Common Cause Rhode Island

What Common Cause Rhode Island does

Common Cause Rhode Island is the Rhode Island state chapter of Common Cause, a 501(c)(4) nonpartisan nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 1970 and headquartered nationally in Washington, DC. The state chapter operates from a Providence-based office and is part of a 25-state organizational network that collectively serves over 1.5 million members and supporters across all 50 states. The organization's mission is to advance voting rights, fair representation, campaign finance reform, anti-corruption measures, civil rights and civil liberties protections, and government accountability — most concretely through election protection programs, voting rights litigation, legislative advocacy, and grassroots member mobilization. Key operational assets include the multi-language 866-OUR-VOTE election protection hotline, the deployment of more than 50,000 election protection volunteers across 40+ states in the 2020–2022 cycle, and a 50+ year track record of wins including the Moore v. Harper Supreme Court case and fair redistricting in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

The business is organized around a 501(c)(4) lobbying arm (Common Cause, Tax ID 52-6078441) and an affiliated 501(c)(3) charitable arm (Common Cause Education Fund, Tax ID 31-1705370, founded 2000) that conducts research, public education, and limited litigation. The revenue model is donor-funded: recurring membership dues, monthly giving programs, one-time individual donations, and foundation grants. The go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, with grassroots mobilization through email (CauseNet), SMS alerts (short code 95559), petitions, letter-writing campaigns, rallies, press conferences, and coalition advocacy. Governance is via a National Governing Board chaired by Martha Tierney, with Virginia Kase Solomón serving as President & CEO.

There are no commercial technology products, no AI capabilities, and no proprietary software disclosed in the source data. Competitive advantage is built on intangible assets (brand reputation, institutional history), distribution (25 state offices), and ecosystem lock-in (coalitions with NAACP, Black Voters Matter, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Public Citizen, Main Street Alliance, National Abortion Federation, and Democracy Forward). Leadership was recognized in 2025 by Washingtonian Magazine's 500 Most Influential People, and the organization holds a Charity Navigator 4-star rating and Guidestar Gold Seal of Transparency. There is no parent company, no private equity ownership, and no M&A activity disclosed.

Name

Common Cause Rhode Island

Legal name

Common Cause

Website

https://commoncause.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Common Cause Rhode Island is the Providence-based state chapter of Common Cause, a 501(c)(4) nonpartisan advocacy organization serving over 1.5 million members nationwide across 25 state offices, advancing voting rights, government accountability, and democracy reform through litigation, elections, and coalitions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Advocacy and Democracy Reform

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Other Social Advocacy Organizations (813319)

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), Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA)

Keywords

• Democracy reform advocacy
• Voter protection services
• Election protection hotline
• Civic engagement organizing
• Government accountability

Headquarters

HQ city

Providence

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donor Contributions: Common Cause receives donations from individual supporters. Donors who give $250 or more are available for public inspection at the Washington, DC office. The organization offers monthly giving programs and one-time donation options.
2. Foundation Grants: Common Cause receives grants from foundations to support its democracy reform work. Funding sources are disclosed publicly for transparency.
3. Membership Dues: Organization offers membership sign-up and renewal options, providing recurring support from engaged democracy advocates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Common Cause Rhode Island is the Rhode Island state affiliate of Common Cause, a 501(c)(4) nonpartisan nonprofit that delivers democracy reform advocacy through voter protection services (866-OUR-VOTE hotline), election protection volunteer deployment, grassroots member mobilization, and litigation against voter suppression. The organization operates a member-supported model with 1.5 million supporters nationwide and 25 state organizations, with the Providence office focusing on Rhode Island voting, elections, government transparency, and democracy reform.

Product overview

Common Cause is a nonpartisan 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization focused on democracy reform advocacy, not a technology product company. Common Cause works to build a government that works for all of us through grassroots organizing, advocacy campaigns, voting rights protection, and legal litigation. The organization operates with a network of over 1.5 million members across 25 state organizations. Common Cause Education Fund is its affiliated 501(c)(3) organization that focuses on research, public education, and limited lobbying activities. The organization does not offer commercial technology products or services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Common Cause Education Fund: 501(c)(3) affiliated charitable organization focused on research, public education, citizen engagement, policy development and litigation. Tax ID: 31-1705370.

