Leveler is a tool that facilitates the redistribution of wealth.
Leveler lets people give each other money, without reliance on traditional slow-moving institutional methods of philanthropy. This is necessary because people need aid now. In times of crisis, it’s unjust to force those who would stand in solidarity with one another to compete for basic needs. Leveler provides organizers with tools to both mobilize their community or cause and facilitate peer-to-peer, redistribution transfers.
Since launching in March, leveler has facilitated thousands of transfers from distributors to recipients. As of June, four new leveler communities of circumstance and place have launched using the platform. If you are interested in distributing a small portion of your wealth or creating a leveler database for your community, visit http://leveler.info.
Our guiding principles:
From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs. It is imperative to build and strengthen our local communities and economies around sustainable, cooperative, and equitable principles of sharing. We must recast our ethical underpinnings to embrace our collective values and interdependence.
Resources should be shared freely. We operate under a framework that reflects and supports humanity’s interconnectedness - the resources page is a place to strategize, organize, and connect with other mutual aid efforts, as well as funding opportunities outside of leveler.
Solidarity is revolutionary. We can bail each other out, plain and simple. If we focus on securing the basic needs of our neighbors, rather than bolstering the outmoded, unequal power relationships that underlie much of society, we not only push forward conversations that once seemed radical, but move beyond ideas and into action.
Leveler is a not-for-profit organization. No money passes through our platform. All transactions are peer-to-peer.
All proceeds generated from Leveler x Shipping will benefit the Black Trans Travel Fund.
The Black Trans Travel Fund is a mutual-aid based organization committed to uplifting the narratives and supporting the livelihoods of Black trans women. Launched in June of 2019, BTTF was developed for the purpose of providing Black transgender women with the financial resources needed to be able to self-determine and access safer alternatives to travel, where women feel less likely to experience verbal harassment or physical harm. We are proud to have already redistributed over $60,000 to Black trans women in need!
BTTF was created out of direct response to the relentless and unacceptable violence Black transgender women across the country have been continuously experiencing.
We are currently providing our service to Black trans women in New York state as well as and New Jersey state, and will be working to expand our efforts to other states soon!
This is a direct call to action for allies to be able to leverage their resources and make a tangible difference in the lives of Black trans women..
Shelby Sells is a love, sex and life coach based in New York City. She is the cofounder of Emotional Check-in, a semi-educational podcast about mental health, sexual wellness and everything in-between. She is reclaiming sexuality by empowering relationships with the self and others.
Magnolia Polaris is a non-binary first generation Nicaraguan-American musician, artist & DJ in NYC.
They are one of the founding members of Sazón Department: the New York based experimental Latinx DJ collective formed in NYC nightlife. Their sound is genre fluid; drawing inspiration from a multitude of sounds for the sake of uniting people through music as a celebration of what connects us all: vibrations and frequencies invisible to the naked eye.
Jamie Simone and Leia Jospe are back with their nostalgic throwback Emo Karaoke Night, this time they're bi-coastal and streamable directly on SHIPPING for the IF IT FITS IT SHIPS After-Party!
Misha has been active in the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong since the 2014 Umbrella Revolution. Now focusing on providing international coverage and translations of the protests, he is part of a team @hkz.global, a social media account for foreigners interested in the movement and relevant international news.
James Ehrlich is Founder of ReGen Villages Holding, a spin-off company based on his research from the Center for Design Research at Stanford University on the future of bio-regenerative, residential developments - combined with critical life-support systems of food, water, energy and circular waste systems for resiliency in the built environment that power and feed self-reliant communities. As an Entrepreneur in Residence at Stanford University School of Medicine – Health and Human Performance, James is a researcher and lecturer within the Stanford Flourishing Project. James Ehrlich is also appointed Faculty of Singularity University, Senior Fellow at Opus Novum consortium at NASA Ames Research Center, and (Obama) Appointee to a White House / U.S. State Department Joint Task Force on regenerative infrastructure.
A serial entrepreneur in Silicon Valley for over 25-years, James successfully founded and managed technology and media companies with successful exits. For nearly a decade, Mr. Ehrlich executive produced an award-winning national public broadcasting series based on his case study research of organic and bio-dynamic family farms, that at its apex reached over 35-million homes each week, and is also the co-author of a best-selling companion book on Hachette, Organic Living THG (2007).
