2007 Basic Grants

Montana:

Montana People’s Action, Missoula, MT: Montana People’s Action is a diverse organization of low to moderate income Montanans working together to achieve social, economic, and racial justice through organizing for direct action. MPA is building a working collaborative between their low-income white members, urban Indians, and Montana tribes to address their common interests in changing public attitudes and public policies to benefit working poor people in Montana.

Working for Equality and Economic Liberation (WEEL), Helena, MT: WEEL is a state-based grassroots, economic and social justice organization comprised of people experiencing poverty and their supporters. Through advocacy, action, an education they work to eradicate the myths, stereotypes and stigmas that are harmful to low income families.

Idaho:

Idaho Women’s Network Research and Education Fund, Boise, ID: The Idaho Women’s Network Research and Education Fund was created in 1988 to protect and promote the equality of women through grassroots organizing to impact public policy. The Idaho Women’s Network unites the voices and interests of Idaho women, families and communities through community organizing, advocacy and education.

United Vision for Idaho, Boise, ID: UVI’s mission is to transform the political landscape of Idaho by promoting education and understanding of public policy which allows every person to live with dignity and security in a healthy environment; by building relationships and open communication at the community level; by promoting public dialogue on the common values of the coalitions; and by helping to empower participation in democracy.

Women of Color Alliance, Boise, ID: WOCA is the only organization of its kind in Idaho. WOCA is working to create a firm institutional foundation for social change activism by and for women of color in Idaho. WOCA is achieving this goal by identifying, organizing and networking women of color, and developing their capacity for political participation and leadership, with a particular focus on addressing internalized racist, sexist and class oppression as obstacles to attaining power.

Oregon:

African Women’s Coalition, Portland, OR: The African Women’s Coalition’s mission is to mobilize, advocate and empower African women living in Oregon and Southwest Washington by providing a culturally supporting and nurturing environment that builds the capacity of the community to help itself and allows other members of the community to reach their highest potential through support, guidance, and educational opportunities.

Center for Intercultural Organizing, Portland, OR: The Center for Intercultural Organizing was originally created to combat widespread anti-Muslim sentiment after 9/11/2001. Today, the Center has grown into is a diverse, grassroots organization working to build a multi-racial, multi-cultural movement for immigrant and refugee rights through education, policy advocacy, community organizing and mobilization, and intergenerational leadership development.

Community Alliance of Lane County, Eugene, OR: CALC began in 1966 to mobilize opposition to the Vietnam War. Today, their mission is to educate and mobilize for peace, human dignity, and social, racial and economic justice. CALC is seeking funds to support their anti-oppression work.

Disabled United in Direct Empowerment (DUDE), Medford, OR: DUDE organizes Oregonians with disabilities through activities and interaction. Their mission is to engage and organize persons with disabilities to advocate through education using media production, which enhances the quality of life and human dignity, promoting access to social and economic justice.

Latinos Unidos Siempre, Salem, OR: LUS is a Latino youth-led grassroots organization that works in Salem and surrounding mid-Willamette Valley communities to advance the educational, cultural, social and political development and participation of Latino youth. LUS involves youth in community organizing on a range of issues including racial profiling and criminal justice reform; educational access and equity; and humane immigration policy.

Rural Organizing Project, Scappoose, OR: The Rural Organizing Project exists to “strengthen the skills, resources and vision of primary leadership in local human dignity groups with the goal of keeping such groups a vibrant sources for a just democracy.”

Unete, Center for Farm Worker Advocacy, Medford, OR: Unete is a movement of farm workers and immigrants in rural Southern Oregon that is educating their community and advocating for workers’ rights, humane immigration policy, and full participation for immigrant workers in the decision-making processes affecting their lives. Unete is the only Latino-led non-profit in Oregon’s Rogue Valley, home to one of the fastest growing Latino communities in the region.

VOZ Workers Rights Education Project, Portland, OR: VOZ works with low-wage immigrant workers and their allies, with a special focus on day laborers. VOZ is building community leadership to advance humane immigration policy and defend workers’ rights through community organizing, popular education, leadership development training, and community-building activities.

