What Alliance For Democracy does

Alliance for Democracy (AfD) is a U.S.-based nonprofit political advocacy organization founded circa 1996-1998 by Ronnie Dugger and headquartered in Hudson, Massachusetts, with a legacy mailing address in Waltham, MA. The organization pursues a progressive populist mission to resist corporate rule and strengthen grassroots democratic governance through issue-based campaigns rather than technology products or commercial services.

Its core offerings consist of multi-issue advocacy campaigns and educational media programs. Active campaigns include Defending Water for Life (protecting water from corporate privatization, including a successful effort to block a Nestlé bottling plant in Cascade Locks, Oregon), Local Food Rules (which has helped 125+ Maine towns and cities pass local food sovereignty ordinances and contributed to a 2021 Maine constitutional right-to-food amendment), People's Vote Must Count (hand-counted paper ballots), TPP-Free Zone (which helped 100+ cities and counties pass anti-TPP resolutions), Public Banking, Disarming Violence, and System Change Initiatives. AfD co-founded the Move to Amend coalition after the 2010 Citizens United decision. Media assets include the quarterly Justice Rising journal, the Populist Dialogues television program, and the Corporations and Democracy radio program. Local chapters operate in Portland, Oregon and the New England region.

AfD operates under a membership-and-donation revenue model with no disclosed financials, no commercial pricing, and no technology or AI capabilities. Its distribution relies on direct digital outreach (email, website, social media across Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and X), quarterly print and digital publications, broadcast media, in-person presence at events such as the Maine Common Ground Fair (approximately 60,000 annual attendees), and grassroots chapter organizing. Strategic partners include Food for Maine's Future, Local Water Alliance, La Via Campesina, Grassroots Institute, the Next System Project, and hosted initiatives DC Public Banking Center and Mass Public Banking.

Name

Alliance For Democracy

Legal name

Alliance for Democracy

Website

https://thealliancefordemocracy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Alliance for Democracy is a U.S. nonprofit advocacy organization that runs grassroots campaigns and media programs to resist corporate rule and build democratic governance, serving individual activists, local communities, and coalition partners across multiple issue areas including water rights, food sovereignty, election integrity, and public banking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Political Advocacy

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Political Organizations (813940)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civil Society Strengthening & Civic Space (BPADAGAD), Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA)

Keywords

• Political advocacy
• Grassroots organizing
• Civic education
• Community organizing
• Democratic governance

Headquarters

HQ city

Hudson

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, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Alliance for Democracy is a nonprofit political advocacy organization that runs grassroots campaigns, civic education programs, and media projects aimed at resisting corporate rule and strengthening democratic governance. Its core offerings include multi-issue advocacy campaigns (Defending Water for Life, Local Food Rules, People's Vote Must Count, TPP-Free Zone, Public Banking, Disarming Violence), a quarterly journal (Justice Rising), and radio/television programming covering corporate power and democracy.

Product overview

Alliance For Democracy is a political advocacy organization, not a technology product company. The organization operates advocacy campaigns and media programs focused on resisting corporate rule and building grassroots democracy. Its offerings include Justice Rising (a quarterly publication), multiple advocacy campaigns (Defending Water for Life, Local Food Rules, People's Vote Must Count, TPP-Free Zone, System Change Initiatives, Public Banking, Disarming Violence), and media programs (Populist Dialogues television and Corporations and Democracy radio). There are no software products, platforms, or technology services offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Justice Rising: Quarterly journal/publication featuring grassroots solutions to corporate domination, covers topics including money in politics, election integrity, water rights, food sovereignty, and media democracy.
• Defending Water for Life
• Local Food Rules
• People's Vote Must Count
• TPP-Free Zone
• Tapestry of the Commons
• Populist Dialogues
• Corporations and Democracy

Products and services

• Justice Rising
• Populist Dialogues
• Corporations and Democracy Radio
• Defending Water for Life Campaign
• Local Food Rules Campaign
• People's Vote Must Count Campaign
• TPP-Free Zone Campaign
• Public Banking Campaign

Quantifiable outcome

• 125+ Maine towns and cities passed Local Food and Community Self-Governance Ordinances
• +3 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 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 minor and core.

