The Alliance
The Alliance for Youth Action is one of the strongest youth organizing networks in the country. We build young people’s political power by supporting local young people’s organizations to strengthen our democracy, address the issues our generation cares about most, and make our voices heard up and down the ballot box.
The Alliance supports two kinds of local organizations – a core group of Alliance Affiliates who drive our national strategy, and a larger extended network of Youth Organizing Partners who make local progressive wins a reality. These crews are some of the greatest organizers around, but don’t just take our word for it. Check them out.
Network Map
Affiliates

Welcome One APIA Nevada!
Early in 2020, the Alliance welcomed One APIA (Asian Pacific Islander Americans) Nevada to the network as a Youth Organizing Partner. This year, their youth program hosted a variety of creative digital and in-person GOTV events such as a virtual Animal Crossing Voter Registration party, and an Early Vote party complete with Vote Goats, K-Pop dance parties, and free boba. Their civic engagement efforts contributed to the strong engagement and turnout from Asian-American youth in 2020.
Transforming the Youth Vote Narrative
This year was all about driving a new dominant narrative in the media that uplifted the stories, demands, and work of progressive, local, youth organizers in order to amplify the power of the youth vote and the vital role of young people in our democracy.
We set out to prove to key audiences that young people are leading the work to better our democracy and play an important role in cultural, political, and social change. These are just a few of the many news stories featuring the work of the Alliance and our network that showcase a new narrative about the power of the youth vote.
Website Enhancements - Focus on Getting #VoteReady
In 2020, the Alliance made significant enhancements to its website to provide opportunities for website visitors to take action to get vote ready and engage with the latest news from the Alliance.
The Alliance’s focus on early voting and first-ever #VoteReady hub led to a surge in website visitors utilizing tools to increase voter education and participation contributing to record breaking youth turnout in early voting.
Social media impressions
Vote Early,
and #VoteReady content Impressions

Ad Metrics
digital ad
Impressions

Website Visits
Take Action
website visits

Resourcing the Field at Scale
The Alliance funded in-state organizing with $11,758,213 with a combination of c3 and c4 resources that directly resourced organizations in the field leading critical voter engagement work ahead of the election.
We are blown away by the scale of resources we were able to facilitate this year and so grateful to our many supporters and foundation partners that made this possible.
For the first time ever, once network organizations’ c3 fundraising gaps were closed, we quickly moved additional c3 funds to amazing organizations who focus on engaging the youth vote and/or voters of color outside our network.
Black Girls Vote