Washington:

Chaya, Seattle, WA: Chaya is a diverse organization led by South Asian women and their allies that exists to accomplish two goals: 1) to serve South Asian women experiencing domestic violence and abuse, and 2) develop and support the leadership of South Asian women in the struggle to end domestic violence through educating and mobilizing individuals and families within the South Asian community to address domestic violence issues.

Comite Pro-Amnistia General y Justicia Social, Seattle, WA: The Comite Pro-Amnistia General y Justicia Social is an immigrant-led statewide organization made up of individuals and organizations whose mission is to educate, organize and mobilize immigrants and their allies so that amnesty and social justice are made a reality for all, regardless of their national origins.

Community Coalition for Environmental Justice, Seattle, WA: CCEJ is a multi-ethnic, multi-issue group of people and organizations working to organize and mobilize low-income people and people of color to fight for and achieve environmental, economic and social justice. CCEJ is involved in a wide array of projects including Environmental Justice Youth Advocates, the Northwest Environmental and Economic Justice Alliance, the Toxic Beauty Project, and the South Seattle Toxics Project. CCEJ is currently involved organizing opposition to the Seattle Housing Authority’s Yesler Terrace “redevelopment” plan.

Justice Works!, Seattle, WA: Justice Works is a statewide organization inspired by the work, knowledge and determination of the Black Prisoner’s Caucus at Washington State Reformatory, and led by incarcerated and formerly incarcerated African Americans in order to undo racism as experienced by African Americans in the criminal justice system.

Refugee Justice Project, Seattle WA: The Refugee Justice Project (formerly known as the RAFT Outreach Project) was established in 2006 in response to the need to restore due process for immigrants and refugees facing deportation based on criminal conditions, and in response to national efforts to demand comprehensive immigration reform. Their mission is to “end unjust detention and deportation of immigrants and refuges through community education, mobilization, media advocacy, and lobbying.”

Stonewall Youth- Olympia, WA: Stonewall youth supports, informs, and advocates for Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth 21 and under in Thurston County, Washington. Stonewall Youth empowers youth by educating the community about the history of oppression in the US, through workshops, panels, theatre, and art.

2007 Cultural Grants

Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas: Seattle, WA- $6000: The CD Forum’s mission is to produce and present African-American cultural programs that promote African-American cultural expression and encourage progressive dialogue concerning issues affecting our community.

This grant will provide general operating support for their 2008 programming, including the American Heritage and Which Way Seattle series, which explores the impact of American history and politics on African Americans.

Wind River Alliance- Ethete, WY- $7500: The Wind River Alliance is a Native American-led environmental justice organization based on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, home to the Northern Arapahoe and Eastern Shoshone tribes. WRA is building a grassroots movement to address environmental racism among residents of the Wind River Indian Reservation and everyone who lives in the Wind River watershed through community education, collective action, and leadership development.

This grant will fund a photo and video project between reservation youth and tribal elders, exploring the cultural value of and reverence for water in the hopes of preserving traditional wisdom and developing the leadership of the next generation. WRA will create a video and photographic narrative that will be developed into a traveling exhibit about the history of the watershed region.

Idaho Community Action Network- Boise, ID- $5000: Idaho Community Action Network (ICAN) is a statewide membership organization whose mission is to build unity and collective power among those facing poverty, racism, and injustice and facilitate their leadership in the fight for food security, health care access, and immigrant justice.

This grant will be used to develop street theatre presentations to educate both immigrant and long-established communities about immigrant rights and the effect of the punitive policies that are being passed by Idaho’s conservative state legislature. ICAN will use street theatre to visually illustrate the stories of individuals in order to humanize immigrants and draw connections between the experiences of immigrants and U.S.-born low-income residents of Idaho.

Montana Human Rights Network – Helena, MT $5000: The Montana Human Rights Network is a grassroots, membership-based organization that organizes local human rights groups; monitors and reports on the activities of right wing groups in Montana; develops and pursues public policy initiatives; and holds public officials accountable in the areas of human, civil and political rights.

