7 charities
With an incredible track record in shaping public policy and changing societies for the better, grassroots advocacy shows there is strength in numbers. Despite its success, grassroots organisations still face a number of challenges. Our United Action bundles the very best performing grassroots organisations around the world, so you can donate to several solutions at once.
Grassroots organisations are community based groups who advocate for change at a local, national or international level and often use a bottom-up approach.
Despite demonstrating holistic, sustainable and inclusive responses to global issues, they still face a number of challenges. They often have a hard time accessing relevant resources and are overlooked by institutional actors.
Large institutional actors don’t adjust to the needs of local community groups and prefer formal procedures, causing grassroots organisations to waste time establishing legitimacy rather than focussing on their projects.
The solution with the most impact is raising more funds for grassroots organisations. In addition, governments must build supportive infrastructure and include these organisations in budgeting and policy design and implementation.
The policies must be adapted in favor of the grassroots organisations and local communities. This way organisations can devote their time to their communities and make sure their projects have a positive long-lasting impact.
Donate to this United Action to make your money as effective as possible. Our research team rigorously evaluates each charity, and curates collections of the top performing among them, so you can tackle the same urgent problem with different solutions.
Help us support rural communities in empowering children and youth
Educate. is a grassroots non-profit organisation that works to empower children in Honduras through community-driven initiatives focused on education. They aim to break down the unequal power relations inherent to non-profit work by flipping the concept of “aid” on its head. Communities and organisations reach out to educate. with their own ideas and act as the leaders of the interventions.
Help us advocate for those who can't.
The Humane League partially promotes their work through regional representatives. They create a regional community or civil organisation that is committed to ending the abuse of animals raised for food in their local area. They do this by campaigning, advocating and acting as a key voice for their region.
Empowering youth to create sustainable change in communities experiencing conflict
Generations for Peace is dedicated to sustainable conflict transformation at the grassroots. They empower volunteer leaders of youth to promote active tolerance and responsible citizenship in communities experiencing different forms of conflict and violence. Carefully facilitated sport-based games, art, advocacy, dialogue, and empowerment activities provide an entry point to engage children, youth and adults towards sustained behavioural change.
The global movement for tribal peoples
Survival International gives tribal peoples a platform to speak to the world. This movement fights to stop loggers, miners and oil companies from destroying tribal lands, lives and livelihoods across the globe. They lobby governments to recognise indigenous land rights and document and expose the atrocities committed against tribal people.
Powered by young people
Restless Development’s work is based on bottom-up approaches regarding young people and leadership. Restless Development does not see youth as their end beneficiaries but promotes their growth and capacity building. They work with communities, young people and youth civil societies to adapt and evolve their ideas.
Grassroots organisation responding to the humanitarian crisis on Samos.
Samos Volunteers is an independent grassroots organisation made up of volunteers that are responding to the humanitarian crisis in Samos, Greece. They provide psychosocial support, informal education and hygiene services to the people living in refugee camps.
Because feminist activism works
Mama Cash supports women, girls and transgender and intersex people who stand up for their rights. They raise funds for activists fighting for women’s empowerment and support them with knowledge and networks.
In each of the United Actions below, you’ll find curated collections of top-performing charities, all tackling the same urgent problem from different angles.