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| Massachusetts Communities Action Network | |
|---|---|
| Name | Massachusetts Communities Action Network |
| Abbreviation | MCAN |
| Type | Nonprofit advocacy organization |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Region served | Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
| Leader title | Executive Director |
Massachusetts Communities Action Network is a statewide nonprofit organization based in Boston, Massachusetts that engages in community organizing, policy advocacy, and civic mobilization across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in the late 2000s by organizers linked to labor, faith, and neighborhood groups, the organization works with coalitions of grassroots associations, municipal leaders, and statewide coalitions to influence legislation and administrative policy in areas including housing, criminal justice, public health, and labor rights. MCAN frequently collaborates with unions, faith-based networks, legal clinics, and municipal coalitions to coordinate campaigns, voter engagement, and community education.
MCAN was established in 2009 amid broader organizing waves that followed the 2008 financial crisis and the foreclosure crisis affecting communities across Worcester, Massachusetts, Springfield, Massachusetts, and the MetroWest region. Early partners included neighborhood associations from Roxbury, immigrant rights groups from Chelsea, Massachusetts, and labor unions such as Service Employees International Union locals and local chapters of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations. The network expanded during the 2010s, joining statewide coalitions addressing the effects of the Great Recession (2007–2009), coordinating actions with public health advocates during the COVID-19 pandemic, and participating in campaigns around criminal justice reform inspired by events in Ferguson, Missouri and Massachusetts-based cases. MCAN’s historical trajectory intersects with municipal reforms in Cambridge, Massachusetts and statewide ballot initiatives debated at the Massachusetts State House.
MCAN’s stated mission emphasizes building power for low-income communities, immigrant communities, communities of color, and working-class households across regions including Greater Boston, the North Shore, and the South Coast. Programmatically, MCAN operates community organizing training linked to civic engagement efforts conducted in partnership with community development corporations (CDCs) such as Urban Edge, tenant unions in neighborhoods like Dorchester, and legal service providers including Greater Boston Legal Services. Its programs include tenant organizing tied to eviction prevention initiatives influenced by state statutes debated at the Massachusetts State Legislature, worker rights campaigns aligning with standards promoted by Massachusetts AFL-CIO, and health equity outreach coordinated with hospitals such as Massachusetts General Hospital and community clinics in Lawrence, Massachusetts. MCAN also runs leadership development tracks modeled on civic curricula used by organizations such as Community Change and the Center for Popular Democracy.
MCAN is governed by a board of directors composed of representatives from partner organizations, community leaders, and labor allies, with an executive director overseeing day-to-day operations. Leadership has included organizers with prior roles at groups like Jobs with Justice and municipal advocacy coalitions formed in cities such as New Bedford, Massachusetts. Staff teams are organized around regional coordinators who liaise with local affiliates in municipalities across the Pioneer Valley and Berkshire County, issue directors for campaigns addressing housing or criminal justice, and a communications unit that works with media outlets including the Boston Globe and public broadcasters. The network’s decision-making draws on participatory models similar to those used by Faith in Action and other membership-driven nonprofits.
MCAN has led and participated in campaigns to expand tenant protections in response to eviction surges, advocate for bail reform measures debated at the Massachusetts State House, and push for municipal ordinances addressing police accountability following high-profile cases that drew national attention. Campaign partners often include statewide coalitions like Massachusetts Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel, immigrant advocacy groups such as Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, and worker entities like UNITE HERE Local 26. The network organizes direct actions, public hearings at city councils in places like Somerville, Massachusetts, and testimony before legislative committees. MCAN’s voter engagement work coordinates canvassing and get-out-the-vote drives during Massachusetts general elections and supports ballot initiatives and referenda aligned with its policy priorities.
MCAN receives funding from a mix of private foundations, membership dues from partner organizations, and project-based grants. Foundations that support similar organizing networks include the Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and regional philanthropic entities such as the Boston Foundation. Institutional partners include community development corporations, legal aid organizations, faith-based networks like the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston social ministries, and academic partners from institutions such as Harvard University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst for research collaborations. MCAN also partners with labor federations including the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and municipal governments for local policy implementation.
Supporters attribute MCAN with contributing to policy wins such as expanded tenant protections, increased funding for community health outreach, and strengthened reentry services for formerly incarcerated people through coordinated advocacy at the Massachusetts State House and city halls. The network claims measurable outcomes in voter turnout in targeted precincts across Brockton, Massachusetts and Fall River, Massachusetts. Critics have challenged aspects of MCAN’s approach, arguing that coalition strategies can prioritize electoral goals over long-term service delivery, that alignment with national funders influences local priorities, and that organizing tactics have at times strained relationships with municipal officials in cities such as Medford, Massachusetts. Debates around fundraising transparency and the balance between grassroots autonomy and centralized strategy mirror controversies faced by peer organizations including Center for Popular Democracy and Community Change.