Change.org Foundation

Change.org Foundation
Name	Change.org Foundation
Type	Nonprofit organization
Founded	2012
Headquarters	San Francisco, California
Area served	Global
Focus	Civic engagement, social justice, public policy

Change.org Foundation

Change.org Foundation is a nonprofit organization associated with online petitioning and civic mobilization. It operates alongside a well-known petition platform and engages in advocacy, research, and grantmaking to support grassroots campaigns and policy initiatives. The foundation interacts with a range of public figures, nonprofit organizations, and institutions across multiple countries to amplify campaigns and translate online activism into offline outcomes.

Overview

The foundation works in the same ecosystem as Avaaz, MoveOn, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Oxfam, Greenpeace, World Wildlife Fund, International Rescue Committee, Doctors Without Borders, United Nations, UNICEF, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, European Commission, African Union, Organization of American States, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Council of Europe, Red Cross, Red Crescent, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Rockefeller Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Skoll Foundation, Khan Academy, Mozilla Foundation, Wikimedia Foundation, Teach For America, Teach For All, National Endowment for Democracy, Human Rights Campaign, The New York Times, The Guardian, BBC News, CNN, Reuters, Associated Press, Bloomberg News, Al Jazeera, ProPublica, The Washington Post.

History

The organization emerged after the growth of online petitioning that involved platforms like Change.org and social tools popularized by Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, Tumblr, Tumblr's cultural scene, and WhatsApp. Early influences and moments included campaigns and events associated with Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street, Black Lives Matter, Me Too, Extinction Rebellion, Fridays for Future, Parkland shooting protests, Hong Kong protests, Gezi Park protests, Euromaidan, Syria civil war, Iraq War, Afghanistan War (2001–2021), Haitian earthquake (2010), Nepal earthquake (2015), Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Maria, Typhoon Haiyan. Founding and leadership involved figures in technology and philanthropy with connections to institutions such as Stanford University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale University, University of California, Berkeley, Columbia University, University of Oxford, London School of Economics, Cambridge University, University of Cambridge.

Mission and Activities

The foundation's stated goals align with civil society initiatives championed by groups like The Elders, International Crisis Group, Transparency International, Freedom House, Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, Access Now, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Brookings Institution, Council on Foreign Relations, Chatham House, Pew Research Center, RAND Corporation, Human Rights Watch programs. Activities include grantmaking similar to Open Philanthropy Project, research and data partnerships drawing on methods used by Pew Research Center and Gallup, campaign training comparable to Rock the Vote and Code for America, and digital tools development akin to CivicHall and Code for America Civic Tech. Programs often intersect with legal advocacy seen in American Civil Liberties Union and Public Citizen cases, and with public policy initiatives in legislatures such as United States Congress, European Parliament, UK Parliament, Parliament of India, National People's Congress (China) contexts.

Governance and Funding

The governance model resembles nonprofit boards typical of United Nations Foundation, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Public Welfare Foundation, with advisory input from academics and practitioners at Harvard Kennedy School, Stanford Law School, Yale Law School, Berkeley Law, Columbia Law School. Funding sources have included philanthropic foundations like Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, corporate donations from technology companies such as Google, Facebook (Meta Platforms, Inc.), Amazon (company), Microsoft, Apple Inc., and contributions from individual donors and crowdfunding campaigns analogously to GoFundMe and Kickstarter. Financial oversight practices mirror standards promoted by watchdogs such as Charity Navigator, GuideStar, BBB Wise Giving Alliance.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Collaborations extend to international NGOs like CARE International, Save the Children, Plan International, World Vision International, and regional organizations including Asia Foundation, Latin American Network for Democracy, European Council on Foreign Relations, African Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank. The foundation has worked with media partners such as The Guardian, BBC News, BuzzFeed News, HuffPost, Vox (website), and technology partners including Slack Technologies, Stripe, Inc., PayPal, Salesforce. Academic partnerships span University of Oxford, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, London School of Economics research centers.

Impact and Criticism

Advocacy outcomes echo campaigns documented alongside Human Rights Watch reports, Amnesty International briefings, United Nations Human Rights Council deliberations, and legislative changes in jurisdictions like United States, United Kingdom, India, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, Canada, Germany, France. Critics and investigative reports have compared practices to those scrutinized by ProPublica, The New York Times, The Guardian, Washington Post journalism, and raised concerns similar to debates around Cambridge Analytica, Net neutrality, Election interference, Fake news, Misinformation, Online harassment.

Legal and Controversies

Legal scrutiny and controversies mirror issues faced by digital platforms and nonprofits in cases like NetChoice v. Paxton, Packingham v. North Carolina, Smith v. Maryland-type privacy debates, European Court of Human Rights rulings, and regulatory inquiries from bodies such as Federal Trade Commission, European Commission competition authorities, Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, Information Commissioner's Office (United Kingdom). Litigation and compliance matters have involved intellectual property disputes, privacy class actions, and questions about charitable solicitation law comparable to disputes involving United States Internal Revenue Service determinations and state attorneys general.

Category:Non-profit organizations