Proximate is a left-of-center media outlet that claims to cover the news from the perspective of money and power by following how money is given away, invested, and distributed by governments domestically and internationally. Proximate was founded in 2023 and is a fiscally sponsored project of the Movement Strategy Center (MSC). ¹

Activities

Proximate reports on four major issues: philanthropy, the economy, democracy, and development. ² Its philanthropy initiative highlights domestic and international grassroots movements that support left-leaning causes. ³ In June 2024, Proximate published a story in support of LGBT-focused philanthropy in Russia. ⁴ In May 2025, Proximate published a story lamenting that philanthropists had revoked $8,000,000 in philanthropy for pro-Palestinian causes since the Hamas terror attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023. ⁵

Proximate’s reporting on the economy focuses primarily on what it calls “participatory investing,” a practice that allegedly shifts decision-making power away from wealthy donors and toward people at the grassroots level. ⁶ In 2023, Proximate published a story that advocated for expanding access to so-called green energy solutions through crowdfunding projects. ⁷

Proximate’s democracy initiative supports what it calls “participatory democracy” by creating political engagement beyond elections. ⁸ In June 2024, Proximate published a story supporting the pro-Palestinian protests on George Washington University’s campus and advocating for more protests and citizens’ assemblies in American democracy. ⁹

The development portion of Proximate’s reporting focuses on reforming fundraising and investing in domestic and international projects with a concern for environmentalism and increasing the involvement of local communities. ¹⁰ In September 2024, Proximate urged investors and fundraisers to support local “climate solutions” as part of its advocacy for New York City’s Climate Week.  ¹¹

Partnership with Social Impact Commons

In March 2025, Proximate announced its project “Common Ground: The Future of Fiscal Sponsorship” in partnership with Social Impact Commons, a network of fiscal sponsors and funders for left-of-center causes. Together, Proximate and SIC are publishing stories to guide grassroots, left-wing social causes to increase access to fiscal sponsorship. The project also includes interviews with funders and frontline leaders who have leveraged fiscal sponsorships to advance their causes. ¹²

Movement Strategy Center

Proximate is a fiscally sponsored project of the Movement Strategy Center (MSC). ¹³ MSC is a left-wing 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Oakland, California that provides support and funding to other left-wing organizations. It has worked with many groups that identify as socialist. In 2013, MSC supported the Ear to the Ground project, a series of interviews with far-left activists to come up with an agenda to push the United States and the world closer to socialism. MSC’s goals included increasing subsidies to environmentalist energy sources, securing taxpayer-funded “reparations” payments for African-Americans, and creating a government-controlled health-care system. ¹⁴MSC supports the Movement for Black Lives (MBL) and opposes both nuclear energy and fracking. ^{15 16 17} MSC has received funding from the Ford Foundation and George Soros’ Open Society Network. ¹⁸

Leadership

Ben Wrobel is a co-founder and editor at Proximate. He received his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Rochester and his MBA from the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business. Before co-founding Proximate in 2023, Wrobel worked in communications at Village Capital and was a participatory grantmaking activist. He is also co-author of Letting Go: How Philanthropists and Impact Investors Can Do the Most Good by Giving Up Control. ¹⁹

Meg Massey is a co-founder at Proximate. She received her bachelor’s in English and History at Mount Holyoke College and her master’s in American Government at Georgetown University. Before co-founding Proximate, Massey worked in donor outreach and as a freelance author. She is also the director of policy and communications at Social Finance. She is co-author of Letting Go: How Philanthropists and Impact Investors Can Do the Most Good by Giving Up Control. ²⁰

Financials

Proximate is a fiscally sponsored project of the Movement Strategy Center (MSC). In 2023, MSC reported $32,262,236 in total revenue, $32,029,664 in total expenses, and $56,901,252 in total assets. ²¹

