Down Home North Carolina

What Down Home North Carolina does

Down Home North Carolina is a nonprofit grassroots membership organization founded in 2017 that organizes poor and working-class people across rural North Carolina to build multiracial political power. Headquartered around the Reclaim Carolina Center in Greensboro with operations spanning 14+ county chapters (Alamance, Ashe, Cabarrus, Franklin, Granville, Johnston, Nash, Person, Pitt, Rowan, Vance, Wilson, Watauga) and a statewide tier, the organization runs year-round organizing through local issue campaigns, deep canvassing, voter registration, candidate endorsements, and a co-governance model that holds endorsed officials accountable. Its programmatic surface area includes the North Carolina for All political platform, Public School Strong (active in 62+ counties, 40 endorsed candidates elected in 2024), the Candidate Academy training program launched in 2025, The Front Porch digital storytelling publication on Substack, The Holler monthly newsletter, and a Co-Governance program covering local budget work that has secured $34M in public funds.

The organization has no proprietary technology platform; its stack comprises standard nonprofit tools (mobilize.us for events, Substack for newsletters, conventional data management systems). Revenue is generated exclusively from individual donations, member dues, and foundation grants — there are no product sales or service fees. Membership is organized by chapter/county, with members voting on endorsements and platforms (64% membership participation in the NC for All platform ratification). In August 2024 the organization ratified its first collective bargaining agreement with the Campaign Workers Guild, providing annual raises, COLA adjustments, and an employee Board seat; the two co-directors are Todd Zimmer and Dream Caldwell. The 2024 electoral program was the largest in the organization's history, covering 25 counties with 636,874 door knocks, 779,017 in-program phone calls, and a total of 1.7M phone calls including allied organizations.

Name

Down Home North Carolina

Legal name

Down Home North Carolina

Website

https://downhomenc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Down Home North Carolina is a nonprofit grassroots membership organization founded in 2017 that organizes poor and working-class rural North Carolinians across 14+ county chapters through year-round deep canvassing, electoral campaigns, candidate academies, and co-governance to build multiracial political power.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Political Advocacy and Grassroots Community Organizing

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

Keywords

• Grassroots community organizing
• Rural political organizing
• Electoral campaign advocacy
• Voter registration outreach
• Candidate endorsement program

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Member Dues: Dues-paying members fund the organization and participate in endorsement votes and platform development.
2. Individual Donations: Down Home is funded entirely through individual donations, member dues, and grants.
3. Grants: Grant funding from various foundations supporting rural organizing and progressive movements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Down Home North Carolina is a nonprofit, membership-based grassroots organizing organization that recruits dues-paying members by county chapter and mobilizes them to build multiracial political power in rural North Carolina. Its core services include year-round local issue campaigns, voter registration and turnout, deep canvassing, candidate endorsements, a candidate academy training program, and co-governance to hold endorsed elected officials accountable. The organization operates statewide across 14+ county chapters and supports its work through individual donations, member dues, and foundation grants.

Product overview

Down Home North Carolina is a membership-based rural organizing movement, not a technology company. The organization operates as a unified grassroots advocacy platform with multiple interconnected programs including a membership portal, The Front Porch digital publication, the North Carolina for All political platform, Public School Strong campaign, Candidate Academy training program, Co-Governance initiative, and the Reclaim Carolina Center movement hub. Members join by county chapter, participate in local organizing, vote on candidate endorsements, and run for office through the organization's structured programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Public School Strong (PSS): A grassroots movement supporting public education in North Carolina, defending parents and teachers, protecting school boards, and advocating for full funding of public schools. Active in over 62 counties.
• The Front Porch
• The Holler

Products and services

• Down Home NC Membership Membership offering allowing individuals to join Down Home NC by chapter or county, vote on candidate endorsements, participate in platform development, and engage in year-round local organizing across the statewide chapter network.
• The Front Porch Monthly storytelling publication and newsletter sharing real voices and stories of rural North Carolinians, published on Substack and Instagram to inform and mobilize the Down Home community.
• North Carolina for All Platform Member-ratified political platform covering Economy for All, Healthcare for All, Housing for All, and Education for All that guides Down Home's endorsement process and local organizing work.
• Public School Strong Statewide grassroots campaign to defend and support public education, fight for full funding, protect school boards from extremists, and endorse pro-public-education candidates across 62+ counties.
• Down Home Candidate Academy 10-week training program that prepares multiracial working-class members to run as candidates for local elections including school boards, county commissions, and state legislature.
• Co-Governance Program Accountability program in which Down Home members collaborate with local governments by developing platforms, endorsing candidates, running for office, and running local issue campaigns to hold elected officials accountable to working-class constituents.
• The Holler Newsletter Monthly newsletter bringing local stories and updates on working-class organizing across rural North Carolina to members and supporters.

