Third Way Announces Second Grantee Cohort for the Moderate Power Venture Fund

Third Way announced today the six organizations it has selected to join the second grantee cohort for the Moderate Power Venture Fund (MPVF). MPVF is one of the five programs housed within the Moderate Power Project, Third Way’s bold new initiative to bring political power back to the center. The new grantee announcement also marks the departure of MPVF’s remarkable inaugural grantee cohort. With MPVF funds, the outgoing groups expanded the moderate ecosystem’s reach and resonance—innovating in relational voter engagement, developing next-gen governing talent, scaling digital communications and fundraising, advancing youth-driven policy organizing, and validating influencer-led political mobilization. You can read more about their work here: From Ideas to Impact: MPVF's Inaugural Year in Review.

The incoming grantee cohort will use their funding to activate and educate politically apathetic voters through social media, fight extremism in local politics, build blue power in red states, empower a network of young women donors, remove systemic barriers to Congressional staff positions, and engage pragmatic young people in the political process. Selected from an impressive pool of 39 applicants, the chosen organizations stand out for their commitment to raising the volume, capacity, and strength of the center left.

“There is an unbelievable bench of talent and good ideas out there, and we’re lucky to have the chance to work with an exceptional subset of them,” said Third Way President Jon Cowan. “With a 30% increase in applications from last year, it’s clear that energy on the center left is building—and our newest cohort is ready to capitalize on it. We’re very excited to support all six of these groups as they work to advance moderate values and rebuild a broad, durable, winning coalition.”

Incoming MPVF grantees are listed below. The press contact for each group is indicated with an asterisk (*).

American Hunters & Anglers 

Leaders: Barrett Kaiser, Aaron Murphy* ([email protected]), Brin Merkley, Land Tawney 

With impactful, research-based messaging and engaging social media, American Hunters and Anglers activates politically apathetic, middle-of-the-road, “Joe Rogan Bro” voters across the country who are united in their enthusiasm for hunting, fishing and enjoying the riches of our federally managed public lands and waters. They will leverage their grant from MPVF to build and grow their network nationwide, educate and call their followers to meaningful action, and hold elected leaders accountable to accessible public lands, hunting, fishing, clean water and a livable climate.

Beacon Coalition 

Leaders: Jeremy Kazzaz* ([email protected]), Rebecca Elhassid

Beacon Coalition is an independent organization based in Western Pennsylvania working to reverse the growing normalization of anti-Jewish, anti-pluralist, and anti-democratic attitudes in American politics. Through education, organizing, and strategic support, they defend liberal democratic values and pluralism at the local level—where political culture is shaped and future leaders are forged. MPVF funds will support the Coalition’s flagship initiative, the Equilibrium Project, which fights against the rise of extremist ideological pressure in the Democratic Party by building a pipeline of principled local leaders committed to pragmatism, pluralism, and responsible governance. The Project also strengthens local Democratic infrastructure by recruiting balanced committee members, fostering issue education, and equipping local leaders to effectively push back against illiberal narratives.

Blue Cities/Red States Coalition 

Leaders: Mayor Justin Bibb* ([email protected]), Eve O'Toole, Leslie Pollner, Ryan Puente 

Blue Cities/Red States Coalition is a national coalition of mayors leading cities in conservative states, united by a shared commitment to protecting local democracy, championing innovative urban policy, and ensuring every citizen has access to opportunity—no matter their state’s political landscape. The coalition builds collective power across local precincts by sharing policy strategies, coordinating resources, and amplifying one another’s voices on the national stage. MPVF’s investment will allow the Coalition to formally establish their organizational infrastructure, helping them operationalize their work to bridge divides, build trust, and prove that when cities lead, American moves forward—together.

Juno Fund

Leaders: Ellyn Guttman* ([email protected]), Lily Patricof

The Juno Fund is a donor collaborative that helps women navigate the political ecosystem and effectively funds pathways to strengthen our democracy. Their mission is to cultivate a strong network of women to become active and informed donors in the political arena to shape a better democracy and build collective political power. They believe that by providing the space to learn and grow within a community, they can sustainably foster a new group of donors at scale to impact the Democratic talent pipeline and the critical work ahead. Their MPVF grant will go toward operational support as their group continues to expand.

ReNew Democracy Foundation

Leaders: John Michael Gonzalez, Mark Henson* ([email protected]), Aerica Shimizu  Banks, Helen Milby, Ryan Ford 

The ReNew Democracy Foundation seeks to open doors for new voices from across the country who want to make a difference in pragmatic, solutions-oriented, center-left congressional offices. The organization will use MPVF funding to expand its ReNew Democracy Fellowship Program. The fellowship supports future leaders from diverse backgrounds, finding them staff assignments in the halls of Congress as well as offering educational development, mentorship, and professional networking opportunities. 

Young People’s Alliance

Leaders: Sam Hiner* ([email protected]), Ava Smithing, Alex Dray

The Young People's Alliance is a youth-led nonprofit that empowers young people who fall beyond the political extremes—which tend to dominate campus discourse—to get involved with politics through student-led advocacy and organizing. The Alliance advocates for innovative solutions to address the biggest issues facing younger generations, such as the youth mental health crisis and economic mobility, by activating a grassroots base of young people at 30 universities, community colleges, and high schools across North Carolina and Pennsylvania. 

This will be YPA’s second year as an MPVF grantee, with each year of funding supporting a different set of programs. YPA will apply its 2025 MPVF grant toward sustaining their Youth Opportunity Campaign, which blends participatory events with state-level advocacy training to empower young people to help rebuild the American Dream; expanding its chapter network to community colleges; and producing youth-focused research to identify the most promising pathways for federal legislative change.