We provide the buses, the route and the platform. Mission-aligned organizations send their own people to ride; individuals and companies fund the tour and the film that carries the story beyond 2026. Both become part of a permanent record of the 2026 fight for voting rights.
National visibility
A multi-week, multi-state tour with earned media, social content and a documentary distributed afterward.
Direct grassroots access
Your representatives ride alongside civil rights icons, faith leaders, artists and organizers in the communities you serve.
A living archive
The film pairs 1961 and 2026 side by side. Your organization becomes part of the historical record.
Turnkey participation
You bring people and, where relevant, expertise, audience or on-the-ground support. We handle the rest.
Bus seating is limited and allocated by partnership level, with room for 2–10 riders per organization. All levels are cumulative — each includes everything in the levels below it.
2 seats
Named as a tour partner in the documentary credits, press materials and event signage.
5 seats
Everything in Rider Partner, plus your logo and branding on tour materials, digital assets and stop signage.
10 seats
Everything above, plus top-tier branding on the buses themselves and at every stop, and a guaranteed presenter slot at tour events.
10 seats
Everything above, plus Executive Producer credit and an equity stake in the film, including a share of net profits from distribution and sale.
* The Executive Partner level is proposed and open for discussion with each organization.
Sponsor support funds the tour and the documentary itself — the buses, the route, the community events and the Art Bus — without taking a seat that belongs to a partner delegation or a pilgrim rider. The recognition levels are cumulative; sponsoring a Freedom Rider is a separate kind of gift.
Your name in the documentary credits, on the sponsor page and in tour press materials. Digital thank-you across The Ride’s social media, and an invitation to attend one tour stop event as a guest.
Everything above, plus your name or logo on select event signage, invitations to two tour stop events, and early access to the finished documentary ahead of public release.
Brings one 1961 Freedom Rider, with a companion to care for them, on all twelve days — travel, hotel and meals, plus a $1,000 stipend honoring their time and witness. Give any amount; gifts are pooled until each Rider is covered.
Everything in Supporter, plus top-tier recognition on tour materials and signage at every stop, Associate Producer credit on the finished documentary, and a standing invitation to join the production team at any tour stop.
Sponsorship levels are distinct from Partner Organization levels, which include bus seating for organizational delegations. Organizations sending riders should start with the partner levels above.
Select a level
Or reach out and let’s design a custom package together.
Identify your riders
Partner organizations name 2–10 riders and the leg or legs they’ll join. Sponsors skip this step.
Sign a short agreement
Covering funding, branding assets and rider logistics. We handle bus seating, tour-day logistics and coordination with the film team.
Pastor Doug Pagitt, Executive Director, Vote Common Good and Greater Things Foundation — Executive Producer, The Ride.