1. “About.” Proximate. Accessed June 2, 2025. https://www.proximate.press/about
2. “Home.” Proximate. Accessed June 2, 2025. https://www.proximate.press/
3. “Philanthropy.” Proximate. Accessed June 2, 2025. https://www.proximate.press/vertical/grassroots-giving
4. Wrobel, Ben. “The Dalan Fund Has A Vision for Philanthropy in the Shadow of Authoritarianism.” Proximate. June 2024. Accessed June 2, 2025. https://www.proximate.press/latest-stories/can-the-dalan-fund-overcome-the-trust-gap-amid-rising-authoritarianism-in-ceeccna
5. Mashurov, Neon. “As Philanthropy Wavers on Palestine, Organizers Look Forward – and to Each Other.” Proximate. May 2025. Accessed June 2, 2025. https://www.proximate.press/latest-stories/as-philanthropy-wavers-on-palestine-organizers-look-forward—and-to-each-other
6. “Economy.” Proximate. Accessed June 2, 2025. https://www.proximate.press/vertical/proxonomics
7. Gorman, Anna. “So We All Win: Democratizing the Energy Transition.” Proximate. December 2023. Accessed June 2, 2025. https://www.proximate.press/latest-stories/democratizing-the-energy-transition
8. “Democracy.” Proximate. Accessed June 2, 2025. https://www.proximate.press/vertical/beyond-elections
9. Bailey, Pam. “Introducing… Beyond Elections.” Proximate. June 2024. Accessed June 2, 2025. https://www.proximate.press/latest-stories/introducing-beyond-elections
10. “Development.” Proximate. Accessed June 2, 2025. https://www.proximate.press/vertical/repairing-development
11. Wrobel, Ben. “Navigating Climate Week: A Guide to Events On Locally-Led Development.” Proximate. September 2024. Accessed June 2, 2025. https://www.proximate.press/latest-stories/navigating-climate-week-nyc-a-guide-to-events-on-locally-led-development
12. Wrobel, Ben. “Introducing… Common Ground: The Future of Fiscal Sponsorship.” Proximate. March 2025. Accessed June 2, 2025. https://www.proximate.press/latest-stories/introducing-common-ground
13. “Post by Movement Strategy Center.” LinkedIn. November 2024. Accessed June 2, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/movement-strategy-center_proximate-is-an-innovative-online-platform-activity-7267622212872876033-DeZt
14. Lee, NTanya, and Williams, Steve. “More Than We Imagined: Activists’ Assessments On The Moment & The Way Forward.” Ear to the Ground. 2013. Accessed June 2, 2025 through Wayback Machine. https://web.archive.org/web/20141016215452/http://eartothegroundproject.org/?wpdmact=process&did=Mi5ob3RsaW5r
15. Richardson, Valerie. “Black Lives Matter cashes in with $100 million from liberal foundations.” Washington Times. August 16, 2016. Accessed June 2, 2025. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/aug/16/black-lives-matter-cashes-100-million-liberal-foun/
16. “Pathways to Resilience: Transforming Cities in a Changing Climate.” Movement Strategy Center | Movement Generation | The Praxis Project | Reimagine! RP&E. January 2015. Accessed June 2, 2025. https://kresge.org/sites/default/files/Pathways-to-resilience-2015.pdf
17. “Movement Strategy Center (MSC) – Chorus Foundation”. 2018. Chorus Foundation. Accessed June 2, 2025. http://chorusfoundation.org/what-we-fund/movement-strategy-center-msc/
18. Simpson, James. “Black Lives Matter: Racist Provocation with Radical Roots.” Capital Research Center. September 21, 2016. Accessed June 2, 2025. https://capitalresearch.org/article/blm-roots/
19. “Ben Wrobel profile.” LinedIn. Accessed June 2, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-wrobel-b241ab6/
20. “Meg Massey profile.” LinedIn. Accessed June 2, 2025.  https://www.linkedin.com/in/megmassey/
21. “Movement Strategy Center – 2022 Federal Form 990.” ProPublica. Accessed June 2, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/201037643/202411259349300416/full