Indivisible began in late 2016 after former congressional staffers came together to write The Indivisible Guide, a practical guide for newly engaged civic activists to take action in defending their progressive values within their local communities. The first step was to start a group -- an informal local community of people dedicated to taking action together.

The Guide quickly sparked a nation-wide progressive grassroots movement, with more than 5,000 local Indivisible groups registering across the country in 2017. In order to support this emerging movement, the authors of the Guide formed Indivisible Civics, a registered 501(c)(3) organization committed to providing civic education, policy resources, strategic guidance, and targeted trainings for groups across the country. With this support, Indivisible groups were empowered with the resources and tools they needed to hold their elected officials accountable and ignite change within their communities. Indivisible groups have held tens of thousands of actions in their local communities, from district office visits to marches and voter registration drives.

Read more about Indivisible’s impact in our 2019 Annual Report.

 

WHAT IS INDIVISIBLE PROJECT?

Indivisible Project, a 501(c)(4), was established to lift up that grassroots movement of local groups to defeat the Trump agenda, elect progressive leaders, and realize bold progressive policies. It supports local Indivisible groups by offering legislative advocacy and political expertise and by building political power everywhere. Learn more about Indivisible Project here.

 

 

The Indivisible movement has created something rare in the advocacy space: a nationwide, locally-led, multi-issue movement that uplifts the power of local communities. Our distributed organizing model empowers local groups with the agency and resources they need to sustain their activism. The result is a uniquely effective way to mobilize and resource millions of people nationwide to take action and promote progressive values and policies within their communities. 

  • Leveraging Local Leadership: Local Indivisible groups don’t parachute in ahead of a single event or policy campaign - they are local, long-term progressive infrastructure that is responsive to the communities they live in. Our distributed organizing model empowers local leaders to take charge and make use of their own resources, tapping into local knowledge, skills, and networks. By its very nature, independent local leadership creates a sense of ownership, innovation, and personal investment.

  • A Virtuous Cycle of Civic Engagement: Indivisible groups engage where they can have the most impact, whether that’s voter registration or organizing to advance progressive policies. Indivisibles also pivot from local to state to national advocacy, responding to opportunities and showing up to defend progressive values. As a result, Indivisible groups are building a lasting community-based progressive infrastructure designed for the long-haul. 

  • Sustaining a massive base, including in rural and suburban communities: Our distributed model has empowered thousands of sustainable local Indivisible groups that continue to thrive in every state in the country, including in suburban areas and deeply rural communities. A 2019 study that looked at the distribution of Indivisible groups across the country found significant Indivisible presence in, “Rural, rural-mix, and sparse-suburban districts across Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arizona, West Virginia, Texas, and beyond.”

  • Power of Community: People are more likely to get involved and stay involved in activism if they feel like part of a community. Indivisible groups build social networks that fight burnout and mobilize their members to make commitments of time and energy.

  • Partnering Across the Progressive Space: Core to Indivisible’s theory of change is the belief that we are stronger when we stand together. Indivisible Civics prioritizes building strategic and intentional partnerships with other organizations in the progressive ecosystem. We know that our groups are more powerful when they tap into existing grassroots networks in their communities, forming statewide coalitions and joint actions to create a powerful grassroots movement. 

 

The depth and breadth of our movement in undeniable. Our committed, fired-up, grassroots movement continues to thrive in every state across the country. Since the beginning of 2019, Indivisibles have made 73,625 calls to Congress using our tools and have organized a total of 2,438 grassroots events in all 50 states across the country. 

Our largest single day of action ever took place on January 3, 2019, when Indivisibles held over 160 events around the country celebrating the opening of the new Congress by encouraging their representatives to support inclusive pro-democracy reform. That energy is not waning. In September 2019, Indivisibles held nearly 200 actions from Colorado to Maine during our Defund Hate week of action to encourage Congress to decrease funding to ICE, CPB, and DHS, and instead shift that money into humanitarian programs that will actually help address the crisis at the border. 

These are just a few examples of how groups across the nation have come together to hold their elected officials accountable, taking action on issues like immigration, healthcare, and the climate crisis. Indivisibles across the country will continue to show up and defend progressive values in their local communities and beyond — taking on the most pressing issues issues of our time.

