Strategic Grassroots Empowerment Fund

Strategic Grassroots Empowerment Fund

Organization: Clean and Prosperous America (CaPA)

Overview:
CaPA's Strategic Grassroots Empowerment Fund works to discover and develop high-potential, hyper-local community organizations that can power ongoing, long-term voter engagement. The fund expands the electorate in critical races up and down the ballot by finding and funding organizations that are unlikely to get financial resources from national donors.

Geographic and Strategic Focus

• Geography: Targets America's structurally biased electoral system toward small towns and rural areas
• Demographics: Youth and voters-of-color will turn out to vote if invited
• Target Voters: Low-propensity and as-yet-unregistered voters

Eligible Organizations

• Small and new organizations
• Organizations whose primary mission is not electorally focused but can play a productive role in voter registration and turnout
• Examples include groups focused on: cultural events, immigrants' rights, social services for low-income families
• 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), and PAC organizations, as well as all-volunteer groups

Funding Structure

Unique Financial Model:
• CaPA has a bequest from founder that allows pooling and deploying c3, c4, and PAC resources free of overhead charge or fiscal sponsorship fees
• 100% of contributed resources reach grassroots groups organizing on the ground
• Loan reserve account allows quick deployment of resources to the field upon pledge
• Funds capacity gaps and emergency needs all the way up to Election Day

CaPA's Process

1. Identify Critical Battlegrounds: Research competitive political battlegrounds 2. Map Strategic Opportunities: Analyze battlegrounds for nested races, political attention, expected expenditure 3. Build Strategic Partnerships: Develop landscape assessment of grassroots organizations through research and networking 4. Request Proposals (RFPs): Distribute RFPs to identified groups 5. Evaluate and Prioritize: Review proposals based on program strengths with diverse grassroots specialists team 6. Engage Donors: Present gaps to donors and fund best programs in key geographies 7. Support Grantees: Provide toolkits, non-financial resources, collaboration calls, mentorship 8. Continuous Monitoring: Stay updated on polling, expert analysis, news for race competitiveness 9. Gap Analysis: Provide ongoing assessment of organizing gaps for top-performing groups 10. Optimize Resource Allocation: Strategically direct new donor support to grassroots gaps through Election Day

Contact

• Email: emilia@cleanprosperousamerica.org

Location

Clean and Prosperous America, Tumwater, WA 98512