About MVP
- What *is* Movement Voter Project?
Movement Voter Project (MVP) works like a “mutual fund” for political giving: We raise money from donors and invest it in the most effective organizing groups in key states. We do the research and vetting, so your giving goes further.
- When and how did MVP begin?
Billy Wimsatt and a community of organizers and donors founded MVP in 2015 because most political giving went to candidates’ TV ads and consultants, while the community groups that actually win elections and build power were underfunded. They started by helping donors fund several hundred local organizing groups in key states, and took the name Movement Voter Project in 2018.
- What kinds of organizations does MVP fund?
MVP funds local, state, and national organizing groups rooted in and led by the communities they serve, from established organizations to brand-new groups doing electoral work for the first time. We put a strong emphasis on organizing working-class communities of all races.
- What kinds of work does MVP fund?
MVP funds three connected strategies: expanding year-round local organizing, scaling up new media to win hearts and minds, and emboldening Democrats to fight for bold, popular agendas that win back voters we’ve lost.
- Where does MVP fund? What is MVP's electoral targeting?
MVP funds organizing in the swing states and races that will decide control of the presidency, the U.S. Senate and House, and state and local governments. Our advisors constantly adjust and fine-tune our targeting as the political landscape shifts.
- What is "organizing" and "base building"? Why is this MVP's funding focus?
Organizing helps people turn the resources they have into the power they need to make change (to paraphrase Marshall Ganz), and base building means organizing more people into deeper commitment, leadership, and action. MVP funds this work because year-round base building, not last-minute transactional voter contact, is what wins elections and builds lasting power.
- Is MVP affiliated with the Democratic Party?
No. MVP is an independent organization, not part of the Democratic Party. We fund organizing and movement-building groups, and we push Democrats to fight for bold, popular agendas that can win the voters we need, now and long term.
- Does MVP fund candidates?
While most traditional political giving goes to candidates, MVP focuses on funding year-round organizing groups — because they turn out unlikely voters, keep organizing after Election Day, and build power that grows cycle after cycle.
- Does MVP run get-out-the-vote programs and advocacy campaigns?
No. MVP doesn’t run voter turnout or advocacy campaigns ourselves. We fund, strengthen, and connect the year-round organizing groups that do.