Progress Iowa
Progress Iowa is a Des Moines-based nonprofit advocacy organization that serves as Iowa's progressive communications hub, providing research-based messaging guides, digital organizing tools, and coalition support to a network of nearly 100,000 Iowa progressives and partner advocacy organizations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersDes Moines, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Progress Iowa does
Progress Iowa is a nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 2012 and headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, that describes itself as Iowa's progressive communications hub. It serves individual Iowa progressive voters and activists, reaching a self-reported network of nearly 100,000 supporters, as well as a coalition of more than a dozen Iowa advocacy organizations including Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, Indivisible 515, the Iowa Federation of Labor AFL-CIO, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa, Iowa Farmers Union, and One Iowa. The organization provides research-based message guides, polling and social media analysis, the daily "High Five" newsletter, weekly Friday legislative briefings via Zoom, and the Iowa Megaphone community platform and mobile app for amplifying progressive messages and combating online disinformation.
The organization's core technology stack centers on a WordPress-hosted website, the Action Network platform for petitions and email outreach, the Iowa Megaphone iOS/Android app, and a mobile digital billboard truck used for in-state advocacy campaigns. All resources — message guides, research, training, and organizing tools — are provided free of charge. Revenue is generated entirely through voluntary individual donations processed via the ActBlue online giving platform, with no pricing model, subscription fees, or disclosed grants.
Progress Iowa is governed by a small staff (1-10 employees) led by Executive Director Mazie Stilwell, who assumed the role on April 1, 2025, succeeding Matt Sinovic. Its primary go-to-market approach is community-led digital organizing supplemented by event-driven coalition activity (press conferences, candidate forums, legislative briefings). The organization holds no patents or disclosed trademarks, has no parent company or external ownership, and operates exclusively within Iowa.
Progress Iowa firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Progress Iowa
- Legal name
- Progress Iowa
- Website
- https://progressiowa.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Progress Iowa is a Des Moines-based nonprofit advocacy organization that serves as Iowa's progressive communications hub, providing research-based messaging guides, digital organizing tools, and coalition support to a network of nearly 100,000 Iowa progressives and partner advocacy organizations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Progress Iowa industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Progressive Advocacy Services
- NAICS
- Social Advocacy Organizations (81331), Public Relations Agencies (541820)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Nonprofit & Cause Communications (BPAFADAK)
Keywords
Where Progress Iowa is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Des Moines
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Progress Iowa business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Progress Iowa receives individual donations through ActBlue platform, with donation links prominently featured on their website and communications. The organization is funded primarily through grassroots donations from supporters.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
Progress Iowa product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Progress Iowa is a non-profit advocacy organization that functions as Iowa's progressive communications hub. It provides research-based message guides, polling-driven messaging frameworks, digital organizing tools (the Iowa Megaphone platform and mobile app), daily and weekly newsletters, and coalition-based events to help individual progressives and partner advocacy organizations amplify progressive messages on issues such as healthcare, reproductive rights, affordability, and democracy.
Product overview
Progress Iowa is an advocacy organization serving as Iowa's progressive communications hub with a network reaching nearly 100,000 people. The organization operates primarily through its website as a central platform offering news, research, and take-action opportunities. Its product portfolio includes Iowa Megaphone, a community platform and mobile app for spreading progressive messages and combating disinformation; the High Five Newsletter delivering daily political news; research-based Message Guides including the 'Winning the Message War' handbook; and Friday Briefings providing weekly legislative updates via Zoom. The organization conducts polling, uses social media analysis, and develops winning messages based on research to empower advocates for progressive change.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Iowa Megaphone: Community platform for spreading progressive messages and combating online disinformation, with newsletter and mobile app components.
Products and services
- Iowa Megaphone A community platform and mobile app (iOS and Android) that enables Iowans to spread progressive messages and combat online disinformation, including a weekly newsletter component. It is offered free to progressive advocates and partner organizations across Iowa.
- High Five Newsletter A daily email newsletter sharing the top five news stories concerning political advocates in Iowa, delivered via the Action Network platform and offered free to supporters.
- Message Guides Research-based messaging frameworks, publicly available free of charge, that help Iowa progressive advocates communicate effectively on issues including Project 2025, reproductive freedom, gun violence prevention, affordability, and healthcare. Includes the 'Winning the Message War: A Handbook for Iowa Progressives' handbook.
- Friday Briefings Weekly legislative updates and political news delivered via Zoom, helping Iowa advocates stay informed about key bills, committee actions, and policy developments during the legislative session.
- Mobile Digital Billboard Campaign A mobile billboard truck used by Progress Iowa for advocacy campaigns, such as calling out Republican representatives on rising costs and harmful votes.
- Progress Iowa Website The primary digital platform serving as Iowa's progressive communications hub, providing news, research publications, take-action opportunities, message guides, and organizational information to a network of nearly 100,000 progressives statewide.
Quantifiable outcome
- Network reaches nearly 100,000 Iowa progressives for rapid message amplification
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Progress Iowa
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Progress Iowa technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Progress Iowa partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- End Citizens UnitedcoreProgress Iowa co-hosted a forum for Iowa Democratic U.S. Senate candidates with End Citizens United, a political action committee focused on campaign finance reform and opposing dark money in politics.
- Interfaith Alliance of IowacoreCoalition partner in The People's Agenda press conference and ongoing progressive advocacy campaigns. Interfaith Alliance of Iowa is a co-sponsor of Progress Iowa events and campaigns.
