Grassroots Collaborative builds power with working families through strategic community-labor organizing, grassroots leadership development, civic engagement, and training. We started in Chicago – our 9 member organizations and their 125,000 members, along with an effective and diverse set of ally organizations across movements, create transformative change to win fully funded resources for our public schools, social services, and affordable housing that working families depend on.
By convening coalitions in Chicago and Peoria, we bring the power of strategic alignment and shared ideology to win transformative change in Illinois. Our aspirational campaigns link Black and Latinx displacement, criminalization and corporate greed within a Rights framework, raising up and activating those most affected by systemic oppression. We aim to build powerful, rooted institutions which can serve as instruments for change, as well as create opportunities for those looking for ways to become agents of change in their home organizations and communities.
Action Now
Action Now is a grassroots organization of working families, organized in low and moderate income communities in the Chicago metro area. Action Now works on issues that advance the interests of working families, such as foreclosure, quality education, access to healthcare, living wage jobs, clean and safe neighborhoods, immigration rights and former prisoner rights.
American Friends Service Committee
The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) carries out service, development, social justice, and peace programs throughout the world. Founded by Quakers in 1917 to provide conscientious objectors with an opportunity to aid civilian war victims, AFSC’s work attracts the support and partnership of people of many races, religions, and cultures. In Chicago, AFSC is working to limit military recruiting in public schools, as well as organizing taxi drivers to win better working conditions and a living wage.
Brighton Park Neighborhood Council
Brighton Park Neighborhood Council (BPNC), founded in 1997, is a community-based grassroots organization uniting individuals, block clubs, churches, schools and businesses in the Brighton Park neighborhood. BPNC’s mission is to create a safer community with a strong infrastructure, improve neighborhood schools, provide a voice for our youth and stabilize the local business and housing structure. BPNC serves a low-income working class neighborhood on Chicago’s southwest side.
Chicago Coalition for the Homeless
The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) organizes and advocates to prevent and end homelessness based on the belief that housing is a human right in a just society. Founded in 1980, CCH is a non-profit organization that works with people hurt by homelessness. CCH focuses their efforts on ending homelessness by addressing root causes, including the lack of affordable housing, the lack of living-wage jobs, the lack of health care, discrimination and violence. CCH is committed to fighting until every person has a place to call home.
Chicago Teachers Union
The Chicago Teachers Union is an organization of educators dedicated to advancing and promoting quality public education, improving teaching and learning conditions, and protecting members’ rights.
Jane Addams Senior Caucus
Jane Addams Senior Caucus is a multiracial, grassroots organization led by concerned seniors in the Chicago metropolitan area. We cross neighborhood, racial, religious and socio-economic lines to find common ground upon which to act on our values. Through leadership development, organizing and popular education, we use the power of our collective voice to work for economic, social and racial justice for all seniors and our communities.
Logan Square Neighborhood Association
Leaders Shaping Neighborhood Action/ the Logan Square Neighborhood Association is a community-based organization advancing diversity, leader development, and models for engagement as the catalyst for social justice. LSNA organizes for affordable and decent housing, quality neighborhood public schools, opportunities for our children to succeed from birth through college/career, and immigrant rights.
Organization Neighborhoods for Equality: Northside (ONE Northside)
Organization Neighborhoods for Equality: Northside (ONE Northside) organizes people from over 100 institutions, as well as individual community residents, from Rogers Park, Edgewater, Uptown, Ravenswood, North Center, Lake View, and Lincoln Park in Chicago. ONE Northside’s mission is to build collective power to eliminate injustice through bold and innovative community organizing by developing grassroots leaders and acting together to effect change. ONE Northside works on issues related to affordable housing, economic justice, education, violence prevention, mental health justice and youth.
Service Employees International Union – SEIU – Healthcare Illinois Indiana
More than 85,000 workers across Illinois and Indiana are united in Healthcare Illinois and Indiana. Members work in the home care, child care and healthcare industries caring for patients, seniors, people with disabilities and children. They stand together not only to improve their jobs, but to assure that all Americans have access to affordable, quality care; to push for sensible immigration reform; to hold big business accountable for its impact on their communities and to elect politicians who support working families. Healthcare Illinois and Indiana was formed as a merger of three local unions. In May 2009, Locals 4, 20 and 880 merged industry representation, membership, operations and campaigns as one independent union, maintaining affiliation with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
The Jewish Council on Urban Affairs
The Jewish Council on Urban Affairs is working to transform Chicago into a city free of poverty, racism and antisemitism, by mobilizing the Jewish community to be a powerful voice for economic and racial justice. For 57 years, we have worked in partnership with diverse coalitions and directly impacted communities to address the root causes of disparity and advocate for concrete improvements in people’s lives. With a growing membership of more than 2,000 Jews across Chicagoland, we bring a committed base to three main program areas: grassroots organizing campaigns, youth engagement, and community development.
Talithia Redmond
Operations and Administrative Manager
Talithia@Grassrootscollaborative.org
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Nathan Ryan
Communications Director
Nathan@Grassrootscollaborative.org
Abbie Illenberger
Deputy Director
Abbie@Grassrootscollaborative.org
Amisha Patel
Executive Director
Amisha@Grassrootscollaborative.org
Jung Yoon
Campaign Director
Jung@Grassrootscollaborative.org
Nashiha Alam
Digital Organizer
Nashiha@Grassrootscollaborative.org
Sarah Oberholtzer
Omidyar Network Communications Fellow
Sarah@Grassrootscollaborative.org
