“Because of early funding in 2025, we were able to hire full-time organizers like Kenny early in the year. Kenny joined OnePA4All as an active member with our West Philly chapter, OnePA West Southwest Rising. By the beginning of summer, he was hired as a full-time organizer with our Election Captain program thanks to early support from our funders. By contrast, in 2024, we had to wait to hire several of our full-time organizers because we didn't yet have the funds to support them.
Kenny is a powerhouse organizer and was critical to the success of our 2025 voter engagement programs. Because we were able to hire him early, he helped us build out the Election Captain program, while staying committed to his organizing work in West Philly. If we hadn't had early support to hire him in the first half of the year, the Election Captain program would not have been able to knock as many doors and talk to as many voters to turn them out for critical local and state-wide races.”
Steve Paul, Executive Director, OnePA4All
Stories like Kenny’s are what we love to hear. We’ve been moving resources to local voter organizing and engagement groups for a decade now, and have seen — year after year — the impact that early investment can have on an organization’s ability to bring people into the democratic process.
That’s why Movement Voter Fund has, once again, joined the All by April campaign — a national campaign urging funders across philanthropic sectors to move major, election-related 501(c)(3) funding by April 30.
Why is early money so critical?
Election season is already underway, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Organizations across the country are already working to increase civic engagement, ensure a representative democracy, and support free and fair elections. But without early funding, they won’t be able to do this critical work at the scale needed to make sure everyone can have their voices heard this year.
As part of All by April, Movement Voter Fund (MVF) is giving big and giving early in 2026, and we want you to join us.
We are moving $12 million in nonpartisan funds out into the field by April 30. That’s A LOT of money that will help our partners hire staff, recruit volunteers, develop leaders, and — most importantly — launch voter education and engagement programs now instead of delaying because they don’t know when funding is coming.
Since the start of the year, MVF has already moved more than $2.6 million in 501(c)(3) funds, supporting organizations to do work such as:
- Engaging working-class voters in Pennsylvania
- Mobilizing Latine voters in Nevada
- Building power with young voters in Georgia
These investments are helping our partners reach the voters they need to reach now. We know that engaging voters early (and often!) makes it more likely that they will turn out to vote both in November and all year. (Remember, the first statewide primary elections are coming up on March 3!)
Not only that: Early engagement helps organizers build long-term power with voters by talking to them about the issues they care about, learning what solutions they want to see in their communities, and providing them with on-ramps to become even more civically engaged, beyond turning out to vote.
But don’t take it from us! Here’s how MVF partner Community Organizing Alliance (COA) in Maine is leveraging early money to organize and build power.
Photo: Community Organizing Alliance - “ICE Out” rally in Lewiston, Maine, 1/24/2026. (Photo Credit: Erin Towns)
Turning anti-ICE activism into voter participation.
In mid-January, the federal government announced that Maine would be the next target of its ICE surge. Immediately, Maine organizers sprung into action. Hundreds of volunteers mobilized to observe and document ICE activity. Organizers and volunteers brought food, medicine, and financial assistance to impacted community members who were scared to leave their homes.
In Lewiston — a center of Somali and other African immigrant communities — 1,000 people showed up for a protest organized by COA. That’s 1,000 people that are fired up about ICE in their communities. By funding COA now, MVF is supporting their efforts to capitalize on that energy to engage people beyond the current moment, building sustained organizing that will translate into civic engagement throughout 2026 and on the power of Maine’s grassroots ecosystem over the long-term.
As COA’s Executive Director, Safiya Khalid, put it:
“The surge in ICE activity in Maine created deep fear and trauma in immigrant and Black communities, but it also mobilized hundreds of people who are ready to organize and lead. We need infrastructure and capacity now so we can move beyond reaction to build power, healing, and democratic participation, including turning this energy into voter engagement and leadership development for the upcoming election season.”
Now is the time.
State and local groups are on the electoral-organizing frontlines. They are doing the day-in, day-out work of organizing their communities, providing trusted information, and mobilizing people to proudly cast their ballots and make sure their votes are counted. We have a narrow window to maximize our impact.
Let’s make sure grassroots organizations get the money they need in time to ensure our elections are free, fair, and representative.
Ready to join us and move major election-related funding by April 30? Awesome!
We’d love to hear about your All by April commitment and would love for you to help us get the word out to your networks by sharing your commitment and urging other funders and donors to join us.
Check out this toolkit for social media and newsletter content.
Thanks for your partnership and for going all in with us this year!
In solidarity,
Beth Huang, Director of Foundation Relations
Movement Voter Fund
