People’s Forum building identified as investigators probe Singham network

NEW YORK — The People’s Forum Inc., a pro-China nonprofit that has been funded by Shanghai-based Marxist mogul Neville Roy Singham, bought a rundown building in Manhattan for $5.15 million and is now urging supporters to raise another $5 million to renovate the building — and to turn it into a “permanent home” for its far-left organizing efforts in the U.S.

The fundraising drive comes as lawmakers and federal officials investigate Singham’s network over what they have described as a foreign-aligned influence operation promoting Chinese Communist Party narratives in the U.S. Scrutiny of China’s influence has intensified in recent days, including the resignation of a California mayor who agreed to plead guilty to acting as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China.

The People’s Forum, a central organization within the Singham network, says it serves as a hub for more than 200 organizations and has helped coordinate left-wing protests across the U.S. since its founding in 2017.

The group told supporters on X Friday that it is urgently seeking to raise $2 million from individual donors by a December 2026 deadline, its first major fundraising target since it launched a broader $5 million campaign in September.

The group hasn’t publicly disclosed the address of the new building, but property records obtained by Digital show it purchased a three-story building at 137 W. 14th Street in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood for $5.15 million in December 2024. Sources familiar with the transaction told Digital that the W. 14th Street building is the new nonprofit’s new headquarters. The details of the transaction and the records documenting the sale are being reported here for the first time. The records don’t detail how the purchase was financed.

FAR-LEFT NONPROFITS IN THE HOT SEAT AS LAWMAKER EXPOSES THEM FOR ‘SOWING CHAOS’ IN US

The fundraising and expansion drive comes as Congress is investigating what lawmakers have described as a “foreign-aligned influence network” tied to Singham. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., said the nonprofit’s funding structures raise “significant concerns” about “foreign influence or control.”

According to a Digital investigation, Singham has funneled $285 million into the broad network of nonprofits since 2017, and Justice, State and Treasury Department officials are investigating financial activity tied to the network, including $22.5 million in funding directed to the People’s Forum.

Since 2017, the Singham network has led volatile protests across the country, with organizations including the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the ANSWER Coalition, CodePink and BreakThrough News working with the People’s Forum to organize demonstrations and coordinate messaging, Digital has reported.

The People’s Forum, which brags about publishing “over 25 revolutionary texts” and organizing “over 6,000 events,” said on its website that it initially relied on support from a “generous donor” to establish its operations in 2017, but that new cash injections are desperately needed.

“Our initial donation is running out,” the organization wrote in a September appeal, adding that it now faces a “critical new stage.” The organization said the new building “right now is just a shell” and would require millions in renovations to become operational.

The narrow, mixed-use property appeared vacant when Digital visited the location on Tuesday.

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The storefront, previously occupied by a curtains and shades business, was painted black, with its signage removed and the front windows covered by a dark tarp. The entrance doors appeared to be covered with brown paper and a metal fire escape runs along the exterior, tan-colored facade. Property records describe the building as a roughly 2,580-square-foot lot with a footprint of approximately 25 feet wide by 96 feet deep.

“We need your help to make this urgent project come to reality,” the group wrote on Friday amid a renewed fundraising drive, sharing images of the building’s interior in disrepair, including exposed wires and other structural damage.

The purchase and fundraising push reflect the group’s effort to expand its organizing infrastructure, raising questions about the scale and reach of its operations.

PHOTOS: Swipe to see more interior images

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The group previously said the decision to purchase the new building was driven in part by the need to replace its current leased space and create what it described as a permanent base that “cannot be threatened by landlords or political attacks.”

The building previously sold for about $4.3 million in 2022, meaning the People’s Forum paid $850,000 more just over two years later.

City records also show the building has active violations, including issues tied to elevators and the boiler system, with about $20,000 in civil penalties currently outstanding, suggesting the building requires substantial repairs.

“The condition of disrepair in this building will take millions of dollars to renovate,” the group said in the Friday post. It has so far raised around $570,000 for the renovations, according to its website.

PHOTOS: Swipe to see more interior images

FAR-LEFT NONPROFITS IN THE HOT SEAT AS LAWMAKER EXPOSES THEM FOR ‘SOWING CHAOS’ IN US

The People’s Forum operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, allowing it to receive tax-deductible donations under U.S. law.

While the property is owned by the People’s Forum, city filings show David Chung, the group’s organizing director, signed a property ownership certification tied to the building in October 2025.

Chung, who was born in South Korea and grew up in New York City, has also been identified in prior Digital reporting as directing protest activity in New York City. In one protest, he referred to supporters as “comrades.”

He has also appeared at protests where he referred to the “brutality of this imperialist system” in the U.S. and led chants of “Free Palestine,” according to a video posted by the organization. In a caption accompanying the video, the group described the conflict in Gaza as a “genocide.”

The group said it has “trained over 40,000 people” through political education programs, positioning the space as a central node for activist organizing.

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David Chung, organizing director at The People’s Forum, left, and Manolo De Los Santos, the group’s executive director, right, are shown in a split image. Both have been involved in organizing protest activity tied to the group. (Nikolas Lanum/ Digital)

In a video released as part of the fundraising push, Manolo De Los Santos, the group’s executive director, said the 200 organizations that make up the People’s Forum are “united in the struggle” for racial, gender, climate, and economic justice, with the new building aimed at playing a vital role in the group’s future operations.

De Los Santos, who was born in the Dominican Republic and grew up in The Bronx, described the People’s Forum as a “hub for learning and for organizing” and where “we strategize… and build solidarity to fight back.”

“Your contribution isn’t just a donation, it’s an investment in our collective future of freedom,” he said. “It’s a direct act of resistance. It’s how we protect spaces that allow us to organize and to win.”

The People’s Forum, De Los Santos and Chung didn’t respond to requests for comment.

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