Groundwork
A home base for grassroots movements, worldwide.
- Launch
- January 2027
- For
- Grassroots movements everywhere
- Right now
- Raising funds to build the infrastructure as securely as possible
We've built a pilot to test the idea, but it doesn't run on secure infrastructure yet. Before Groundwork opens to everyone, we want to build that infrastructure properly: platforms we control, no tracking, and paid developers who get the security right. That's what we're raising money for.
DonateWhat's in the app
These parts already exist in the pilot. This is what each one is for.
Community Board
Actions in the works, projects looking for hands, mutual aid being asked for or offered, and events that bring us into the same room. Wherever you are and whatever you have to give, there's a good chance something here fits.
Newest first. Filter by type, or narrow it down to your country.
- Mutual aidWinter coat driveUrgent right now
- ProjectKnow-your-rights zineLooking for illustrators
- Mutual aidFree groceries for striking workersOffered
- ProjectCommunity solar co-opNeeds hands
- ActionRally against rent hikesThis weekend
Crisis Readiness
Crisis is happening everywhere: climate disasters, state violence, scarcity. We don't want to rely on governments or aid organizations to take care of our communities. Here you can share resources in a structured way, both to deal with a crisis that's already happening and to prepare for the next one.
A spare room, a car, first-aid kits, a language you speak. Get to know your neighbourhood now, so you're ready when it's needed.
Reading that shaped this: Mutual Aid by Dean Spade
- ShelterSpare room for emergenciesLondon
- SuppliesNeighbourhood first-aid kitsBrussels
- TransportA car for evacuationsOffered
- LanguageArabic and French interpretingOffered
Discussion Forum
A place to discuss things with the global community: things you read, things you're struggling with, questions, half-formed ideas, and more. Posts don't need to be polished.
Reading that shaped this: Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire
- ThreadOur landlord is retaliating after the rent strikeReplies from organizers
- ThreadHow do you avoid burnout?Ongoing
- ThreadWhat are you reading this month?Open
- ThreadRunning a first meeting that people come back toOpen
Learn
A place to read, listen, and learn from other organizers. The world is complicated, and a lot of us get overwhelmed. Work through it slowly, at your own pace, with books, podcasts and guides other people here found useful. Beginner picks are marked.
Reading that shaped this: Teaching to Transgress by bell hooks
- BookHope in the Dark, Rebecca SolnitBeginner pick
- BookMutual Aid, Dean SpadeBeginner pick
- BookPedagogy of the Oppressed, Paulo FreireRecommended
- GuidePodcasts, films and how-to guidesRecommended by members
People
You don't have to figure this out alone. Say hello to someone close to you, or find a group doing the same work on the other side of the world.
Some people here are therapists and lawyers who support activists. You can filter for them.
- OrganizerHousing and tenant rightsSão Paulo
- LawyerSupports activistsKinshasa
- OrganizerClimate and mutual aidManila
- TherapistFor activistsMexico City
- OrganizerCommunity defenceNairobi
- OrganizerRefugee solidarityBeirut
Why we're building it
Crises around the world are going to become more visible and more intense. Right now, the ways we reach other organizers and mutual aid networks depend on tech infrastructure controlled by big tech and advertising companies.
We want to go beyond that and control our own platforms.
Collectives on the ground have so much knowledge and experience, and we need to be able to share it with each other. That's what Groundwork is for: organizers with experience, and new people looking to join.
"Everything we know about keeping each other safe, we learned by doing it. Groundwork is how we pass that on to the next person."
Rachida Aziz, HOTMHow it will be run
- On infrastructure we control, not on Google, Meta or Amazon.
- No ads and no tracking. The feed shows the newest posts first.
- In many languages. The pilot already works in five, using open-source translation tools.
- With common, open tools, so it doesn't depend on one company and others can help maintain it.
Who's behind it
HOTM (Headquarters of the Movement) is a grassroots movement from Brussels. We've been organizing since 2014 through art, direct action, political campaigns and tech. Groundwork came out of those years of work.
We're running a pilot before launch, and we want you in!
About 20 people are testing the pilot right now. Until the end of 2026 we're inviting activist groups to join the pilot, try it out and tell us what needs to change. In January 2027 it opens to everyone.
Are you part of a collective, a union or a mutual aid network? Write to us at contact@hotm.be and we'll get you set up.
The money we raise goes to paid developers to make the app secure and reliable, server space and more languages as people join, getting the word out before launch, and people to help keep the space safe.
Get involved
We're raising our first €10,000 before launch. Any amount helps. You can also help with your time or skills.
Donate
One-off or monthly. We don't run ads and we don't have investors, so donations are what keep this going. Write to us and we'll send you the details.
Join the pilot with your group
Run a collective, a union or a mutual aid network? Ask us for pilot access and help shape the app before it opens.
Volunteer your skills
We'd love help from developers, translators, designers and lawyers.
Recommend a resource for Learn
A book, film, podcast or guide that helped you. Tell us what it is and why.