Where radical optimism meets strategy and experience.
New Fundamentals is a people powered campaign consultancy firm. We work with membership-based organizations, Native Nations, and funders to win campaigns and build movements. No matter the size of your team now, we work with you to ensure your organization is equipped to accomplish your goals. We leverage our proven campaign framework, methods, and decades experience, to help your organization achieve real, measurable and durable change – even after our contract ends.
OUR TEAM
OUR TEAM
Claire Douglass
Claire Douglass is a seasoned leader with over 20 years of experience in the climate and energy campaign and movement building space. She has an impressive track record in winning issue campaigns and building diverse coalitions at the national, state and local levels. As the former National Campaigns Senior Director at the Audubon Society, Claire spearheaded successful climate and clean energy initiatives across various states, leveraging bipartisan support to not only win the campaign but make them durable to the political swings under different administrations.
During her tenure at Oceana, Claire demonstrated her ability to lead large coalitions and matrixed teams to develop and execute comprehensive strategies to reverse the decision to expand Offshore Drilling under the Obama and Trump administration. Notably, rallying support and building political power from a diverse array of stakeholders including coastal Mayors, numerous business alliances representing over 40,000 businesses, recreational and commercial fishing industry associations, and hundreds of coastal communities. Claire's hands-on experience leveraging grassroots, grass-roots, coalitions, expertise, legal, legislative, media and communications equipped her to win policy victories faster and once thought impossible.
Now, as the founder of New Fundamentals, a consultancy firm specializing in campaign strategy and building people power for durable change, Claire continues to apply her expertise to help clients drive societal change. With her proven track record of success and unwavering dedication to a people powered approach to movement building, Claire continues to support clients to make significant contributions at scale.
She lives in her hometown of Washington D.C. with her beloved husband she met at a billiards league, their 4 year old daughter who loves the music video Thriller, elephants and space.
Meet Muchhala
Meet Muchhala is the Climate Strategy Manager at New Fundamentals. He is driven by the idea of enabling systems of change through science & communications strategy rooted in fundamentals of social justice. He has 7 years of experience working across Asia Pacific, Africa and North America in international youth development, climate strategy and social justice organizing.
Alongside this role, he is engaged in independent research on the topic of detention liberation emphasizing the intersections between climate, immigration and prison justice. Meet is originally from Mumbai, India and is currently based in Port Hueneme, California. Meet spends most of adventure time going on trails with his partner and their dog, Smokey. Political education, plant-based cooking and community building are few other things he is passionate about.
Victoria F. Vega
Victoria F. Vega is the Social Impact & Engagement Manager at New Fundamentals. She is passionate about intersectionality in organizing and campaigning, specializing in culturally competent communication. She is experienced in bilingual communications, bringing fact-based information regarding topics such as reproductive health and energy justice to Latinx communities across the U.S. Having started out as an organizer, Victoria has 6 years of experience working in social justice spaces. Whether she’s hosting BIPOC healing spaces, organizing actions, or leading digital advocacy efforts, her work centers people.
Having received her Bachelor of Science in Communications & Rhetorical Studies with a minor in Political Science from Syracuse University, and her Master of Arts in Strategic Communications with a focus in Digital Strategy from American University, Victoria specializes in the development and implementation of communication strategies in campaigns. She currently resides in Austin, TX, but is a proud Latina that was born and raised in Miami, FL. Victoria spends most of her time spoiling her 2 dogs, or visiting local coffee shops.
Our Story
Our logo, featuring a pinecone and a 3-dimensional illusion, embodies this philosophy. Like a pinecone, campaigns are multidimensional and some species only can grow after a “wildfire.” Wildfires are “spark events,” they are the catalysts that ignite (or reignite) campaigns. Whether sparked by external forces, like historical turning points, or intentionally created, these moments transform your campaign’s landscape and create new opportunities. Consider Rosa Parks' courageous stand (sit), the seismic impact of George Floyd's murder, the Supreme Court's pivotal decisions, or environmental disasters like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill—all these are examples of “spark events'' that redefine issues and prompt us to restrategize.
At the core of our identity is an image of a spark, nestled at the base of our pinecone-inspired logo. New Fundamentals goes beyond mere, short-term campaign victories. We are dedicated to sparking transformative campaigns that not only win, but build durable movements for lasting change.
“Knowing the difference between strategy and tactics has fundamentally improved my approach to campaigns.”
— Tykee James, President of DC Audubon Society and Co-creator of Black Birders Week