 
 

Prioritizing Democracy: While Indivisible began in late 2016 as a “resistance” organization, the movement has evolved. When we surveyed Indivisible members about their issue priorities, 75 percent placed pro-democracy reforms as one of their top three priorities -- the highest of any issue. Indivisible groups in rural, urban, and suburban parts of the country, in all 50 states, recognize and understand that the current political environment is only the symptom of an accelerating breakdown of our democracy -- that regardless of any single election, the system will remain broken and the rules rigged, at both the federal and state levels. By demystifying the policy process, building intentional partnerships, and providing key trainings, Indivisible Civics will continue to work with our groups nationwide in organizing against anti-democratic and discriminatory policies. Ultimately, we know that structural democracy reform is critical to creating a bold and inclusive democracy.  

Indivisible Civics provides support to our network to strengthen their local activism:  

  • Sustainable Grassroots Leadership: 
    Indivisible’s organizing model provides local Indivisible groups with direct support from in-turf organizers. Our in-turf organizers support local groups in providing trainings, connecting them with other groups to create state-wide coalitions, and strategic guidance on organizing for our national campaigns. This direct support provides groups across the country with the guidance and resources they need to build power in their local communities

  • Demystifying the Policy Process:
    Indivisible Civics is committed to turning policy education into activism. Through our online resource library, we provide groups with the policy and political guidance needed to take action in their local communities. These resources demystify Congress and state legislatures to ensure that local groups can build power on their home turf. Our team designs issue-specific guides, call scripts, explainers, and organizing toolkits to ensure our groups feel empowered and informed to take on complex policy issues on the local, state, and national level. 

  • Improving coordination by building and strengthening statewide structures: 
    Indivisible supports the development of statewide Indivisible coordinating structures where they don’t currently exist and helps strengthen coordination where statewide structures are already in place, in order to continue facilitating peer learning and strengthened leadership -- allowing for joint events and strength in numbers.  

  • Building Skills and Knowledge: 
    In order to build a responsive and sustainable movement, we recognize the importance of providing our groups with the training and support that they need to organize and take action within their communities. In 2018, Indivisible Civics launched an expanded training program that reached 4,000 group leaders and members. Indivisible staff trained group leaders on effective organizing skills and tactics, racial justice and equity, and leadership development. 

  • Translating Policy Education into Activism: 
    Our policy resources don’t just live online. Indivisible’s organizers in the field turn these educational resources into national strategic action. With this support, groups hold thousands of events across the country every year. 

  • Amplifying the Grassroots through Press Support: 
    Indivisible's press staff offers groups resources, trainings, and direct support to ensure they can engage with local media as part of their advocacy

 
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“Indivisible groups were instrumental in pressuring members of Congress not to end Obamacare, again taking a leaf from the Tea Party by showing up, well briefed and vocal, at members’ town hall meetings.”

- Brookings Institution

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“...Greenberg and Levin’s blueprint—which helped shake many white-collar progressives out of their abstract, coffeehouse-and-protest idealism and reacquaint them with a belief in shoe-leather, show-up-with-bodies democratic politics.”

- Politico (Indivisible is #2 on Politico's 2017 list of top 50 influencers)

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“Indivisible, the political-activism organization founded by former congressional staffers Leah and Ezra, started with a group of friends offering their contribution to a long history of community organizing. [...]Leah and Ezra have built a powerful network of folks ready to fight for justice and inclusion in health care, at our borders and in the Supreme Court. They did not do this work alone, and perhaps most commendably they are quick to step back, create space and center those most impacted by issues. In times of division, they’ve been a constant force for good..”

- Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, TIME, April 2019

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Meighan Stone

Senior Fellow, Women and Foreign Policy Program, Council on Foreign Relations (Board Chair)

Meighan Stone is a senior fellow in the Women and Foreign Policy Program at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), focusing on women’s economic empowerment, girls’ education, and refugee policy. She joined CFR from serving as entrepreneurship fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center, where she researched refugee policy and collaborated with Harvard faculty to foster social innovation.

As president of the Malala Fund, Stone worked with founder and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai from 2014 to 2017 to empower girls globally to learn and lead without fear. She has led high-level advocacy, international development and media projects with Bono’s ONE Campaign, the United Nations, Global Partnership for Education, World Economic Forum, G7 summits and with political campaigns, world leaders and technology corporations globally.

Named one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People and to ELLE Magazine’s 2017 “Women in Washington Power List,” Stone serves as executive chairwoman of Pencils of Promise and on the boards of Congressman John Lewis’ bipartisan Faith and Politics Institute, Indivisible, Civic Engagement Fund, Sweet Briar College, and girls’ coding initiative Kode With Klossy.

