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

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.

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.

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
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

DEMOCRACY HUBS
Massachusetts, Statewide

DELIVERING ON EQUITY
COLLECTIVE
Massachusetts, Statewide

MASS ALLIANCE
Boston, MA
MA Youth Organizer Fellow Alumni

ALISA COLON
Lawrence, MA

BRIANA SYLVESTRE
Brockton, MA

CHANNEL HERNANDEZ
Lawrence, MA

GABRIELA ARIAS
Chelsea, MA

LAURA CABRERA
Lawrence, MA

LIZET VASQUEZ
Chelsea, MA
Massachusetts Advisory Board

Barbara Kamholz
EF Education First (she/her)

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

Celia Johnston Blue
MA Women of Color Coalition (she/her)

Cheryl Clyburn Crawford
MassVOTE (she/her)

Darien Johnson
Black Economic Council of MA (he/him)

Darlene Lombos
Greater Boston Labor Council (she/her)

Dave Halbert
Progressive MA Funders' Collaborative (he/him)

Deb Fastino
Coalition for Social Justice (she/her)

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

Elvis Mendez
Neighbor to Neighbor (he/him)

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

Jackie Jenkins-Scott
Roxbury Community College (she/her)

Janine Carreiro
MA Community Action Network (she/her)

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

Luxshmi Sivalogan
Planned Parenthood (she/her)

Naomi Aberly
political activist & civic volunteer

Shanique Spalding
Mass Voter Table (she/her)