Circle
Community Justice Reform Coalition

March for Our Lives
Native Organizers Alliance

Poder Latinx

Power California

Arab American Institute

Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance

Make the Road PA

NAACP Youth & College

Action St. Louis

Ballot Initiative Strategy Center

Adapting to COVID
And then there was a pandemic. Like many, the Alliance and our network had to swiftly shift and re-align our work in the wake of COVID-19 global pandemic to ensure the safety of our staff and communities. But just like the young people that drive our work, we remain nimble, flexible, and innovative to meet the challenges of this uncertain time. We moved quickly to purchase bulk Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for network organizations to support any staff returning to field work. Check out the many ways the Alliance network innovated and transformed events, relationship building, and local organizing work to meet the moment.
Innovating Around the Pandemic
Peer to Peer Organizing
Leaders Igniting Transformation
Leaders Igniting Transformation in Wisconsin was able to run an extensive digital campaign that collected nearly 3,700 digital pledges to vote, made 19.1 million impressions, and reached 2.85 million people. LIT’s digital work included innovative videos such as a first time voting video in English and Spanish.
Forward Montana
Forward Montana secured a partnership with Montana State, the state’s largest university, to use their unique Online Voter Registration portal as the default for students. They also produced this video where young Montanans shared why they are voting.
Mississippi Votes
Mississippi Votes worked with BDE Music Group and Noxolo Entertainment to produce The Future—an inspirational song by Dolla Black to remind young people that this election is important and the November 3rd elections are inevitably #Up2Us!
Read more on our blog: 8 Ways to Be An At-Home Organizers: Lessons From Our Network
Leadership Development, But Make it Virtual
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NCAAT
Alliance network organizations train future leaders through local democracy and civics-centered leadership development programs—and a pandemic wasn’t going to stop this crucial work. Across the network, 774 young leaders graduated through largely virtual programs this year.
As part of North Carolina Asian Americans Together’s (NCAAT) internship this year, all interns were paid to pursue a personal project related to one of NCAAT’s areas of work including policy, civic and community engagement, and more. Cohort members creative projects including podcasts, Asian American studies toolkits, and hosting voter registration drives at boba shops.
Electoral Services Suite
The Alliance launched our Electoral Services Suite (ESS) in 2020 to lower the barriers to effective voter contact tools. We provided access to and training for electoral and data tools at no cost to our network, including Reach, ThruTalk, ThruText, Hustle, and relational organizing tools, so that network organizations could more easily pivot to and scale digital canvassing voter contact efforts. Through our ESS program, the Alliance supported the cost of over 2.7 million texts and 1.8 million calls made by our network this year. The program will continue to incentivize effective organizing by making it easier to access the tools, technology, and support our network needs to reach young people.
Electoral
calls
texts
2020 By the Numbers
Combined c3/c4 contacts with young voters (AYA + network organizations)
Young Voters Registered
Pledges to Vote
Calls
Texts
Education Mail Pieces Sent
Interns, fellows, and organizers across the network
Volunteers engaged in these efforts
Despite facing seriously unprecedented challenges, millions of young people rose up and flexed their political power to make a historic impact on the most important election of our lifetimes.
The latest analysis from our friends at the CIRCLE estimates that youth voter turnout across the country increased by eleven points from 2016. Young people, and specifically young people of color, were key in driving change this election.
These successes
These successes are a reflection of year-round grassroots organizing and local power building led in part by the many youth organizations in the Alliance network. Young people were able to flex their political power at scale because they were invested in (early!) to organize their peers in person and online. Year-round, grassroots organizing is how we move forward.
Under our national youth vote civic engagement campaign, Our Vote, Our Future (previously Turn Up, Turn Out), we made tens of millions of nonpartisan contacts with young voters from coast-to-coast. Our network proved just how powerful the youth vote is (and will continue to be) as youth turnout surged this cycle. The impact of our organizations in key states is undeniable.


Solidifying Youth Power in Colorado
New Era


Everything’s Bigger in Texas
voter registration forms mailed
new voters registered
2020 Texas youth early vote turnout
2016 Texas youth early vote turnout
%
Voters under age 30 increased early vote share, surpassing other age groups’ share, between 2016 and 2020
Everything’s Bigger in Texas
Everything’s Bigger in Texas. Despite having to largely shift away from field voter registration. MOVE Texas registered 50,864 new voters across the state this year—exceeding their pre-pandemic goal! Their efforts were instrumental in reaching record-breaking youth voter turnout.
The Alliance Network in the 2020 Primaries


