If you’ve been following Groundwork Project these last few weeks, you know we’ve talked a lot about our home state: Massachusetts.

With its progressive reputation, it’s easy to assume that our state lacks little when it comes to blue infrastructure, coalitions and capacity. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

(Case in point: our Republican governor.)

However, it’s so much bigger than any one office or elected official. Massachusetts is plagued by profound disparities – that are less about ideology, and more about race, class, representation, and power.

• In 2020 wealthy, white suburbs around Boston saw voter turnout hovering as high as 90 percent. Communities of color and working-class areas saw two-thirds of that, at best.
   
• Only 20 of the 200 electeds in the Massachusetts State House are people of color.
   
• These power disparities have profound policy impacts. Working-class and immigrant cities like Chelsea, Lawrence, and Brockton have been denied equitable access to COVID testing, vaccinations, care, and recovery money.
   
• And one year into the worst public health crisis in a generation, essential workers in Massachusetts still aren’t guaranteed paid sick time, still face crippling public transit cuts, and still are not protected by a strong eviction moratorium.

GWP believes that dramatic investment in community organizing is the single best way to remedy this injustice, build power in disenfranchised communities, and create a Commonwealth that is as inclusive, representative and innovative as its reputation leads the nation to believe.

That’s why we are so proud to announce the very first Groundwork Grant for the Democracy HUBS program in Massachusetts.

Democracy HUBS is Groundwork’s mission in action.

It was founded in 2019 by four leading, statewide civic groups: MassVOTE, the Massachusetts Voter Table, the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA), and the Asian Pacific Islanders Civic Action Network (API CAN).

They came together to form six regional community organizing collectives across the state – or “Democracy HUBS.”

Each HUB is a mix of established community groups and smaller, emerging, grassroots organizations. Some really fantastic organizations are involved, like La Colaborativa in Chelsea, Worcester Interfaith, Neighbor to Neighbor, the Pioneer Valley Project, and so many others.

These groups meet voters where they are, taking on issues that really matter to the local community, whether that’s a pipeline expansion or anti-housing zoning laws. They slowly and intentionally build civic capacity, leadership, and infrastructure for voters that our “traditional” democratic process has failed to empower or engage.

This is the very heart of Groundwork’s mission. And the incredible organizers running these HUBS let us know that they are $50,000 short of their projected 2021 budget -– which is used to directly support community organizers in communities of color and working-class areas, through funding, training, data, technology, and other essential organizing tools.

Because of your support to this point, Groundwork is able to immediately send the Democracy HUBS a $25,000 grant to help meet their 2021 budget goal.

But we want to help them get to $50,000. So we’re doubling down and working to match that contribution with grassroots donations, through our Democracy HUB Match Fund. 100% of the dollars raised into this Fund will go to the HUB program.

Can you help us raise a match of $25,000 in grassroots donations over the next few days? Together, we can ensure Democracy HUBS has the $50,000 they need to give their program a boost leading into 2022. Donate to our Democracy HUB Match Fund now!

Thank you for powering this critical work. We’re just getting started.

Joe