The Organize Florida Education Fund (formerly F.I.R.E., Florida Institute for Reform and Empowerment) is a left-of-center advocacy group that trains activists working in the central Florida “I-4 corridor” between Tampa and Orlando. It has frequently worked with other Democratic-aligned and left-of-center organizations in Florida.

Organize Florida Education Fund is a state-based partner of The Center for Popular Democracy, a national left-wing community organizing consortium funded by numerous prominent liberal activist donors in the Democracy Alliance.¹ The fund is associated with a 501(c)(4) sister organization, Florida Rising Together, created from a merger of Organize Florida and New Florida Majority.²

Background

The Organize Florida Education Fund is a state-based partner of the Center for Popular Democracy, a national activist network supporting and coordinating activities with 43 partner organizations across 30 states. Other CPD Florida-based partner organizations include the Manufactured Housing Action, the New Florida Majority, and Organize Florida.³

Florida Rising Together, a sister organization of Organize Florida Education Fund, is a state-based partner of the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD), a national activist network supporting and coordinating activities with 43 partner organizations in 30 states.⁴ Its nationwide network also includes successor organizations to the Association of Community Organizations and Reform Now (ACORN) network, which closed amid controversies in 2010.⁵

CPD’s largest donor is activist billionaire George Soros. Its nationwide network also includes successor organizations to the controversial Association of Community Organizations and Reform Now (ACORN) network, which closed amid controversies in 2010.⁶

Activities

Organize Florida Education Fund community trainings have been advertised by the Orange County Democratic Party.⁷ This event was hosted at the “Progressive Center” and featured the “F.I.R.E. Leadership Academy” to train activists, volunteers, and other interested individuals to educate voters, mobilize communities, and “build power” for left-of-center causes.⁸ 

In 2020, OFEF hosted several get-out-the vote events, including one celebrating then-U.S. Senator Kamala Harris’s (D-CA) nomination for vice president.⁹

In April 2016, several news reports cited members of OFEF predecessor group FIRE protesting outside of then-state Rep. Dana Young’s (R-Tampa) district office to denounce a measure blocking public funding for private medical facilities that perform abortions.¹⁰ The legislation defunded Planned Parenthood and other abortion clinics, required annual licensure inspections for abortion clinics, and banned the purchase and sale of fetal remains.¹¹ OFEF protesters also rallied outside the Orlando-area office of then-state Rep. Bob Cortes (R-Altamonte Springs).¹²

In April 2017, OFEF and the Center for Popular Democracy released an issue report stating that Florida’s energy infrastructure burdened women of color. The report was timed to coincide with the “People’s Climate March” in Washington, D.C., and Organize Florida co-sponsored Climate March rallies in Tampa, Orlando, Miami, and other cities across Florida.¹³ The report blasts Florida lawmakers for the state’s natural gas pipelines and for an energy industry that it claims is unsafe and contributes to climate change. The report also criticizes Florida legislators for failing to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.¹⁴ The report criticized Florida lawmakers for the state’s natural gas pipelines and for an energy industry that it claimed was unsafe and contributed to climate change. The report also criticized Florida legislators for failing to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.¹⁵

Funding

The OFEF is funded largely by Washington D.C. based left-leaning nonprofit groups including the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD), the New Venture Fund, and the Voter Registration Project. From 2017 to 2019, OFEF received $700,000 from the CPD, the largest of those grants being $425,000 in 2018 for the stated purpose of “Puerto Rico diaspora, economic justice, base building.” ¹⁶ From 2017 to 2019, the New Venture fund contributed $660,000 to OFEF.¹⁷ From 2017 to 2019, OFEF was the recipient of $866,531 from the Voter Registration Project.¹⁸

In 2020, OFEF also received a $310,000 grant from the Southern Poverty Law Center as part of their “Vote Your Voice” program. The focus of the grant was “voter registration, education, mobilization, and protection with a focus on low- to moderate-income people of color with a low propensity to vote along the I-4 corridor in Florida.” ¹⁹

Leadership

Stephanie Porta was listed as the CEO of the Organize Florida Education Fund in 2019 and was the co-executive of Florida Rising as recently as 2021.^{20  21}

In an op-ed in the Orlando Sentinel, Porta discussed her work for numerous left-of-center causes including lobbying for an eviction moratorium and registering nearly 200,000 voters in 2008 and helping elect President Barack Obama.²⁰ She claimed that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) and “the legislators who enable him enact policies … have undoubtedly been harmful” and claimed that Gov. DeSantis promoted conspiracy theories.²⁰

