Our Mission

The troubling direction of our nation's politics has generated a growing sense of angst and confusion. Moving Philly Forward is determined to translate this frustrated energy into productive action. We are an organization committed to the education, empowerment and election of Democrats throughout the Philadelphia area. Our goal is to make Philadelphia the country's leader in civic engagement. Through seminars designed to clarify the accessibility of state and local government, community events aimed at familiarizing members with candidates and causes, web-based resources to help educate Philadelphians about local government, and targeted fundraising to support strong, solution-focused candidates, Moving Philly Forward is opening the doors of local politics to all Philadelphians. 

We believe that the only barrier to entry into government should be the quality of your ideas and the integrity of your character.  Our aim is to ensure that every Philadelphian knows how to elect candidates who share this ideal, and embolden each of them to be the most committed citizens they can be.

Our Story

For many Americans, the morning of November 9th was filled with disbelief and fear. The sensation that we had lost some deep part of who we are gripped us tightly and wouldn’t let go. But once the fog lifted and the reality sunk in, we realized that the President isn’t the only one who’s letting us down. All around us, our elected officials do not embody the democratic principles and social values that we hold dear. What’s worse, the system lacks transparency and feels inaccessible to many Philadelphians who are eager to get involved. That’s not good enough.

We think our representatives in government should reflect the best of who we are, and they should advocate for the people in the neighborhoods they serve. So, we decided it was up to us to change it. After a few focused conversations among friends in a living room in Center City, we formed Moving Philly Forward (MPF). 

We started by educating ourselves about the structure of City and State government, breaking down how the system works and identifying who works in it. Within weeks, two of our founding members were successfully appointed as Precinct Committee People, the “ground troops” of the Philadelphia Democratic Party, and in the following months we have grown our influence by building key relationships with party officials throughout the City and State. And we’re just getting started. We continue to expand, with the goal of making Philadelphia the country’s leader in civic engagement. Join us.