Launching Democracy University

Executive Summary

The ask in brief

Democracy University is an open-access training platform equipping activists, organizers, creators, union members, local leaders, and everyday citizens with the skills to defend democracy and build lasting political power. Our long-term vision is a multi-million dollar training institution for the democracy movement — but we want to earn that scale by proving what works first. This memorandum lays out two pilot investment levels — $100,000 and $250,000 — to validate the model and begin building toward that vision.

The far right has built a well-funded infrastructure to train organizers at scale. Our side has passion and people — but too often lacks the training infrastructure to match. Democracy University closes that gap.

While this program is new, its organizers are not. We start with the GAIN Power community — a network of over 100,000 democracy professionals across more than 8,000 organizations nationwide. That community is our foundation: a ready audience of practitioners, partners, and potential trainers we can activate from day one.

The Moment We're In

Democracy is under sustained attack

Disinformation campaigns, voter suppression, gerrymandering, and the weaponization of AI-generated content threaten the foundations of self-governance. While billions flow into attack ads and dark money, the day-to-day skills of organizing — running a canvass, countering disinformation, building a coalition, protecting voters at the polls — are too often learned by trial and error, or not at all.

The threat isn't abstract. It's in the deepfake video circulating in a battleground district. It's in the polling place shuttered without notice. It's in the organizer who has never been taught how to run a deep canvass. We can meet this moment — but only if we invest in the people doing the work.

What We're Up Against

A far-right training machine

The right has spent decades — and billions — building a coordinated apparatus to train, recruit, and deploy organizers at scale. They don't just produce content. They build pipelines: identifying talent, training it, credentialing it, and plugging it into campaigns, media, and government.

They are professional, well-funded, and playing a long game. Our side has some excellent organizations doing real training work — but combined, we're not a tenth of what the conservatives have built. We have more people, more energy, and the better argument; what we lack is the infrastructure to train our people at matching scale. Democracy University is built to be the answer to that machine.

What We're Building

Training infrastructure for the movement

Democracy University is envisioned by the team at Gain Power — a multiracial organization fighting to build power in communities across America. The program will be fiscally sponsored at Global GAIN, a sister 501(c)(3) organization, ensuring all contributions are tax-deductible. We believe that when people have the skills, tools, and knowledge to organize, democracy wins.

Curriculum

Nine tracks, three phases

Our curriculum covers the full spectrum of skills the movement needs — from knocking on doors to countering AI-generated disinformation. Every track is structured in three progressive phases.

Training Tracks

Curriculum Phases

Who We Serve

Radically accessible

Activists, organizers, creators, union members, local leaders, and everyday citizens. Anyone can enroll, anywhere, at any time. No cost, no gatekeeping — democracy education for everyone. The platform is designed to meet people where they are, whether that's a first-time volunteer or a seasoned organizer leveling up their skills.

The Ask

Two ways to invest

We want to prove this works before we scale it. Our long-term vision is a multi-million dollar training institution for the democracy movement — but we're starting with pilot projects you can fund today. Pick the level that fits your capacity.

Every contribution is tax-deductible through our fiscal sponsor, Global GAIN. Fund the pilot that fits — and help us build toward the institution this movement deserves.

What Success Looks Like

Measurable impact in year one