RuralOrganizing.org

RuralOrganizing.org self-identifies as “boldly progressive” ² and is committed to the critical race theory-influenced concept of equity. ³ The organization is one of 50 left-of-center organizations that is a partner of the Green New Deal Champions Pledge. ⁴ In October 2022, RuralOragnizing.org sponsored a series of virtual phone banks attacking U.S. Senate candidate J.D. Vance (R-OH). ⁵

In 2020, RuralOrganizing.org received $565,000 from the left-of-center Sixteen Thirty Fund, which is administered by left-leaning Arabella Advisors. ⁶ RuralOrganizing.org is also a grantee of the left-of-center Rural Democracy Initiative’s Heartland Fund. ⁷

History and Leadership

RuralOrganizing.org was founded in 2012 as Rural Organizing Center ^{8 9} and given the tax-exempt 501(c)(4) “social welfare group” status from the Internal Revenue Service in 2020. ¹⁰

Matt Hildreth is RuralOrganizing.org’s executive director. ^{11 12} Previously, Hildreth worked as director of illegal immigration advocacy organization America’s Voice and held a role at left-of-center advocacy organization Sojourners. ¹² He is also a member of left-of-center Legal Services Corporation’s Rural Justice Task Force. ¹³

Activities and Funding

RuralOrganizing.org is a self-identified “boldly progressive” ¹⁴ left-of-center political activist organization that supports left-of-center political organizing in rural communities. ¹⁵ RuralOrganizing.org is committed to the critical race theory-influenced concept of equity, ³ strives to create a critical race theory-influenced “equitable” America, ¹⁶ and is supportive of Biden administration spending policy priorities. ^{17 18} RuralOrganizing.org claims to have organized over 700,000 activists for left-of-center political causes across rural America. ¹

RuralOrganizing.org has received funding from the left-of-center Rural Democracy Initiative to recruit and train spokespeople for rural communities ¹⁹ and offers advice for left-of-center candidates running for office in rural areas. ¹⁵ Its focused areas of engagement include promoting the dignity of work, investing in new infrastructure, promoting the critical race theory-influenced concept of equity, building rural prosperity, and building civic leadership. ²⁰

RuralOrganizing.org is one of 50 left-of-center organizations that is a partner of the far-left Green New Deal Champions Pledge, which supports the far-left environmentalist “Green New Deal” policy reforms. ²¹

In October 2022, RuralOragnizing.org sponsored a virtual phone bank attacking Republican U.S. Senate candidate J.D. Vance ⁵ that claimed that Ohio U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) cared about rural Ohio while Vance “only cares about himself.” ²²

In 2021, RuralOrganizing.org interviewed 70 different organizers from left-of-center campaigns in 31 states to learn lessons for future organizing activities and inform their future activities. ²³ That same year,  RuralOrganizing.org co-hosted a summit with left-of-center Family Farm Action and Rural Democracy Initiative to discuss rural issues with other organizations. ²⁴ Participating organizations at this event included the left-of-center Health Care for America Now, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Main Street Alliance, New Georgia Project Action Fund, People’s Action, United for Respect, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Clean Energy Works, Headwaters Economics, Small Business Majority, and others. ²⁴ A report released following this conferences suggested the federal government should engage with Native American tribes in a manner consistent with the United Nations Declaration on Indigenous Peoples. ²⁴

In 2020, RuralOrganizing.org organized protests against changes to the U.S. Postal Service with left-of-center groups including Indivisible, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, MoveOn, NAACP, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Vets for the People, and the Working Families Party. ²⁵

RuralOrganizing.org has spent at least $10,697 in the 2021-2022 election cycle as of mid-October 2022, all opposing Republican Party candidates. ^{26 27}

Funding

RuralOrganizing.org receives funding from individual contributions and grants. ¹ In 2020, RuralOrganizing.org reported revenue of $845,456 and expenses of $680,898. ²⁸

In 2021, RuralOrganizing.org received a grant Rural Democracy Initiative’s Heartland Fund. ⁷ In 2020, RuralOrganizing.org received $565,000 from the left-of-center Sixteen Thirty Fund, which is administered by left-leaning Arabella Advisors. ⁶ In 2019, RuralOrganizing.org received $70,000 from the Sixteen Thirty Fund ²⁹ and $26,000 from left-of-center All Hands on Deck Network. ³⁰ RuralOrganizing.org is also a grantee of the left-of-center Rural Democracy Initiative. ³¹

RuralOrganizing.org is affiliated with and shares an address with the RuralOrganizing.org Education Fund. ^{32 33}