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Indivar Dutta-Gupta

Co-Executive Director, Center on Poverty and Inequality at Georgetown University

Indivar Dutta-Gupta is Co-Executive Director at the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality where he leads work to develop and advance ideas for reducing poverty and economic inequality in the U.S., with particular attention to gender and racial equity. Indivar also serves on the National Academy of Social Insurance’s (NASI) board of directors and is a member of the Poverty, Employment and Self-Sufficiency Network, funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as well as Canada’s Ministerial Advisory Committee on Poverty Reduction.

Previously, Indivar was Project Director at Freedman Consulting, LLC, leading strategic initiatives for major philanthropies, children’s groups, and workers’ organizations. Indivar served as Senior Policy Advisor at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, focusing on budget and tax policies and cross-cutting low-income issues. Earlier, he focused on safety net, tax, and social insurance programs and policies as U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee Professional Staff.

As an Emerson National Hunger Fellow, Indivar worked for DC Hunger Solutions and the Center for American Progress. Indivar has been named a First Focus Campaign for Children Champion for Children and was awarded the Congressional Hunger Center Alumni Leadership Award (2016). He was named one of Washington Life magazine’s most Influential 40-And-Under Leaders (2013) and Rising Stars 40 And Under (2016). Indivar is an honors graduate of the University of Chicago and a Harry S. Truman Scholar.

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David Slifka

Co-Founder, Amplify

David Slifka is part of the wave of individuals who became civically engaged after recognizing the need for improved infrastructure serving fellow grassroots activists. He co-founded Amplify, an app helping Indivisible chapters and other resistance organizations around the country take action as a team. He also serves as founding board chair of Rapid Resist.

David began his career as an investor for non-profit institutions, including Yale University and the YMCA Retirement Fund. He remains active as an investor and lecturer on financial topics, in addition to serving on various non-profit boards. David holds a BA from Yale University and an MBA from Wharton.

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JEREMY HAILE

Chief of Staff, Vice Mayor of Berkeley

Jeremy Haile is a public interest lawyer and a co-author of the Indivisible Guide. Previously, he served as a congressional staffer in the office of Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX). Since then, he has worked in criminal justice reform advocacy at The Sentencing Project and as chief of staff to the Vice Mayor of Berkeley. A longtime activist, Jeremy’s work has appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and NPR’s All Things Considered. He currently lives in San Francisco with his wife Jen, City Director for Human Rights Watch.

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SRIJATA CHATTOPADHYAY

Energy Product Strategy Lead, Google

Srijata has been involved with Indivisible since its inception, including previously serving on the board of Indivisible Action. Srijata is currently a Lead at Google, where she develops business strategy and launches new products associated with Google's energy management and renewables portfolio. Previously, Srijata worked at Tesla as a lead in operating the global solar and storage product vertical and working to replace traditional energy generation and delivery with renewable solutions using cutting edge Tesla technology. She has also previously worked in emerging markets investing. Srijata earned a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Barnard College and an MBA from The Wharton School.

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Leah Greenberg

Board Member

Leah Greenberg is a co-founder and co-Executive Director of the Indivisible Project. She most recently served as Policy Director for the Tom Perriello for Governor of Virginia campaign. Previously, she managed the Partnership for Freedom, a $6 million public-private partnership on human trafficking, served as an Advisor to the State Department’s Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review process, coordinated interagency engagement for the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, and worked on the Hill for Congressman Tom Perriello.

Leah holds a bachelor’s degree from Carleton College and a master’s degree in international affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

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Ezra Levin

Board Member

Ezra Levin is a co-founder and co-Executive Director of the Indivisible Project. Previously, Ezra worked as a poverty policy wonk and advocate. He most recently served as the Associate Director of Federal Policy at Prosperity Now. He was Deputy Policy Director for Congressman Lloyd Doggett and an AmeriCorps VISTA in the Homeless Services Division of the San Jose Housing Department.

Ezra holds a bachelor’s degree from Carleton College and a master’s in public affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.

Help us educate and empower civic leaders across the country by supporting Indivisible Civics, a 501(c)(3) organization, through a tax deductible contribution online here.

If you’d like to give by check, please make it out to “Indivisible Civics” and mail to PO Box 43884, Washington, D.C. 20010. For wire transfer instructions or other questions, please contact donate@indivisible.org. If you are interested in giving a grant to Indivisible Civics, please contact us at grants@indivisible.org.

Donations to Indivisible Civics (EIN 82-2355901) are tax deductible.