About PON

The Power & Protect Operations Network (PON) strengthens the operational capacity of the field in order to expand bold work, in compliance, while protecting our infrastructure, organizations, and people. Our work comes to life in four strategies, including aligning and connecting field providers, wayfinding to strengthen organizations, developing leaders and knowledge, and building state-based infrastructure.

In 2024, The Capacity Shop, New Left Accelerator, Center for Empowered Politics, and Center for Empowered Politics Education Fund, along with program partner Bolder Advocacy, came together to form PON as a wayfinder for the field to navigate uncertainty and fear and chart our course towards systems change.

Operational leaders need training, investment, and support to grow their careers and expertise with confidence. Groups on the ground need to establish the right blend of multi-entity structures, programs, and operations to ensure progress towards their missions. State ecosystems and networks need to develop shared operations to innovate strategies and manage risks. PON’s offerings ' programs are designed to ensure resilient, competent multi-entity operations, infrastructure, and talent for organizations to achieve positive impact.

PON’s strategic initiatives advance social change

Wayfinding to connect frontline organizations to existing tools and resources. 

  • Provide individualized navigation services that connect organizations to the operational information, resources, and providers that they need. 

  • Host cohorts and trainings with our partners to develop the operational capacity and security of multi-entity organizations.  

Developing leaders and knowledge through timely expertise and talent pipelines for multi-entity operations. 

  • Host peer-supported learning networks, timely trainings, communities of practice, and other opportunities for multi-entity operational leaders. 

  • Develop a comprehensive resource library of multi-entity informed toolkits, trainings, and resources.

  • Build a leadership institute for multi-entity values-aligned operations.

Building state-based infrastructure to reinforce state preparedness through multi-entity operational capacity and infrastructure.

  • Support the development of state infrastructure such as back office hubs, operations cohorts, managed shared services, legal and compliance trainings, and navigation services.

  • Reinforce why investing in operations is critical to achieving missions, shifting the narrative and elevating the role of this vital and often under-resourced area of work.

Aligning and connecting providers to build the multi-entity operations field.

  • Gather, host, train, and connect operational leaders in the field.

  • Convene safety and security providers and preventative operations capacity builders in order to develop a framework for how to mitigate, prepare for, and respond to threats over time.