EMILY's List

What EMILY's List does

EMILY's List is a Washington, D.C.-based political action committee founded in 1985 by Ellen Malcolm to recruit, train, and elect Democratic pro-choice women to office at federal, state, and local levels. The organization operates through three affiliated entities: EMILY's List (the core PAC handling endorsements and fundraising), EMILY's List Action (a research and independent expenditure arm that has conducted voter research on women for over 20 years), and Women Vote (voter engagement and GOTV operations). Core programs include the free EMILY's List Training Center (online campaign education covering fundraising, field operations, communications, and digital advertising), recurring donor programs (Friends of the List at $15+/month and Majority Council at $1,200+/year), and a planned giving Legacy Fund. Strategic labor partnerships with AFT, AFSCME, NEA, SEIU, and UFCW underpin candidate training, while ActBlue processes all donations.

The organization's go-to-market is community-led: it identifies and recruits prospective candidates, trains them via the Training Center, endorses them, raises and directs funds (cumulative totals disclosed at $850M-$950M over 40 years), and runs independent expenditure programs such as the 2025 "High Cost Summer" seven-figure accountability campaign targeting Republican-held House districts. Marketing channels span organic social (Instagram, Facebook, X, BlueSky, YouTube, LinkedIn), email newsletters, paid digital advertising, events (San Francisco and New York conferences, We Are EMILY National Gala, regional gatherings), and an exclusive Substack publication ("A Seat at the Table").

EMILY's List does not operate as a traditional revenue-generating company; it is a private political organization funded by grassroots donations, with a headcount of 51-100 employees. The organization claims 1,700+ candidate victories since founding (including 192 to the House, 29 to the Senate, 20 governors, and 1,600+ to state and local office), with more than 40% of its Congress-endorsed candidates being women of color. Current president Jessica Mackler leads the organization, succeeding Stephanie Schriock.

Name

EMILY's List

Legal name

EMILYs List

Website

https://emilyslist.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

EMILY's List is a Washington, D.C.-based political action committee founded in 1985 that recruits, trains, and elects Democratic pro-choice women to federal, state, and local office. It operates training, fundraising, and independent expenditure programs backed by a 5M+ member community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Political Campaign Support Services

NAICS

Political Organizations (813940), Political Organizations (81394)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)

Keywords

• Political action committee
• Candidate recruitment training
• Campaign training platform
• Voter mobilization services
• Democratic women candidates

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Political Donations and Fundraising: EMILYs List raises money through grassroots donations from supporters to support Democratic pro-choice women candidates at all levels of office. They collect contributions through ActBlue and other platforms, with donations ranging from small monthly amounts to major gifts through the Majority Council ($1,200+/year).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

EMILYs List is a political action committee that recruits, trains, endorses, and provides campaign support to Democratic pro-choice women candidates running for office at all levels — from city council to U.S. Senate. The organization runs an online Training Center, conducts voter research through its affiliated EMILYs List Action arm, mobilizes women voters through Women Vote, and provides financial backing for endorsed candidates via grassroots and major-donor fundraising.

Product overview

EMILYs List is a political organization operating as a platform with multiple interconnected programs. The core organization recruits, trains, and supports Democratic pro-choice women candidates across all ballot levels. EMILYs List Action serves as the research and independent expenditure arm conducting voter research and accountability campaigns. The EMILYs List Training Center provides online campaign education, while Women Vote focuses on voter turnout. Supporting programs include Majority Council (high-level donor program), Friends of the List (recurring donor program), and the Legacy Fund (planned giving). The High Cost Summer program represents a new digital accountability campaign leveraging AI tracking capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EMILYs List Training Center Online training platform providing comprehensive campaign education for Democratic pro-choice women running for office, featuring structured lessons on fundraising, field operations, communications, digital advertising, and campaign management. Free for all users.
• Majority Council Elite donor membership program requiring $1,200+ annual contributions, providing political updates, dedicated EMILYs List representative contact, and exclusive event access including the We Are EMILY National Gala and regional conferences.
• Friends of the List Recurring monthly donor program at $15+/month commitment offering exclusive content access (Substack publication 'A Seat at the Table'), merchandise perks, and reduced fundraising communications.
• EMILYs List Legacy Fund Planned giving program allowing supporters to leave bequests or designate EMILYs List as a beneficiary through wills, trusts, or account beneficiary designations to ensure lasting political impact.

Quantifiable outcome

• 192 women elected to House, 29 to Senate, 20 governors, 1,600+ to state and local office since 1985
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AFT (American Federation of Teachers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFT is a Training Center partner, providing resources and support for the EMILYs List candidate training program. AFT supports Democratic pro-choice women candidates and shares EMILYs List's mission of electing women to office.
• AFSCMEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFSCME is a Training Center partner, collaborating on candidate training programs. AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) endorses and supports progressive candidates including Democratic women.
• ActBluecoreTechnology or IntegrationActBlue is the primary donation processing platform used by EMILYs List. Donations to EMILYs List and endorsed candidates are processed through ActBlue's platform.
• NEA (National Education Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEA is a Training Center partner supporting the candidate training program. NEA supports education-focused candidates and shares EMILYs List's progressive values.
• SEIU (Service Employees International Union)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEIU is a Training Center partner for candidate training. SEIU has been actively involved in supporting progressive candidates and causes including women's rights and reproductive freedom.
• UFCW (United Food and Commercial Workers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUFCW is a Training Center partner for the EMILYs List candidate training program. UFCW supports workers' rights and progressive candidates.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/emilyslist
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/emilyslist
• Facebookfacebook.com/emilyslist
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1102047
• Instagraminstagram.com/emilys_list

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EMILY's List