Impact is a fiscally sponsored project of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) and operates in tandem with its network of left-of-center political organizations. It serves as a campaign administrator for a number of groups in the Public Interest Network, such as Environment America and Fair Share.

Background

According to its website, Impact is located at also the registered address of many nonprofit organizations in the PIRG network such as its head organization U.S. PIRG as well as United States Public Interest Research Group Education Fund, Green Corps, Environmental Action Research Center, Environment America Research and Policy Center, and the Colorado Public Interest Research Foundation. ^{1 2}

Impact serves as a campaign administrator for a number of groups in the Public Interest Network, such as Environment America and Fair Share. Its campaign topics tend to revolve around environmentalism and left-of-center voter mobilization, targeted specific cities and states to influence legislatures and elections. ³  It also bills itself as a training ground for left-of-center activists, stating, “We train you how to run grassroots campaigns, so you can make an impact on an issue that matters.” ⁴

Leadership

Impact claims to annually hire a team of 20 organizers to lead its two-year program. Impact is frequently hiring and advertises both its careers page and its internship program on its website. ⁵

As of 2023, the Impact team included Change Corps co-founder and longtime PIRG operative David Rossini, former WashPIRG lead organizer and CALPIRG organizing director Laura Deehan, former OSPIRG consumer and taxpayer advocate Celeste Meiffren-Swango, former Student PIRGs’ Midwest organizing director Megan Severson, Student PIRGs organizer and organizing director Len Montgomery, Public Interest Network Solar Campaign organizing director Adam Rivera, and Colorado solar energy activist Katie Otterbeck. ⁶

Activities

Impact runs several campaigns at a given time. As of 2023, its campaigns ranged from environmental energy, electoral reform, conservation, and factory farms. ⁷

Impact argues that the overuse of antibiotics is breeding “superbugs” that threaten human health. It therefore protests the use of antibiotics in livestock in industrial-scale farming. Impact’s strategy is to persuade restaurants that buy meat from large farms to boycott them until they end their practices, and it has organized and mobilized thousands of doctors, nurses, and consumers in advocacy efforts against prominent chains such as McDonald’s and Subway, both of which have allegedly agreed to Impact’s demands. It cites these victories to fuel its ongoing campaigns in the restaurant industry. ⁸

Impact intends to be part of the catalyst that switches America to 100 percent weather-dependent energy. It purports to mobilize “early adopters” to advocate for the transition in the energy industry and thereby foment change from within corporate America. It also claims to unite a coalition of academics and elected officials along with business leaders to realize this goal. ⁹

Impact is also involved in election administration policy. It claims that there are “barriers to voting” in the United States and claims to recruit “student leaders and state lawmakers” to help institute reforms such as automatic voter registration. ¹⁰

1. “IMPACT.” Impact. Accessed June 21, 2023. http://grfx.publicinterestnetwork.org/jboyles/weareimpact/about.html.
2. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Fair Share Education Fund. Schedule R, Part II – Identification of Related Tax-Exempt Organizations.
3. “IMPACT.” Impact. Accessed June 21, 2023. http://grfx.publicinterestnetwork.org/jboyles/weareimpact/about.html.
4. “We Are Impact.” Impact. Accessed June 25, 2023. http://grfx.publicinterestnetwork.org/jboyles/weareimpact/index.html.
5.  “IMPACT.” Impact. Accessed June 21, 2023. http://grfx.publicinterestnetwork.org/jboyles/weareimpact/about.html.
6. “Campaigns.” Impact. Accessed June 21, 2023. http://grfx.publicinterestnetwork.org/jboyles/weareimpact/campaigns.html.
7. “Campaigns.” Impact. Accessed June 21, 2023. http://grfx.publicinterestnetwork.org/jboyles/weareimpact/campaigns.html.
8. “IMPACT.” Impact. Accessed June 21, 2023. http://grfx.publicinterestnetwork.org/jboyles/weareimpact/about.html.
9. “Campaigns.” Impact. Accessed June 21, 2023. http://grfx.publicinterestnetwork.org/jboyles/weareimpact/campaigns.html.
10. “Campaigns.” Impact. Accessed June 21, 2023. http://grfx.publicinterestnetwork.org/jboyles/weareimpact/campaigns.html.