We support and connect community organizers on democracy’s frontlines. To support and connect community organizers, advocates, and activists working year‑round in places traditionally under‑resourced, excluded, and ignored; to invest in hyperlocal efforts that create sustainable civic infrastructure, engage and educate voters, and build power for the underrepresented and disenfranchised; and to advocate for systems, policies and practices that will deliver justice, equity and democracy for all.
Groundwork Action Fund C/o Verdolino & Lowey Pc centers support for community organizers working on democracy’s frontlines, with year-round investment in places that are traditionally under-resourced, excluded, and ignored. The fund’s stated aim is to strengthen hyperlocal civic infrastructure, voter engagement, and power-building for underrepresented and disenfranchised communities, alongside advocacy for systems and practices that deliver justice, equity, and democracy. Recent grants show a clear pattern of backing state-based organizing and civic participation efforts. In 2025, the fund awarded $75,000 to Conservation West Virginia Inc in Shepherdstown, WV, its largest listed recent grant. It also gave $36,000 to Oklahoma Voter Alliance Inc in Oklahoma City, OK, and $15,000 to For West Virginia's Future in Ona, WV. Earlier grants include $25,000 to Massachusetts Voter Education Network Inc in Boston, MA, indicating support that reaches beyond one region while staying anchored in organizing, voter education, and civic engagement. The organization’s named programs reinforce that orientation. The Organizer Network provides unrestricted, multi-year support, community, and technical assistance to local frontline organizers, while the Narrative Studio points to work in messaging and communications. Across the grants list, the focus is less on one-off project funding than on building civic capacity and connective tissue for local advocates.
In democracy protection and civic engagement, the fund supported Oklahoma Voter Alliance Inc with $36,000 for charitable purposes, and Massachusetts Voter Education Network Inc with $25,000 for charitable purposes. Those grants sit alongside the foundation’s stated emphasis on engaging and educating voters and building sustainable civic infrastructure. Its community-organizing work is visible in grants to Alabama Values Progress, which received $25,000 in Montgomery in 2025 and another $25,000 in Birmingham in 2023. That recurring recipient pattern suggests continued support for organizers working in the same state over time. The fund also backs organizations tied to state-based policy and movement infrastructure. Conservation West Virginia Inc received $75,000, while West Virginia Rivers Coalition Inc received $25,000, both in 2025 and 2023 respectively. The presence of these grantees aligns with the fund’s focus on local frontline work in under-resourced places.
$166K
$242K
$1.3M
$1.5M
Most grants fall between $20K and $25K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$25K
About 9% of grants go to recipients in WV.
JOSEPH KENNEDY III
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Typical grants cluster tightly around $25,000: the p25 is $20,000, the median is $25,000, and the p75 is $25,000. The recent list also includes larger and smaller awards, from $75,000 at the top to $5,150 near the low end. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including Alabama Values Progress, which received grants in both 2023 and 2025. The fund is not a private operating foundation or a DAF based on the data provided here; it is led by Joseph Kennedy III. The Groundwork Organizer Network accepts unsolicited applications, and the Narrative Studio also accepts unsolicited submissions.
Grantmaking is national, with all listed recent grants going to U.S. recipients. West Virginia appears most often in the recent list, with grantees in Shepherdstown, Ona, Charleston, and West Charleston. Oklahoma is another repeated destination, including Oklahoma City and Norman, while Massachusetts appears through a Boston recipient and the foundation’s headquarters state accounts for 9% of grants. The recent record also includes Alabama recipients in Montgomery and Birmingham, showing a multi-state spread across the South, Northeast, and Appalachian regions.
The fund supports community organizing, democracy protection, civic engagement, voter education, leadership development, narrative change, and organizational capacity building. Its summary also emphasizes hyperlocal efforts that build civic infrastructure and engage voters in communities that are under-resourced, excluded, and ignored.
Typical awards are concentrated at $25,000. The reported distribution shows a p25 of $20,000, a median of $25,000, and a p75 of $25,000, with recent grants ranging from $5,150 to $75,000.
Yes. Alabama Values Progress appears in both 2023 and 2025 grant records, with $25,000 awarded in each year. That pattern suggests the fund sometimes returns to the same local partner over multiple years.
The top state by grant count is West Virginia. Recent recipients there include organizations in Shepherdstown, Ona, Charleston, and West Charleston, showing repeated attention to the state across different communities.
Yes. The Groundwork Organizer Network accepts unsolicited applications, and The Narrative Studio also accepts unsolicited submissions. The Groundwork Massachusetts Organizer Network is shown as a closed regional program, while the Mini-Grant Fund does not accept unsolicited applications.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Groundwork Action Fund C/O Verdolino & Lowey Pc that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Available to organizers in the Groundwork network; described as supporting organizers with smaller, short-term, programmatic needs.
Deadline: Not specified.
Who can apply: Organizations in one of Groundwork’s four partner states that use community organizing as their primary tool for powerbuilding and run year-round organizing programs aimed at base-building. Groundwork does not fund groups engaged solely in direct service.
Deadline: No fixed deadline stated; interest is ongoing for partner-state organizations.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CONSERVATION WEST VIRGINIA INC | SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV | $75,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE PURPOSES. |
| OKLAHOMA VOTER ALLIANCE INC | OKLAHOMA CITY, OK | $36,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE PURPOSES. |
| ALABAMA VALUES PROGRESS | MONTOGOMERY, AL | $25,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE PURPOSES. |
| FOR WEST VIRGINIA'S FUTURE | ONA, WV | $15,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE PURPOSES. |
| THIRD SPACE | OKLAHOMA CITY, OK | $10,250 | 2025 | CHARITABLE PURPOSES. |
| WEST VIRGINIA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT HUB INC | WEST CHARLESTON, WV | $5,150 | 2025 | CHARITABLE PURPOSES. |
| RED DIRT COLLECTIVE | NORMAN, OK | $27,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE PURPOSES. |
| ALABAMA VALUES PROGRESS | BIRMINGHAM, AL | $26,500 | 2024 | CHARITABLE PURPOSES. |
| WEST VIRGINIA RIVERS COALITION INC | CHARLESTON, WV | $25,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE PURPOSES. |
| RED DIRT COLLECTIVE | NORMAN, OK | $25,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE PURPOSES. |
| ALABAMA VALUES PROGRESS | BIRMINGHAM, AL | $25,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE PURPOSES. |
| GROUNDWORK FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $25,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE PURPOSES. |
| MASSACHUSETTS VOTER EDUCATION NETWORK INC | BOSTON, MA | $25,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE PURPOSES. |
CONSERVATION WEST VIRGINIA INC
$75,000CHARITABLE PURPOSES.
OKLAHOMA VOTER ALLIANCE INC
$36,000CHARITABLE PURPOSES.
ALABAMA VALUES PROGRESS
$25,000CHARITABLE PURPOSES.
FOR WEST VIRGINIA'S FUTURE
$15,000CHARITABLE PURPOSES.
CHARITABLE PURPOSES.
RED DIRT COLLECTIVE
$27,000CHARITABLE PURPOSES.
ALABAMA VALUES PROGRESS
$26,500CHARITABLE PURPOSES.
RED DIRT COLLECTIVE
$25,000CHARITABLE PURPOSES.
ALABAMA VALUES PROGRESS
$25,000CHARITABLE PURPOSES.
GROUNDWORK FOUNDATION
$25,000CHARITABLE PURPOSES.
MASSACHUSETTS VOTER EDUCATION NETWORK INC
$25,000CHARITABLE PURPOSES.