Scale, Scale, Scale
As Election Day drew closer, and organizations got into a digital organizing groove, the name of the game became scale, scale, scale. Alliance network organizations grew to their largest staff sizes and widest reach ever ahead of this year’s election. Check out what this work looked like and the victories it yielded in key states:
Black, Indigenous, and Young People of Color Lead the Way in Wisconsin
Hailing out of Milwaukee
Campus chapters launched
6
Calls
1,280,000
Texts
2,120,000
Mail Sent
2,500,000
classroom raps completed
112
relational voter contacts activated
2,690
Video Views
1,500,000
Door Lit Drops
48,332
English and Spanish voter guides distributed
75,000
English and Spanish voter guides distributed
75,000
Hailing out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Leaders Igniting Transformation went state-wide in 2020, launching chapters at 6 campuses with dozens of fellows and organizers outside of their home city. Their electoral impact was massive with 1.28 million calls made, 2.12 million texts sent, 2.5 million pieces of mail sent, 112 classroom raps completed, 2,690 relational voter contacts activated, 1.5 million video views, 48,332 door lit drops, and 75,000 voter guides distributed in both English and Spanish.
Building Power in the Sunshine State
Engage Miami
young voters registered
20,000
Calls
1,000,000
Texts
500,000
poll monitors recruited
60
Engage Miami registered 20,000 young voters, made over one million calls, and sent nearly 500,000 text messages to help young people get ready to vote and be informed voters. They also recruited over 60 poll monitors to do the crucial work of supporting voters on Election Day.
From Mission to Impact in Michigan
Detroit Action’s
Community members contacted about GOTV
86,845
Education Mail reach
454,000
EDUCATION MAIL VERSIONS
11
Calls
979,000
CONVERSATIONS WITH VOTERS
20,792
Detroit Action’s strategy was targeted and collaborative, partnering with key city, state, and national stakeholders to engage underrepresented populations throughout Michigan on COVID-19 relief, absentee and early voting, voter registration, and election protection. Detroit Action distributed 11 voter education mailings reaching 454,000 households. Between August and Election Day, they made over 979,000 calls, contacted 86,845 community members to get out the vote, and had 20,792 conversations with voters.
Long-term organizing in Arizona
Poder
new Program participants gained
2,397
gotv home visits
12,998
GOTV Calls
28,031
VOLUNTEERS ENGAGED IN THESE EFFORTS
310
In Arizona, Latinx organizers have been building for over a decade. In 2020, Poder in Action in Arizona, expanded to new areas of the county and focused on talking to youth of color, immigrants, and folks that are forced to the margins and targeted by state violence. They made over 360,764 texts throughout the fall, and in the last two weeks of GOTV, they reached 12,998 voters at the door and made 28,031 calls. Their work included 310 volunteers and brought in 2,397 new participants into their programs.
#VoteReady – Alliance National Programs
+1thePolls
+1thePolls
The +1thePolls initiative (a project between the Alliance, Students Learn Students Vote Coalition, Campus Vote Project, and MTV) recruited 43 young Poll Defenders who received mini grants to engage their campus and election officials to protect an existing polling site or create a new one. Our poll defenders successfully maintained 10 polling locations and placed or expanded an additional 12 locations ahead of November.
National Voter Registration Day and #NVRD Campus Takeover
In its third year, partnering with Students Learn Students Vote, National Voter Registration Day (NVRD) Campus Takeover supported voter registration on over 400 college campuses on our favorite civic holiday. We launched a webinar series for Campus Takeover 2020 and granted $50,000 in mini-grants to 121 applicants to support online and in-person campus activities. Campus Takeover contributed to nearly 1.5 million voters registered on the holiday this year!
$50,000 in mini-grants
121 applicants 1.5 million voters registered
For NVRD
Power the Polls
In 2020
In 2020, the Alliance for Youth Organizing was a national Power the Polls partner, a first-of-its-kind initiative to recruit poll workers to ensure a safe, fair election for all voters in the midst of nationwide poll worker shortage exacerbated by the pandemic.
Helping Fill Youth Infrastructure Gaps


