Our History
From the fight for health care to building a strong voice for small businesses.
Annual Reports
A TRUE INDEPENDENT VOICE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
At Main Street Alliance, we envision an economy that empowers businesses, employees, customers, and communities to thrive together. We understand that prosperous businesses aren't built on short-term profits or exploitative practices. Instead, they grow from an equitable, fair, and sustainable environment nurtured by dedicated investment in people and places.
Small business owners, their employees, and customers share more than just economic transactions. We're united by our commitment to the vibrant communities that sustain our livelihoods and enrich our lives.
Over time, we recognized the need for a more centralized approach to our work. To create a new, more resilient economy, it was evident that we needed to foster connections between different elements of the small business ecosystem. While we continue to mobilize small business owners, we saw gaps in areas like independent economic research for small businesses, community-driven support projects, and strategic collaborations with other organizations.
Main Street Alliance is bridging these gaps. We're developing a comprehensive ecosystem that empowers small businesses through grassroots organizing, leadership training, and independent research. Moreover, we ensure small businesses can access the resources they need to prosper. Our team is working with business owners to advocate for policies that bolster small businesses, their workforce, and the communities they sustain. In this next stage, our staff will partner closely with our small business member-leaders to foster an inclusive and forward-thinking organization.
Key Victories
As we diversified our focus areas, it became evident that the Main Street Alliance was growing beyond a simple campaign strategy. We recognized the need to augment our approach to cultivate substantial political influence for progressive small business owners.
Main Street Alliance members have shared their priorities with legislators at every level.
The journey towards constructing a new narrative for small businesses began in 2002, emerging from a single-payer healthcare campaign in Maine. The Maine People's Alliance accumulated support from over 1,400 small businesses, whose voices were then presented to Senators Snowe and Collins.
Recognizing the potential in this approach, the Alliance for a Just Society (AJS) — then the Northwest Federation of Community Organizations — mirrored this success and initiated small business organizing projects across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.
These pilot initiatives underscored the essential role of an independent, organized small business voice in policy and political discussions. Building on this realization, in 2006, the Main Street Alliance was established, dedicated to amplifying this critical voice and bringing about meaningful change.
The fight for the Affordable Care Act was our first campaign to organize small businesses. Affordable, universal health care continues to be a core issue for our members.
EMPOWERING SMALL BUSINESSES: THE BIRTH OF MAIN STREET ALLIANCE
In the summer of 2008, Main Street Alliance emerged as a fresh voice advocating for healthcare reform, joining forces with Health Care for America Now (HCAN). This collaboration marked a crucial step towards amplifying the concerns and needs of small businesses. The subsequent passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 was an extraordinary victory for MSA members.
Initially, MSA provided sub-grants to support small business organizing efforts in collaboration with ten community organizations. Over time, the organization expanded its impact, deploying full-time organizers on the ground in multiple states.
Driven by the success of our ACA organizing endeavors, Main Street Alliance convened the inaugural National Small Business Summit. During this landmark event, our members had the opportunity to share their experiences and voice their aspirations. It was a moment of empowerment as our members discovered a newfound sense of political influence. Finally, they were granted a seat at the table, their voices resounding with the call for further action.