In communities across the U.S., local organizers are building the power needed to advance racial and health equity. But the pandemic left lasting impacts on their ability to connect, mobilize, and sustain deep relationships. Base building—the ongoing, relational work of engaging community members in collective action—has become more episodic and surface-level.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s $36 million investment in Local Base Building sought to strengthen the capacity of multi-issue, BIPOC-led organizations, particularly in the South and among youth-led groups. By working through national and regional networks, the initiative reached more than 750 organizations in 35 states, supporting their ability to adapt, expand their base, and win policy and systems changes rooted in community priorities.
Our evaluation shows the power of investing not just in individual organizations, but in the ecosystems they operate within. Multi-issue organizing enables flexibility, helps break down issue siloes, and strengthens the connective tissue across movements. Yet this work requires sustained resources—both for organizational capacity and for the infrastructure that enables collaboration.
The lessons here are clear: Philanthropy can amplify community voices and advance systemic change by funding base building as a core strategy, supporting flexible, multi-issue work, and resourcing the ecosystem-wide capacities needed for coordination and shared leadership.
Read the full report to explore the approaches, wins, and innovations driving local base building forward—and how funders can help sustain them.