Grassroots Movements Are Key to Sustained Social Change

David Plouffe:  In their 2015 letter to their daughter, Mark and Priscilla wrote “We must participate in policy and advocacy to shape debates. Many institutions are unwilling to do this, but progress must be supported by movements to be sustainable.”

Compelling advocacy and organizing have been at the heart of every successful movement to improve people’s lives, but organizers and community groups haven’t always had the resources and most modern tools needed to scale, learn, and iterate – and make change stick.

At the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, we believe grassroots movements are key to sustained social change. We’re committed to supporting proven and promising advocacy models grounded in community, including the six organizations we will be highlighting this week:  Rise, JustLeadershipUSA, Alliance for Safety & Justice, FAMM, FWD.us, and TechEquity Collaborative

These talented teams are leading creative and impactful work that puts the people most affected by challenges — like high incarceration rates and unaffordable housing — at the center of their own solution-making.

As a new organization, we want to learn from individuals and organizations that are doing groundbreaking advocacy work to make a lasting impact. Learning new and creative advocacy techniques from these and other organizations will make us more effective and help us to have a greater impact on issues around science, education, housing, and criminal justice reform.