Products and services

• Election Protection Hotline (866-OUR-VOTE) Multi-language voter assistance hotline (English, Spanish, AAPI languages, Arabic) deployed during elections to help voters navigate voting processes, report problems, and access support. Operated as part of the Election Protection Coalition.
• Monthly Giving Program Recurring monthly donation program that sustains Common Cause's democracy reform advocacy work; offers a subscription-style giving option for individual supporters.
• Common Cause Education Fund Affiliated 501(c)(3) nonprofit (Tax ID: 31-1705370) focused on research, public education, citizen engagement, policy development, and litigation for democracy reform; conducts limited lobbying activity separate from the 501(c)(4).
• Election Protection Volunteer Program Volunteer recruitment, training, and deployment program that places thousands of nonpartisan poll monitors at polling places across 40+ states during election cycles to protect voter access and report irregularities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50,000 election protection volunteers deployed across 40+ states in 2020-2022
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

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 regional, core and minor.

• Let NY Vote CoalitionregionalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2026Coalition partner in New York state for voting rights and election protection efforts, urging early voting and operating the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline.
• Public CitizencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2026Coalition partner pressing Congress to permanently ban presidential payouts. Co-President Robert Weissman participates in coalition advocacy against slush fund.
• Main Street AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2026Network of 30,000 small businesses opposed to Trump slush fund. National Director Lauren Bealore represents small business perspective in coalition.
• Democracy ForwardcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 29 May 2026Legal representation in lawsuits challenging Trump-Vance administration actions. Represents Common Cause and other plaintiffs in cases including the $1.776 billion slush fund challenge. Legal team includes Skye Perryman (President & CEO), Pooja Boisture, Jyoti Jasrasaria, Aman George, and others.
• City of New HavenregionalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 May 2026Plaintiff in lawsuit challenging Trump-Vance administration's illegal slush fund. Mayor Justin Elicker leads the city's participation in coalition litigation.
• National Abortion FederationregionalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 May 2026Plaintiff in lawsuit against Trump slush fund. President & CEO Brittany Fonteno represents abortion providers opposing taxpayer funding of extremism.
• NAACPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2026Coalition partner in voting rights litigation. Four leading voting rights groups including Common Cause, NAACP, Lawyers Committee, and Black Voters Matter filed lawsuits challenging Trump's executive order restricting mail ballots.
• Black Voters MattercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2026Coalition partner in voting rights protection. Co-founded by Cliff Albright; focuses on Black voter engagement and fighting suppression tactics.
• Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under LawcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2026Coalition partner through Voting Rights Project directed by Robert Weiner. Files litigation to protect voting rights.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Demos: Pro-democracy think-and-action tank focused on voting rights, money-in-politics, and economic democracy. Comparable advocacy portfolio, foundation-supported operating model, and explicit policy alignment on small-dollar campaigns and redistricting reform.
• NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund: Leading civil rights litigation organization that partners with Common Cause on voting-rights cases (NAACP cited explicitly as a coalition partner). Directly comparable litigation strategy and overlapping mission on voter suppression and redistricting.
• Brennan Center for Justice: A nonpartisan law and policy institute at NYU that leads on voting rights, election administration, redistricting, and money-in-politics reform. Directly comparable advocacy focus and litigation capacity; biggest US competitor in the voting-rights space and a co-litigant on several Common Cause cases.
• Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law: Runs the 866-OUR-VOTE Election Protection Hotline alongside Common Cause via the Election Protection Coalition. Direct operational overlap on voter assistance, election protection, and voting-rights litigation (Voting Rights Project directed by Robert Weiner).
• NAACP: Long-standing civil rights organization and named Common Cause coalition partner in voting-rights litigation. Comparable scale, mass-membership model, and overlapping focus on voting rights and political representation for historically disenfranchised communities.
• Public Citizen: Consumer advocacy nonprofit co-litigating with Common Cause on the presidential slush-fund challenge. Overlaps on anti-corruption, democracy reform, and regulatory accountability issues; similar 501(c)(4) plus foundation structure.
• League of Women Voters: Nonpartisan civic organization operating voter education, voter registration, Get-Out-The-Vote, and advocacy campaigns since 1920. Overlaps heavily on election protection, voter engagement, and grassroots organizing, with comparable state/grassroots federation structure.

Emerging players

• Verified Voting: Niche nonprofit working specifically on election security, voting equipment, and election administration. Smaller in scale than Common Cause but materially comparable on the voting-rights/administration sub-domain.
• Protect Democracy: Nonpartisan, cross-ideological organization focused on defending democratic institutions and checking abuses of executive power. Recently emerged with significant foundation backing and overlapping election integrity and rule-of-law litigation agenda.

Broad incumbents

• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): Larger, broad-based civil liberties and civil rights organization with a well-funded voting-rights program and state affiliates. Overlaps on litigation and advocacy but covers a much wider portfolio (criminal justice, speech, religion) than Common Cause's democracy-focused scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/commoncauseri
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CommonCauseEthics
• Facebookfacebook.com/commoncauseri
• Instagraminstagram.com/ourcommoncause
• TikToktiktok.com/@common_cause
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/common-cause-rhode-island

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Common Cause Rhode Island