Key Facts
Key Information
About
Jubilee USA Network is a nonprofit financial reform and advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., founded in the late 1990s as part of the global Jubilee 2000 movement inspired by the Biblical concept of Jubilee, which calls for debt cancellation, land restoration, and liberation from bondage. It operates as an interfaith alliance of more than 75 U.S. organizations, over 750 faith communities (including Christian, Jewish, and Muslim groups), and 50 global partners, focusing on addressing structural causes of poverty and inequality through policies on sovereign debt relief, tax transparency, corporate tax avoidance, trade policies, consumer financial protections, and preventing financial crises and austerity. The group promotes an economy that serves the most vulnerable, advocating for debt cancellations, responsible lending, and reforms in international financial institutions like the IMF and World Bank. Jubilee USA has claimed achievements including over $130 billion in debt relief for the world's poorest countries, debt relief for Haiti and Ebola-affected West African nations, super bankruptcy legislation for Puerto Rico, G7/G20 agreements on tax evasion, and low student loan interest rates. It co-founded the FACT Coalition to combat corporate tax avoidance and has engaged in campaigns against vulture funds (notably adversarial to figures like Paul Singer), supported the failed Jubilee Act for responsible lending, and backed bipartisan efforts on global debt crises. The organization lobbies Congress, works with religious leaders, and participates in international forums like G20 summits. Led by Executive Director Eric LeCompte since at least 1996, Jubilee USA has faced criticisms from market-oriented perspectives questioning the effectiveness of debt relief, allegations of ideological bias rooted in religious theology, and opposition to certain transparency amendments like Cardin-Lugar. It remains active in recent initiatives such as Jubilee 2025 campaigns launched with Pope Francis for debt relief and poverty alleviation through 2030.