Quantifiable outcome

• $34 million in public funds secured through local budget campaigns in 2023-2024
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Campaign Workers Guild (CWG)coreOthersUnion representing Down Home NC workers including organizers, fellows, campaigners, and office staff. Contract ratified August 2024 includes annual raises, safety protections, disciplinary protections, grievance procedures, COLA adjustments, and worker representation on the Board.
• Education Justice Alliance (EJA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create H.E.A.L. (Honest Education Action & Leadership) Together NC, part of national initiative from Race Forward building movement of students, educators, and parents.
• Carolina FederationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in electoral work and issue campaigns. Joint 2025 Issue Campaign Bootcamp held in Greensboro.
• Public School StrongmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition focused on defending and strengthening public education. Down Home NC is a founding partner. 40 Public School Strong candidates were elected in 2024.
• Beloved Community Center (Greensboro)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInspiration source for movement center model. Historic space that nurtured generations of Black movement leaders.
• Southern Vision AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNC partner maintaining movement spaces in Durham. Model for Reclaim Carolina Center development.
• NC Justice CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNC infrastructure partner. Model for movement center approach.
• Heal Together NCmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide coalition of which Down Home NC is a member, focused on building Public School Strong teams across North Carolina.
• KARTS (Kerr Area Regional Transportation Authority)minorOthersPublic transit service in Granville, Vance, Warren, and Franklin counties. Down Home Granville Chapter campaigned for increased county funding to KARTS.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Working Families Party: A multiracial party and organizing outfit that recruits and endorses working-class candidates, runs deep canvassing, and pursues co-governance. Closely mirrors Down Home's candidate academy, endorsement, and co-governance playbook.
• People's Action: National network of multiracial grassroots affiliate organizations running door-knocking canvasses, electoral programs, and local issue campaigns. Closely comparable in operating model, theory of change, and rural/working-class base.
• Make the Road: A multi-state membership organization of working-class communities running campaigns on housing, education, and immigrant rights. Comparable in member-led structure, base-building, and integration of electoral and issue work.
• New Georgia Project: A Southern grassroots organizing group focused on voter registration and civic engagement in underrepresented communities. Comparable in Southern regional focus, multiracial base, and member-driven electoral strategy.
• Center for Popular Democracy: National network of affiliate community organizing groups pursuing progressive policy through member-led campaigns. Comparable in its affiliate model, deep canvassing approach, and focus on working-class voter engagement.
• Southern Vision Alliance: A North Carolina-based movement support organization that maintains organizing spaces and resources for Southern social movements. Documented model partner for Down Home's Reclaim Carolina Center, with directly overlapping focus.
• Carolina Federation: A North Carolina-based grassroots organizing coalition working on electoral and issue campaigns with working-class communities. Direct peer given shared geography, overlapping campaigns, and joint bootcamps documented with Down Home.
• Organize! (Ohio): A multiracial grassroots organizing outfit that recruits working-class candidates and runs year-round canvassing programs. Comparable in member-led electoral model and rural/small-town organizing approach.

Broad incumbents

• Faith in Action: Large national faith-based community organizing network running year-round civic engagement and electoral campaigns. Comparable in relational organizing model and working-class base, but operates at national scale with broader program portfolio.

Regional players

• NC Justice Center: North Carolina's statewide research and advocacy nonprofit focused on economic justice, healthcare, and education policy. Cited as a model partner for movement center infrastructure and shares Down Home's policy priorities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/thefrontporchnc
• Xx.com/DownHome_NC
• Facebookfacebook.com/DownHomeNC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/down-home-north-carolina

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Down Home North Carolina