Rigorous experimentation to win big
We believe in the power of creative civic action — not just to inspire, but to deliver results. In a moment when democracy is under threat and movements are pushed to respond faster than ever, we need to know what truly works to reach and move people.
Our 2025 Field Tests program is where bold ideas meet rigorous testing, and where the most effective tactics don’t just live in a lab — they grow into larger-scale strategies that change how movements work.
Field Tests creates space for strategic experimentation. Over four months, partner organizations design and run imaginative, real-world interventions — supported by expert mentorship and grounded in research-backed methods. Each tactic is tested, measured, and analyzed to reveal what truly works in activism and civic engagement.
Once partners identify their most successful approaches, they will be equipped to realize them at a larger scale — building long-term impact from proven strategies.
Building on the momentum of last year’s Artistic Activism Test Kitchen, this experimentation program blends radical creativity with intensive qualitative and quantitative evaluation.
2025 Field Tests partners include:
Each partner’s experiment aims to break new ground in how we connect with communities and inspire civic action. And the learnings won’t stay siloed: insights will be shared widely through the Field Tests Toolkit, a how-to guide to help you experiment, iterate, and scale what works.
Because the only way to find a better, winning path is to test it in the field.
The Experiments
Fair Count
Focus: Mobilizing faith communities for local elections in Mississippi and Georgia
Testing: AI-generated video content
Fair Count’s experiments partner with Black churches in rural areas to boost voter participation. Using formats like gospel music, sermon-style messaging, comedy, interactive content, and educational materials, the experiments harness the cultural richness and community bonds of Black church congregations to inspire civic action.
“The personal connections we’ve cultivated have been the key to opening doors and creating meaningful opportunities for engagement.”
American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
Focus: Engaging voters with disabilities to make a plan to vote in Ohio
Testing: Games, personal reflection, and visual spectacle
AAPD’s experiments aim to encourage voters with disabilities who live in congregate settings, like nursing homes, ahead of the November 2025 elections. Through creative methods like a salon day, live concert, writing letters to their future selves, and ballot-themed bingo, the experiments focus on making the residents feel valued, confident, and excited.
“We’ve learned a lot about how to keep things consistent and document factors that we can’t control that might affect the results.”
QLatinx
Focus: Moving communities to support individuals with HIV and AIDS in Florida
Testing: Performance, storytelling, and interactive activities
QLatinx’s experiments focus on combating funding cuts made against HIV and AIDS services and support. A claw machine filled with plush toys containing bold statements and embedded recordings of testimonies from people affected, and a performance featuring Puerto Rican dresses painted with messages about HIV prevention funding cuts, are just two of their innovative methods.
“I’m really proud that I get to create something that speaks to my lived experience, my work, and my very real fears about losing access to health insurance.”
Be. The. Ones.
Focus: Empowering movement work leaders to increase their capacity for imagination in South Carolina
Testing: Art and participatory workshops
Be. The. Ones.’ experiments use the power of imagination to help organizers dream up how the South Carolina Statehouse could be a “Statehome.” By offering a storytelling workshop, experimental housewarming party, art installation, and more, the experiments will inspire what could be.
“I am thinking about the qualitative and quantitative ways to gather data and how we can adapt these data collection practices into our everyday programs.”
We’re turning real-world experiments into actionable insights — so you can bring bold, effective strategies into your own organizing. Stay tuned for tips and takeaways in our Field Tests Toolkit, coming this fall 2025.
Stay up to date on the Field Tests experiments, along with our other programming, resources, events, and more!
2025 Field Tests has been made possible through the generous support of the Four Doves Foundation.
