Southern Economic Advancement Project was founded in 2019 by Stacey Abrams. That year, Abrams and the SEAP team set off on a listening tour that took them across the South. We wanted to hear directly from Southern leaders about what their organizations needed to advance policies that created thriving and equitable communities for all Southerners. Through the feedback from community leaders, SEAP launched as an organization that could respond to the needs in the region, whether that is research on Southern climate solutions, microgrants for grassroots organizations for vaccine outreach and Medicaid Redetermination outreach, surveys of food insecure households on how to improve public benefits, or empowering local groups to advocate for budget equity, federal funds, or child feeding programs. 

Themes emerged during the listening tour: there was a need to bring leaders together across state lines, across issues, and to act as a connector and convener for policy thinkers and doers. Local leaders and grassroots organizations know what their communities need to thrive but they need an organization to bridge gaps in policy infrastructure and help them implement good ideas that broaden economic power. Across the South, the issues of race, class, and gender intersect with economic policy, so building social capital and collective power are vital to  advancing economic mobility.

Now, we are doing just that by focusing on marginalized and vulnerable populations across the 12 Southern states in our region. Through technical assistance, research, communities of practice, and narrative-building, we help implement policies that improve the quality of life for vulnerable Southern communities and families.