Partners In Action
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement
JULY 2026: CCI does a lot of work with Public School Strong, a national movement focused on restoring funding to the public education system. This year alone, the Iowa state legislature allocated over $300 million in private school vouchers while reducing public school funding in infraction adjusted dollars, causing many schools to cut programs and staff. In response, CCI members gathered petition signatures, attended school board meetings, and got results — the Belmond-Klemme school district passed CCI’s resolution that calls on state lawmakers to increase state funding to public schools by 5% annually and phase out private school vouchers. Since late last year, CCI members have successfully advocated for the same resolution in 15 additional school districts, with dozens more in the works. CCI understands that a strong public education system is crucial to democracy, and they’re holding their government accountable to providing it.
LUCHA
FEBRUARY 2026: In February, GOP lawmakers in Arizona introduced legislation that would station ICE agents to all polling and ballot drop-off locations across the state for the 2026 general election, a tactic presumably intended to intimidate and suppress everyone exercising their basic rights to vote. In response, LUCHA initiated a three-week protest at the state capital, mobilizing their members, their allies in the legislature, and community leaders to speak out against the measure. GOP lawmakers tried to stifle public participation — they stretched hearings on for hours, shifted agendas without notice, and announced bills for consideration when protesters were not present. LUCHA, however, didn’t let up. On February 20th, more than 150 LUCHA leaders entered the Committee room to testify. With pressure mounting, the bill's own sponsor failed to appear to defend it. Without the sponsor present, the bill died in committee. This is what it looks like to block authoritarianism: ordinary people showing up and refusing to back down.
GROWW
FEBRUARY 2026: GROWW has built a coalition of local community members to counter the increase in corporate influence in western Wisconsin. In 2017, the Wisconsin state legislature was lobbied by developers and passed a law that deregulated the rental housing market, largely prohibiting city or county rental property inspection. In Menomie, WI, this has exacerbated decades-long unsafe housing conditions — black mold, broken stairs, and leaking roofs. A couple of years ago, GROWW began to organize around the issue, knocking on doors and listening to neighbors’ stories. Over time, conversations turned into action. GROWW published a report on housing safety in Menomie and drafted a city ordinance to restore proactive inspections, guard against landlord retaliation, and establish a rent abatement process. In February 2026, the work paid off. With more than 70 community members in the hallway and holding up signs, the Menomie City Council passed GROWW’s ordinance by creating a new district in which the state law prohibitions did not apply. GROWW’s win is a testament to the power that the people hold in a democracy when they band together and advocate for themselves.
Rising Voices/Rising Voices Fund
OCTOBER 2025: In October 2025, Centerline, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, reached an agreement with ICE that deputizes local police to enforce federal immigration policy, dubbed a “Section 287(g) agreement.” 287(g) agreements have been shown to undertrain police and lead to racial profiling within participating agencies. Rising Voices joined a coalition of civil rights organizations in Centerline to oppose the agreement. On November 3, 2025, more than 75 community members packed the city council meeting room, with 18 people making statements. Hundreds more contacted local politicians and public officials demanding the city rescind the agreement. The outcry revealed that numerous city officials weren’t even aware the agreement existed. Less than 48 hours later, Centerline rescinded its participation in the 287(g) program. The victory illustrates the need for citizens to demand transparency and hold government accountable. If it weren’t for the work of Rising Voices and their allies, the city of Centerline would have successfully bypassed public input entirely on this controversial effort to expand policing powers.
Make the Road Nevada
APRIL 2025: In April of 2025, Las Vegas Police signed a 287g agreement with ICE, and in September, governor Joe Lombardo signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department Justice to remove Nevada from the sanctuary jurisdiction list. In the first 10 months of the Trump administration, immigration arrests in Nevada more than tripled from the amount in 2024. In response, Make the Road Nevada launched Family Preparedness Clinics for immigrant and mixed-status families, which assisted families in creating preparedness packets with emergency plans, powers of attorney, school authorization forms, and more. Over the course of several months, hundreds of families completed preparedness packets. They’ve reached many more through their Know Your Rights training, which includes a preparedness guide available for download online and an app, among other resources. MRNV’s work to empower citizens is a meaningful antidote to government intimidation tactics.