Culture Surge is a coalition of 900 artists, organizers, and organizations that seek to change politics through artistic production. Though the organization is formally non-partisan, its ideological output tends to be left-of-center. Culture Surge’s website states that its artists are “working together in this vital moment for the survival of our communities, our democracy, and our shared future.” ¹

Culture Surge is a project of Harness, which is fiscally sponsored by the CCF Community Initiatives Fund. ^{2 3} Culture Surge is fiscally sponsored by the New Venture Fund, a nonprofit incubator managed by Arabella Advisors. ⁴

Activity

Culture Surge seeks to push left wing cultural values by changing American culture through art. The organization’s objectives are explicitly political: “We aim to build a nimble, streamlined structure and emergent strategy focused on the unique needs of this midterm election year and the next presidential election.” ⁵ Culture Surge produces content focused on politically competitive states including Arizona, Georgia, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. ⁶

Culture Surge commissions digital graphic pieces, street murals, photographs, billboards, short films, and performance art. ⁷ Culture Surge does not promote itself on the art it commissions and discourages artists from promoting the brand. According to its FAQ: “research shows that unbranded content tends to perform better than branded. We are here to be your behind-the-scenes resource, so there is no need to plug or promote Culture Surge.” ⁸

Culture Surge published a Voter Toolkit for the 2020 election to guide voters through the process. ⁹

Culture Surge organized a get-out-the vote campaign in Georgia during its 2020 U.S. Senate election. ¹⁰ The organization commissioned “20 street art activations and Tik-Tok micro influencer campaigns targeted at new Gen Z voters” that garnered 1.3 million views. ¹¹

Storytellers’ Guide to Changing Our World

Culture Surge publishes the “Storyteller’s Guide to Changing Our World” to support artists attempting to change culture and politics through their art. ¹² The second edition of the guide stated: “As we near the election, we stand at the intersection of three deadly plagues—systemic racism, the global pandemic, and an historic economic depression. These plagues are lethally inflicting loss and pain on all, but especially and disproportionately on Black, Indigenous, people of color, and others forced to live on the margins.” It states that protests in American cities “are led by those who have been most impacted by these plagues and most active in creating a more just world.” ¹³

The guide was co-authored by Erin Potts, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Revolutions Per Minute, a far-left nonprofit organization that utilizes the notoriety of musicians and bands to promote political campaigns and foundations. ^{14 15}

Leadership

Carly Hare was the executive director of Culture Surge from March 2022 to March 2023. As of August 2023, her LinkedIn states that she left Culture Surge in March 2023, but she is still listed as executive director on Culture Surge’s website. Hare has also worked as a freelance nonprofit consultant focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) since 2008. From March 2021 to 2023, Hare served as chair of the Colorado Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission. From January 2016 to February 2022, Hare was the national director of CHANGE Philanthropy, “the nation’s largest coalition of progressive philanthropy-serving organizations.” Prior, Hare worked at Native Americans in Philanthropy and the Native American Rights Fund. ^{16 17}

Partners

Culture Surge lists four partner organizations: Harness, the founder of Culture Surge and an artistic community organizing group founded by actors Wilmer Valderrama, America Ferrara, and Ryan Piers Williams; the Center for Cultural Power, an organization led by women of color artists focused on activism and community organizing through art; The League, a social policy advocacy organization fiscally sponsored by the New Venture Fund; and IllumiNative, a Native American advocacy organization that is also fiscally sponsored by NVF. ¹⁸

Funding

Culture Surge has received funding from the Kresge Foundation, the Compton Foundation, Pop Culture Collaborative, the Women’s Foundation of California, the Emergent Fund at the Women’s Donor Network, Impact Guild, Moveon.org, Unbound Philanthropy, Way to Rise at the Just Fund, the Culture Change Fund at the Women’s Foundation of California, MTV, and Comedy Central/The Daily Show. ¹⁹

In October 2022, Culture Surge received a $500,000 grant from the Ford Foundation. ²⁰

1.  “About Us.” Culture Surge. Accessed August 6, 2023. https://www.culturesurge.com/about-us.
2. Ludacris – Educating Kids Through Entertainment with KidNation The Daily Social Distancing Show.” YouTube. December 4, 2020. Accessed August 6, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cwY_8Z4oOM.
3. “CCF Community Initiatives Fund.” Ford Foundation. Accessed August 6, 2023. https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/awarded-grants/grants-database/ccf-community-initiatives-fund-138125/.
4. ^[1] Kresge Foundation. Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF). 2021. Accessed August 6, 2023. https://kresge.org/wp-content/uploads/Kresge-Foundation-Filed-990PF-2021-Tax-Return.pdf.
5. “About Us.” Culture Surge. Accessed August 6, 2023. https://www.culturesurge.com/about-us.
6. “FAQs.” Culture Surge. Accessed August 6, 2023. https://www.culturesurge.com/faqs.
7. “Content Hub.” Culture Surge. Accessed August 6, 2023. https://csgallery.squarespace.com/.
8. “FAQs.” Culture Surge. Accessed August 6, 2023. https://www.culturesurge.com/faqs.
9. “Voter Toolkit.” Culture Surge. Accessed August 6, 2023. https://docs.google.com/document/d/12jJ0eIARj5EFUcDj0QXDXOj_xLvw2ZDjqV9BVhHqOic/edit.
10. “Ludacris—Educating Kids Through Entertainment with KidNation The Daily Social Distancing Show.” YouTube. December 4, 2020. Accessed August 6, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cwY_8Z4oOM.
11. “Annual Review 2021.” Harness. Accessed August 6, 2023. https://iwillharness.com/reports/2021/.
12. “Create With Us.” Culture Surge. Accessed August 6, 2023. https://www.culturesurge.com/learn-more.
13. “The Storytellers’ Guide to Changing Our World.” Culture Surge. July 2020. Accessed August 6, 2023. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RdkTeJbTh_SQJpXtvkk3mNsHDPLEPsgc/view.
14. Cheyfitz, Kirk. “Harnessing Narrative Persuasion for Good.” Medium. May 22, 2023. Accessed August 6, 2023. https://medium.com/@kirkcheyfitz/harnessing-narrative-persuasion-for-good-6d55a5c213b3.
15. “Erin Potts.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 6, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinpotts/.
16. “Carly Hare.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 6, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/carly-hare-86a3016/.
17. “About Us.” Culture Surge. Accessed August 6, 2023. https://www.culturesurge.com/about-us.
18. “About Us.” Culture Surge. Accessed August 6, 2023. https://www.culturesurge.com/about-us.
19. “About Us.” Culture Surge. Accessed August 6, 2023. https://www.culturesurge.com/about-us.
20. “Grants Database.” Ford Foundation. Accessed August 7, 2023. https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/awarded-grants/grants-database/?search=culture+surge.