DEMOCRACY & SOCIETY

Grantees will rewrite the story of our nation’s progress, centering the BIPOC, women, queer, gender expansive, and disabled people who are the original creators and stewards of American democracy.

• Aaryn Lang – Artist, activist and writer Aaryn Lang will activate Generation Z through a suite of funny, honest, and educational digital content leading up to the 2024 election. 
  
• Addition | To See Each Other – Addition will produce another season of the inspiring “To See Each Other” podcast hosted by George Goehl with stories that caution against writing off people and places and advancing introspection and understanding.
• American University | GoodLaugh Comedy Tour – The Center for Media & Social Impact at American University will produce the “GoodLaugh Comedy Tour”, a four-city traveling experience that doubles as a comedy tour and an interactive civic engagement event. 
• Amplifier Foundation | Stories of Revolutionary Love – In collaboration with filmmaker and author Valarie Kaur’s “Revolutionary Love Bus Tour,” Amplifier will launch an immersive storytelling campaign harnessing both in-person and digital experiences to weave the collective voices of individuals from every state into a powerful narrative.
• Caring Across Generations | Care in Common – Caring Across Generations will present “Care in Common,” a multimedia initiative aiming to educate the public about caregiving as an essential societal investment.
• Center for Working Families Fund | Joy to the Polls: Bringing Music and Democracy Together – Joy to the Polls will organize pop-up performances with major artists at polling sites in at least 5-7 states during early voting and on Election Day to increase voter turnout and participation, encourage a higher level of civic engagement through the power of art and culture, and transform the act of voting into a communal, uplifting event. 
• Center for Working Families Fund | Real Housewives of Politics – The Center for Working Families Fund’s cultural strategy team will activate and expand the Real Housewives of Politics fandom organizing strategy.
• Fandom Forward | Save Our Progress: Building Fan Organizing Power in Gaming – Fandom Forward’s “Save Our Progress” campaign will mobilize a cohort of video game fans to design and execute civic engagement strategies within their own fan communities.
• Foment Productions | America, Who Hurt You? – Tony Award-winner Sarah Jones will host the podcast America, Who Hurt You? holding up a loving, but accurate, mirror to America’s range of faces, voices and experiences, in an attempt to save democracy. 
• Harness Community | Protect the Sacred’s Ride to the Polls: Riding for Democracy & Honoring 100 Years of Citizenship – Harness’ Protect the Sacred “Ride to the Polls” campaign will activate 50,000+ young Indigenous voters through art, media and on-the-ground activations that tap into traditional culture as well as the subcultures of Indigenous communities.
• How To Citizen | How To Citizen – Writer and comedian Baratunde Thurston will launch “How To Citizen”, a story gathering and storytelling experiment that will solicit, share, and amplify stories of citizening from all over the country through a robust social media campaign in order to seed healthy stories of collective self-determination in an toxic media landscape. 
• Islamic Scholarship Fund | Muslim Girls DTF: Discuss Their Faith – Comedians Aizzah Fatima and Atheer Yacoub will produce “Muslim Girls DTF: Discuss Their Faith,” a stand up comedy show set to travel across the American South with a diverse lineup of Muslim women who will bring audiences laughs about their shared trauma of growing up in an Islamophobic America, while tackling taboo topics about sex, dating, and pork.
• Kyla Searle | This Is How We Win – Producer and activist Kyla Searle will produce This Is How We Win, a digital video short that invites viewers to reconnect with what it means to come together for something meaningful and reimagine what it means to win in America. 
• Lachi Music LLC | Mad Different Multidisciplinary Digital Content Series – Recording artists Lachi will produce “Mad Different”, a multi-media concert series exploring historically excluded narratives and accessibility-art through music’s pop culture lens.
• National Domestic Workers Alliance | The Legacy Project – National Domestic Workers Alliance will produce “The Legacy Project,” an immersive portrait experience that will celebrate the often overlooked contributions of domestic workers through American history, from enslaved women’s resilience to modern-day organizing. 
• Offsides Productions | Friday Night Semites  – Josh Healey, a Jewish-American writer/filmmaker, and Sammy Obeid, an award-winning Palestinian-American comedian, will co-host Friday Night Semites, a new video podcast series combining insightful opinions and absurdist comedy to break down some of the toughest issues in the Middle East and the U.S.
• Question Culture | SONGS FROM THE HOLE – Question Culture will produce a national impact campaign for the documentary visual album Songs from the Hole, which follows James “JJ’88” through a musical opus of hip-hop and soul inspired by his innermost struggles as both a person who has committed and experienced violent harm, as he serves a double-life prison sentence. 
• TaskForce | Into Action Lab || WE are Democracy Social Content – TaskForce’s Into Action Lab will generate and distribute hundreds of digital gifs/memes/stickers that celebrate a shared respect for our humanity, for our diverse cultures, and for our unique backgrounds.
• The Center for Cultural Power | Movement to the Ballot Box – A project of The Center for Cultural Power, “Movement to the Ballot Box” (M2BB) will interweave stories of joy, urgency, imagination, and possibilities to activate BIPOC voters using visual art, digital videos and in-person activations that ignite voters’ belief that individuals working together can create the means of their own liberation.
• The Mash-Up Americans LLC | Tikkun Olam: Our Season of Repair – The Mash-Up Americans will complete a trilogy of podcast projects—Grief, Collected, The Ultimate Guide to a Mash-Up Life, and Tikkun Olam: Our Season of Repair—that tackle pressing issues like climate, gender inequality, fascism, and more. 
• Upenndo! Productions | From Soil to Soul: Igniting Environmental Justice – Award-winning activist and producer Maya Penn’s Upenndo Productions’ will produce From Soil to Soul: Igniting Environmental Justice, a documentary film that chronicles how citizens of a rural majority black farming town in Warren County North Carolina launched a protest against the US government and ignited the birth of the environmental justice movement.

