In 2000, the NAACP created the National Voter Fund (NVF) as it sought dynamic new ways to aggressively communicate its views on critical social issues of the day regarding voting rights. NVF was established as a free-standing 501C (4) corporation to engage in civic participation and community-based mobilization efforts through education and awareness campaigns surrounding key issues in communities of color.
NVF subsequently created Americans for Equality (AFE), a Section 527 political organization. AFE supplements NVF efforts in support of civil rights, voting rights, and other issues of importance to African-American voters. AFE activities include non-partisan get-out-the-vote programs, research on incumbents and candidates, issue advocacy, and grassroots lobbying.