National network
50501
50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement. A volunteer-built, nonviolent movement defending democracy, with state and local groups organizing days of action and community.
find groups in your state
don't see your state? start with a national organization.
These national organizations have local chapters, hubs, or groups across the country. Click through to find the one closest to you, or to start one where you live.
National network
Authors Against Book Bans
A national network of writers, illustrators, and other creators fighting book bans and challenges. Members back local grassroots groups, speak at school board meetings, meet with legislators, and stand with librarians, educators, parents, and students defending the freedom to read.
National network
Black Voters Matter
Co-founded by LaTosha Brown and Cliff Albright, Black Voters Matter boosts voter registration and turnout in Black communities, mostly across the South, funds and trains local partner groups, and tours on its "Blackest Bus in America" to highlight voter suppression.
National network
Common Defense
Common Defense organizes veterans and engages the military community to transform our society by advocating for progressive policies that work for all of us.
National network
Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)
The largest socialist organization in the U.S. Local chapters organize tenants, workers, and neighbors to build an economy run for human need, not profit. Look up your chapter by zip code.
National network
Dream Defenders
Dream Defenders is a Black-led, feminist, socialist, abolitionist, and internationalist political formation fighting for a world without prisons, police, capitalism, and imperialism. We envision communities where safety is built through solidarity, care, and self-determination rather than through punishment and surveillance. Founded in 2012 in response to the killing of Trayvon Martin, the Dream Defenders has grown into a powerful force advocating for liberation, justice, and dignity for Black and marginalized people across the United States and beyond.
National network
Indivisible
A network of thousands of local groups that hold elected officials accountable and defend democracy. Use the group map to find one near you, including groups marked newcomer-friendly.
National network
NDN Collective
Rapid City-based and Indigenous-led, this collective backs Native communities through organizing, grants, and loans to Indigenous groups and entrepreneurs. Its campaigns include LANDBACK, which seeks the return of Lakota lands in the Black Hills, along with climate justice and education equity.
National network
Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ)
A national network organizing white people to fight racism and economic injustice as part of multiracial movements. Find a local chapter or join a regular online orientation.
National network
Sunrise Movement
A youth-led movement of local hubs working to stop the climate crisis and win a Green New Deal. No hub near you? Sunrise will help you start one.
National network
Third Act
Organizes older Americans to protect climate and democracy, through volunteer-led working groups by location and by affinity.
National network
Working Families Party
Building a multiracial party of working people. WFP recruits and elects progressive candidates and organizes between elections, with state parties in 18 states and volunteer actions everywhere.
Honolulu
Hawaii Appleseed
Hawai'i Appleseed idvancing economic justice for and with the people of Hawaiʻi.
Honolulu
Hawaii Workers Center
Workers across Hawaii can turn to this Honolulu center for know-your-rights workshops on wage theft, safety, and harassment, plus referrals for housing, immigration, and legal help. It also builds workers' associations, including Restaurant Workers United, which seeks to end the tipped subminimum wage.
Bloomington / Central Illinois
Illinois People’s Action
Headquartered in Bloomington, this multi-issue faith and community organization has members across central Illinois, from Peoria to Champaign-Urbana, and campaigns on climate and environmental justice, including opposition to CO2 pipelines, along with immigrant rights and predatory lending.
New Orleans
Imagine Water Works
Led by Creole Indigenous, Native, and trans New Orleanians, this project combines art, science, and mutual aid around climate justice. It runs a Mutual Aid Response Network, hurricane prep guides, and the Imagination Farm for community care.
Indiana Undocumented Youth Alliance
Run by youth, this statewide network of undocumented and documented young people and allies helps immigrants reach college through scholarships, offers family-separation prevention tools, and organizes locally and across Indiana for fairer immigration policy.
Indiana Youth Group
Indianapolis-based Indiana Youth Group offers LGBTQ+ young people safe social spaces, basic-needs support, and street outreach for those facing homelessness, and helps students start Gender and Sexuality Alliances in schools across the state.
Indivisible
A network of thousands of local groups that hold elected officials accountable and defend democracy. Use the group map to find one near you, including groups marked newcomer-friendly.
Des Moines
Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice
Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice (Iowa MMJ) is statewide membership-based advocacy and immigration legal service organization driven and led by immigrant and refugee voices and united with allies.
DMV
Jews United for Justice
Jews United for Justice organizes the Jewish communities of DC, Maryland, and Virginia to create a more just region. With our partners, we build power to dismantle economic inequality, racism, antisemitism, and other tools of oppression.
Jolt Action
Young Latino Texans in Austin, Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas-Fort Worth get involved in voting and advocacy through Jolt Action, which runs student chapters, artist residencies, and get-out-the-vote work to build a Latino-led political movement.
Know a group we're missing? Add it to the directory.
how do I pick the right group?
- Meets regularly, at least monthly, in person or online.
- Is led by the people most affected by the issue it works on.
- Has a way in for newcomers, like an orientation or a one-on-one.
- Asks you to do something, not just donate.
- Has won something, or knows what it's fighting to win.
You don't have to find the perfect fit. Pick the one closest to your heart or your home and go twice before you decide.
your first-meeting checklist
- Bring a friend if that makes it easier.
- Say why you came. One sentence is enough.
- Write down the name of one person you met.
- Say yes to one small task.
- Go back a second time.
why join an organization instead of just showing up to protests?
Protests show how many people care. Organizations turn that care into power that lasts. A good organization keeps you connected after the crowd goes home, trains you to lead, and wins concrete changes like tenant protections, fair wages, and clean air.
what is a base-building organization?
A base-building organization grows its power by recruiting, training, and organizing a large membership of everyday people over many years. Members set the agenda, build leadership, and take collective action on shared problems. Examples include tenant unions, labor unions, faith-based organizing groups, and community organizations rooted in a neighborhood or identity.
what happens at a first organizing meeting?
Usually someone welcomes you, people share names and why they came, and the group works through an agenda: updates, a plan, and asks for who will take on what. You can just listen the first time. Most groups will follow up for a one-on-one conversation.
not ready for a group yet?
Meet your neighborsquestions people ask
How much time does organizing take?
As little as one hour a month to start. Most groups have roles for every level of time and energy.
What if I'm shy or anxious around new people?
You're not alone. Many groups have behind-the-scenes roles like making calls, designing flyers, cooking, or tracking data. Bring a friend.
What if there's no group near me?
Look up your nearest union hall, tenant group, or faith-based organizing network. Or start a neighbor group using our toolkit. Many organizations began that way.
Do I have to pay dues?
Some groups ask for small dues, often on a sliding scale. Many are free.
common questions
How do I get involved in community organizing?
Start close to home. Learn the names of a few neighbors, then join a local organizing group that meets regularly and trains new members. Go to one meeting, say yes to one small task, and keep showing up. Our directory can help you find a group in your state.
How do I find activist groups near me?
Choose your state at the top of this page to see long-term organizing groups that work there, with priority groups listed first. If none are close by, national groups like Indivisible, DSA, Sunrise Movement, and Showing Up for Racial Justice have local chapters in most states.
What is a base-building organization?
A base-building organization grows its membership over years, trains everyday people to lead, and wins changes through collective action. Unlike a one-time protest or campaign, it keeps going between elections.
What is the difference between mutual aid and organizing?
Mutual aid meets people's needs right now, like groceries, rides, or rent. Organizing changes the conditions that create those needs, like wages, housing policy, or who holds power. Strong villages do both.
Is voting enough?
Voting matters, but it is just the first step. What happens between elections depends on organized people who keep showing up, pressing officials, and taking care of each other.