Investing in Grassroots Advocacy: A Funder’s Guide

Many foundations focused on equity have increased their support for Grassroots Advocacy Organizations (GRAOs) in recent years.  The Connecticut Health Foundation, with a mission focused on improving health outcomes for people of color and ensuring that all Connecticut residents have access to affordable and high-quality care, commissioned TCC Group to help it gain a better understanding of how to build authentic relationships with and effectively support GRAOs. 

This report is intended to answer a set of concrete questions about supporting GRAOs, and can be used in several ways – as an evidence base to share with others who are asking questions about the relationship between foundations and grassroots organizations, as a tool to reflect on and evaluate current practices, and/or a way to highlight some concrete shifts a foundation may be interested in making.

Given the complexity of how social change occurs, and the rapidity of changes happening within society, we acknowledge that these answers are neither comprehensive nor static. However, we are confident that these answers serve as the beginning for necessary conversations and an impetus to action.