Groundwork Massachusetts

The work begins at home! Groundwork Project will always support local community organizers in Massachusetts.

two overlapping outlines of Massachusetts, one filled with solid yellow and the other one a solid white outline

Organizing in Massachusetts

To the outside, Massachusetts may appear to be an improbable fit for Groundwork's mission. With its liberal reputation and wealth of progressive representation, it's easy to assume that our state lacks little when it comes to blue infrastructure, coalitions and capacity. That reality is much more complicated and reveals a state wrestling with profound racial, social, economic and political disparities.

Consider this: In 2020, wealthy, white suburbs around Boston saw voter turnout hovering as high as 90 percent. Meanwhile, communities of color and Gateway Cities saw two-thirds of that, at best. In 2018, people of color made up nearly 20 percent of eligible voters, but cast only around 10 percent of all ballots - a power gap of nearly 50 percent.

We believe that dramatic investment in community organizing is the only way for Massachusetts to address this systemic divide in political power and build a Commonwealth that is as inclusive, representative and innovative as its reputation leads the nation to believe.

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yellow background with blue test that says "Groundwork Massachusetts Youth Organizer Fellow Program"
Fellow Program

The Groundwork Youth Organizer Fellow Program invests in youth organizers in communities of color and Gateway Cities in MA. We want to help build a political pipeline of working-class and people of color organizers to change the face of Massachusetts politics from the ground up.

Status: Closed

Check back for updates about the next fellow application cycle.

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Organizer Grant Program

Through our flagship grant program we award unrestricted, multi-year grants to hyperlocal organizers in Massachusetts who are working in communities with the lowest voter turnout in the state. Along with grant funding, grantees get access to a vibrant cross-state grantee community and wraparound support from the Groundwork team.

Status: Open

Deadline: April 17, 2023

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Groundwork's National Footprint

Learn more about the states we work in across the country.

Keep Paying Your Organizer Grantees

ISABEL LOPEZ

Essex County

Community Organization

Lynn, MA

DANIELLE ST. PIERRE

Coalition for Social Justice

Taunton, MA

CELINA REYES

Lawrence Community Works

Lawrence, MA

MARÍA JOSÉ MORALES

United Interfaith Action

of Southeastern MA

New Bedford, MA

MA Infrastructure Grantees

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DEMOCRACY HUBS

Massachusetts, Statewide

a dark blue background with white text that reads "Delivering on Equity Collective"

DELIVERING ON EQUITY

COLLECTIVE

Massachusetts, Statewide

"Mass Alliance Working Together for a Progressive Massachusetts"

MASS ALLIANCE

Boston, MA

MA Youth Organizer Fellow Alumni

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ALISA COLON

Lawrence, MA

Headshot of Briana Sylvestre

BRIANA SYLVESTRE

Brockton, MA

Headshot of Channel Hernandez

CHANNEL HERNANDEZ

Lawrence, MA

Headshot of Gabriela Arias

GABRIELA ARIAS

Chelsea, MA

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LAURA CABRERA

Lawrence, MA

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LIZET VASQUEZ

Chelsea, MA

Massachusetts Advisory Board

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Barbara Kamholz

EF Education First (she/her)

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Ben Downing

The Engine at MIT; former State Senator (he/him)

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Celia Johnston Blue

MA Women of Color Coalition (she/her)

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Cheryl Clyburn Crawford

MassVOTE (she/her)

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Darien Johnson

Black Economic Council of MA (he/him)

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Darlene Lombos

Greater Boston Labor Council (she/her)

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Dave Halbert

Progressive MA Funders' Collaborative (he/him)

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Deb Fastino

Coalition for Social Justice (she/her)

Headshot of Diana Hwang

Diana Hwang

Asian-American Women's Political Initiative (she/her)

Headshot of Elvis Mendez

Elvis Mendez

Neighbor to Neighbor (he/him)

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Enrique Pepen

Boston Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services (he/him)

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Jackie Jenkins-Scott

Roxbury Community College (she/her)

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Janine Carreiro

MA Community Action Network (she/her)

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Jen McAndrew

Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts (she/her)

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Luxshmi Sivalogan

Planned Parenthood (she/her)

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Naomi Aberly

political activist & civic volunteer

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Shanique Spalding

Mass Voter Table (she/her)

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Vanessa Otero

Pioneer Valley Healing Racism Institute (she/her)

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