Accelerate Action

Accelerate Change and Accelerate Action were both formerly projects of the Center for Public Interest Research within the Public Interest Network. Accelerate Action contracts with left-of-center advocacy groups to conduct consulting work and organizational campaigns. The group has received funding from grantmaking organizations, primarily the Progressive Multiplier Fund. ^{3 4 1 5}

Background

Accelerate Action was formed in 2018 as the lobbying arm of Accelerate Change, a left-of-center nonprofit advocacy group founded by Peter Murray in 2012 that was originally affiliated with the Center for Public Interest Research. ^{2 1}

Accelerate Change and Accelerate Action both claim, “Our democracy is not responsive to or representative of all communities… These policy disparities disproportionately impact BIPOC and low-income communities, as well as other historically marginalized and excluded communities (including immigrants and LGBTQIA+ communities).” ⁶ Both groups advocate for testing “new models” of community organizing to drive individuals in targeted communities to increase their voting and political participation. ⁶

Partner Organizations

Accelerate Action conducts advocacy campaigns for partner organizations including Accelerate Change, including PushBlack, Pulso, Parents Together, Noticias Para Immigrantes, the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Localyst Media, and Impact. ⁷

Activity

In 2023, Accelerate Action received a grant from the Progressive Multiplier Fund to “to develop non-donation revenue streams for partner organizations PushBlack, Pulso, and ParentsTogether using sponsored content.” ⁴ According to Accelerate Action, it wanted to use the grant to, “identify, pitch, and contract brands to spend advertising and/or sponsorship dollars on the nonprofit organizations’ Facebook Messenger communities.” ⁴

Leadership

Peter Murray is the founder and president of Accelerate Change and Accelerate Action. He previously founded the Center for Progressive Leadership (CPL) as well as the president and founder of the Philadelphia-based Empowerment Group. He also held positions with the I Do Foundation and Image Contractors. ⁵