The pilot community of ReGen Villages ushers in a pipeline of ReGen Villages off-grid neighborhood developments planned across Northern Europe, before scaling globally backed by sovereign wealth funds. ReGen Villages has gone viral around the world since the press conference and announcement at the Venice Biennale for architecture at the end of May, 2016. James holds a Bachelor of Science from New York University and Master studies in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. He has won several awards for sustainable design and is a researcher and global lecturer on the topic of regenerative neighborhood development.
RACHEL SENNOTT is a girl comedian and actress. She’s been profiled by Forbes, and was the lead in two back to back indie features this past summer: SHIVA BABY (SXSW), inspired by the critically acclaimed short film, as well as TAHARA (Slamdance), directed by Sundance Ignite fellow Olivia Peace. As a stand up, Rachel was named one of the Top Comics to Watch of 2019 by Time Out NY, with her comedy stylings praised as “Gloria Steinem reporting undercover from the Playboy Club.” Most recently, she co-created and starred in a digital series for Comedy Central with Ayo Edebiri called “Ayo and Rachel are Single.”
Shelby Sells is a love, sex and life coach based in New York City. She is the cofounder of Emotional Check-in, a semi-educational podcast about mental health, sexual wellness and everything in-between. She is reclaiming sexuality by empowering relationships with the self and others.
Magnolia Polaris is a non-binary first generation Nicaraguan-American musician, artist & DJ in NYC.
They are one of the founding members of Sazón Department: the New York based experimental Latinx DJ collective formed in NYC nightlife. Their sound is genre fluid; drawing inspiration from a multitude of sounds for the sake of uniting people through music as a celebration of what connects us all: vibrations and frequencies invisible to the naked eye.
Mando combines an electronic landscape with a pure and naked acoustic sound that results in something very personal and possessive.
With her voice she continues to combine two different worlds and emotions with a gentle, unperfected and raw expression. With a childhood amongst musicians and political influences Mando early discovered her own need of using music as a way of discharging different emotions. After an upbringing in different parts of the world she came back to her birthplace Stockholm as a young teenager to find herself misplaced and under stimulated and that’s when she entered her own musical journey. In Mandos music you can hear inspiration from a wide spectrum of different genres. She claims her naked and acoustic inspiration from true singer/songwriters such as Jeff Buckley and Bon Iver with more electronic alternatives like Arca, Anohni and FKA Twigs.
A leading figure in the East Coast ballroom and vogue-house scene, MikeQ is the head of the Qween Beat collective and an active force behind the recent renewal of interest in the music. Born and raised in New Jersey, MikeQ first discovered the ballroom scene in the early 2000s, at the age of 17.
Brooklyn's Haruka is the living definition of a DJ’s DJ. Having started her career as a musician and DJ in Japan, Haruka came to NYC in 2006 and has been steadily playing gigs, throwing parties, putting out mixes, performing live, collaborating, and building a name for herself ever since. A technical and thoughtful DJ, Haruka can bounce from electro and techno and house, and disco to hip-hop and rock music at the drop of a hat. With regular appearances at Brooklyn fixtures Bossa Nova Civic Club, Elsewhere and Mood Ring, and with infamous sets at the highly influential BOUND and Fourth World parties, Haruka has staked her claim as one of Brooklyn’s most versatile, seasoned, and in-demand DJs
Spencer Barnett stands at the forefront amidst an age of genre-blending musicians. In each record he creates, the 19-year-old multi-instrumentalist reveals his storytelling ability and sonic creativity, which he’s honed by working with major producers since age 14. The New York City-born, Los Angeles-based artist’s sound—a unique blend of indie and alternative rock meets psychedelic pop—has garnered critical acclaim from the likes of PAPER, V MAN, Ones to Watch, Flaunt, and L’Officiel USA. Spencer’s three-part debut EP series finds him blending soulful melodies, indie rock leads, and bedroom-inspired guitar riffs alongside his nostalgic songwriting that encapsulates youthful abandon. Gearing up to release the final installment of his debut series, finds Spencer opening up like never before. While his sense of melody is undeniably timeless, Barnett endlessly pushes toward sonic innovation, dreaming up a boldly inventive yet subtly nuanced sound. Spencer Barnett is poised to take 2020 by storm paving the way in a style that is uniquely his own.
Composr (born Andrew Serrato) is a producer from Inland Empire, California.