• Grassroots InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrassroots Institute is listed as a sponsored ally on the Alliance's website under the System Change Initiatives section. It supports grassroots organizing and democratic participation efforts aligned with AfD's mission.
• GANE (General Agreement on a New Economy)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGANE is a project of the Alliance that develops alternative economic thinking centered on local communities. It is listed on the Alliance's homepage under System Change Initiatives.
• Food for Maine's FuturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood for Maine's Future brings together advocates and activists for small farmers and patrons to build a just, sustainable, and democratic food system. It is a key ally in the Local Food Rules campaign and builds international alliances including with La Via Campesina. The Alliance's Local Food Rules campaign maintains an active partnership with this organization.
• La Via CampesinaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe international movement of millions of peasants, small and medium-size farmers, landless people, women farmers, indigenous people, migrants and agricultural workers. Food for Maine's Future has an alliance with La Via Campesina as part of the international food sovereignty movement, which the Alliance supports through its Local Food Rules campaign.
• Move to AmendcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfD co-founded the Move to Amend coalition after the 2010 Citizens United v. FEC ruling, working with many other organizations to advocate for a constitutional amendment to end corporate personhood and campaign finance reform. AfD members in Massachusetts were involved in forming We the People Massachusetts, and the Portland OR chapter continues as a Move to Amend affiliate.
• DC Public Banking CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsored campaign website hosted by AfD. Advocates for a municipally-owned public bank for Washington DC and works with a diverse network of local groups to achieve that goal.
• Mass Public BankingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsored campaign website hosted by AfD. Started as an informally organized group of Massachusetts citizens interested in public banking and financial reform, focused on legislation to create a state-level public infrastructure bank.
• Local Water AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfD supported Local Water Alliance's work to block a proposed Nestlé bottling plant in Cascade Locks, Oregon. With the votes in, a local ballot question to block water extraction passed overwhelmingly. Local Water Alliance continues as a key ally in water defense campaigns.
• Next System Project / Teach-InsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfD is a partner of the Next System Project Teach-Ins, which organizes educational events on systemic alternatives to corporate rule.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Common Cause: Established nonpartisan democracy reform organization working on voting rights, campaign finance, and election integrity. Highly comparable to AfD's People's Vote Must Count and election integrity work, but with a much larger national infrastructure.
• Food & Water Watch: Larger national advocacy organization running campaigns on food sovereignty, clean water, and opposition to corporate control of resources. Directly comparable in the water defense and food sovereignty issue areas where AfD also operates, but with substantially greater national scale and institutional funding.
• Public Citizen: Large national consumer advocacy organization founded by Ralph Nader that works on corporate accountability, trade policy, and democratic reform. Highly comparable to AfD's trade justice, corporate rule, and public banking advocacy, but at substantially greater scale.

Direct peers

• RootsAction: Online activist network advocating progressive causes including corporate accountability and democratic reform. Comparable in progressive populist values, grassroots online organizing model, and small-team advocacy structure.
• Move to Amend: Coalition co-founded by Alliance for Democracy after the Citizens United v. FEC ruling to advocate for a constitutional amendment ending corporate personhood. Directly comparable in mission, membership model, and grassroots organizing approach on money-in-politics reform.
• Center for Media and Democracy: National nonprofit investigative watchdog exposing corporate influence on politics and media. Comparable in its focus on corporate power, money-in-politics reform, and providing educational/journalism resources, though with more investigative emphasis than AfD's organizing focus.
• Mass Public Banking: Massachusetts public banking advocacy group whose campaign website is hosted/sponsored by AfD. Directly comparable in public-banking advocacy, small grassroots structure, and Massachusetts geographic focus.
• Food for Maine's Future: Core strategic ally of AfD that builds on the Local Food Rules campaign with international food sovereignty alliances including La Via Campesina. Directly comparable in mission, Maine geography, and small grassroots organizational structure.
• Local Water Alliance: Oregon-based grassroots coalition AfD supported to block a proposed Nestl\u00e9 water bottling plant in Cascade Locks, Oregon. Directly comparable in water-rights defense, anti-corporate-privatization, and small-organization grassroots organizing model.

Emerging players

• La Via Campesina: International peasants' and small farmers' movement with which AfD's ally Food for Maine's Future partners on food sovereignty. Comparable in food sovereignty and local-food-systems advocacy, though operating globally rather than at the U.S. municipal level.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EndCorpRule
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/AllianceforDemocracy
• Facebookfacebook.com/AllianceforDemocracy
• Instagraminstagram.com/Alliance_for_Democracy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alliance-for-democracy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Alliance For Democracy