Do Bold Work Safely.
Nonprofit organizations play a critical role mobilizing people to realign power in the fight for democracy. With rising authoritarianism and the weaponization of the administrative state accelerating risk to nonprofits, building operational capacity to strategically manage risk to do bold work safely has never been more important.
Today, the boldest organizations in the movement are multi-entity.
To adapt to today’s high-threat environment, leaders on the front lines of social justice are using a mix of legal structures—501(c)(4)s, PACs, and for-profit structures, in addition to traditional 501(c)(3)s—to build power and manage risk.
But multi-entity work is hard! Executing bold work safely requires organizations to build new strategic, operational, and adaptive capacities across their family of entities. The Election Readiness Course (ERC): Bold & Safe program is designed to specifically support multi-entity organizations build new finance, operations, and compliance skills to build better teams, systems and practices required to meet the moment.
Fall 2025 ERC: Bold & Safe Comprehensive Program
September 2nd - November 20th, 2025
Are you a growing multi-entity social justice organization driving programs in one or more states?
Do you support grassroots, communications or organizing groups as a multi-entity infrastructure organization?
Are you a partner or fiscal agent for groups engaging in multi-entity work?
Are you ready to level up your operational capacity to build bolder and safer programs?
"Yes" to any of these questions means this course is for you!
Check out the recording of our Fall 2025 Info Session below:
Watch the Info SessionReady to apply? Navigate to the How to Apply Section below to get started.
Applicants interested in applying to participate in the 2025 ERC: Bold & Safe Course must fit the criteria for application and readiness.
Application Process & Timeline
Open enrollment for the Fall 2025 cohort will begin Tuesday, July 22, 2025 and close on Tuesday, August 12, 2025. Applicants will complete an online questionnaire and may be asked to participate in a follow-up interview.
This is a high-demand program and we will be accepting a limited number of participants for the program. Those selected to participate will be announced by Tuesday, August 19, 2025. Those who meet the criteria for the program who are not admitted in this round will be invited to a waitlist for the 2026 program offerings.
Have multi-entities already in place
Be a social justice organization
Have a participating staff member who oversees compliance for your organization, preferably in a decision-making role over organizational operations to fully participate in the program
Have in place programmatic strategies that require legal compliance
Optimal Conditions of Readiness
In addition to the program requirements, the following selection criteria will also be considered among applicant organizations. While not explicitly required, organizations that include the following characteristics will benefit most from the course.
Have a committed organizational leader invested in building operational capacity and supporting the operational lead during the course
Made an organizational commitment to build operational capacity for 2026-2027
Have an established relationship with a compliance lawyer/legal partner
Sliding Scale Costs for Participants
Training fees help support the development and running of the ERC: Bold & Safe program. The training fees follow the sliding scale below based on organizational budget size. Upon acceptance into the program, your organization will be sent a course offering with the associated fee for your budget size listed in your application. Enrollment will be confirmed upon receipt of payment:
Org size Amount
<$1M $750
$1-5M $1,500
>$5M $3,000
If you are accepted to the program and price is an issue, please email us at [email protected].
Apply now for the Fall 2025 ERC: Bold & Safe Course!
Still have questions? Attend our upcoming Bold & Safe course Info Session on Thursday, July 31st. Register here!
Have specific questions? Email Dana Martinez-Ocker at [email protected]
Disclaimers
The ERC program is designed for educational and informational purposes and does not provide legal advice. NLA and TCS both contribute to the ERC program.
This course is non-partisan public education. Each organization should engage its own legal counsel to advise on legal and compliance issues.
The information contained in this course and any attachments or materials is being provided for education and informational purposes only and not as part of an attorney-client relationship. The information is not a substitute for expert legal, tax, or other professional advice tailored to your specific circumstances, and may not be relied upon for the purposes of avoiding any penalties that may be imposed under the Internal Revenue Code or state law.