ReFrame is an advocacy organization that conducts training, mentorship, and research projects for left-of-center groups and activists. ¹

ReFrame was originally a project of the Center for Story-Based Strategy, but is a project of the Proteus Fund as of 2024. ²

Background

ReFrame began in 2015 as a mentorship program at the Center for Story-Based Strategy connecting new left-of-center advocates and communicators with experienced professionals. ³ As of 2024, it has transitioning to a project of“pass-through” funder Proteus Fund, where it organizes mentorship and training programs along with planning events and research projects. ⁴

According to its website the group takes inspiration from left-of-center organizations including Southerners on New Ground, Center for Media Justice, the Praxis Project, the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Miami Workers Center, Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN), Forward Together, Berkeley Media Studies Group, and the Center for Story-Based Strategy. ¹

Its website also shares “Lessons from the Field” reporting from other activists and organizers on topics including climate change, immigration, criminal justice, and unionization. ^{5 6 7}

Activities

In 2024, ReFrame partnered with NEO Philanthropy’s Four Freedoms Fund project to train and organize immigration advocacy organizers within the state of Texas. ^{8 9}

In 2023, ReFrame and PEN America developed a “Disinfo Defense Toolkit” that claimed to check for disinformation while advocating for fact-checkers to observe and identify said disinformation. ^{10 11}

Following the death of George Floyd and the subsequent national riots that occurred in 2020, ReFrame partnered with the Movement for Black Lives to train roughly 5,000 activists in communications and advocacy techniques. ³ ReFrame also operated a “daily narrative war room” and provided “regular narrative weather reports” to Black Lives Matter activists. ³

Funding

George Soros’ Open Society Foundations has provided several grants to the Proteus Fund in support of ReFrame including $200,000 in 2019,  $250,000 in 2021, and $610,000 in 2023. ¹²

ReFrame has also received grants from left-of-center organizations including the Chorus Foundation, ¹³ the Open Philanthropy Project, ¹⁴ the Good Ventures Foundation, ¹⁵ the Ford Foundation, ¹⁶ the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, ¹⁷ the Surdna Foundation, ¹⁸ and the General Service Foundation. ¹⁹

1. “About.” ReFrame. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://www.thisisreframe.org/about/legacy.
2. “Open Society Foundations – Awarded Grants, Scholarships, and Fellowships.” Open Society Foundations – Awarded Grants, Scholarships, and Fellowships -Society Foundations. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/past?filter_keyword=reframe.
3. Phelan, Joseph. “‘We Did It!’ Not a Solo Founder Story.” ReFrame, February 10, 2023. https://www.thisisreframe.org/blog-posts/we-did-it-not-a-solo-founder-story.
4. “Open Society Foundations – Awarded Grants, Scholarships, and Fellowships.” Open Society Foundations – Awarded Grants, Scholarships, and Fellowships – Society Foundations. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/past?filter_keyword=reframe.
5. “Lessons from the Field: Climate Change Organizing in the Trump Era.” ReFrame, October 17, 2017. https://www.thisisreframe.org/blog-posts/lessons-from-the-field-climate-change-organizing-in-the-trump-era.
6. “Collective Bargaining for Stronger Communities.” ReFrame, March 4, 2022. https://www.thisisreframe.org/blog-posts/collective-bargaining-for-stronger-communities.
7. “Shifting the Culture of Crime and Punishment.” ReFrame, November 18, 2021. https://www.thisisreframe.org/blog-posts/shifting-the-culture-of-crime-and-punishment-q-a-with-talia-gad-of-partnership-for-safety-and-justice.
8. “THE FOUR FREEDOMS FUND A PROJECT OF NEO PHILANTHROPY: 2018 IN REVIEW.” Four Freedoms Fund, 2019. https://fourfreedomsfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NEO.2018.in_.Review.Final_.Web_.pdf.
9. Chasteen, Michelle. “Reckoning with Texas: Supporting Grantees and Allies Through Communications Capacity Building.” NEO Philanthropy, May 2, 2024. https://neophilanthropy.org/reckoning-with-texas-supporting-grantees-and-allies-through-communications-capacity-building/.
10. “Announcing the New Disinfo Defense Toolkit!” ReFrame. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://www.thisisreframe.org/blog-posts/announcing-the-new-disinfo-defense-toolkit.
11. Jen Soriano, Hermelinda Cortés. “Defanging Disinformation: 6 Action Steps Nonprofits Can Take – Non Profit News: Nonprofit Quarterly.” Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly, January 26, 2021. https://nonprofitquarterly.org/defanging-disinformation-6-action-steps-nonprofits-can-take/.
12. “Open Society Foundations – Awarded Grants, Scholarships, and Fellowships.” Open Society Foundations – Awarded Grants, Scholarships, and Fellowships – Open Society Foundations. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/past?filter_keyword=reframe.
13. “Reframe Mentorship.” Chorus Foundation, March 5, 2021. https://chorusfoundation.org/what-we-fund/reframe-mentorship/.
14. “Reframe Mentorship – General Support.” Open Philanthropy, March 11, 2022. https://www.openphilanthropy.org/grants/reframe-mentorship-general-support-2/.
15. Good Ventures. “Reframe Mentorship – General Support.” Good Ventures, November 4, 2020. https://www.goodventures.org/our-portfolio/grants/reframe-mentorship-general-support/.
16. “129323 – Proteus Fund, Inc..” Ford Foundation, June 10, 2024. https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/awarded-grants/grants-database/proteus-fund-inc-129323/.
17. “Proteus Fund.” Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, August 2, 2015. https://www.haasjr.org/grants/grantee/proteus-fund.
18.  “Grants Database.” Surdna Foundation, May 11, 2020. https://surdna.org/grants-database/?program_id=1&grantsYear=all&sort_column=grant_agreement_at&grantsSearch=reframe.
19. 2017 Grants – General Service Foundation. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://generalservice.org/wp-content/uploads/2017-Grants.pdf