NextGen America

What NextGen America does

NextGen America is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit social welfare organization, legally named NextGen Climate Action, that educates and mobilizes young people ages 18–29 to vote and engage on progressive issues. Founded in 2013 by Tom Steyer as NextGen Climate and rebranded to NextGen America in 2017 to broaden its mission beyond climate, the organization has grown into the self-described largest youth voting organization in the United States, having registered more than 1.6 million young voters since inception and built a 2.3 million-person online base. Headquartered in Washington, DC with 251–500 employees, NextGen runs a hybrid field-and-digital organizing model that combines campus-based NextGen Clubs across 249 colleges in 8 battleground states (Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia) with peer-to-peer text messaging (Pulse Check Texts), influencer and creator partnerships (297 in 2024), and an AI-assisted Discord chatbot (VOTE-E, built on the Anthropic Claude API) deployed via Fohr into creator servers.

Its core technology stack is a digital organizing platform integrating voter registration (via Rock the Vote), peer-to-peer SMS outreach, voter file targeting, and the AI chatbot. Programmatic products include Leaders Lab (a 12-week civic leadership development program re-launched in February 2025 with 46 students across 25 campuses), the Ballot Builder nonpartisan voter guide tool (a September 2025 partnership with Branch Politics), and an expanding portfolio of advocacy campaign pages (ICE Out, No War with Iran) housed on EveryAction. The organization runs year-round listening, engagement, and issue-advocacy campaigns with peer organizations including the NAACP, Sunrise Movement, Alliance for Youth Action, and Human Rights Campaign. NextGen's revenue model is donation-driven: contributions from individuals, foundations, and progressive donors, routed through ActBlue. The organization does not sell products or services; all programs are free to participants. Operational scale in 2024 included 3 million+ phone calls, 22.6 million texts, and 4.7 million young voters helped to the polls across 16 states in 2020.

Name

NextGen America

Legal name

NextGen Climate Action

Website

https://nextgenamerica.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

NextGen America is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit that registers, educates, and mobilizes young voters ages 18–29 across U.S. battleground states. It combines campus-based organizing, peer-to-peer texting, influencer partnerships, and an AI-powered Discord chatbot, funded primarily through progressive donor contributions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Civic Engagement and Voter Mobilization

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Online/Hybrid Lifelong Learning Platforms & Open Enrollment Programs (EDAAAEAL)

Keywords

• Youth voter registration
• Civic engagement
• Voter mobilization
• Campus organizing
• Grassroots advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropic Contributions: As a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization, NextGen America is funded primarily through donations from individuals, foundations, and progressive donors. The organization is associated with NextGen PAC (political action committee) for electoral activities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

NextGen America is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit that registers, educates, and mobilizes young voters ages 18-29 across U.S. college campuses and online channels. Its core activities combine peer-to-peer text messaging, campus-based NextGen Clubs, issue education campaigns, and Get Out The Vote field operations to drive youth civic participation in key battleground states.

Product overview

NextGen America is a youth voter engagement organization operating as a single integrated platform combining multiple engagement channels. The core offering centers on voter registration, education, and mobilization of 18-29 year olds through a multi-channel approach. Key products include: voter registration services (with Rock the Vote integration), Pulse Check Texts (peer-to-peer text messaging for issue research), Leaders Lab (12-week campus leadership program), VOTE-E (AI chat-bot on Discord for voter mobilization), and Ballot Builder tool (nonpartisan voter guide). The organization delivers engagement through field organizing in key states, digital campaigns, influencer partnerships, and campus-based NextGen Clubs. The architecture combines digital tools (text messaging, AI chat-bots, web-based voter guides) with human-led field organizing and volunteer programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Voter Registration Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.6 million+ young voters registered since 2013
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and supporting.

