Event Recap: 9/15 Indiana Co-Governance Funder Briefing

For over a decade, Faith in Indiana has demonstrated - no matter the issue area - when policy expertise is backed by a movement vehicle laser focused on power building and developing grassroots leaders, advocates can compete for governing power even in contested political terrain.

That’s good news, because the challenges facing Indiana are the challenges of our nation: a battle for a future led by a white nationalist authoritarianism or a multi-racial democracy. The former has already captured the governing apparatus of many states, like Indiana, through gerrymandering, voter suppression and racialized polarization. Every path forward goes through the Midwest, and Indiana is leading the way.

Here are all the links from last week’s briefing, so you can dive deeper:

• Slide-deck
• Full Report ‘Co-Governance in Action’

To Learn about Indiana’s ten year plan read ‘Organize Indiana.’ The full report ‘Indiana Power Audit’ (501c4 version) is available upon request, contact Shoshanna Spector.

While last week’s conversation focused on Indiana’s capital city, Indianapolis, Faith in Indiana has replicated its co-governance model in Gary, Fort Wayne, South Bend with even greater impacts. Co-Governance starts with a simple idea; it’s up to us to take responsibility to create the conditions required to win, implement, defend, enforce, and sustain progressive policies and programs. To achieve this goal, Faith in Indiana’s organizing model has evolved a high level of sophistication and points to four key replicable elements: organize people, run implementation campaigns, create insider champions, and play the long game.

Now, Faith in Indiana is on a path to statewide multiracial governing power.

To accomplish on a state level, what they’ve built at a local level they’ve built a set of new vehicles: a donor table (Indiana Democracy Collaborative), a political coalition (Indiana Votes), a progressive advocacy coalition (Indiana Voices). In the next twelve months, Faith in Indiana will advance a set of long-term strategies:

• Dramatically scale-up organizing in Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities in Northwest Indiana and Central Indiana
• Increase voter participation 15% among Black voters
• Secure $90 Million in annual dedicated revenue to  fully funding for robust crisis response system in Indiana’s upcoming legislative session