RELEASE: Priorities USA Awards 14 Grants to Organizations Focused on Innovation and Building Digital Capacity in Advance of 2024 Election
WASHINGTON – The Digital Impact Initiative (DII), a project of Priorities USA, has awarded 14 grants to organizations who aim to grow in their digital capacity in advance of the 2024 election.
The DII Grant Program was created to support the smart use of digital at the grassroots level in competitive states, and supports organizations that are looking to invest and grow in the digital advertising space, but lack the technical expertise or funds to start these programs.
DII’s $10,000 – $30,000 grants come with in-depth training for the grantees’ staff, ongoing support during the course of the program, ad-troubleshooting, support embedding tests, and assistance developing research questions. This investment also provides seed funding for community-based organizations that are already running competent non-digital programming to expand those tactics online.
“Priorities USA is proud to support 14 grant recipients with goals that will reach voters across the country, touching different communities of color, reaching a variety of age ranges, and doing it all online,” said Executive Director Danielle Butterfield. “Priorities USA remains focused on building digital infrastructure with progressive partners and allies over the next decade, and we are proud to invest in forward-looking and innovative work from our diverse grantees to support research and data, training, and tools to grow and expand the electorate.”
In 2024, Priorities received more than 100 grant applications covering issues of candidate persuasion to GOTV. Tactics and targets were diverse in their goals, and we’re proud that our grant recipients will reach voters across the country, different communities of color, and all online.
Across various categories of campaigning, recipients of the DII digital grants include:
A Digital Approach to Get Out the Vote
America’s Future Project (AZ, NV) reaching Latino men: will use digital ads to ensure that Latino men know what’s at stake in this election by sitting out and not casting a ballot. Their program will utilize research from key partners to carry a message that is culturally competent in both English and Spanish.
Asian American Midwest Progressives (OH) reaching AAPI voters: will use social pressure messaging and culturally relevant ads in Asian languages, including Chinese and Nepali, to turn out voters up and down the ballot. Asian Americans in Ohio are not geographically centered, and as such, digital ads are a great tactic to reach this key constituency that is also diverse.
Fair Wisconsin (WI) reaching LGBTQ+ voters: will use digital to reach LGBTQ+ residents of Wisconsin in an inclusive way to promote their electoral involvement. Digital is an integral avenue to reach young, digital-native LGBTQ+ voters – more so than direct mail, and to reach rural LGBTQ+ voters – more so than in-person canvassing.
Souls to the Polls (WI) reaching Black and Latino voters: will geo-target 4 college campuses and in neighborhoods that may be underreached to get out the vote on social media platforms. The ads will carry a message on the ease of voting and the impact of participation on your community.
Content Creator Partnerships
Equity for All (GA) reaching young Black voters: will work with content creators and influencers in beauty, fashion, and lifestyle niches while incorporating voiceover educational content about the election and key advocacy issues.
La Brega y Fuerza (NY, PA, NC, WI) reaching voters of the Puerto Rican diaspora: will target Puerto Rican influencers to increase their messaging and develop the community’s political power. They will share stories of people in the diaspora and on the island and create a consciousness around common issues that are essential to voting.
Pennsylvania Stands Up (PA) reaching voters of color: will partner with micro-influencers who have already established themselves as trusted messengers in their local counties to craft messaging that resonates in their particular microenvironment. They’re focused on getting followers prepared to vote by encouraging them to check their voter registration, verify that they have not been erroneously removed from the voter rolls, and make a plan to vote, whether in person or by mail.
Pre-Canvass Digital Ads
Action Together NEPA (PA) reaching Black and Latino voters: will geo-target ads into communities before their field programs canvass that neighborhood, in order to build trust in advance of door knocks. The cycle of on voters’ screens to on their doors is one that will reinforce the same message and increase participation among voters.
Down Home North Carolina (NC) reaching Black, young, and rural voters: will layer a GOTV strategy over their door universe, using a framing of freedoms, focused on reproductive rights, public education, and infrastructure investment through the IRA.
Voter Education and Expanding Rights
Georgia Values Action (GA) reaching people of color and young voters: will target young voters on college campuses and voters of color to share a voter toolkit with information on how they can check their registration status and exercise their right to vote.
Emgage (MI) reaching Muslim voters: Michigan recently passed Proposal 2, expanding voting rights for Michiganians. Emgage will ensure voters know how to access the ballot box through voter education and GOTV ads to turn out up and down the ballot.
Western Native Voice (MT) reaching Native voters: The primary goal of the “Empower Native Voices” program is to increase voter registration and turnout among Native American communities, and especially younger Native Americans, while simultaneously raising awareness about critical issues that affect these communities.
Bridging the Digital Divide
New Mexico Native Vote (NM) reaching Native voters in English, Navajo, and Keres: will use digital ads to account for targets they cannot reach through canvassing in rural areas. Their messaging will be informative and inspire Indigenous communities across the state to get out and vote.
North Dakota Native Vote (ND) reaching Native voters: will use digital by leveraging targeted pin drop digital ads, tribal radio ads, and gas pump ads to effectively engage and mobilize Native American voters, with a focus on delivering culturally relevant messages that resonate with tribal values and priorities.
A complete list of the 2024 Digital Impact Initiative grantees follows:
1. Action Together NEPA
2. America’s Future Project
3. Asian American Midwest Progressives
4. Down Home North Carolina
5. Emgage MI
6. Equity for All
7. Fair Wisconsin
8. Georgia Values Action
9. La Brega y Fuerza
10. New Mexico Native Vote
11. North Dakota Native Vote
12. Pastors United Community Advocacy / Souls to the Polls Wisconsin
13. Pennsylvania Stands Up
14. Western Native Voice