Resources
IRSG Rural Organizing Dialogue Series
Over the course of the summer, IRSG held a Rural Organizing Dialogue Series. This series was educational and genuine! It was a space for funders in IRSG’s network to get to know this work and the rural leaders that are holding and leading it. The dialogue featured many of IRSG’s Movement Advisors and created opportunity to…
Read MoreEvent Recap: 9/15 Indiana Co-Governance Funder Briefing
In Indianapolis, gun violence is down 20% so far this year for the first time in a decade; a new crisis response system supports people in crisis to get the care they deserve rather than ending up behind bars; and the nation’s strongest civilian oversight body over law enforcement, created just nine month ago, has…
Read MoreMidwest Summer 2022 Newsletter: Collective Courage ✨
With all we are holding, I hope you are also finding sweetness in this final stretch of our Midwest summer. Each day, I have the honor of working with movement workers and funders who teach me what it means to be courageous enough to build the world we want. Individual brave acts are powerful. So…
Read MoreActualizing our values: A gathering in rural Oregon grounds IRSG’s work in community and place
by Lindsay Ryder, Director, Integrated Rural Strategies Group The week before last was a gift. The Integrated Rural Strategies Group (IRSG) gathered its Rural Movement Advisors in Woodburn, Oregon* for a week of rest, reflection, joy, tequio, and breaking bread together. The impetus for this gathering was to renew our partnership with this group of…
Read MoreThe Future of Amplify
In 2021 Amplify staff and Steering Committee got clear the Fund would extend beyond it’s original 4-year planned lifespan; in 2022 we are designing the “Future of Amplify,” guided by a sharpened set of values*. While the first version of our theory of change, created by our early funders and staff, served us well, so…
Read MoreMidwest Spring 2022 Newsletter: Seeding Change 🌱
I am so honored to say hello to you as the Program Manager of the Midwest Organizing Infrastructure Funders (Midwest Program) at Neighborhood Funders Group. I shifted into this role from Sr. Program Coordinator last month, a transition that has paralleled the Midwest’s journey into spring. In recent years, I have begun gardening vegetables, which has been…
Read MoreAmplify Members as Funder Organizers
Unlike many other pooled funds, the Amplify Fund Steering Committee is committed to doing the work of funder organizing. Now representing twenty one funder members, the Steering Committee re-asserted their central role as funder organizers in 2021, but this responsibility is at the roots of the fund. In 2017, a rare opportunity to influence significant…
Read MoreIndigenous-led Funding Opportunities
Philanthropy needs to move more resources and power to Indigenous-led groups. In honor of Native American Heritage Month in November, here is a list of Indigenous-led organizations you can fund today and every day. This list was compiled by NFG teammate Stephan Cheney, who is Lakota of the Kul Wicasa Oyate located in Lower Brule,…
Read MoreAmplify Fund Collaboration Grants
Aligned with our initial theory of change that stated a commitment to “fund an ecosystem of groups and prioritize deep collaboration,” in 2021 we introduced collaboration grants. These grants support work that Amplify grantees are taking on with other trusted allies. In 2021, Amplify granted $634,000 to 16 collaborations. in two rounds of funding. In…
Read MoreHow Philanthropy Can Move from Crisis to Transformation
Dimple Abichandani, Executive Director of the General Service Foundation, urges grantmakers and the philanthropic sector to take concrete actions to defend democracy and speak out against racist attacks on people of color. This post was originally published here by the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project. Dimple was part of the first Philanthropy Forward: Leadership for Change Fellowship cohort, a joint initiative of…
Read MorePhilanthropy Moving Forward a Bolder Approach to America’s Housing Crisis
This blog was written by Nile Malloy, Director of NFG’s Democratizing Development Program to urge philanthropy to propel a bold approach to the housing crisis. Housing advocates and grassroots groups from across the country continue to organize elected officials at the local, state, and federal level for another eviction moratorium, rental assistance, and foreclosure delay relief…
Read MoreStrike Watch 2020 Review: Defund the Police to Build Worker Power
By Manisha Vaze, Director, NFG Funders for a Just Economy As we close this year, it’s probably safe to assume that you, like me, are emotionally and physically exhausted. The never-ending tragedy of this year’s global pandemic, the job loss, the deep inequality of the economic and health systems, and the new exposure for many…
Read MoreStrike Watch – Election 2020: Workers Redefine the Map, as Corporate Tech Pours Millions to Undermine Rights
While the public eye (rightfully) centered on the US presidency this election, worker-led organizing made tremendous waves across the country in ballot initiative, issue-based wins and get out the vote mobilization, including in closely-watched swing states. Corporations and the ultra-wealthy also pushed their agendas of racialized and gendered inequality ahead, most notably California’s anti-labor rights…
Read MoreStrike Watch: Solidago Foundation’s Rebecca Greenberg on Funding Democracy Defense from Georgia to Arizona
Strike Watch brings you original content from FJE on urgent economic justice issues and the latest developments in grassroots efforts to build worker power – and where funders can partner and are taking action. This week, we bring you an in-depth interview with Rebecca Greenberg of the Solidago Foundation, who shares how and why the…
Read MorePhilanthropy Isn’t Doing Enough to Support Youth-Led Voter-Mobilization Efforts
Alejandra Ruiz, Executive Director of the Youth Engagement Fund, and Lori Bezahler, President of the Edward W. Hazen Foundation, write about youth of color civic engagement and voter mobilization work as a core opportunity for grantmaking on racial equity, leadership development, and building people centered long-term infrastructure that transforms our communities and democracy. This op-ed was originally published here…
Read MoreStrike Watch, Labor Day: Vonda McDaniel on Workers Redefining “Nash-Vegas” and Taking on Power in Tennessee
Earlier this summer, we had the fortune to sit down with Central Labor Council (CLC) of Nashville & Middle Tennessee President Vonda McDaniel. McDaniel gave us key insights – shared in this Strike Watch interview – into the critical organizing led by food processing workers hard-hit in unsafe meatpacking plants in the region and throughout…
Read MoreStrike Watch: San Francisco Foundation’s Jidan Terry-Koon on Finding our (Philanthropic) Front Lines
As part of our ongoing coverage and analysis of the many uprising for economic justice – from the Strikes for Black Lives to fights for basic protections in the age of COVID-19 – we wanted to get the perspectives from FJE members on how they are changing their practices to better support economic justice organizing…
Read MoreThe Fund for New Jersey Reaffirms Commitment to Racial Justice
In the wake of George Floyd’s death and the protests that followed, The Trustees of The Fund for New Jersey have issued a statement that reaffirms The Fund’s commitment to achieving racial justice in New Jersey through investment in policy reforms in housing, education, criminal justice, economic justice, and public health. The statement provides data and analysis on the…
Read MoreStrike Watch: Voices from the Strike for Black Lives
PIctured left: Gus and his co-workers in Lakeland, FL during the J20 Strike for Black Lives. Photo Credit: Fight for 15 Florida. Hundreds of workers walked out of work from coast to coast Monday, July 20th as part of coordinated Strike 4 Black Lives. Centering the Movement 4 Black Lives and 60-plus labor and community…
Read MoreJustice Oregon for Black Lives: A five-year, $25 million commitment
Michelle J. DePass, President & CEO of Meyer Memorial Trust, describes how the foundation is supporting Black resilience in Oregon with their largest initiative yet — funding Black-led and Black-centered organizations working toward justice and systemic change. This post was originally published here on the foundation’s website. Michelle is part of the 2019-2020 Philanthropy Forward: Leadership for Change Fellowship cohort,…
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