About the Breakthrough Fund Initiative
The Breakthrough Fund Initiative is not just a PAC but an innovative political action program that will redefine the political landscape for trans and gender-expansive people and our allies.
Breakthrough Fund fills a crucial gap in the movement, defined by trans-led, trans-focused expertise. Because our work is rooted in authentic relationships with key leaders that have been cultivated over the course of years, as well as a demonstrable track record of success, we bring together insight and expertise that has never been united before. We also bring together political operatives and strategists, grassroots community advocacy, and a network of donors who are committed to our goals. These unique relationships enable us to make a decisive difference — not just by winning elections — but by defining and driving a policy agenda that creates meaningful change in people’s lives.
We have brought together some of the most experienced political operatives in history, the most cutting-edge tools and research-informed strategies and tactics and combined it with the wisdom of a diverse group of trans and gender-expansive individuals rooted in community and constituency.
Our communities have achieved much in the last two decades, including passing more laws to protect and include trans and gender-expansive people in the last 20 years than the 200 before it. Yet so much of our advocacy has been quiet, tentative, and behind the scenes. It’s time to build a movement that includes all of us – a movement where we are not just loud but powerful – a movement that does not depend on the whims and fate of people with power but a strategy where we become a people with power. It’s not enough to be counted, we need a breakthrough.
The Breakthrough Fund accomplishes this mission through:
Electing Transformative Leaders to Political Offices: Supporting Candidates Who are Transformative
It’s not enough to simply increase the number of trans and gender-expansive leaders in office. Our efforts are focused on electing candidates with a commitment to bringing about transformative change.
Our candidates are committed to a shared set of values, an expansive political agenda and a desire to use public office to drive an innovative policy agenda that makes a palpable difference in people’s lives.
Making the Difference: Investing Strategically to Make the Decisive Difference
For some organizations, the goal of endorsements and explicit political work is to project power. Trans United Fund’s goal is to change the relations of power. We work with transformative candidates to give them every advantage to make a real path to victory. Our goal is to help transformative candidates breakthrough who may not otherwise be in a winning position without our efforts.
We support candidates with: support trans candidates with the unique challenges they face by tapping into the latest research and insights on trans candidates and more hands-on experience working with winning trans candidates and hands-on strategic and technical assistance to develop and implement winning campaigns.
Building Power to Make Change: Before, During and After the Election
When executed with excellence, candidate and issue campaigns bring together organized people (volunteers, community members, voters, and experts) and organized money (grassroots contributors, major donors and other PAC and C4 partners) to develop and execute a winning plan. Too often, the relationships, infrastructure, knowledge, and power developed through the campaigns are dismantled the day after election day.
The Breakthrough fund ensures continuity before, during and after elections so that power can be harnessed to drive a winning agenda through governing, to hold opponents accountable and build towards winning the next crucial election.