The League

Background

The League was established in 2017 as the organizational successor to the Make It Work Campaign, a three-year advocacy campaign sponsored by the New Venture Fund. Like its predecessor, The League operated as a fiscally sponsored project of the New Venture Fund, which was managed by the consulting firm Arabella Advisors and served as a pass-through funding vehicle for numerous left-wing advocacy projects. ^{3  4  5} The League has worked with various media influencers on platforms such as TikTok and mainstream groups like the National Basketball Association (NBA). ^{1  5}

The Make It Work Campaign was a three-year campaign launched in June 2014 by co-directors Tracy Sturdivant and Vivien Labaton. It advocated for government-mandated paid family leave, government-funded childcare, and equal pay mandates in advance of the 2016 presidential election. The group announced it would be closing at the end of 2017, with Sturdivant taking over at The League in January 2018. ^{3  6  7}

In April 2026, it was announced that Sturdivant would be leaving The League to take over as CEO of the Ms. Foundation for Women in June of 2026. ⁸

Organization Philosophy

As of 2026, The League operated under a left-of-center framework that promoted issues such as gun control, abortion access, and public relations campaigns in support of left-of-center judicial races and appointments. ¹

Projects and Initiatives

Story at Scale

In February 2020, The League participated as an anchor partner in Story at Scale, a narrative research project launched by the Culture Change Fund, a donor collaborative led by the Women’s Foundation of California. The project was also supported by the Ford Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Blue Shield of California Foundation, the Compton Foundation, the General Service Foundation, the Libra Foundation, and the California Endowment. The project surveyed more than 6,000 people nationally to develop messaging frameworks for advocates working on gender-related policy issues, including abortion access, sex- and gender-based violence, and LGBT interests. ⁹

When Claude Got Shot

The League led the social impact campaign for When Claude Got Shot, a 2021 documentary directed by Brad Lichtenstein about Claude Motley, a Milwaukee law student who was shot as the victim of a carjacking attempt. The film premiered at South by Southwest in March 2021 and aired on PBS. In 2023, The League launched “Courtside Conversations,” an interactive event series for at-risk youth in partnership with NBA teams, as a component of the When Claude Got Shot impact campaign. ^{10  1}

Ketanji Brown Jackson Nomination

In 2022, The League engaged 34 TikTok and Instagram influencers to produce content supporting then-Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, claiming to reach more than eight million followers. The League also partnered with Atlanta-based artist Iman Geddy to produce merchandise whose proceeds funded Black women’s leadership organizations. ¹

State Supreme Court Influencer Campaign

In 2024, The League partnered with more than 60 lifestyle influencers in Ohio and Michigan to produce content about those states’ supreme court elections ahead of the November 2024 general election. The campaign produced more than 245 pieces of content over three months, reaching a claimed 16 million or more people. ¹

Lush Voter Guide

In 2022, The League partnered with cosmetics company Lush to produce a voter guide for the midterm elections, covering issues including abortion access, environmental policy, and gun control. ¹

Leadership

Tracy Sturdivant worked as president and CEO of The League from beginning in 2018. A Detroit native and veteran left-wing organizer, Sturdivant co-founded The League at the conclusion of the Make It Work Campaign, which she had also co-founded alongside Vivien Labaton. Prior to founding The League, Sturdivant worked as executive director of State Voices, a coalition of state-level liberal advocacy organizations, from July 2010 to June 2014. During her tenure, she raised more than $15 million annually and expanded the organization’s network from six to 22 state affiliates. ^{11  12  3}

Sturdivant’s Previous employment included vice president for external affairs at the Center for Progressive Leadership (November 2009 to October 2010), deputy director of programs at the People for the American Way Foundation (September 2006 to September 2007), program manager at the National Coalition of Black Civic Participation (January 2003 to January 2004), and national field organizer at Public Campaign (January 2001 to January 2003). Sturdivant also managed the Michigan philanthropic giving of Jon Stryker, with a focus on gender policy and LGBT causes. ¹²

In April 2026, Sturdivant was announced as the tenth president and CEO of the Ms. Foundation for Women. As of May 2026, she was still listed on The League’s website as the organization’s CEO, though the Ms. Foundation stated she would be starting her new role in June 2026. ^{13  3  8}