PICO National Network
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| PICO National Network | |
|---|---|
| Name | PICO National Network |
| Formed | 1972 |
| Type | Faith-based advocacy network |
| Headquarters | Oakland, California |
| Region served | United States |
| Leader title | National Director |
PICO National Network PICO National Network is a faith-rooted, community organizing network active across the United States that mobilizes congregations and community institutions to address public policy and social justice issues. Founded in the early 1970s, it has grown into a national federation linking local affiliates to campaigns on immigration, criminal justice, healthcare, and climate justice. The network draws on traditions of religious organizing exemplified by figures and institutions such as Martin Luther King Jr., Dorothy Day, Pauli Murray, Catholic Worker Movement, and Black Church organizing.
History
PICO National Network emerged from local community organizing projects in the San Francisco Bay Area influenced by activists and institutions including Saul Alinsky, Industrial Areas Foundation, Cesar Chavez, United Farm Workers, and the social movements of the 1960s and 1970s such as Civil Rights Movement, Chicano Movement, Labor Movement, and the Anti-Vietnam War Movement. Early development intersected with leaders and organizations like Juan Felipe Herrera, Mother Teresa-adjacent faith activism, and the organizing models used by Metropolitan Community Church and Jewish Community Relations Council affiliates. Through the 1980s and 1990s, the network expanded by affiliating with congregations, partnering with organizations such as Interfaith Worker Justice, National Council of La Raza, and engaging campaigns resonant with policy shifts like the passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 and the debates around Welfare Reform Act of 1996.
Mission and Principles
The network’s stated mission emphasizes building power among faith communities and civic institutions to transform public life through organizing. Its principles reflect the traditions of organizing associated with Saul Alinsky, the ethics of Catholic Social Teaching, the liberation theology debates connected to Gustavo Gutiérrez, and civil rights-era frameworks tied to Bayard Rustin and Ella Baker. The organization adopts values similar to those articulated by institutions such as National Council of Churches, United Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church (USA), and movements like Progressive Christianity to pursue multiracial democracy, economic justice, and participatory leadership.
Organizational Structure
The network is constituted as a federation of local affiliates, regional directors, and a national office based in Oakland, California. Governance structures echo models used by coalitions like AFL–CIO and Nonprofit Quarterly-featured federations, with boards composed of clergy and lay leaders resembling governance at institutions like Union Theological Seminary and Harvard Divinity School-trained organizers. Local affiliates operate with community organizers and clergy liaison roles similar to positions in Faith in New York, People Improving Communities through Organizing (PICO)-styled groups, and draw on training approaches used by Center for American Progress-adjacent leadership programs and the Mellon Foundation-supported civic training initiatives.
Programs and Campaigns
Programs include leadership development, congregational organizing, and issue campaigns targeting healthcare access, immigrant rights, criminal justice reform, and environmental stewardship. Campaigns have aligned with national efforts such as advocacy around the Affordable Care Act, immigration initiatives intersecting with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, criminal justice reforms paralleling proposals in the First Step Act, and climate justice coalitions influenced by Paris Agreement-era organizing. Localized efforts have run parallel to campaigns by organizations like NAACP, ACLU, Hispanic Federation, SEIU, and Service Employees International Union affiliates, and have collaborated with faith networks including United Church of Christ and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Advocacy and Policy Impact
The network has influenced municipal and state policy through coordinated voter engagement, grassroots lobbying, and public campaigns on issues such as living wage ordinances, immigrant sanctuary policies, police accountability measures, and healthcare enrollment drives. Its efforts intersected with legal and policy developments overseen by entities like U.S. Department of Justice, state legislatures in California, New York (state), and Illinois, and city councils in municipalities comparable to Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco. The network’s models have been cited in reports by think tanks including Brookings Institution, Urban Institute, and advocacy assessment by Demos and Center for Popular Democracy-style evaluations.
Partnerships and Affiliates
The federation maintains partnerships with national and local organizations such as Faith in Action, National Council of La Raza (now UnidosUS), Interfaith Alliance, labor partners like AFL–CIO and Service Employees International Union, civil rights groups including NAACP and League of United Latin American Citizens, and philanthropic collaborators similar to Ford Foundation and Open Society Foundations-supported initiatives. Academic and theological partnerships include ties to seminaries and research centers at University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, Columbia University, and faith-based research at Pew Research Center.
Funding and Financials
Funding draws from a mix of individual donations, congregational dues, foundation grants, and philanthropic partnerships. Foundations known for supporting civic engagement and faith-based work—such as Ford Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and MacArthur Foundation—have provided similar support patterns to networks like this. Financial oversight adheres to nonprofit norms tracked by watchdogs comparable to GuideStar and Charity Navigator, and fiscal practices include grant reporting, restricted fund management, and audit processes similar to those used by national nonprofits such as American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood Federation of America.