The America Forward Advocacy Institute
Helping Social Entrepreneurs Become Better, Bolder Advocates
The America Forward Advocacy Institute empowers America Forward Coalition members to become better, bolder advocates by building their policy and advocacy capacity. Social entrepreneurs can go farther together when advocating collectively to advance opportunity. The Advocacy Institute offers entrepreneurs and advocates a community of learning, knowledge-sharing, and mutual support.
About the Advocacy Institute
Effective advocacy is critical in the current political environment, and achieving systems change requires the active participation of community leaders.
The America Forward Advocacy Institute provides best-in-class advocacy training to social entrepreneurs, and the constituents they serve, through virtual trainings, in-person policy boot camps, hands-on Hill Days, and individualized policy advising.
We demystify the policy process and help leaders become better, bolder advocates who can successfully engage with and influence the federal policy process. Participants also learn how to identify strategic advocacy priorities, advocate effectively and legally, and forge advocacy and communications partnerships to amplify individual and collective policy goals.
How It Works
The America Forward Advocacy Institute helps social entrepreneurs build their skills to effectively advocate for organization-specific policy priorities and develop techniques to advocate collectively to advance system-wide change through interactive trainings with real-time expert feedback.
America Forward’s senior staff and nationally-recognized expert policy advisors serve as Advocacy Institute instructors. Together, we bring decades of experience to the table, helping social entrepreneurs and the constituents they serve successfully advocate for systems change.
Advocacy Institute Highlights
The Advocacy Institute has hosted trainings on topics such as:
- Elevating Proximate Community Voices in Policy & Advocacy
- Leveraging Federal Funding
- Leveraging Paid Media to Amplify Your Message and Maximize Advocacy Impact
- Nonprofits CAN Lobby
- Appropriations 101
- Navigating Federal Grants and Contracts
- Telling a Data and Evidence Story
- Leveraging Advocacy Opportunities During Election Cycles
- Engaging with SEAs and LEAs to Access Federal Education Funding
- Political Asset-Mapping
- Building Your Evidence Base
- Telling a Data & Evidence Story
- Communicating with Policymakers 101
- Strategic Communications in a Changing Political Climate
- Advocacy in Times of Crisis
- Bridging Generations for Inclusive Policies and Practices
- The New Administration & Congress: What Coalition Members Need to Know
- Navigating and Engaging in Election Cycles
- Special Sessions on Timely Topics. Sample Special Sessions recently offered include: H.R. 9495, Immigration Enforcement, DACA, COVID Relief Funding, and many more.
Through the Advocacy Institute, our policy experts develop customized toolkits, resource guides, and other materials to provide Coalition member organizations with critical resources to engage effectively with policymakers and candidates.
All America Forward Coalition members are welcome to engage in America Forward Advocacy Institute activities. Not a Coalition member yet? Click here to learn more about America Forward Coalition membership and how you can become a better, bolder advocate!