I know most of you, like me, have been wrestling with how to make an impact in this high stakes moment. There’s so much on the line, it’s hard to pin-point exactly where to begin. 

Some look at the Groundwork mission and wonder if it is really where attention needs to be right now. I am here to tell you yes. Our partner states are the true battleground states – the ones where the fight for our democracy will be won or lost. 

Bottom line: we need to take on conservatives in their own backyards and stop them from remaking our country in their extremist image. 

Don’t believe me? Just take a look at political history. For decades, conservatives have steadily invested in building local power. They have methodically created a terrifying system where state legislatures can pass dangerous policies. Those policies make their way to the Supreme Court where they rewrite the laws nationwide. You don’t have to look far for just a few examples from the past few months alone that prove this: 

➡️ It was a court case out of Jackson, Mississippi which became the vehicle for SCOTUS to dismantle and ultimately overturn Roe. 

➡️ It was a court case out of West Virginia that gave those same SCOTUS justices their rationale for hamstringing the Biden Administration & EPA on climate action.

➡️ It was a court case out of Shelby County, Alabama during the Obama years that gave SCOTUS grounds to gut the Voting Rights Act – a decision whose consequences today are impossible to overstate.

➡️ It was a court case out of Oklahoma that rolled back a critical SCOTUS decision that prevented the infringement of authority on Native American & Tribal land.

We feel the urgency to act now, and that is why I made it a personal mission to bring in the resources to support another round of Groundwork Grants before the end of the summer – and because of you, we are making it happen. 

This round of grantees also includes the FIRST TWO in our partner state of Oklahoma. In total, we are partnering with FIVE MORE trusted local organizations in places traditionally under-resourced, excluded, and ignored.

Our grant program puts our mission into action by directly investing in hyperlocal efforts on the front lines of preserving our democracy and constitutional rights. (To support this work, donate here!)

I’m eager to introduce you to our next round of grantees. I’m confident you will love them as much as we do!

Thanks,
Joe

–
Joe Kennedy (he/him)
Founder 
Groundwork Project
 

 

Introducing Groundwork Project’s Next Round of Grantees!

IAJE was formed in the immediate aftermath of the 2019 ICE raids in Mississippi where 680, mostly Indigenous Mayan folks, were taken from their communities. Through political education, grassroots leadership development, and community organizing, they work to build the capacity of Latinx and Indigenous communities to become economically secure and achieve true racial equity and social justice. IAJE also has a strong LGBTQ+ program that seeks to support LGBTQ+ identified immigrants and their LGBTQ+ identified children. website instagram facebook Twitter

 

Using a deep canvassing and relational organizing model, People’s Budget Birmingham is a grassroots coalition focused on giving Birmingham residents a say over how to spend tax dollars. The group uses a participatory budgeting model, where community members are surveyed about how they would like a portion of city funds to be spent for the fiscal year. The aim of PBB is to involve citizens in the public decision process and to hold the mayor and city council accountable to the communities who elected them. website instagram facebook TWITTER

 

After leading the historic statewide teachers strikes of 2018 and 2019, WV United is a caucus of rank-and-file members in the American Federation of Teachers West Virginia and West Virginia Education Association. Its goal is to educate, increase union participation, and to activate education employees statewide to tackle legislative and policy issues that affect West Virginia schools, students, and communities.   website FACEBOOK TWITTER

 

The Julius Jones Institute (JJI) is the primary progeny of the Julius Jones Coalition. This organization led the efforts to prevent the execution of Julius Jones from 2017 to 2021, stopped an Oklahoma House leadership bill to limit actual innocence claims presentation to the Parole Board in Spring 2022, and has grown a large-scale, grassroots voter engagement campaign running currently to impact 2022 elections. website INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK TWITTER   OKPLAC's mission is to inform and engage parents and the community in advocating for a strong, equitable public education system for all children. OKPLAC serves as an umbrella organization for approximately 15 local PLAC chapters and affiliate Oklahoma grassroots organizations that share its purpose. Their local chapters represent parents and public school advocates in urban, suburban, and rural communities across the state. website INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK TWITTER

 

Founded by Joe Kennedy III, Groundwork Project invests in year-round, local community organizing in places Democrats have gotten used to writing off. With a focus on Appalachia, the Deep South, and the Plains, we support local advocates and activists working to build durable political infrastructure and secure power for those historically excluded.   CONTRIBUTE Individual contributions will be allocated as follows: $5,000 per calendar year to a bank account that operates as a Federal PAC, and the remainder to the Non-Contribution Account of our PAC. We want to respect your boundaries while keeping you informed. Too many emails? Instead of unsubscribing, check out our Email Lite Program. We will only send you the most important messages each month. Sign up for Email Lite here. If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please unsubscribe.

 

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Groundwork Project
124 Washington Street, Suite 101
Foxboro, MA 02035
United States