BREAD stands for Building Responsibility, Equality, and Dignity. BREAD is a 501(c)3 nonprofit and non-partisan organization. We were founded in 1996 and are currently made up of 44 member congregations, representing the religious, racial, socioeconomic, and geographic diversity of Columbus and Franklin County.

BREAD’s Mission

Our mission is to powerfully address serious community problems by holding public officials accountable to implementing proven solutions. While non-profit work is often associated with direct service (providing immediate and often temporary relief to victims of community problems), BREAD operates differently by engaging in direct action. By building the power of organized people in our community, we work to hold decision makers accountable to solve the community problems that create victims in the first place.

How We Win Justice

We win justice by engaging in relational community organizing. We believe that to solve community problems, you first need to know the community and its concerns. More than that, BREAD strives to be the community by reflecting the religious, racial, socioeconomic, and geographic diversity of Columbus and Franklin County in our membership and leadership. We organize around the principle that those who are impacted by community problems should have a say in the solutions that our city and county pursue, and so BREAD builds the power of organized people to amplify these voices and give them a platform to engage directly with officials. Together, BREAD…rises!