At Ben & Jerry's, we've always believed that business has a responsibility to the community, we call it ‘linked prosperity’. We also believe that strong communities don't happen by accident. They're formed when people organize: sustained, intentional efforts that build power, turn shared values and concerns into collective action, hold decision-makers accountable, and drive lasting change.
That's why we're investing $3 million in People's Action Institute , a national network of organizations with more than a million members, and its Organizing Revival, a nationwide effort to strengthen community organizing, build people power, and create the infrastructure needed for a healthy democracy. And we’re giving this grant as unrestricted funding, which means we don’t dictate or oversee how the funding is used.
People's Action Institute will decide how to use the funding to reach its goals without influence from Ben & Jerry’s. We aren’t creating narrowly defined programs for PAI to fit into. Instead, we're trusting their expertise to direct resources where they're needed most. It could be things like training groups across the country in the most effective organizing techniques, working with community leaders to bring their advocacy skills to the next level, or expanding base building bootcamps that bring more people into winning campaigns.
That may sound like it makes sense, but it's surprisingly rare.
For years, nonprofit leaders and movement organizations have talked about the need for long-term, flexible funding. Too often, organizations are asked to tackle some of society's biggest challenges with short-term grants designed around specific projects and quick results, and without the resources to ensure their people are taken care of or the tools to actually accomplish the tasks. But lasting change doesn't work that way. Building community leadership, developing organizers, creating relationships, and strengthening democratic participation takes time. The kind of results we need right now don’t fit neatly into flashy KPIs or quarterly reports.
People's Action Institute understands this better than most. For decades, they've been organizing in communities across the country, helping people come together around the issues that matter most in their lives. With its “neighborhoods first” strategy, PAI has built movements and secured long-lasting victories on issues spanning environmental justice, wealth inequality, healthcare for all, and more. Since 2020:
- In New York, People’s Action Institute member groups fought for and won the Climate Change Superfund Act, which would force the oil and gas companies most responsible for the climate crisis to pay as much as $75 billion over 25 years to pay for the consequences of extreme weather. The campaign also won a statewide moratorium on new data center construction, and a $20-million EPA Community Change grant for emergency preparedness and workforce development in Buffalo.
- PAI’s Homes Guarantee campaign helped pass and strengthen rent stabilization laws in Washington State and New York State, and local rent stabilization laws and rent caps in Maryland. The campaign also won a $125-million federal grant to fund low- and moderate-income homeowners to fix critical safety issues and improve energy efficiency in Pennsylvania.
- PAI’s Care Over Cost campaign led a multiyear fight to end health care claims denials by for-profit insurance companies. By December 2025, after PAI protests at corporate offices in Indiana and Minnesota, on Wall Street, and on Capitol Hill, more than 30 states had passed laws to rein in denials of care.
Through the Organizing Revival, they're investing these decades of experience in the skills, relationships, and grassroots infrastructure needed to build durable people power and momentum that lasts beyond any single campaign or election cycle.
So why are we investing now?
Democracy is under threat. The right to protest is under attack, people are being locked up without due process, and the right to vote is being dismantled. Many people feel disconnected from institutions, shut out of decision-making, and uncertain how to raise their voices, or if they even matter.
Elections are critical inflection points in any democratic society, where we make our voices heard by casting our votes for those we want to see represent us, but democracy does not start or end at the ballot box. Democracy is an ongoing practice that people put into action every day when they organize, advocate, solve problems together, and take responsibility for the well-being of their communities.
That's the role organizing plays. It turns isolated frustration into collective action and transforms individuals into communities, using the power of people to demand accountability from elected leaders, win campaigns that improve their lives, and build an inclusive democracy that works for everyone. As People's Action Institute's research found, good organizing is one of the most effective ways to build the power needed to overcome authoritarianism and advance an inclusive democracy.
As an aspiring social justice company, Ben & Jerry's has long worked alongside movements fighting for a more just and inclusive world. This investment is a continuation of that commitment, and a recognition that the long-term health of our democracy depends on organized communities and engaged citizens. The challenges we face won't be solved overnight.
That's why we're investing in the People’s Action Institute’s Organizing Revival.
Because democracy doesn't sustain itself.
People do.