1. Markay, Lachlan. “Liberal Group’s Turnout Efforts Target Battleground States.” Washington Free Beacon. May 09, 2016. Accessed July 28, 2017. http://freebeacon.com/issues/liberal-groups-turnout-efforts-target-battleground-states/.
2. “Florida Rising.” Florida Rising, October 20, 2021. https://floridarising.org/.
3. “Partners.” The Center for Popular Democracy. Accessed July 20, 2017. http://populardemocracy.org/our-partners/organize-florida-education-fund.
4. “Florida Rising.” The Center for Popular Democracy, March 1, 2022. https://www.populardemocracy.org/our-partners/florida-rising.
5. Schoffstall, Joe. “New $80M Anti-Trump Network Spearheaded by Soros-funded Org with Former ACORN Employees.” Washington Free Beacon. March 27, 2017. Accessed November 23, 2022. http://freebeacon.com/issues/soros-funded-anti-trump-network-has-acorn-ties/.
6. Schoffstall, Joe. “New $80M Anti-Trump Network Spearheaded by Soros-funded Org with Former ACORN Employees.” Washington Free Beacon. March 27, 2017. Accessed July 21, 2017. http://freebeacon.com/issues/soros-funded-anti-trump-network-has-acorn-ties/.
7. “Florida Institute for Reform and Empowerment Leadership Academy: Intro to Power.” Orange County Democratic Party. February 8, 2016. Accessed November 24, 2022.  http://orangefldemocrats.com/event/florida-institute-for-reform-and-empowerment-leadership-academy-intro-to-power/ .
8. “Florida Institute for Reform and Empowerment Leadership Academy: Intro to Power.” Orange County Democratic Party. February 8, 2016. Accessed November 24, 2022.  http://orangefldemocrats.com/event/florida-institute-for-reform-and-empowerment-leadership-academy-intro-to-power/.
9. “Organize Florida Education Fund.” Facebook. Accessed November 24, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/OrganizeFloridaEF/posts/pfbid0MrfbkohJFo1nzbVwEGDc8RRnKDwduLw6Y3xnZ9DUKCuFP23wQKefiQBgFBCzm1BSl?__cft__%5B0%5D=AZXZfl6JiG_1f3FeDYD7wSA0biOnDefSx1asBcKaIlP09EMqSMG0hFtFmC9Kv1LRMTeijFtUlGsXzeHfTUG_5VFjVGukjIplDzt2rckfd_LHfw0dLM-jDl8cb1bKBw6mrYXZJMyfkjWzywcO0JAT7kXJj01QLhzCOif4QAkNKGz72Ju-rJdsw6RDDnhUxX0bbyeSns_2kZLqmJ7QOhpyM3UukJHMycGJcIUlHJtrw6YWvg&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R.
10. Perry, Mitch. “Activists Criticize Rep. Dana Young for Her Support on Controversial Abortion Bill.” Florida Politics. April 28, 2016. Accessed July 25, 2017. http://floridapolitics.com/archives/tag/florida-institute-for-reform-and-empowerment.
11. “HB 1411 – Termination of Pregnancies.” Florida House of Representatives. March 4, 2016. Accessed July 27, 2017. https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=56464&SessionId=80.
12. Lemongello, Steven. “Women’s Health Advocates Protest at Lawmaker’s Office.” Orlando Sentinel. April 28, 2016. Accessed July 27, 2017. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/os-womens-health-activist-press-conference-20160428-story.html.
13. Perry, Mitch. “‘People’s Climate March’ Rallies Set for Saturday in Florida, U.S.” Florida Politics. April 28, 2017. Accessed August 8, 2017. http://floridapolitics.com/archives/tag/organize-florida-education-fund.

14. Kilpatrick, Michelle. “The High Costs of Florida’s Energy Infrastructure – Burdening Women of Color and their Families.” Center for Popular Democracy. Accessed July 25, 2017. https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/organizeflorida/pages/867/attachments/original/1493303746/The_High_Cost_of_Florida’s_Energy_Infrastructure.pdf
15. Kilpatrick, Michelle. “The High Costs of Florida’s Energy Infrastructure – Burdening Women of Color and their Families.” Center for Popular Democracy. Accessed November 24, 2022. https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/organizeflorida/pages/867/attachments/original/1493303746/The_High_Cost_of_Florida’s_Energy_Infrastructure.pdf.
16. Center for Popular Democracy, Form 990, Schedule I – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica, May 9, 2013. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/453813436/201903159349304450/IRS990ScheduleI.
17. Author’s calculations from New Venture Fund; Returns of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990); 2017, 2018, and 2019; Schedule I.
18. Author’s calculations from Voter Registration Project; Returns of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990); 2017, 2018, and 2019; Schedule I.
19. Schrader, Esther. “Vote Your Voice: In Florida, Grantee Organizations Regroup after Amendment 4 Setback.” Southern Poverty Law Center, October 30, 2020. https://www.splcenter.org/news/2020/10/30/vote-your-voice-florida-grantee-organizations-regroup-after-amendment-4-setback.
20. Porta, Stephanie. “Florida Rising Still Fighting for Equity as Leader Moves On: Commentary.” Orlando Sentinel., December 24, 2021. Accessed November 24, 2022.  https://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/guest-commentary/os-op-florida-rising-challenge-continues-stephanie-porta-20211224-pxnqcnowy5c5rhgczzq4qxv5w4-story.html.   
21. Florida Institute for Reform and Empowerment, “Form 990, Schedule I – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica, December 2019. Accessed November 24, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/274384675/04_2021_prefixes_27-27%2F274384675_201912_990_2021040517876510