TRUTH SEEKERS

Grantees will popularize the idea that to know ourselves, we must know our history, creating momentum for the movement to protect every person’s access to racial history, queer studies, and social emotional learning in K-12 education and public life.

• Comfrey Films | Under False Colors – Comfrey Films’ current director-in-residence, Mickaela Bradford, will direct Under False Colors, a narrative short film about the life of Frances Thompson, a Black trans woman who survived the Memphis Massacre of 1866 and one of the first Black women to testify before the U.S Congressional Committee and to speak on record against sexual violence that she and the women of the Gayoso Bayou Inn experienced.
• Culture House | Black Twitter – Culture House will produce an impact campaign supporting the three-part documentary series, Black Twitter, currently streaming on HULU.
• Culture House | Sorry Is Not Enough – Culture House will produce Sorry Is Not Enough a feature-length documentary film intended to increase understanding of the validity and viability of reparations as tangible, long-term solution to repair social and economic injustices that have persisted as a result of the transatlantic slave trade.
• Equis Institute | (Re)Writing Latinés Into the Greater American Story Online – Equis Institute will build the infrastructure and reference points for “(Re)Writing Latinés Into the Greater American Story Online,” a project that will catalog the expansive history and contributions of Latinés in the United States into Wikipedia.
• F Collective, Inc. (The Meteor) | Undistracted – The Meteor will produce UNDISTRACTED, a weekly news podcast hosted by organizer Brittany Packnett Cunningham about democracy and our place in it.
• Lunch Money Films | Unlearned – Lunch Money Films will produce a documentary film entitled Unlearned exploring the backlash against critical race theory and how classrooms are currently teaching the American Story through interviews with and profiles of educators, politicians, students, and families/parent groups.
• Moore + Associates, LLC | Pow – Comedian Joey Clift and producer Moore+Associates will build from the Webby and Anthem award-winning “Gone Native” digital shorts series to produce a narrative-based animated short film about contemporary life for and complex issues facing Native Americans.
• Picture Motion Campaigns, LLC. | Movie Night, Presented by PicMO – Picture Motion will launch “Movie Night,” a nation-wide series of over 100 film screenings in key communities, aiming to inspire increased education, civic action, efforts to protect access to history and local leadership.
• Sawaha LLC | American Muslims: A History Revealed – Sawaha will debut American Muslims: A History of Revealed premiering with PBS Digital Studios in September 2024, featuring three Muslim American journalists exploring Muslim “authorship” and “agency” in crafting what it means to be an American from the pre-Declaration of Independence to the early 20th century.
• Social & Environmental Entrepreneurs/The Center for Art and Abolition | Origin Film Screenings – Create opportunities for students (high school and collegiate), community leaders, and BIPOC filmmakers to experience Origin and engage in facilitated discussion about the film’s themes with artists and creators tied to the story.
• United We Dream Network | No Borders, Just Flavors – Building on the success of Just Flavors season 1, United We Dream will advance narrative strategies of self love & inherent worth, reclaiming your heritage through history and culture tailored for directly-impacted immigrant youth, and allies of color.

REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE

Grantees will center bodily autonomy—the human right to control our sexuality, gender, and reproduction—as integral to the liberation of BIPOC communities and to the nation’s collective freedom.

• F Collective, Inc. (The Meteor) | United States of Abortion + Reproductive Justice Collaborative Content Production – The Meteor will continue production of its groundbreaking United States of Abortion video series and coordinate a set of media outlets to cover and discuss reproductive justice issues in 2024.
• Gutsy Media | ALL ABOVE ALL Reproductive Justice Narratives – Gutsy Media, in partnership with All Above All, will develop content and activations for a national reproductive justice campaign to paint a vision of our ideal reproductive justice freedom future.
• Renee Bracey Sherman & Regina Mahone | Liberating Abortion: Claiming Our History, Sharing Our Stories, and Building the Reproductive Future We Deserve – With support for the launch and impact campaign of Liberating Abortion, the debut book from writers, organizers, and podcast hosts Renee Bracey Sherman and Regina Mahone, they will share the stories of our ancestors who had and provided abortions, offer witty analysis and context to abortion’s role in our society and pop culture, and discuss why we need to liberate abortion now more than ever.
• Rola Productions | How To Get An Abortion In A Banned State – Artist and author Paola Mendoza of Rola Productions will produce an animated, short film that tells the true story of Romina, a 14-year-old girl who is pregnant in a state where abortion is illegal, tracing her discovery of a community who, in an act of unity and resistance, helps her get the abortion she wants.
• SisterSong Inc | Trust Black Women – SisterSong will organize cultural influencers at their annual National Let’s Talk About Sex Conference and at the Essence Festival of Culture to amplify reproductive justice stories to BIPOC audiences within grassroots communities.
• URGE: Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity | URGE Micro-Influencer Engagement Program – URGE will launch a social media engagement campaign centered on young and BIPOC micro-influencers with the aim of generating reproductive justice-focused social media and digital content.

PLURALIST VISIONARIES

Support for social justice and cultural leaders who are shaping meaning and caretaking the emotional lives of millions of Americans as we collectively navigate the complexities of our world today.

• adrienne maree brown cultivates transformative ideas through diverse mediums including writing, music, and podcasts. Informed by 25 years of facilitation and her love for visionary fiction, she’s authored books like Emergent Strategy and Pleasure Activism, along with speculative fiction novellas. Today, her work spans teaching somatics, doula practice, and immersive musical rituals.
• ALOK is a celebrated author, poet, comedian, and speaker whose diverse artistry delves into trauma, belonging, and the human experience. Their impactful books include “Femme in Public,” “Beyond the Gender Binary,” and “Your Wound/My Garden.” Currently, ALOK can be seen in Hannah Gadsby’s Netflix comedy special Gender Agenda and the “Netflix is a Joke” Comedy Festival in Los Angeles.
• Mia Birdsong is a visionary, writer, facilitator, and founding Executive Director of Next River, where she is advancing a bold vision for “Freedom’s Revival,” a journey of conversations, gatherings, and resources that nurture communities toward liberation. She is the author of the groundbreaking book, How We Show Up, host of the More Than Enough podcast, a Senior Fellow of the Economic Security Project, and a Future Good Fellow at the Institute For the Future. 
• Sarah Jones is a Tony® Award-winning solo performer hailed by The New York Times as a “master of the genre.” As the director, writer, producer, and star of the film Sell/Buy/Date (2022), she delves into the intersection of racial identity, gender justice, and economic disparities, amplifying the voices of those in the sex industry. Invited to the TED Talk stage four times with millions of views, Sarah reframes “cancel culture” in her latest talk, urging meaningful discussions on social justice.