- Planned Parenthood Advocates of IowacoreCoalition partner for reproductive freedom advocacy and healthcare access campaigns. Gabriela Fuentes, Advocacy Manager, participated in The People's Agenda press conference.
- Iowa Farmers UnioncoreCoalition partner focused on rural Iowa issues including tariffs, SNAP benefits, and healthcare access. Aaron Lehman (President) and Matt Russell (Interim Executive Director) spoke at coalition events.
- IFL-CIO (Iowa Federation of Labor AFL-CIO)coreCoalition partner representing Iowa's labor movement. Charlie Wishman (President) participated in The People's Agenda press conference on GOP Tax Scam.
- Indivisible 515coreCoalition partner in progressive advocacy campaigns. Marie Herring (Co-chair) participated in coalition events.
- Fairness for IowacoreCoalition partner focused on holding Republican legislators accountable. Fairness for Iowa launched ad campaigns and partnered with Progress Iowa on message coordination.
- One IowaminorCoalition partner for progressive advocacy campaigns in Iowa.
- Iowa Migrant Movement for JusticeminorCoalition partner representing migrant communities in Iowa.
- Iowa Citizens for Community ImprovementminorCoalition partner in progressive grassroots organizing and advocacy.
- Protect our Care IowaminorCoalition partner focused on healthcare advocacy and protecting the Affordable Care Act.
- Bipartisan Cost CoalitionminorProgress Iowa joined with the Bipartisan Cost Coalition and other partners to issue reports on how Washington's economic agenda is harming Iowans, including the 'Affordability Crisis in the Heartland' report.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Progress Iowa competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- AFL-CIO: The AFL-CIO is the national labor federation whose Iowa affiliate (IFL-CIO) is a Progress Iowa coalition partner. They share progressive advocacy goals, donor bases, and coalition tactics but operate at much larger national scale.
- End Citizens United: End Citizens United is a national PAC focused on campaign finance reform that co-hosted a Senate candidate forum with Progress Iowa. They operate in the same progressive advocacy space with shared issue priorities and donor pools.
Direct peers
- MoveOn: MoveOn is a large progressive digital organizing and advocacy group running petitions, email campaigns, and rapid-response messaging. It competes with Progress Iowa for the same digital-engaged progressive donor base, especially in swing states like Iowa.
- Working America (AFL-CIO): Working America is the AFL-CIO's community-organizing arm that recruits members door-to-door and online in working-class communities. They share Progress Iowa's digital organizing, canvassing, and progressive-base-building approach in swing states.
- Indivisible: Indivisible is a national progressive advocacy organization built around local Indivisible chapters (such as Indivisible 515, a Progress Iowa coalition partner). It focuses on grassroots organizing, training, and coordinated progressive action in congressional districts — directly overlapping with Progress Iowa's mission and target audience.
- Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement: Iowa CCI is a statewide Iowa grassroots organizing and advocacy organization that is an active Progress Iowa coalition partner. They share overlapping issues, audiences, and event coordination in Iowa progressive politics.
- ProgressNow: ProgressNow is a national network of state-based progressive advocacy organizations (Progress Michigan, Progress Ohio, Progress Florida, etc.) that operate communications hubs similar to Progress Iowa. They share the same model: digital organizing, message research, and rapid-response advocacy at the state level, making them the closest direct peer.
Regional players
- Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa: Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa is a statewide progressive advocacy organization focused on reproductive rights and healthcare access, and is a core Progress Iowa coalition partner. They share donor audiences, messaging tactics, and progressive issue priorities in Iowa.
- Protect Our Care: Protect Our Care is a national progressive advocacy coalition focused on protecting the Affordable Care Act, with active Iowa state operations (Protect Our Care Iowa is a Progress Iowa coalition partner). They share healthcare-focused messaging and donor networks in Iowa.
Emerging players
- Daily Kos: Daily Kos is a large progressive digital media and activism platform that combines news, opinion, and online organizing tools. It overlaps with Progress Iowa's audience of online progressive activists and competes for similar donor and volunteer attention.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Progress Iowa social profiles
Digital presenceProgress Iowa financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Progress Iowa leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Progress Iowa funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Progress Iowa M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Progress Iowa
What does Progress Iowa do?
Progress Iowa is a non-profit advocacy organization that functions as Iowa's progressive communications hub. It provides research-based message guides, polling-driven messaging frameworks, digital organizing tools (the Iowa Megaphone platform and mobile app), daily and weekly newsletters, and coalition-based events to help individual progressives and partner advocacy organizations amplify progressive messages on issues such as healthcare, reproductive rights, affordability, and democracy.
Is Progress Iowa a public or private company?
Progress Iowa is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Progress Iowa founded?
Progress Iowa was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Progress Iowa based?
Progress Iowa is headquartered in Des Moines, United States, in the North America region.
How does Progress Iowa make money?
One revenue line is on record: individual Donations.
Who are Progress Iowa's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are AFL-CIO and End Citizens United. Direct peers are MoveOn, Working America (AFL-CIO), Indivisible, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement and ProgressNow. Regional players are Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa and Protect Our Care. Daily Kos is listed as an emerging player.
Does Progress Iowa have an API?
No public API is recorded for Progress Iowa.
What industry is Progress Iowa in?
Progress Iowa's product category is Progressive Advocacy Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFADAK, Nonprofit & Cause Communications. Its NAICS code is 81331 and its SIC code is 8300.