New Democratic Party Chair Stephen Bittel immediately fulfills campaign promise

Today, the Florida Democratic Party announced the rollout of the $100,000 Janet Reno Challenge Grant for Democratic Executive Committees in small and medium-sized counties. The goal of the grant is to immediately provide small and medium-sized counties, as well as our Democratic caucuses and clubs, a boost of funds to begin the new mission of turning the FDP into a year-round grassroots organizing machine.

FDP Chair Stephen Bittel gave the following statement announcing the grant:

“When I ran for Chair the first promise I made was to build our grassroots power by investing in our Democratic clubs and caucuses across the state to effectively organize grassroots Democrats. If we want to win statewide we must truly compete for every vote in every city in every county across Florida. That starts today.”

“Our goal is to ensure that Democratic organizations across the state have the freedom to implement new and creative ideas for organizing their communities and then receive the resources to implement those strategies. The new Florida Democratic Party must organize year-round regardless of election cycle and the Janet Reno Challenge Grant will help kick-start our grassroots mobilization and put us on a path to victory in 2018.”

Requirements:

All small and medium-sized county Democratic Executive Committees and recognized Florida Democratic Caucuses and Clubs are invited to apply for the challenge grant. Competing organizations should provide a proposal that includes how they will increase voter registration volunteer recruitment, organizational expansion, and community engagement. All proposals should include metrics milestones and program timelines. Proposals should be no longer than 2 single spaced pages. All proposals are due by February 28th and can be submitted to [email protected].

Awards:

Ten $5000 and twenty $2500 merit-based awards will be awarded as part of a competitive process. A diverse panel of Florida Democrats will review all proposals and make recommendations on grant recipients to the Chair. Winners of the grant recipients will be announced at the annual meeting of the Democratic County Chairs Association in early April.

From her humble beginnings on the edge of the Everglades to her role as the first female Attorney General of the United States, Janet Reno was known for forging a new path. The $100,000 challenge grant is named after Ms. Reno who passed away last November to honor her reputation as a leader, as an innovator, and a fierce advocate for Florida families.