In this moment, we need all of our leaders across so many movements that are building power for marginalized communities to be supported in ways that allow them to show up and be whole in their work. We can approach our grantmaking from a broader perspective of the values that guide us, to show up together and in solidarity.
No one is safe from the transition this country is undergoing. The period that we have entered is unlike anything that any of us has ever seen before. We will need to build a movement across divides of class, race, gender, age, documentation, religion and disability. Building a movement requires reaching out beyond the people who agree with you. Simply said, we need each other, and we need leadership and strategy.
Visit United Against the Muslim Ban to learn more about the policing of Muslim communities through the travel and migration ban.
Funders for LGBTQ Issues released an infographic that highlights these issues and explores how funders are addressing criminalization and criminal justice reform.
Progressive foundations that prioritize and support communities of color must remain focused. These communities will need help now more than ever, and foundations can't afford to lose focus or veer off the path. Here are five points to affirm commitment to the work in these uncertain times.
Social movements are a hidden underpinning of the American story. This report seeks to provide a guidepost to both funders and the field by detailing what makes for a successful social movement, what capacities need to be developed, and what funding opportunities might exist.
We live in a political era defined by crisis, great promise, and a visible resurgence of popular movements. Strides in economic inequality, criminal justice reforms, and other issues have been made. However, questions on grassroots activism sustaining lasting change, impact, creating successful movement structures, and donors catalyzing movement growth remain. The "From Protest to Power" convening, co-hosted by Ford Foundation and the Solidaire Network, explores these questions through a series of lively and participatory presentations.
Funding must fit the movement cycle and timing is critical. Healthy movements have cycles, and the needs of a thriving, expanding movement change dramatically and rapidly. However, these shifts are neither unpredictable nor random. Funders must be able to anticipate these shifts and be able to respond with agility in order to be most effective.
The Movement Strategy Center offers a plethora of resources that speak on transformative practices, collective impact, intersecting issues, and building progressive power. This is a curated list.
It is more important than ever that we reject increased militarization at home and abroad. It is more important than ever that we uplift the experiences, politics, and movements of Black, Indigenous, and Latinx queer and trans people fighting for self-determination of our bodies, homes, neighborhoods, clubs, and lands.
