Key Takeaways
- • Foundation renamed and repositioned: The JPB Foundation, created by philanthropist Barbara Picower in 2011, rebranded as the Freedom Together Foundation to reflect its evolved focus on building multiracial democracy and grassroots power-building.
- • Mission centered on working-class organizing: The foundation supports organizations led by working-class people from diverse backgrounds to challenge unjust systems and expand democratic participation, with a strategic emphasis on coalition-building across policy and grassroots sectors.
- • Significant capital deployment capacity: The JPB Foundation announced plans to deploy up to $100 million in additional funds during 2024 to strengthen democracy, signaling substantial philanthropic firepower directed toward democratic infrastructure.
- • Leadership emphasis on organizing costs: Board member Mary Kay Henry's recent essay underscores a critical lesson for philanthropic funders—that sustained organizing requires extraordinary financial commitment, citing the Fight for $15 movement as a successful model requiring significant union investment despite considerable resistance.
- • Strategic grantmaking approach: The foundation employs a carefully curated grantmaking model, selecting target organizations rather than accepting unsolicited proposals, indicating a targeted deployment strategy within the pro-democracy funding ecosystem.
Summary
The Freedom Together Foundation (formerly the JPB Foundation) operates as a private philanthropic vehicle focused on strengthening multiracial democracy and expanding power among historically marginalized populations. Founded in 2011 by Barbara Picower, the foundation rebranded to better communicate its strategic mission: supporting people denied institutional power to build grassroots capacity for systemic change.
Headquartered in New York with approximately 51–200 employees and 90 staff members listed on LinkedIn, the foundation positions itself at the intersection of policy advocacy and grassroots organizing. Its operational model emphasizes coalition-building, supporting a network of organizations that coordinate strategy across regions and issue areas. This approach reflects a belief that durable democratic reform requires decentralized, locally-led movements with diverse representation.
The foundation announced significant capital redeployment in 2024, committing up to $100 million in additional funding specifically earmarked for democracy-strengthening initiatives. This capital commitment coincided with six senior staff hires, indicating institutional expansion and deepened investment in grantmaking operations.
A recent essay by Mary Kay Henry—former international president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and Freedom Together Foundation board member—highlights the organization's perspective on philanthropic strategy. Henry documented the Fight for $15 movement, emphasizing that "organizing is expensive" and that this historically successful campaign required "extraordinary financial commitment and risks" from major labor institutions. Her commentary suggests the foundation views sustained grantmaking as essential infrastructure for social movements, not discretionary support.
The foundation's grantmaking operates on a selective basis, with leadership carefully curating eligible organizations rather than accepting unsolicited grant proposals. This gatekeeping approach signals a deliberate focus on supporting vetted partners aligned with the foundation's multiracal democracy and working-class empowerment framework.
Headquartered in New York with approximately 51–200 employees and 90 staff members listed on LinkedIn, the foundation positions itself at the intersection of policy advocacy and grassroots organizing. Its operational model emphasizes coalition-building, supporting a network of organizations that coordinate strategy across regions and issue areas. This approach reflects a belief that durable democratic reform requires decentralized, locally-led movements with diverse representation.
The foundation announced significant capital redeployment in 2024, committing up to $100 million in additional funding specifically earmarked for democracy-strengthening initiatives. This capital commitment coincided with six senior staff hires, indicating institutional expansion and deepened investment in grantmaking operations.
A recent essay by Mary Kay Henry—former international president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and Freedom Together Foundation board member—highlights the organization's perspective on philanthropic strategy. Henry documented the Fight for $15 movement, emphasizing that "organizing is expensive" and that this historically successful campaign required "extraordinary financial commitment and risks" from major labor institutions. Her commentary suggests the foundation views sustained grantmaking as essential infrastructure for social movements, not discretionary support.
The foundation's grantmaking operates on a selective basis, with leadership carefully curating eligible organizations rather than accepting unsolicited grant proposals. This gatekeeping approach signals a deliberate focus on supporting vetted partners aligned with the foundation's multiracal democracy and working-class empowerment framework.
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