Detroit Action Education Fund is the educational arm of the Detroit Action organization, a left-of-center community organizing and activist group that pushes for left-of-center economic policy through education, activism, and voter drives in the Detroit area. It is not an independent nonprofit but rather exists as a fiscally sponsored project of the left-of-center Tides Center. ^{1 2 3}

Founding and History

While the Detroit Action group existed in some form previously, it was relaunched in 2019 with assistance from the left-of-center Center for Popular Democracy, a national group that works with left-of-center organizations on the state level to advance left-of-center social and economic policies. ⁴

Finances

The Detroit Action Education Fund is a fiscally sponsored project of the Tides Center. This means that while the group operates independently, it does not have its own tax-exempt status. Its funds are collected and administered by the Tides Center, which charges a fee for doing so. As a result, there are no public tax filings detailing the revenue and expenses of the Detroit Action Education Fund. ^{3 1 5}

Policies and Projects

The Detroit Action Education Fund is focused on community training, organization, and activism. It states that its strategy is one of perpetual civic engagement beyond elections and that it aims to engage “with the state, against the state, and within the state.”  As part of this initiative, the group canvasses Detroit residents throughout the year and runs a variety of training, activist, and community programs. ²

Leadership Programs

The Detroit Action Education Fund hosts monthly political educational community meetings. It also hosts regular training sessions and sends group members and staff to the Detroit Community Organizer Workshop hosted by We the People Michigan. ²

Youth Activism

The Voices of Detroit Youth program is focused on youth voter registration and civic engagement, including during off-election years. The organization states that youth who are registered to vote tend to vote at the same rate as older people and states that it wants to close the “age-related voting gap”.  The organization is also focused on youth leadership training and ending what it terms the “school to prison pipeline.” ²

Community Services

The Detroit Action Education Fund provides a variety of community services. These include workshops to assist low-income people with obtaining copies of state identifications or their birth certificates. It also runs a program called the Street Outreach Court Detroit. This program allows homeless people to resolve their outstanding fines and various infractions by demonstrating that they are working to improve their situation via an action plan. If sufficient progress is made, most fines are waived by the court. ²

The fund also administers the JOBS (Job Opportunities for a Better Society) Project. This project assists formerly incarcerated people and other people having difficulty finding employment with finding a job. It simultaneously trains the participants to be political activists who advocate for raising the Michigan minimum wage. ²

Partner Organizations

Detroit Action and Michigan Action

Detroit Action and Michigan Action are the 501(c)(4) (via Tides Advocacy) and Super PAC partners of the Detroit Action Education Fund, which is the 501(c)(3) arm of the group (via the Tides Center). ¹

Center for Popular Democracy

The Detroit Action group of organizations is affiliated with the Center for Popular Democracy. This national group is focused on advancing left-of-center social and economic policies and works with state level groups. This group helped to re-launch the Detroit Action group in 2019. ⁴

Leadership

Jennifer Disla is the co-executive director of the Detroit Action group of organizations, including Detroit Action Education Fund. She has been involved in left-of-center activism and organizing since 2008. Her bio states that she believes in “Black Liberation” and fighting white supremacy. ⁶

Branden Snyder is the co-executive director of the Detroit Action group of organizations, including Detroit Action Education Fund. He has been involved in left-of-center activism and organizing for over ten years and in 2016 was the deputy organizing director for youth voting in the Hillary for Michigan campaign. ⁶

1. “Donate.” Detroit Action. Accessed July 31, 2022. https://detroitaction.org/donate/.
2. “Programs.” Detroit Action. Accessed July 31, 2022. https://detroitaction.org/programs/.
3. “Detroit Action Education Fund, a Project of Tides Center — Donate via AB Charities.” ActBlue. Accessed July 31, 2022. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/daef.
4. “Detroit Action, a Project of Tides Advocacy.” Idealist. Accessed July 31, 2022. https://www.idealist.org/en/nonprofit/ed6f046cc21b47edbbd45a58d699f884-detroit-action-a-project-of-tides-advovacy-detroit.
5. “What Is Fiscal Sponsorship?” Tides. Accessed July 31, 2022. https://www.tides.org/faq/what-is-fiscal-sponsorship/.
6. “Staff & Board.” Detroit Action. Accessed August 1, 2022. https://detroitaction.org/staff-and-board/.