broad discretion in allocating member contributions, the connection between teacher paychecks and funding for organizations that support groups involved in aggressive pro-Palestinian activism raises fundamental questions about consent, transparency, and whether union spending reflects the values and priorities of the educators who fund it.