About Us

The Partnership Action Fund is focused on building state-based independent political power centering communities that the systemic inequalities in our country have most impacted.

We invest in member-led organizations and networks as the critical vehicles to ensure that these communities have the power to define the problems, set an agenda, win it, implement and maintain it. Our grantees are committed and accountable to multi-racial and multi-class bases and center on the leadership and experience of directly impacted communities, including, but not limited to, Black women, immigrants, women of color, and LGBTQ people.

Our Approach

TPAF operates with a co-creation approach centered on collaborative innovation where ideas are shared and improved together. We create a space for funders and state organizational leaders to build shared strategies and set the course of our work. 

We approach our grantmaking from a framework of trust-based philanthropy. Our funding is grounded in our values of trust, in our grantees and in the work of rooted state leaders, and we demonstrate that trust through flexible general operating support, reduce red tape during grantmaking, intentional transparency, and support beyond the financial resourcing.

TPAF provides opportunities for individuals and institutions to invest 501c4 resources in community organizations who are working hard to transform the political conditions in their states. 

We are on a mission to provide early 501c4 investments to independent power-building organizations to strengthen their internal capacity, to provide space for program planning and execution, and to leverage our grants for additional resources.

Our Investment Strategy:

  • Strengthen internal capacity:  By providing critical 501c4 resourcing, our grantees are able to secure the necessary staff and capacity to build sustainable program and infrastructure.  This resourcing prevents the conventional staff losses we see post-election.  This capacity allows organizations to conduct other 501c4 activities including lobbying, ballot initiative campaigns, candidate education, and more. 

  • Provide space for program planning and execution:  We trust our grantees to plan and execute 501c4 program successfully - tasks which require the space to do so, without the looming fear of inadequate resourcing.  We are adamant supporters of giving organizations the time and space needed to launch program and campaigns, and model our commitment by providing 501c4 resources to make this possible.

  • Leverage our grants: By providing early resourcing, we give our grantees the leverage needed to attract other funders and donors to invest 501c4 resources in their work.  The space for planning gives others the plans and program into which they can invest.  Our resourcing can be a catalyst for greater investment in our grantees.