Mail to Educate
This fall, Alliance for Youth Organizing, ran a multi-piece nonpartisan voter education mail program in 5 states (GA, MS, NC, PA, and SC). We sent 2,866,606 pieces to Gen-Z voters providing information on how to request a mail ballot, vote early in-person, or vote on Election Day. Two weeks out from the Election, we layered a non-partisan phone and text turnout program to reach nearly 1.3 million young voters in GA, NC, and PA. In executing this program, we stumbled on a shelter in Philadelphia that runs a mail service for folks who don’t have a permanent address. We sent our last education mail piece to every registered voter who uses the mail service.
In partnership with Indivisible Civics Action, we added a research question to this program to measure the effectiveness of a text reminder on top of the full mail program. In addition, we partnered with our Youth Organizing Partner, Mississippi Votes, on testing two types of education mail (a black and white letter vs a color postcard) with young voters.
Democracy Done Right
For almost a decade, the Alliance network has been on the forefront of addressing how to build a voting system that works for all Americans. Our national issue campaign, Democracy Done Right, seeks to create a world where our democracy works for everyone, no matter where you come from, what you look like, or how you identify. In 2020, this meant joining allies across the country in demanding elected leaders take immediate action to protect our democracy and expand vote-by-mail and other measures to keep our elections safe and accessible.
While this year amplified the many structural weaknesses of our democracy, it has also presented us with an opportunity to push for the bold solutions we need to make progress as a country—and young people are leading the way. Check it out:
Chicago votes
Loud Light
Loud Light in Kansas won a lawsuit in July 2020 against the Secretary of State after they illegally refused to disclose public records about uncounted provisional ballots in the 2018 election. This ruling enabled Loud Light to run a robust program to chase and cure incorrect provisional ballots for the 2020 elections.
Fighting for the Issues Young People Care About Most
Defend Black Lives and Defund Police
In June 2020, as millions of young leaders took to the streets to defend Black lives, the Alliance for Youth Action and our network released this statement. As a multiracial national network, we follow the example set by Black leaders—including the Black-led organizations in our network who have been working against policing and police violence for years—and joined their calls to defund the police and defend Black lives. We commit to ongoing learning about abolition, dismantling white supremacy, and decentering whiteness in our work. For individual organizations in the network, this work includes extensive training on anti-racism for staff, focusing on issues that disproportionately impact people of color, incorporating racial justice and intersectional language in messaging, and integrating anti-racism into every aspect of the work.
Cancel Student Debt
In March, the Alliance for Youth Action Network joined calls urging congress to cancel student loan debt in the midst of the national healthcare emergency. Our network has been confronting the many economic challenges facing young people through our national Broke AF campaign for years as we continue to fight for bold solutions like tuition-free public college, and expansions of affordable housing and renter protection.
Police-Free Schools
Stopping an Abortion Ban
In Colorado, a dangerous anti-abortion referendum failed after organizing by a coalition of statewide organizations, including New Era Colorado. New Era served on the Executive Committee of this coalition, and built upon their year round work of de-stigmatizing abortion in order to educate and turn out voters.
Here for the Long Haul: Leadership and Organizational Development
