The Groundwork Collaborative is a left-of-center activist group with a particular focus on economic issues. It is a fiscally-sponsored project of the New Venture Fund, a 501(c)(3) arm of the Arabella Advisors “dark money” network of liberal pass-through funding organizations. ¹ The organization was launched in 2018 to promote left-wing economic policies. ²

Policy Positions

As for key public policy issues, the organization lists claims the economy must be “built by workers,” seeming to support organized labor; focuses on all races, ethnicities, genders and orientation; and an “uncorrupted government, free from the capture of wealthy interest,” which implies support for campaign finance restrictions. ³

According to a job opening posted on their website for an Associate Director in Narrative Strategies, the organization advocates, “for progressive economic policy and narrative change that builds accountable public power, breaks up concentrations of private power, and affirmatively centers people too long left out of prosperity.” ⁴

The Groundwork Collaborative took a transparently opportunistic approach to the COVID-19 pandemic. As Janelle Jones, a managing director for the group, told the New York Times: “This is truly a once-in-a-generation opportunity. Policymakers need to focus on restructuring our economy in a way that rebalances power toward workers.” ⁵

Leadership

Lindsay Owens, Ph.D. is the executive director of Groundswell Collaborative, as of June 2024. She was also an early founder of the organization. Prior to this, she served as a senior economic policy adviser to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-CA) and was the deputy chief of staff and legislative director for both then-Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) and Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). ⁶

1. Hayden R. Ludwig. “Big Money in Dark Shadows: Arabella Advisors’ Half-billion-dollar ‘Dark Money’ Network.” Capital Research Center (DarkMoneyATM.org). https://darkmoneyatm.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/CRC_Arabella-Advisors-Dark-Money_small.pdf
2. Idealist. Accessed May 1, 2020. https://www.idealist.org/en/nonprofit/e9c63ab4d6e54afcb84542037150d205-the-groundwork-collaborative-washington?redirected-from-listing=true
3. About Us. Groundwork Collaborative. Accessed May 1, 2020.  https://groundworkcollaborative.org/about-groundwork/
4. “Associate Director, Narrative Strategies.” Groundwork Collaborative, Accessed June 5, 2024. https://groundworkcollaborative.applytojob.com/apply/zweCCjzo9d/Associate-Director-Narrative-Strategies?source=Our%20Career%20Page%20Widget
5. Miller, Claire. “Could the Pandemic Wind Up Fixing What’s Broken About Work in America?” The New York Times. April 10, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/10/upshot/coronavirus-future-work-america.html
6. “Lindsay Owens, Ph.D.” Groundswell Collaborative, Accessed June 5, 2024. https://groundworkcollaborative.org/person/lindsay-owens/