What if every eligible Texan understood the power of their voice—and had the information, resources, and support needed to use it?

Across Texas, decisions are being made every day that shape our schools, neighborhoods, healthcare, economic opportunities, voting rights, and quality of life. Yet far too many Texans remain disconnected from the very processes that determine their future.

That disconnection is often labeled as apathy. But people cannot fully participate in systems they have not been taught to understand, cannot access, or no longer trust.

The real challenge is not that people do not care. It is that too many communities have experienced years of underinvestment in civic education, trusted local leadership, voter outreach, accurate information, and the community-based infrastructure necessary to sustain meaningful participation.

Freedom Rising 2026 is working to change that.

Presented by the Texas Black Caucus Foundation, Freedom Rising 2026 is a bold, nonpartisan statewide initiative designed to strengthen civic participation, protect eligible voters, and build lasting civic power throughout Texas.

We are bringing together faith communities, civic and civil rights organizations, fraternities and sororities, educators, professional associations, nonprofit leaders, grassroots organizers, students, and trusted community partners around one shared goal: to ensure Texans are informed, equipped, empowered, and prepared to participate in the decisions that affect their lives.

The Work Is Already Happening

Across Texas, committed leaders and organizations are already serving their communities—in sanctuaries, sorority and fraternity chapters, student unions, community centers, neighborhood meetings, barbershops, schools, and around kitchen tables.

They are registering voters, sharing information, organizing volunteers, hosting community conversations, and encouraging people to become more engaged.

But too often, these organizations are doing this work without sufficient funding, staffing, training, shared resources, reliable data, or a coordinated statewide strategy. Efforts may be duplicated, messages may be inconsistent, and organizations may miss opportunities to learn from one another and expand their collective reach.

Freedom Rising 2026 connects and strengthens this work.

Through one coordinated, nonpartisan statewide infrastructure, participating organizations will have access to shared training, trusted information, communications resources, civic education tools, technical assistance, research, leadership development, and opportunities for strategic collaboration.

When organizations work together, share resources, and move with a unified purpose, individual efforts become a statewide movement.

Why This Matters Now

Texas is home to one of the nation’s largest, fastest-growing, and most diverse populations. However, the state continues to face significant gaps in voter turnout and civic participation.

Eligible voters may not know whether their registration is current. Others may struggle to understand changing election requirements, voter eligibility rules, or where and when they can vote. Some are overwhelmed by misinformation or discouraged by a lack of trust in government and public institutions.

Many Texans do not see a clear connection between public policy and the issues they face every day. They may not realize that civic participation extends beyond Election Day and includes attending public meetings, communicating with elected officials, understanding proposed laws, engaging in local decision-making, and holding public institutions accountable.

Freedom Rising 2026 is designed to close these gaps.

Our work is grounded in a simple but powerful belief: democracy is strongest when people understand how it works, recognize their own power, and are equipped to participate freely and fully.

From Registration to Real Civic Power

Registering voters is essential—but registration alone is not enough.

Civic power requires ensuring that eligible voters remain registered, understand their rights, receive accurate information, and successfully cast their ballots. It also requires helping people understand how government works and how to stay engaged between elections.

Freedom Rising 2026 advances four interconnected priorities:

Voter Verification and Registration
We will equip individuals and community partners with accurate, accessible tools to verify voter registration, understand eligibility requirements, correct registration issues, and register eligible Texans before critical deadlines.

Voter and Ballot Protection
We will educate voters about their rights, monitor voter-roll maintenance concerns, train poll monitors and community advocates, and help ensure eligible Texans are not silently removed from the rolls or improperly turned away at the polls.

Civic Education
We will provide year-round, nonpartisan education about how government works, how public policy is developed, how decisions are made, and how Texans can influence those decisions before, during, and after an election.

Voter Turnout and Community Mobilization
We will turn information into action through trusted messengers, volunteer engagement, direct voter contact, community events, phone banking, canvassing, and coordinated statewide mobilization.

Together, these strategies move people through the full journey from awareness to understanding, from registration to participation, and from individual concern to collective civic power.

Building Infrastructure That Lasts

Freedom Rising 2026 is not intended to be a temporary campaign that disappears after Election Day. We are building a sustainable civic engagement infrastructure that communities can use for years to come.

The initiative includes:

A statewide coalition connecting organizations across regions and areas of service.
Training and technical assistance for clergy, educators, nonprofit leaders, organizers, volunteers, and community advocates.
A centralized Democracy Resource Hub containing civic education materials, advocacy toolkits, volunteer resources, and trusted communications.
A trained network of Civic Ambassadors who can serve as informed, credible local messengers.
Community listening sessions, focus groups, and surveys that ensure our strategies reflect the real experiences and needs of Texans.
Research that helps identify barriers, measure progress, and establish a clearer picture of civic participation across Texas.
A narrative and messaging strategy that combats misinformation and helps organizations communicate with people in ways that are clear, relevant, and trusted.
Year-round voter education, verification, protection, and community engagement.

What Your Support Can Make Possible

With the support of donors and partners, Freedom Rising 2026 seeks to:

Engage more than 50 organizations in a coordinated statewide coalition.
Train at least 500 community leaders and volunteers.
Develop and deploy 100 Civic Ambassadors as trusted local messengers.
Reach more than 50,000 Texans through coalition activities, community engagement, civic education, and voter outreach.
Provide organizations across Texas with shared tools, training, technical assistance, and communications resources.
Strengthen voter verification, voter protection, civic education, and turnout efforts in communities that have too often been overlooked or underserved.

But the true impact of this work cannot be measured by numbers alone.

It is the first-time voter who realizes that their voice matters.

It is the senior citizen who receives help confirming that their registration is still active.

It is the student who learns how decisions made at the Capitol affect their tuition, curriculum, and future.

It is the parent who understands how to speak before a school board or city council.

It is the faith leader who receives the tools needed to educate an entire congregation.

It is the community organization that can finally expand its reach because it has access to professional training, trusted resources, and a statewide network of partners.

And it is the eligible voter who arrives at the polls informed, prepared, protected, and determined to be heard.

Your Gift Builds Civic Power

Every contribution to Freedom Rising 2026 helps build the people, partnerships, tools, and infrastructure required to strengthen participation across Texas.

Your support can help provide:

Voter registration and verification resources.
Know-your-rights and voter-protection materials.
Training for community leaders, volunteers, and Civic Ambassadors.
Civic education workshops and community forums.
Community outreach in urban, suburban, and rural areas.
Digital communications and tools to counter misinformation.
Research, surveys, and community listening sessions.
Shared resources for coalition organizations.
Coordinated voter engagement and mobilization efforts.
Professional staff and statewide infrastructure to sustain the work.

This is not simply a donation to an organization. It is an investment in informed communities, protected voters, stronger local leadership, and a democracy in which every eligible Texan has a meaningful opportunity to participate.

Join the Movement

Texas does not lack people who care about their families, communities, and future. What has been missing is the sustained, coordinated infrastructure necessary to connect that concern to meaningful action.

Freedom Rising 2026 is building that infrastructure.

We are creating a trusted, nonpartisan table where shared purpose replaces fragmented effort, collaboration expands community impact, and Texans are equipped to become active participants in shaping the future of their state.

The future of Texas is already being written. Together, we can ensure that the voices of every community are included in that story.

Give today and help move Texas from apathy to action—from being overlooked to being organized, from being unheard to being empowered, and from individual concern to lasting civic power.

One voter. One leader. One community. One powerful voice at a time.

Support Our Mission