People's Action Institute

What People's Action Institute does

People's Action Institute is a 501(c) progressive advocacy and community organizing nonprofit founded in 2016 through the merger of nine grassroots organizing networks. Headquartered at 1825 K Street NW in Washington, D.C., with national operations based in Chicago, Illinois, the organization federates 38-40 state and local grassroots power-building member organizations across 29 states and serves a base of more than one million members plus tens of thousands of volunteers. Its work targets poor and working people in urban, rural, and suburban communities and is organized around five issue verticals: Health Care for All, Housing Justice, People & Planet First (climate), Leveraging Federal Funds, and Movement Politics (electoral organizing). Its core programs include the Organizing Revival initiative, the Ella Baker School for Organizing training program, the Movement Politics electoral program (People's Platform, People's Slate, People's Pledge), and multi-organization coalitions such as Care Over Cost, Housing Justice for All, and United Ratepayers.

The organization does not operate as a technology company and has no proprietary software, SaaS product, or AI/ML capability. Its operational stack relies on standard third-party organizing and donor platforms (ActionNetwork, mobilize.us, ActBlue, donorsupport.co) and its own websites, newsletters, press operations, social media, and direct events (protests, lobby visits, canvassing). Documented outcomes include helping elect more than 350 progressive movement candidates to local and statewide offices since 2016, generating over 25 million voter contacts through deep canvassing during the 2020 cycle, and supporting member-led policy wins such as Good Cause Protections for 1.5 million New York tenants, the Future Energy Jobs Act in Illinois, the Affordable Care Act, and the MAT Act.

Revenue is generated through individual donations (including small-dollar recurring giving via ActBlue and donorsupport.co), grassroots fundraising, member organization contributions, and progressive foundation grants. Pricing is not applicable as no commercial product or service is sold. The go-to-market motion is community-led: member organizations recruit members and volunteers, campaigns are co-designed and co-executed across the federation, and electoral work is delivered through Movement Politics recruiting and training progressive candidates. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed; the press contact is [email protected] (Derrick Crowe, Unai Montes, Heather Shelby, Johanna Kichton). Leadership includes Executive Director Sulma Arias, Campaigns Director Sondra Youdelman, Movement Politics Directors Brooke Adams and Ryan Greenwood, and former co-directors LeeAnn Hall and George Goehl.

Name

People's Action Institute

Legal name

People's Action

Website

https://peoplesaction.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

People's Action Institute is a national progressive advocacy nonprofit federating 38-40 grassroots member organizations across 29 states with over one million members, organizing poor and working people around healthcare, housing, climate, federal funding, and electoral campaigns.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Organizing and Advocacy

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Political Organizations (813940), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB), Political/GOTV & Advocacy Calling (Campaigns) (BPAAADAK)

Keywords

• Community organizing
• Grassroots advocacy
• Policy campaigns
• Electoral mobilization
• Organizational training

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago, Illinois

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership and Donations: People's Action is a nonprofit organization funded through membership contributions, individual donations, and grassroots fundraising. The organization engages in fundraising through platforms like ActBlue and mobilize.us for volunteer and donation coordination.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

People's Action Institute is a national nonprofit network of 38 state and local grassroots power-building organizations operating in 29 states. It organizes poor and working people in urban, rural, and suburban communities through issue advocacy campaigns (health care, housing, climate, federal funds), an electoral Movement Politics program that recruits and elects progressive candidates, and training programs including the Ella Baker School for Organizing.

Product overview

People's Action is a national network of grassroots organizing organizations, not a technology company. It does not offer a software product, platform, or SaaS solution. The organization operates as a political advocacy and organizing network that provides advocacy campaigns, electoral programs, and training services. The core offerings include the Organizing Revival program, multiple advocacy campaigns (Health Care for All, Housing Justice, People & Planet First, Leveraging Federal Funds, Care Over Cost), the Movement Politics electoral program (including People's Slate and People's Pledge), and Training Programs. These are programmatic and advocacy services, not technology products or platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organizing Revival A national organizing initiative that shares best practices of relational, power-building community organizing to build a multiracial democracy. Targets poor and working people in urban, rural, and suburban communities through the network of member organizations.
• Movement Politics Program Electoral program that recruits, trains, and elects progressive candidates to local and statewide offices. Includes the People's Slate, People's Pledge, and People's Platform initiatives. Has helped elect over 350 movement politics candidates since 2016.
• Training Programs Organizing training programs that teach fundamentals of community organizing, including the Ella Baker School for Organizing. Designed for grassroots organizers and member organization staff.
• Health Care for All Campaign Advocacy campaign focused on universal healthcare coverage and challenging private health insurance practices. Operates through member organizations across 29 states.
• Housing Justice Campaign Advocacy campaign for affordable housing, tenant protections, and addressing the housing crisis through policy change. Member organizations helped win Good Cause Protections for 1.5 million New York tenants.
• Homes Guarantee A national housing policy vision that has prompted legislation from U.S. Representatives Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Rashida Tlaib. Operates within the broader Housing Justice Campaign framework.
• People & Planet First Campaign Campaign focused on climate justice, environmental protection, and holding corporations accountable for environmental harm. Coordinates organizing around renewable energy, fossil fuel dependence, and climate policy.
• Leveraging Federal Funds Campaign Campaign advocating for equitable distribution of federal funds and accountability in government spending. Focused on ensuring federal investments reach working-class communities.
• Care Over Cost Campaign Campaign helping people overturn denials and delays of essential health care by privately-run insurance companies. Member organizations confront insurers such as UnitedHealthcare.