Composr began his musical journey as a drummer for various bands throughout his teenage years. In 2008, he began his music production career in a futuristic indie/electronic duo called VCR Monster. There, he produced beats and performed live on a synthesizer. During their five year span, the duo released multiple EP’s and performed throughout LA. Their music can be found here. Shortly after their disbandment in 2013, Composr moved to New York and began his solo career producing house music under the name SNVTCH. During this time, he adopted a brand new sound, experimenting with sounds from subgenres of house and techno music. Over time, his sound changed and he adopted the name Composr. Throughout his career, Composr has been able to blend sounds and textures of music in order to create a unique, lively but dark sound. Moving forward, he hopes to adopt a more futuristic sound, mixed with orchestral and cinematic aspects.
As Okay Kaya, Norwegian-born New Yorker Kaya Wilkins, constructs svelte, jazz-inflected songs — which, more often than not, feature just her effortless, breathy contralto; her fancy-chord-sounding guitar figurations; and minimal, innovative accoutrement. Her deadpan, cutting lyrics are sung in a way so patient, gorgeous and smooth you assume they must have a Lexapro prescription. Look no further than the song “IUD” from Okay Kaya’s 2018 debut album, Both. An acerbic, personal dismantling of the state of American women’s healthcare, it’s also an eye-roll at a lover’s passive, just-take-care-of-this-babe approach to contraception. “Baby, you’re so baby/But I don’t want your baby,” Wilkins, 28, croons, nodding to the lost-and-found Donnie & Joe Emerson tune “Baby” that undoubtedly played in far too many unkempt Williamsburg closet-sized bedrooms over the last decade. And unless there’s meaningful buy-in on the part of the fella, she’s over it. It’s Sade for nihilists — jingles for mental health and "theme songs for whatever the opposite of self-destruction is.”
As she completes her follow-up to Both, to be released on Jagjaguwar, Wilkins presents her cover of Cher’s late-career club powerhouse, “Believe.” True to form, Okay Kaya’s take breaks the song down to it’s most crushing pieces.
“It’s the perfect song,” Wilkins said. “It’s hopeful. It’s sad. It’s a break-up anthem — and a fuck you.”
The Brooklyn raised artist, XHOSA, experiments with all genres to create a fresh pop sound. She started actively producing music in 2012 and has since made waves performing at festivals such as VIA FEST and SXSW. If in N.Y.C., you can see her on the stages of Elsewhere or House of Yes. XHOSA's unique style both sonically and visually, has garnered the attention of well known publications such as The FADER, VOGUE, and Paper Magazine. VIBE Magazine has even dubbed her one of the women "running New York City’s underground music scene." She gives a full display of her artistry in her immersive 5 track EP entitled MISSLEADING.
Synead is a multidisciplinary performance artist born and raised in New York City. "You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time." (Angela Davis)
Matt FX is a DJ, producer, music supervisor, and tv host. Referred to as a 'musical polymath' by Forbes and a 'NYC nightlife institution' by VICE, he is best known as the man behind the soundtrack of the hit comedy central tv show BROAD CITY, as well as the host of his own food + music based digital series, ‘In The Mix with Matt FX.'
As a DJ, Matt approaches each and every set with an irreverence that the New York Times calls 'interesting social commentary on multiple levels' and has shared lineups with everyone from Soul Clap and Disclosure to Snoop Dogg and Demi Lovato.
Tama Gucci began as a fixture in Miami’s underground with cybernetic productions. Now based in NYC, the musician and model continues fusing cool R&B with harder club-ready sensibilities. With tracks such as “Online” and “I Let You feat. X-Coast,” he spearheads a new wavelength of sound backed by his cult following. Spotlights in Paper Magazine and Hunger TV serve as a precursor to his opening Paris performance for Christine and the Queens and a slot on Caroline Polacheck’s Club Quarantine. Rising up in 2020, Tama Gucci is the artistry and voice this generation needs.
benny blanco
Benjamin Joseph Levin (born March 8, 1988), known professionally as Benny Blanco is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and singer. He is also a five-time BMI Songwriter of the Year award winner and 2017 iHeartRadio Producer of the Year award winner.
Cashmere Cat
Magnus August Høiberg, known professionally as Cashmere Cat, is a Norwegian musician, DJ and record producer. He is best known for producing songs for various artists, as well as remixing and editing songs from those respective artists as well.