TRANS FUTURISTS

Elevating the voice and vision of trans and nonbinary leaders as cultural stewards of the America we are becoming.

• Chase Strangio is a lawyer and activist at the forefront of the national legal battle for trans people’s civil rights. As the Deputy Director for Transgender Justice and staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), he combines legal advocacy with multimedia education, helping the public understand critical political and legal issues. Chase has also received acclaim for his documentary work, short-form videos, and essays.
• Hope Giselle is a writer and community organizer known for blending in-person rallies, direct community support, and legislative campaigning to expand the conversations around reproductive justice, gender inclusion in the workplace, and more. With connections spanning from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to the Genders & Sexualities Alliance (GSA) Network, Hope is skilled at building genuine networks with deep community roots.
• Imara Jones, an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning creator, leads TransLash Media, a Brooklyn-based non-profit organization that tells trans stories to save trans lives. Recognized by Time Magazine as one of the “100 Most Influential People” in 2023, Imara hosts the TransLash and “Anti-Trans Hate Machine” podcasts. She was the first trans person honored by the National Black Journalists Association and was named among Politico’s “Power Players” in 2022. Imara is a Nathan Cummings Foundation Fellow, Soros Equality Fellow, and Pop Culture Collaborative Pluralist Visionary.
• Geena Rocero born and raised in the Philippines, is a four-time Emmy nominated producer, writer, director, and trans liberation activist based in New York City. She is the author of award-winning memoir Horse Barbie and recently directed and executive produced “Caretakers”, a four-part original documentary series with PBS featuring stories of Filipino American frontline healthcare workers. She is a 2023 Glamour Woman of The Year, recipient of The A1 Award in Gold House’s A100 List of the most impactful AAPIs, and named as one of OUT100’s most impactful and influential LGBTQ People.
• Jordyn Jay is a community organizer, arts advocate, and producer based in Brooklyn, NY. She is the Founder and Executive Director of the Black Trans Femmes in the Arts Collective (BTFA). Through BTFA, Jordyn organizes programming that centers and highlights Black trans femme artists, executive produces projects led by Black trans femme artists, and provides direct support to Black trans artists.
• Ty Defoe is a Two-Spirit Anishinaabe and Oneida Grammy-winning performance artist, activist, and writer. From Broadway stages to rural communities, digital spaces to oral histories, Ty’s powerful multidisciplinary work interweaves Native futurism, decolonial approaches, Indigiqueer theory, and climate justice.

We, the Earth

Grantees will grow the “bigger we” of people who see themselves inside the immigrant rights and climate justice movements. Launching in 2025.

We encourage you to immerse yourself in these pop culture projects as they premiere throughout the year. Together, these artists, organizers, and cultural strategists are helping millions of people reclaim the truth of our past, make sense of our present, and unlock imagination about our pluralist future.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A multi-racial group of Becoming America content creators, including Brittney Packnett, a Black woman with brown long hair in a yellow shirt, Baratunde Thurston, a Black man with a black afro in a white t-shirt, Lachi, a Black woman with cornrows in a teal dress, Joey Clift, a Native American man in a brown patterned blazer and glasses, and Aizzah Fatima, a Pakistani woman with long black hair and in a purple shirt, pose in front of a yellow and purple background with a “Becoming America” logo in the upper left.