Quantifiable outcome

• Helped elect over 350 movement politics candidates since 2016
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Right To The CitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2025National alliance of community organizations fighting for housing justice and tenant rights. Partnered with People's Action Institute for Take Back Our Money Tour confronting corporations on tax and budget issues.
• National Nurses UnitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2025Largest union of registered nurses in the US. Participated in Take Back Our Money Tour actions against corporate tax avoidance.
• Physicians for a National Health Care PlanminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2025Physician organization advocating for single-payer healthcare. Participated in direct actions with People's Action Institute.
• The People's Bailout CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 April 2020Coalition of 500+ organizations promoting five principles for COVID-19 economic relief: health priority, direct economic relief, rescue workers over corporate executives, regenerative economy, and democratic protection. People's Action is a sponsor.
• United RatepayerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of 14 member groups organizing for affordable energy, 100% clean renewable power, reliable power, and accountability. People's Action coordinates utility accountability campaigns through this coalition.
• Care Over Cost CampaigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampaign fighting to help people overturn denials and delays of essential health care by privately-run insurance companies. Includes member organizations confronting United Healthcare and other insurers.
• Housing Justice for All CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition including CVH, CANY, VOCAL-NY and other groups that organized for multiple years to win Good Cause Protections for 1.5 million New York tenants.
• OurFuture.orgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgressive news and organizing platform; hosts People's Action content and campaign updates; Sulma Arias discusses democracy defense issues.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MoveOn: MoveOn is a large progressive advocacy and political organizing network with millions of members running campaigns, electoral programs, and rapid-response mobilization. Highly comparable to People's Action in mission, member-driven model, and progressive advocacy focus.
• Indivisible: Indivisible is a national progressive grassroots network built around local affiliated groups running advocacy campaigns, electoral endorsements, and movement politics. Comparable to People's Action in decentralized member-organization model and post-2016 origin.
• Working Families Party: Working Families Party is a multi-state progressive political organization focused on electing working-class candidates and running state-level ballot-line and coalition campaigns. Comparable to People's Action Movement Politics program in electoral and policy focus.
• Faith in Action: Faith in Action is a national nonpartisan network of faith-based community organizations running door-to-door canvassing, voter engagement, and issue campaigns on healthcare, immigration, and economic justice. Closely comparable in canvass-driven organizing model.
• Community Change (formerly Center for Community Change): Community Change is a national progressive organizing and advocacy network of low-income and communities of color, focused on racial and economic justice. Comparable to People's Action in network model and grassroots organizing on housing, healthcare, and democracy.

Broad incumbents

• NAACP: NAACP is a long-standing national civil rights organization with a network of state and local branches running advocacy, electoral, and litigation campaigns on racial justice, voting rights, and economic equity. Overlapping mission and member-network structure.
• Center for American Progress: CAP is a large progressive think tank and advocacy organization that pairs policy research with campaigns on democracy, healthcare, housing, and climate. Broader and more policy-research oriented than People's Action but covers overlapping issue priorities.
• AFL-CIO: AFL-CIO is a national federation of labor unions running large-scale worker organizing, electoral programs (COPE), and policy campaigns. Comparable to People's Action in member-network model, electoral mobilization, and federal policy advocacy.

Emerging players

• Roosevelt Institute: Roosevelt Institute is a think tank advancing progressive economic policy on housing, healthcare, and labor. Adjacent to People's Action on housing and healthcare advocacy, though more policy-research focused than grassroots organizing.
• Demos: Demos is a progressive public policy organization working on democracy, economic justice, and racial equity through research, litigation, and advocacy. Adjacent to People's Action on democracy defense and federal funds/leveraging issues.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/peoples_action
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCwiv87NRJd7PZKqI0xSE2Ig
• Facebookfacebook.com/peoplesaction
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/peoples-action-institute
• Instagraminstagram.com/peoplesaction

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 People's Action Institute