Organizing like our democracy depends on it.

Groundwork supports local community organizers in places where the fight isn't over one candidate or one election but over the survival of American democracy itself. From the Deep South to Appalachia and the Plains: We show up in the states too often written off and invest in the local leaders working year-round to secure justice, equity and democracy for all.

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The Organizer Network

The anchor of Groundwork’s engagement model in our focus states is providing capital, community and capacity to local frontline organizers, creating a unique and powerful Groundwork Organizer Network.

The Organizing Accelerator

Through The Organizing Accelerator, a first-of-its-kind partnership with the NAACP, Groundwork is training and mentoring the next generation of organizing leaders working on democracy’s frontlines.

The Narrative Studio

We challenge boom-and-bust civic spending and dismantle the false narrative that tough regions are not worth investment, aggressively elevating the work of our state partners in front of our national networks and on our large digital platforms.

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Current Groundwork States

outline of Alabama

Alabama

Alabama’s rich grassroots history features some of the most world-changing local organizing of the Civil Rights era, as well as our most stark setbacks to racial justice. Reckoning with that legacy, and the disenfranchisement that persists to this day, offers a path to a more just and equitable state.

Outline of Mississippi

Mississippi

For all of modern history, Mississippi has been at the epicenter of our most consequential fights for voting rights, racial justice and democracy itself. Today is no different. And local leaders are primed to meet the moment, investing deeply in the civic infrastructure needed to overcome generations of segregation and suppression.

outline of West Virginia

West Virginia

The roots of American populism and organized labor run deep through West Virginia. But those at the top today have spent decades wrestling power away from everyday citizens. To build back people power, we have to build back trust, with a largely rural electorate that feels left behind.

Outline of Oklahoma

Oklahoma

With deep wells of anti-democracy power and the lowest voter turnout rate in the country, the road ahead in Oklahoma is difficult. But the state’s grassroots organizing ecosystem is rising high, connecting communities across race, class and geography, to write a new story, together, for Oklahoma’s future.

The Groundwork Theory of Change

Organizing builds infrastructure. Infrastructure builds power.

At Groundwork we believe that local grassroots organizing is the most effective way to build power for those historically excluded and to secure justice, equity and democracy for all. Why? Because community organizing, led by trusted messengers on the ground who know their neighbors best, is the essential foundation of strong civic and political infrastructure.

It is the seed from which power grows.

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