A Healthier Democracy Starts with Grassroots Organizing

A healthy democracy depends on people — especially those most impacted by racial and economic inequities — having a real voice in the decisions that shape their lives. In 2026, that vision is under threat. Across the country, communities face shrinking safety nets, rising costs, and coordinated attacks on civic engagement. The Healthy Democracy Fund (HDF) at Tides exists for this moment.

In the past two years, HDF has moved $40 million to 167 organizations expanding access to the ballot, countering disinformation, and strengthening year-round community organizing. When you give to HDF, you are putting fuel directly behind organizers who are protecting voting rights, building local capacity, and defending safety nets.

This year, HDF is once again joining the All by April campaign, a national push to get movement resources to organizers by April, while there is still time to resource highly impactful planning and infrastructure. Early funding means local leaders can hire organizers, expand outreach, and spark civic engagement before the most consequential elections of our time — and your gift can be in their hands when it matters most.
 

Voices for Social Justice and Civic Power

Two organizers at the heart of this work, Minister JaNaé Bates Imari, a Co-Executive Director of ISAIAH, and Dakota Hall, Executive Director of the Alliance for Youth Organizing, sat down with me, Tareya Palmer, Tides’ Program Officer for Civic Engagement and Democracy, to share what nonpartisan civic engagement looks like in this moment: 
 

Faith-Based and Youth Organizing to Increase Voter Turnout

For Minister JaNaé Bates Imari, faith-based organizing means everyone from congregations to small businesses coming together to build communities where everyone belongs. ISAIAH has helped win universal school meals and restore voting rights for formerly incarcerated people — proof that community organizing can transform both policy and deliver hope.

For Dakota Hall, grassroots organizing among young people is about building connection and culture every day, not just in election seasons. His network ensures young voters can show up fully — developing leadership, belonging, and sustained participation in democracy.

This is what All by April makes possible: keeping organizers resourced, ready, and rooted for the long haul.
 

Building Sustainable Civic Infrastructure

A healthy democracy demands early, flexible, and reliable funding. Organizations cannot build civic infrastructure on last-minute cycles. HDF’s 2026 priorities reflect that urgency:

• Reaching underserved voters and rural communities 
• Strengthening partnerships with mutual aid and faith-based networks 
• Investing in trusted local messengers for grassroots organizing 
• Reinforcing state based, year-round civic engagement hubs in under resourced communities. 

As one HDF grantee put it, “We’re doing the work every day. But if funders hesitate, how are we supposed to keep going?”  

Join the Movement for a Healthier Democracy

Now is the time to ensure organizers like ISAIAH and the Alliance for Youth Organizing have what they need to meet this historic moment. We invite you to increase your annual contributions to match the urgency and scale of what’s ahead.

Donate Now: Give by April 30 so organizers can hire staff, reach voters, and protect voting rights before key 2026 deadlines. You don’t need to be a current partner of Tides to make a make a tax deductible donation to the HDF. Your gift today powers year‑round civic engagement in communities on the frontlines. If you have a donor-advised fund at Tides, contact your advisor today to recommend a grant to the Healthy Democracy Fund to move resources now, while organizers still have time to reach voters, protect voting rights, and strengthen democracy.

Partner With Us: New to Tides? Establish a donor advised fund dedicated to strengthening democracy, advancing social justice, and sustaining community organizing nationwide — and become part of the long-term backbone of this work.

Together, we can build a healthier, more inclusive democracy for all.