The leadup to each election is a critical opportunity to build the community power we need to ensure that everyone has a chance to get a good job, live in a safe and affordable home, and have a strong political voice. As we approach the November 2024 election, the organizations in this guide are developing local leaders, increasing civic engagement, educating voters, and building the capacity to run electoral campaigns. These organizations are building power and infrastructure beyond a single campaign to help ensure that we can change the systems that impact our lives across many issues.
Supporting these organizations, many of which are led by Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) leaders, is in an investment in long-term movements that will shape our region.
This give guide has been curated by local experts; for additional or customized recommendations, please contact your personal Philanthropic Advisor or donorservices@sff.org.
*Important information about giving through your donor advised fund:
Current SFF policy allows donor advised funds to give only to organizations designated by the IRS as having 501(c)(3) public charity status. Many charities working on democracy issues have a partner 501(c)(4) public welfare organization. A 501(c)(4) can do extensive lobbying and some directly partisan work. If you desire to give to a 501(c)(4) organization, you can do so with personal funds.
Organizations included in this give guide that have a known 501(c)(4) arm are marked with an asterisk.
Bay Rising
Bay Rising is regional organization anchored by Oakland Rising, San Francisco Rising, and Silicon Valley Rising. Their collective constituencies include tens of thousands of low-income and working-class immigrant, Black, Latinx, Asian, and Pacific Islander communities. They work to increase civic engagement, educate voters, build the capacity to run electoral campaigns, and develop local leaders. Bay Rising provides needed backbone infrastructure and coordination to local, grassroots community groups across our region- including narrative and leadership development. They recently launched an academy focused on co-governance to ensure progressive policies are not just successfully passed, but also successfully implemented. Bay Rising also pools resources and distributes them to affiliated networks (San Francisco Rising, Oakland Rising and Silicon Valley Rising) across the region.
Donor Center Specifics:
Grantee: Bay Rising
Fiscal Sponsor: Center for Empowered Politics Education Fund
Short purpose: For general support of Bay Rising.
California Calls Education Fund
California Calls is a growing alliance of 31 grassroots, community-based organizations spanning urban, rural and suburban counties across the state. They engage, educate and motivate new and infrequent voters among young people, from communities of color, and from poor and working-class neighborhoods to make California’s electorate reflect our state’s diverse population. Through their bottom-up approach, they are organizing voters most impacted by budget cuts and deteriorating public services in support of systemic, progressive solutions to our state’s fiscal crisis, including School and Communities First/Prop 15 in 2020. In addition to working on ballot measures and voter outreach, they recently launched a new program called Budget Power Project, which works with local grassroots organizations to engage in their local city and county processes to influence how their local budgets are spent.
Donor Center Specifics:
Grantee: California Calls Education Fund
Short purpose: For general support.
Faith in Action Bay Area
Faith in Action Bay Area is a network of congregations and community leaders working to uphold the dignity of all people. Focused on San Mateo and San Francisco counties, they work to develop shared leadership and move policies prioritized by their congregations, promote civic engagement, and lift up faith values to confront power and transform systems.
Staff note: Faith in Action Bay Area is one of the local affiliates of PICO California.
Donor Center Specifics:
Grantee: Faith in Action Bay Area
Short purpose: For general support.
Oakland Rising
Oakland Rising educates and mobilizes voters in Oakland’s flatlands to speak up for and take charge of the issues impacting their lives. They are a multilingual, multiracial collaborative with deep roots in East and West Oakland. Oakland Rising does deep voter engagement year-round to understand narratives, voter attitudes, and to mobilize infrequent and disenfranchised voters. In 2022, they passed a landmark Fair Elections Act measure in Oakland, and they continue to focus on policies around racial justice, democracy, affordable housing, public safety, and many others. Support is particularly timely right now as they engage the community around the potential Special Election this year that would address the recall of the Alameda County District Attorney.
Donor Center Specifics:
Organization Name: Oakland Rising
Fiscal Sponsor: Center for Empowered Politics Education Fund
Purpose: for general support of Oakland Rising.
Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California
Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California
Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California (NPH) is a strong voice and advocate for affordable housing in the Bay Area and across the state. They have passed bills in Sacramento to make funding, land, and permit processes more accessible and available to build affordable housing across our state. NPH is one of the lead organizations advancing two ballot measures in the 2024 electoral cycle: A bond measure to unlock billions of dollars for affordable housing in the 9-county Bay Area, and a statewide measure to lower the threshold for local housing bond measures from the near-impossible ⅔ to 50%+1 vote.
Donor Center Specifics:
Organization Name: Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California
Short purpose: For general support.
