What if you could change the way people vote?

The proliferation of election-related news and social media content proves that voters are hungry for engagement and information, but don't quite know where to turn.
This is where The Shrug Foundation comes in.Over the past 8 years, dozens of readers of the Girl, I Guess Progressive Voter Guide have asked how they could start their own voter guides in communities across the country. Despite the multiple queries, none have followed through—largely because, much like voters trying to research candidates on ever-lengthening ballots, they didn't know where to start. That's why Girl, I Guess co-founder Stephanie Skora has launched The Shrug Foundation: to help those intrepid imparters of information start independent voter guides of their own, wherever they live."Why independent voter guides?" you may ask.
Because they give voters everything they need, in a format and from a source that they can trust, enabling them to do their own research while having something with which to guide their vote.We believe in information democracy in the civic context: the idea that every voter deserves the information that they need in order to cast a fully informed ballot. Voters deserve that information to be thoroughly researched, accurate, accessible, and coming from the most trusted source of all: their own community.Independent voter guides make that possible.
Now, with your help, The Shrug Foundation can empower communities across Illinois, and even across the country, to bring more people, and more information, to the polls.OUR GOAL IS TO CREATE THESE TOOLS IN ADVANCE OF THE 2028 PRIMARY, SO THEY CAN BE USED ANYWHERE AND EVERYWHERE TO HELP FOLKS SHAPE THE PRESIDENTIAL CONVERSATION IN THEIR COMMNUNITIES

OUR MISSION:

The Shrug Foundation creates tools that drive grassroots civic education and engagement in Illinois and across the United States.

OUR VALUES:

TRANSPARENCY
We must always be transparent, independent, and tell the truth. The Shrug Foundation centers the principles of independent investigative journalism, and educates about the importance of transparency, evenhandedness, and honesty to the democratic process.ACCESSIBILITY
Make it feel like talking to a friend. The Shrug Foundation emphasizes the importance of narrative storytelling as a voter education and civic engagement tool, which allows information to reach community members wherever, and however, they are.
HUMOR
If they’re laughing, they’re learning. The Shrug Foundation educates about the importance of humor and artistic freedom to reaching uninformed and underinformed community members and prospective voters.INFORMATION DEMOCRACY
An informed voter is a progressive voter. The Shrug Foundation creates tools which drive voter turnout and education in accordance with an explicit set of values that lead voters to make more informed choices at the polls.

The Project

Phase 1: $50,000

Create a customizable web-based suite of tools that will be publicly available for anyone in the country to use in creating their own independent voter guide
Produce a Guide to Guides that serves as a playbook and development tool
Source a state-by-state list of transparency, research, and voter education tools for prospective writers
Help form national partnerships with local and national organizations, so new guides have a built-in base of readership upon launch

Phase 2: $250,000+

Incubate Voter Guides in key cities in states with elected judges (target launch cities are Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia)
Staffing for these projects to provide continuing support for prospective writers
Projects receive two full election cycles of support, preparing them to work solo
Make the digital toolkit bigger, better, and more accessible
Achieve national scope with a local impact ripple

The People

Stephanie Skora (Founder, President) is a seasoned nonprofit executive with over 15 years of experience founding and leading organizations from the start-up phase to stable, multimillion dollar service providers. She is also a civic engagement and voter education expert who has been producing civic engagement and voter education materials since 2012.In 2018, Stephanie became the Co-Founder of the Girl, I Guess Progressive Voter Guide, where she is currently Editor and Co-Writer. Girl, I Guess is the nation's most-read independent voter guide, and has helped more than half a million voters cast a more informed ballot.Over the past 8 years, dozens of Girl, I Guess readers around the country have asked how they could start their own voter guides. Despite the multiple queries, none have fully followed through, spurring Stephanie to use her passion for democratizing election information and civic engagement to found The Shrug Foundation, so that anyone can use research, storytelling, comedy, and values to inform how their community votes.

Pamela Calvert (Treasurer) served in non-profit leadership for four decades, spanning organizations in the performing arts, independent media, social justice, environmental health, and philanthropy. Having “retired” in 2022, she is free to (over)fill her calendar with commitments to community-building and the protection of civil society.Responding to the acute need for safe and affirming homes for LGBTQ+ seniors and young adults, coupled with the opportunity to create secure employment opportunities in eldercare, Pam co-founded One Roof Chicago (ORC) in 2019. ORC will combine intergenerational housing with vocational training, building a new cohort of eldercare providers to address the needs of the “silver tsunami” of aging Baby Boomers and a solid pathway out of housing insecurity for young adults.This
Filler
Space

Jackie Rosa (Secretary) is a lifelong Chicagoan with nearly two decades of experience in the nonprofit, government, and philanthropic sectors. She brings a breadth of experience, including grantmaking, place-based investment, and community and civic engagement.As Chief Programs Officer for United Way of Metro Chicago, Jackie leads the integration of United Way’s basic needs strategy, including impact grants, public policy efforts, and the Response Fund, which launched in the fall of 2025 to address urgent and emerging needs. She also oversees the operations of 211 Metro Chicago, a free 24/7 health and social services helpline for Cook County residents.Jackie was the recipient of the 2016 Hispanics in Philanthropy Next Generation Fellowship and was selected for the Leadership Greater Chicago 2026 Cohort. She holds a bachelor’s degree from DePaul University and serves on the Chicago Public Library Board of Directors and as a member of the GreenLight Advisory Fund.

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