10 Black-led organizations selected to receive $100,000 worth of peer-to-peer texting and training to elevate their work in the Black community.
Dallas, Texas, February 15, 2023: Movement Labs and Black Voters Matter partnered together to grant ten grassroots, Black-led organizations a grant geared to empower people of color. With hundreds of applications, the grantees were selected to receive peer-to-peer texts, five months’ worth of organization training, and social media support. This revolutionary program provides a much-needed service for organizations to organize in the digital age. Additionally, grantees will receive training and strategic support to grow their capacity to leverage texting in their work for the long term. 

Peer-to-peer texting sees over 90% of users texted read the message, and 10-15% of that group reply. With this program, Movement Labs and Black Voters Matter ensures that this powerful organizing technology is accessible to organizations and groups doing the crucial work of lifting marginalized communities.

“At Movement Labs, we know the power of peer-to-peer texting, and offering this service to these grant winners means the movement to build progressive power is only getting stronger,” said Yoni Landau, Founder of Movement Labs. “This texting grant translates to more effective and diverse progressive outcomes – from policies to movement building – we are raising awareness about climate change, systemic racism, economic instability, healthcare access, civil rights, and so much more. Our work is just beginning with these inspiring groups.”

The grant will support organizations throughout the next five months toward identifying new supporters and lowering barriers to entry by using tools to build a list of supporters to organize and transform into a base and redistribution of resources to grassroots Black-led organizations. As well as provide training, coaching, and expert consultation to ensure that the organizations leave the fellowship with broader memberships, successful campaigns, and a new set of strategic tools to use for their future organizing efforts.

“The grantees in this cohort are leading on both urgent and long-lasting efforts toward a more progressive and inclusive future for this country,” said Char Singleton Movement Labs Program Director. ”These grants will be transformative on so many levels – from building power within directly impacted communities to building power within the capacity of the grassroots organizations leading the movement to change laws and policies at local, state, and federal levels that will directly and immediately improve the lives of the people in our communities.”

2023 Grantees: 

Movement Labs 

Movement Labs combines data, technology, and experimental methods with an army of passionate volunteers to build power. Utilizing peer-to-peer texting, Movement Labs helps grassroots organizing, recruits candidates to run for office, and helps those candidates win.

Black Voters Matter

Black Voters Matter’s goal is to increase power in marginalized, predominantly Black communities. Effective voting allows a community to determine its own destiny. They advocate for policies to expand voting rights/access, including expanded early voting, resisting voter ID, re-entry restoration of rights, and strengthening the Voting Rights Act.  

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