March Update from the CEO
We are living through profound instability domestically and globally. Escalating logic of colonial dominance, force, and militarism has led to direct U.S. confrontation with Iran, fueling a cycle of provocation and retaliation. That same posture extends beyond active conflict zones, with ongoing threats and pressure campaigns against nations like Cuba reinforcing a broader pattern of coercion and geopolitical destabilization. U.S. strikes and sanctions translate into displacement, destroyed infrastructure, and the constant threat of death for civilians and U.S. military personnel around the globe.
At home, this same logic shows up in attacks on bodily autonomy, from bans on gender-affirming care for trans people to criminalization of pregnancy outcomes, to escalating threats of force here in the U.S. This moment demands clarity about the conditions we are in and the work required to confront them.
Yet, our partners organize against this very logic every day.
Currently, Groundswell is finalizing 2026 grants to a concentrated cohort of local and state-based organizations in the South, Southwest, Midwest, and U.S. Territories, leading work in battleground states and building long-term power.
Given the current climate, we are not publicly naming our grantee partners or publishing a full list of funding relationships due to surveillance and retaliation risks. This is not silence, but strategy. Our responsibility is to move resources in ways that strengthen—not endanger—the organizations on the ground.
What I can say is our 2026 grantee partners are:
- Defending and advancing reproductive freedom and gender-affirming care
- Building multiracial coalitions to contest authoritarianism
- Protecting trans communities under legislative attack
- Organizing working-class communities around economic justice and civic participation
Developing alternative economic and governance models rooted in community ownership. We are also evolving our capacity-building approach. Rather than housing support internally, we are directly resourcing experts to provide tailored assistance to partners.
Fortifying, resisting, and new world building are the strategic anchors shaping how we fund, provide support, and assess impact.
- Fortify – Strengthen operations, compliance, fundraising, and leadership to withstand volatility.
- Resist – Support organizing and narrative strategies that shift public discourse and build collective strength.
- New World Building – Develop alternative economic and governance models that move communities from precarity to stability.
These priorities work together to meet immediate threats while building toward long-term transformation.
Early philanthropic commitments are critical. Movement organizations are navigating increased legal scrutiny, funding contraction, and electoral pressure. Early funding ensures they can act with strategy rather than scarcity.
This moment is volatile, and the repression is real. But so is the power being built across the country. Groundswell exists to move resources where they are needed most and to help ensure that this moment does not define our future.
Thank you for investing in Groundswell and the movement partners building power in this moment.