The Alliance has always been about more than young people voting. We’re a generation of leaders calling ourselves to action, as volunteers, organizers, and public servants. By investing in young leaders and strengthening the capacity of their organizations, we’re changing our communities for the better and building a bench with the most diverse and progressive generations our country has ever seen.
While the pandemic and remote work made it harder to strategize on how to strengthen organizations and do the deep relationship building typically done in person, we adapted and developed strategies to make sure we could still provide this support.
Community through Cohorts
ED Onboarding Bootcamp: Creating the Conditions for Success
In addition, through our Electoral Services Suite, the Alliance was able to standardize use of engagement tools through The Movement Cooperative and data syncing through Civis. Once voter files are updated, we will use this data access to evaluate the turnout effect of the work done by our network across many factors, analyze the efficacy of 2020 programs, and inform future work.
Data, Data Everywhere
In addition, through our Electoral Services Suite, the Alliance was able to standardize use of engagement tools through The Movement Cooperative and data syncing through Civis. Once voter files are updated, we will use this data access to evaluate the turnout effect of the work done by our network across many factors, analyze the efficacy of 2020 programs, and inform future work.
Professional Services Suite
Alliance Staff and Board
Staff
- Sarah Audelo, Executive Director
- Dawn Boudwin, Deputy Executive Director of Network Strategy
- Jacqueline Grimsley, Deputy Executive Director of Organizational Strategy
- Gnora Gumanow, Director of Network Capacity
- Rebecca Gorena, Senior Program Director
- Scarlett Jimenez, Development Director
- Billy Koontz, Senior Finance Director
- Amit Mistry, Senior National Data Director
- Daniela Mrabti, Communications Manager
- Kenny Myers, Director of Network Capacity
- Carmel Pryor, Senior Director of Communications
- Marisa Slifka, Operations Manager
- Mariella Villacorta, Development Coordinator
- Julian Iriarte, Finance Manager
Alliance for Youth Organizing Board
- Whitney Porter, Chair
- Mollie Ruskin, Vice Chair
- Cathy Lerza, Treasurer
- LiJia Gong, Secretary
- Alexis Anderson-Reed
- Vaughn Frisby
- Amy Faulring
- Jonathan Jayes Green
- Kim Rogers
- Liba Rubenstein
- Steven Cole-Schwartz
Alliance for Youth Action Board
- Alexandra Acker-Lyons, Chair
- Oscar Boleman, Vice Chair
- Aaron Merkin, Treasurer
- Resha Thomas, Secretary
- Jonathan Paik
- Chris Sloan
- Daniel Gonzales
- Ben Wessel
- Paola Ramos
- Juan Escalante
- Tracey Corder
Here’s to Our Supporters!
This historic year would not have been possible if not for the generous foundations, businesses, and individuals who partnered with us and resourced our work in 2020.
Our deep thanks to our biggest circle of supporters yet (over 2,000 champions of youth organizing!).
Alliance for Youth Organizing
Foundation Partners & Major Donors
- Anonymous Donors
- Battery Foundation
- Chrysalis Fund
- Compton Foundation
- Ford Foundation
- Impact Assets
- Jonathan Logan Family Foundation
- JPB Foundation
- Langeloth Foundation
- Loud Hound Foundation
- MacArthur Foundation
- McNulty Foundation
- National Philanthropic Trust
- NEO Philanthropy
- Proteus Fund
- Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors
- Silicon Valley Community Foundation
- Silver Giving Foundation
- Skoll Foundation
- Tides Foundation
- Viacom
- Wallace Global Fund
- Wallace H. Coulter Foundation
- Way to Rise at Amalgamated Charitable Foundation
- Wellspring Philanthropic Fund
- William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
- Windward Fund
- Wunderkinder Foundation
Support from $10,000–$50,000
- 2032 Trust
- Amalgamated Foundation
- Arkay Foundation
- Barn Road Foundation
- Bernice Schoenbaum
- Brach Family Fund
- Cow Hollow Fund
- Donald and Carole Chaiken Foundation
