Partner Spotlight: Georgia Alliance Empowers Grassroots Community Organizing
Feel Good Action (FGA) and Georgia Alliance for Progress (GAP) are proud partners in the fight for racial justice, voting rights, and equitable representation. One of our very first partners, we began working with GAP in 2020 - even before we became a 501(c)(3) - collaborating on influencer campaigns for the 2020 elections and the Senate Run-Off Elections that followed. GAP is building organizational infrastructure for dozens of groups doing critical work across Georgia and the South, ensuring grassroots movements have the support they need to thrive. This Black History Month, we are featuring their work to honor the legacy of Black organizers who have shaped democracy and to amplify the voices leading the charge for justice today. We look forward to continuing to support their vital programs and partners in the fight for a more just and representative future!
What is the inspiration behind the creation of Georgia Alliance, and is there a personal story or experience behind it?
Georgia Alliance launched in 2014 with four members who raised $300,000 and established two distinct funds: Georgia Alliance Education Fund (GAEF, 501c3) and Georgia Investor Action Fund (GIAF, 501c4). Ten years later we are a growing community of 66+ donor members and the largest civic engagement funder in the state of Georgia. We have directly invested more than $50 million into Georgia’s political and civic future.
What positive actions have you seen that advance Georgia’s political movement and empower people of color?
As an organization we have been able to provide Black people and other racial and ethnic groups with the education and resources they need to be active participants in our political systems. Through education and combatting mis/disinformation that impacts our communities most, we activate entire populations of people that have been historically and presently ignored, marginalized, and disenfranchised by the officials elected to serve them. Last year we registered nearly 200,000 new voters, most of whom are from Black and Brown communities.
How does Georgia Alliance work to build grassroots community organizing?
Our work bridges philanthropy and political strategy, catalyzing our supporters to drive meaningful change through policy and governance. As the foremost donor coalition in the state of Georgia, we have been committed to funding organizations that are either led by or serve people of color or historically marginalized identities. It is our belief that our communities are strengthened through year-round engagement with trust messengers that are already embedded in their communities.
How has grassroots community organizing changed recently, and what challenges does Georgia Alliance face?
What we have seen more recently is further evidence of core principle of how we organize: Black people and other communities of color are not a monolith. The common extractive practices of dropping into our communities every two to four years to move people to the polls will continue to fall flat because they fail to account and atone for hundreds of years of our political disenfranchisement. Our communities deserve to be invested in through financial resources, education, and advocacy just like other communities; we are no longer submitting to be used as political pawns and props. We continue to assert that poverty is the biggest tool of voter suppression. To create tangible change in our state we have to address the affordability of life. Poverty is a challenge to our democracy. To win, we have to expand the electorate by including and educating low-income voters.
What does this Black History Month mean to Georgia Alliance?
Black history month is a reminder of the rich legacy of organizing, social resistance, and civic engagement that has paved the road we trod in our fight for restorative justice today. Black History Month dares to remind us to REMEBER when many of our states and elected officials are fighting ardently for us to FORGET. This month is a 28-day manifestation of Sankofa: Looking back at from whence we have come to inform how we move forward.
1.What helps the folks at Georgia Alliance stay motivated during the tough times?
$9,500,000. That’s how much money the Georgia Alliance and our funders were able to pour into 36 and 22 501c3 and 501c4 organizations, respectively, in 2024. That represents grassroots organizations that were able to continue their work throughout the state, mis and dis- information that we were able to neutralize, doors we were able to knock, and residents we were able to get registered to vote. The change that our partners are able to create in local communities and districts throughout the state is what keeps us going despite national losses.
Are there any upcoming initiatives, plans, or events that folks should know about?
This year we look forward to bringing back our Strategy Summit and the Democracy Dinner that we launched in 2023 to amplify the amazing work of our partners and create opportunities for our funders and donors to see their contributions at work. Both the Summit and the Democracy Dinner will be held Fall 2025. Follow @georgiaalliance on Instagram or sign up for our monthly newsletter HERE.
Learn more about us by visiting GeorgiaAlliance.org
If you would like to contribute to the Georgia Alliance and fund our fight to create a more representative and just Georgia, click HERE. If you would prefer to make a donation via ACH, please contact Kevin Amaya, Development Director, at kevin@georgiaalliance.org.