• Ballot BuildercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2025Collaboration with nonpartisan voter guide resource to educate young voters on candidates' policy positions and help them make a voting plan. The ballot tool (nextgen.branch.vote) is populated based on student address and includes state and local races.
• Branch PoliticskeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2025Founder Walter Ley's organization behind the Ballot Builder tool - nonpartisan voter guide resource powering NextGen's ballot education tool.
• Sunrise MovementcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 April 2025Youth Vote Coalition partner calling on Democratic leadership to block SAVE Act voter suppression bill. Joint advocacy on youth voting rights and democratic participation.
• Alliance for Youth ActioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 April 2025Youth Vote Coalition partner for coordinated advocacy calling on Senate and House Democratic leadership to oppose SAVE Act.
• Generation Vote ActioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 April 2025Youth Vote Coalition partner for coordinated advocacy on voting rights and youth civic engagement.
• Human Rights CampaignsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 February 2025Coalition partner addressing LGBTQIA+ rights as part of press conference amplifying young people's response to Trump Administration policies.
• Climate PowersupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 February 2025Coalition partner addressing climate justice as part of press conference on Trump Administration's impact on young people.
• United We DreamsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 February 2025Coalition partner addressing immigrant rights as part of press conference amplifying young people's response to Trump Administration.
• FohrkeyGTM or Marketing Partner · 31 October 2024Partnership with one of the world's top influencer marketing companies for a Get Out The Vote campaign ahead of Election Day. Uses Discord AI chat-bot VOTE-E deployed through streamers' Discord servers.
• NAACPkeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 October 2024Joint Get Out The Vote events series to energize and turn out young Black men in key states Nevada, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Events held in Black community to stimulate organic conversations about voting importance.
• Rock the VotecoreTechnology or IntegrationVoter-registration technology partner providing the underlying infrastructure for NextGen's online voter registration tools and services. Contact Data and Sensitive Data handling governed by partnership agreements.
• Tulchin ResearchkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner conducting youth focus groups and polling to understand young people's priorities, economic anxiety, and political attitudes. Provides data for NextGen's issue-forward campaigns.
• Anthropic (Claude API)supportingTechnology or IntegrationAI technology provider for VOTE-E Discord chatbot - the AI-assisted tool built using Anthropic's Claude API for voter mobilization through influencer Discord servers.
• NBA Players (Aaron Gordon, Magic Johnson, Draymond Green)keyGTM or Marketing PartnerSocial media collaborations with NBA stars as part of 2024 influencer campaign reaching over 6.6 million people to promote youth voting and civic engagement.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• MoveOn: Large progressive civic engagement and advocacy organization that runs voter turnout, petition, and rapid-response campaigns. Comparable in mobilizing young and progressive voters via digital channels, but operates a much broader issue portfolio beyond youth civic engagement.
• League of Women Voters: Historic nonpartisan civic engagement organization running voter registration, education, and Get Out The Vote programs nationwide. Comparable in voter education mission and nonpartisan posture, but skews older demographically and uses a chapter-based rather than campus-club model.
• Sierra Club: Largest U.S. environmental organization, originally the parent ecosystem for NextGen (NextGen America was founded as NextGen Climate, a climate-focused org). Comparable in progressive donor base, large-scale field organizing, and digital mobilization, though focused on environmental advocacy.
• ACLU: Major civil liberties and voting rights organization that runs voter protection, registration, and litigation programs. Comparable in defending voting rights and engaging young voters on civil liberties issues, but operates a broader legal-advocacy model rather than NextGen's registration-and-mobilization focus.
• NAACP: Large civil rights organization running voter registration, mobilization, and advocacy programs, including joint GOTV events with NextGen. Comparable in mobilizing underrepresented voters and running state-level civic engagement campaigns, but with a much broader mission and older institutional base.

Direct peers

• Rock the Vote: One of the most established youth-focused voter registration organizations in the U.S. Directly comparable to NextGen: same 18-29 target demographic, same registration and mobilization mission, and even serves as NextGen's voter-registration technology infrastructure partner.
• HeadCount: Nonprofit that registers voters at concerts, festivals, and via digital campaigns, with a strong music and youth culture orientation. Comparable to NextGen in targeting young voters, leveraging cultural partnerships, and operating a digital-plus-field registration model.
• When We All Vote: Michelle Obama-affiliated nonpartisan voter registration and turnout organization focused on registering and mobilizing voters, including a strong youth and college-student emphasis. Directly competes with NextGen for the same donor pool, celebrity endorsements, and young voter mindshare.

Emerging players

• Sunrise Movement: Youth-led climate and progressive advocacy organization that mobilizes young voters around climate policy. Direct coalition partner with NextGen; comparable youth demographic and campus-organizing model, but focused on a single issue dimension.
• Campus Vote Project: Focused specifically on college-campus voter registration and policy work; overlaps with NextGen's campus-club strategy in key states. Smaller and more policy-focused than NextGen, but directly competes for the same college organizer talent and institutional relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nextgen-america
• Xx.com/nextgenamerica
• Facebookfacebook.com/NextGenAmerica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about NextGen America