- Graham Family Charitable Foundation
- JMB Hull Fund
- Joyce and Irving Goldman Family Foundation
- Karl Friedman
- Lebowitz Aberly Family Foundation
- Lisa & Douglas Goldman Fund
- Marin Community Foundation
- Marisla Foundation
- Network for Good
- Patagonia Inc.
- Paul Haahr
- PNC Asset Mangement
- Rosenthal Family Foundation
- Roswell Foundation
- Schwab Charitable
- Silvercrest Assets
- Starface World
- Winslow Foundation
Support from $1,000–$9,999
- Agentives Fund
- Andrea Hoag
- Andy And Pam Brown
- Ashley Anderson
- Ashton Rennegarbe
- Benevity
- Book Works Brain Dead
- Brenna Frandsen
- Cahn Funds For Social Change
- Catherine Lerza
- Center for Popular Democracy
- Cherie Williams
- Excel Fund
- Fan Family Charitable Fund
- Fidelity Charitable
- Franklin Philanthrophic Foundation
- Gerrish Milliken
- Grantmakers For Education
- Hartwell Family Charitable Gift Fund
- Houston Harte
- Isabel's Charitable Gift Fund
- James Halperin
- Jeff Josma
- Jewish Communal Fund
- John Powers
- Joy Lucas
- Julia Price
- Karen Bradley
- Kate Elsley
- LARS Charitable Fund
- Marco Adelfio
- Margaret Yeakel and Dorothy Y Hall Fund
- Margot Egan
- Maria Langworthy
- Marklyn Family Foundation
- Mary Gasner
- Matthew Miller
- Melinda Hall
- Michael Herzig
- Michael Lazarus
- Mike Minchin
- Nikunj Bhatt
- Nishoko Charitable Fund
- Panta Rhea Fund
- Philip and Sally Kipper Charitable Fund
- Ralph E. Ogden Foundation
- Robert Woods
- Sheryl Stumbras
- Steve Harris
- Steven Schimmel
- Tai Omi
Support under $1,000
- The Alliance received more support from individuals of this giving level last year than we are able to list! We are so grateful for all of your generosity.
Alliance for Youth Action
Foundation Partners & Major Donors
- America Votes
- Anonymous Donors
- Battery Foundation
- Chambers Initiative
- Communication Workers of America
- Democracy PAC
- Groundswell Action Fund
- Molly Gochman
- Onward Together
- SixteenThirty Fund
- Tides Advocacy Fund
- Tides Foundation
- Way to Win Action Fund
- Women Donors Network Action
Support from $10,000–$50,000
- Aloha Foundation
- Anonymous Donors
- Monica and Philip Rosenthal
- Movement Voter Project
- MoveOn.org
- Public Wise
- The Justine Miner Trust
- Youth Engagement Action Fund
- Ian Simmons
- Henry Van Ameringen
- Faye and Sandor Straus
- Antonia Lenstra
Support from $1,000–$9,999
- Albrecht Moritz
- Ameet Ravital
- Brian Kelley
- Dan Heath
- Douglas Borchard
- Gerrish Milliken
- Ian Villeda
- Janet Levinger
- Jennifer DiBrienza
- Katherine Kovner
- Michael Isard
- Stephanie Ellis-Smith
- Steven Cole-Schwartz
- Susannah Wood
- Wendy Vanden Heuvel
Support under $1,000
- The Alliance received more support from individuals of this giving level last year than we are able to list! We are so grateful for all of your generosity.
Accounting
Alliance for Youth Organizing
Income: $21,409,509
Expenses: $15,448,524
Assets
Assets
Cash in Checking Accounts | $9,840,769.75 |
Grants Receivable | $4,370,939.66 |
Accounts Receivable | $61,673.05 |
Other Assets | $66,471.10 |
TOTAL ASSETS | $14,339,853.56 |
Liabilities
Liabilities
Accounts & Credit Card Payable | $1,908,868.58 |
Accrued Payroll & Vacation Liabilities | $63,611.16 |
TOTAL LIABILITIES | $1,972,479.74 |
TOTAL NET ASSETS
TOTAL NET ASSETS
Unrestricted Net Assets | $2,861,887.07 |
Board Designed Reserve Fund | $594,847.59 |
Restricted to Fiscally Sponsored Org. | $4,984,581.76 |
Other Temporarily Restricted Funds | $3,926,057.40 |
TOTAL NET ASSETS | $12,367,373.82 |
Alliance for Youth Action
Income: $7,196,308
Expenses: $7,578,203
Assets
Assets
Cash in Checking Accounts | $1,046,494.38 |
Receivables & Other Assets | $339,615.35 |
TOTAL ASSETS | $1,386,109.73 |
Liabilities
Liabilities
Accounts & Credit Card Payable | $78,025.43 |
TOTAL LIABILITIES | $78,025.43 |
TOTAL NET ASSETS
TOTAL NET ASSETS
Unrestricted Net Assets | $899,316.80 |
Board Designed Reserve Fund | $65,080.20 |
Other Temporarily Restricted Funds | $343,687.30 |
TOTAL NET ASSETS | $1,308,084.30 |