Movement Meets Politics: The Power of c4 Funding

Written By Mary Rickles

In the wake of the 2016 election, we knew that we needed to use all the tools available to us to fight back against the threats to our democracy and move forward with a vision of a more just, equitable, and sustainable world. Our shared values were under attack at the national level, and we were barreling toward authoritarian rule. As a network of progressive women donors and activists, we knew that committed, collective action was essential to reverse the political trajectory of our country.  

That’s how WDN Action came to be -– founded in late 2017, WDN Action is the 501(c)(4) sister organization of the Women Donors Network. We mobilize our resources—economic, social, and political—to fuel the progressive wins of our time. Together, we invest in advocacy and electoral strategies that center the leadership, vision, and long-term organizing of women, people of color, young people, and underrepresented communities. 

What’s a c4 organization and why does it matter?
C4 dollars enable communities to have a political voice through lobbying and advocacy, ballot initiatives, candidate endorsements, and explicitly partisan political work around elections. Unlike a c3 organization, c4 organizations can engage in unlimited lobbying and advocacy, bringing incredible power to campaigns to advance core progressive priorities, from climate justice, to reproductive justice, to economic justice. With WDN Action, we have the ability to take on more advocacy work and c4 grantmaking, including issue-based electoral campaigns, holding elected officials accountable to a progressive agenda, and mobilizing voters through community-led strategies that support our shared values.

“501(c)(4)s operate under different rules permitting much more extensive policy and overtly political work, although unlike charities, donations to them are not tax-deductible.” (Alliance For Justice, Primer on Social Welfare Organizations) This makes c4 funding all the harder to raise, and all the more critical to the ongoing work of progressive organizing and governance. 

What’s the impact of our c4 work?
Since late 2017, WDN Action has moved over $10.7 million to over 80 groups across the country doing year-round organizing, leading innovative cultural and digital strategies, and building electoral power that is rooted in community. Our grantees have been at the helm of so many wins, here is a snapshot from the past three years. 

  • In 2018, we came together with a coalition of funders to back the incredible organizing of groups like New Virginia Majority that delivered a governing trifecta in Virginia. 

  • Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (our first grantee at WDN Action), Dream Defenders, Electoral Justice Project, and New Florida Majority organized for the passage of Amendment 4 in Florida in 2018, restoring voting rights for 1.4 million people with felony convictions.

  • Arizona turned blue in 2020, thanks to a decade of organizing led by LUCHA and others in the state to expand their base and register new voters.

  • Organizations like Texas Youth Power Alliance, New Era Colorado, and Alliance for Youth Action increased the youth vote turnout nationwide; in Texas alone, youth turnout increased by more than 600% since the last presidential election.

  • Black Voters Matter has registered hundreds of thousands of voters and moved them to polls and is now playing a pivotal role in corporate accountability campaigns to fight back against the wave of voter suppression bills across the country.

  • Advance Native Political Leadership helped deliver a record-breaking year for Native candidates in 2020 and organized around the campaign to name Deb Haaland as the first-ever Native Secretary of the Interior.

  • Georgia took center stage in the fight for our democracy, with New Georgia Project Action Fund, Asian American Advocacy Fund, Mijente, Fair Fight, Care in Action, and others engaging record numbers of voters to flip the state and win two Senate seats.

Organizations like these are taking on the fight to build a new political reality, bringing new voters into the political process, and putting forth a bold vision for our democracy. This is revolutionary work, and it requires sustained investments with critical c4 resources. 

Where can I learn more?
While many WDN members are well-versed in the political giving space, many are new to this arena – and even those who are experienced donors can often be overwhelmed by the sheer number of funding requests and strategies, especially in big election years. Part of our work at WDN Action is to provide that education and to activate our network’s power to invest in a progressive vision and comprehensive giving strategy. 

Additional resources:

Mary Rickles
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