ACORN International
is a federation of member-based
community organizations
Members work on issues that matter
to low and moderate income families
in their communities, homes,
and workplaces
Members are organizing
on five continents!
Join ACORN International
ACORN International affiliates share an approach to taking back what is ours. We share key principles: always organize the unorganized, strive for self-sufficiency, coordinated autonomy between local groups, issues as vehicles for building power, taking action to secure wins, and the organization belongs to its members.
For nearly two decades, ACORN International has supported organizations working in Dharavi, a community of millions in the heart of Mumbai. The report details the dangers facing residents
in the face of a re-development contract granted to the Adani Group, questions about the granting of the contract and the history of the Adani Group including the serious concerns about
corporate governance and criminal indictments.
Read The Adani Report:
Feb 27, 2025
Ashley Reyns from ACORN Canada conducted organizer training with Janpahal Affiliates in East Delhi, India. Participants practiced essential door-knocking techniques and organizing skills while gaining insights into ACORN Canada’s successful street-level organizing tactics. These proven strategies help communities build power and advance their campaigns!
Feb 13, 2020
Their strike, which began on January 26th with 4,000 seasonal workers, halted operations and exposed long-standing labor injustices. Tragically, security forces violently repressed the peaceful protest, resulting in multiple casualties. Despite this, workers held firm, ultimately winning wage increases and improved payment schedules.
Jan 29, 2025
VICTORY! 🎉 Our affiliate @livingrentedinburgh has won a groundbreaking campaign to secure £5 million annually from Edinburgh’s tourist tax for affordable housing! Started in September 2023, this member-led campaign fought to ensure tourism revenue benefits local residents who struggle to afford living in their own city. This is what organized communities can achieve – turning tourist dollars into homes for working people.
Inequality and social problems come down to power—who has it and who benefits from it.
The only way to create meaningful change is by countering the power of money and politics with collective action.
Every day, we see rising housing costs, unemployment, stagnant wages, and cuts to public services while wealth is funneled upward.
But we power society—we work, raise families, support communities, and create wealth—so we have the right to exercise power and claim our fair share.
When we say “taking what’s ours,” we mean reclaiming the value we produce and the benefits we deserve.
ACORN’s model is simple: local, member-based, democratic organizations that operate like a union for their members. By forming our own community unions, we build our own power.
How do you build a union for your community? ACORN organizers use our proven approach:
1. People to people
2. Launch meeting
3. Campaign
4. Take action until victory
5. Choose next issue while expanding
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