Grassroots Power Project is a charitable organization which advocates for increased government regulation, feminism, and wealth redistribution. It has argued that its approach is to “shift away from short-term, incremental campaigns and towards building and wielding governing power.” 1
Grassroots Power Project worked with the Grassroots Global Justice Alliance to help form the Feminist Organizing Schools. 1 These schools work to spread feminist ideology across the world by creating a “shared vision for the grassroots internationalist feminist movement.” 3 These schools oppose right-of-center politics, claim that hate crimes are increasing, and support access to abortions. 3
Wealth Redistribution
Grassroots Power Project supports wealth redistribution, stating that it seeks to “build towards structural reforms that transfer wealth and power away from profiteers and into the hands of everyday people.” 1
Neoliberalism and Racial Capitalism
Grassroots Power Project affirms the theory that the United States economy was built by exploiting labor from Black people and other minority groups, which it calls racial capitalism. The group claims this is still going on today through neoliberalism. The group believes the results of neoliberalism, free trade, deregulation, and decreased government oversight has hurt the quality of life for the average person and “has created a popular base for white nationalism.” 4
Radical-Left Influences
Grassroots Power Project cites books from three authors as its main inspiration: The Hard Road to Renewal by Stuart Hall, Prison Notebooks and The Antonio Gramsci Reader by Antonio Gramsci, and Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination by Robin D.G. Kelley. 5 Stuart Hall was a Jamaican-British sociologist who supported Marxism and socialism. 6 Robin D.G. Kelley is an American historian that described himself as a Marxist surrealist feminist. 7 Antonio Gramsci was an Italian Marxist who led the Italian Communist Party and was later imprisoned by Benito Mussolini’s fascist regime. 89
Funding
Between 2017 and 2021, Grassroots Power Project received over $6 million in grants. 10 The group stated, “Additionally, a large majority of GPP’s excess contributions consist of amounts raised through the Ford Foundation as part of a 4-year grant and through the California Endowment as part of a 2-year grant.” 2
The Ford Foundation is a left-of-center donor organization with assets over $20 billion. 11 California Endowment is left-of-center grantmaking private health foundation. It is the largest in California with over $3.5 billion in total assets. 12
To build a multi-generational bench of long-term strategists equipped to move bold structural change, and to deepen alignment across community-based organizations in California strengthening social movement infrastructure to more strategically and effectively advance long-term change for health, racial, economic and social equity.
To deepen the strategic, long-term and power building orientation of the California social movement infrastructure and community organizations through ongoing accompaniment, strategy development support, training, political and issue analysis, and facilitation to advance health equity for all.
To strengthen strategy and alignment among power-building groups in California working towards improving conditions for low-wage workers and their families.
To build a multi-generational bench of long-term strategists equipped to move bold structural change, and to deepen alignment across community-based organizations in California strengthening social movement infrastructure to more strategically and effectively advance long-term change for health, racial, economic and social equity.
General support to strengthen capacities for social justice groups on long-term strategy for systemic change for social, economic, and gender justice and inclusive democracy and for project support to create a cohort for shared learning
General support to strengthen capacities for social justice groups on long-term strategy for systemic change for social, economic, and gender justice and inclusive democracy
To strengthen the power and deepen the alignment of community groups and social movement organizations across California to advance long-term work for social and health equity through ongoing accompaniment and strategy support, education, training and analysis.
for general operating support – Grassroots Power Project supports grassroots organizations to adopt long-term strategies in their work to attain structural power within an inclusive democracy.
PROGRAM – TO ADVANCE THE POWER-BUILDING ECOSYSTEM IN THE BAY AREA BY "GROUND-TRUTHING" THE POWER PATHWAY'S RESULTS COUNT PROCESS THROUGH FOCUS GROUPS, EXPERT INTERVIEWS WITH THOUGHT LEADERS AND LITERATURE REVIEW.
PROGRAM – FOR GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT TO STRENGTHEN THE POWER OF COMMUNITY GROUPS IN THE BAY AREA IN THEIR STATEWIDE EFFORTS TO ADVANCE TOWARDS GOVERNING POWER.
