State and Local Accountability
Halting the Spread of Authoritarianism
The authoritarian style of government used to weaken our federal institutions is being modeled in towns, cities, and states across the country. These abuses are connected, creating a stronger swell of antidemocratic actions and advancing harmful policies that often target communities of color or other systemically oppressed groups.
To effectively respond, we need interventions across all levels and branches of government, and between government and communities. This includes providing more sustainable resources for community-led, pro-democracy organizations, whose efforts are often underfunded.
Creating Connections
By providing groups working at the state, local, and federal levels with resources to build partnerships and share knowledge, they can more effectively coordinate to defend their communities and respond to abuses of power. We know that local leaders and organizations are best positioned to identify what matters most to their communities, and a stronger network will support them in identifying tools and tactics to fit their needs.
The State and Local Accountability Initiative invests in:
- State and local groups responding to authoritarian abuses of power, particularly groups addressing priority issues for communities of color or other systemically oppressed groups
- Building partnerships and connections between accountability groups working at the state and local level with federal accountability groups
Our Team
Winny Chen
Associate Director, Governance
Anne Morley
Senior Program Associate, Governance
Sean Raymond
Senior Program Associate, Governance
Safa Syed
Program Associate, Governance
Nathaniel J. Turner
Program Manager, Governance
Learn More About Our Work
Find more Ideas-
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Checks and balances. Separation of powers. Rule of law. Accountability. These are terms that are thrown around a lot in D.C. But what does upholding…
Explore Our Other Governance Initiatives
Governance strategies seek to strengthen our democratic system to respond to abuse and prevent future political violence.
Preventing Authoritarian Abuse of Power
To protect our democracy from authoritarian threats, we work to strengthen legal guardrails, build more resilient institutions, and bolster accountability measures to prevent future abuses.
Learn more about this effort
Representative Institutions
In order to have effective and representative governing institutions in our multiracial democracy, they must be structurally transformed to be inclusive and reflective of our country’s diversity.
We seek to advance structural changes that give each person equal power — accounting for the historical lack of representation of communities of color, and increasing the responsiveness of government institutions to the needs of all communities.
Learn more about this effort