This grant will support the development of an art exhibit at the Holter Museum of Montana entitled “Speaking Volumes, Transforming Hate.” This exhibit responding to the racist “Whiteman’s Bible” features many pieces that use the racist material itself in the hopes of inspiring discussion resulting in education about issues of tolerance and bigotry. MHRN acquired the white supremacist books in order to remove them from circulation, and then shipped the books to artists who were interested in transforming them into powerful pieces of art.

Khmer In Action- Seattle, WA - $6000: Khmer in Action is a newly forming organization active in the Cambodian immigrant community. The organization facilitates Khmer leadership in improving conditions in the Cambodian community and in movements for immigrant and refugee rights and social justice.

This grant will support Khmer In Action’s youth project, which is using art and culture education to establish a bridge of understanding between generations and to build community unity rooted in a sense of pride in Khmer cultural identity. Through this program, youth will have the opportunity to express themselves through theatrical performances, dance, poetry, spoken word, and photovoice projects.

Sahngnoksoo- Seattle, WA- $5000: Sahngnoksoo is an organization of progressive Koreans and Korean Americans who are building political power for the self-determination and liberation of Koreans of all identities through collective learning, collaboration, solidarity, and organizing.

This grant will support one of two projects: training community members in the pungmul tradition of protest through drumming and performance, or a documentary about SPAM--the canned meat that has followed the US military across the globe and has become a staple food in the diets of many countries that have been occupied by the United States.

Stonewall Youth- Olympia, WA- $5000: Stonewall Youth supports, informs, and advocates for Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth 21 and under in Thurston County, Washington. Stonewall Youth empowers youth by educating the community about the history of oppression in the US, through workshops, panels, theatre, and art.

This grant will support Stonewall Youth’s theatre project, which was also funded by a Social Justice Fund Cultural grant in 2006. The production allows the youth participants to use creative expression to articulate their feelings, ideas, and experiences, and to engage them in conversations about the intersections of oppression.

UNETE- Center for Farm Worker Advocacy- Medford, OR- $7500: Unete is a movement of farm workers and immigrants in rural Southern Oregon that is educating their community and advocating for workers’ rights, humane immigration policy, and full participation for immigrant workers in the decision-making processes affecting their lives. Unete is the only Latino-led non-profit in Oregon’s Rogue Valley, home to one of the fastest growing Latino communities in the region.

This grant will support the Encuentro de Raices project. The project helps Latino youth use their creative resources to reduce inequities in educational access and opportunity. This project was supported by a Social Justice Fund Cultural Grant in 2006.

Lummi Cultural Arts Association- Bellingham, WA- $8000: The Lummi Cultural Arts Association’s mission is to work with Lummi artists living in poverty, to draw upon their talents and knowledge to preserve the place-based identity of the Lummi people and perpetuate traditional cultural and performance arts. LCAA connects artists to art markets in their historical homelands in the San Juan Islands and around Whatcom County in the hopes of addressing poverty, which they believe to be rooted in historical trauma and displacement.

2007 Grants Map

You can now browse through our 2007 grantees on a map of our granting region. Click on either image to access the interactive map.

2007 Grants Map - West

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2007 Grants Map - East

2007 Technical Assistance Grants

 

Brother to Brother - $3,000

Somos Hispanas Unidas - $3,000

Welfare Rights Organizing Coalition - $1,500

People's Instutute Northwest - $3,000

Justice Works! - $3,000 

The Interfaith Alliance of Idaho - $3,000

Human Dignity Coalition - $3,000

Chaya - $3,000

Community Alliance of Tenants - $3,000

Citizens for Clean Air - $3,000

Jefferson Center - $1,500 

2007 Three-Year Grants

Three-Year Capacity Building Grants

Montana Women Vote, Missoula, MT: One of the organizations leading the change that is tipping the balance of power in Montana politics, Montana Women Vote is a coalition of ten state-level organizations that share a common goal of educating and mobilizing low-income women, many of whom have never voted, to participate in the democratic process. Montana Women Vote is requesting support for their effort to increase the long-term impact of the organization through leadership development, base building, and incorporating more effective systems for tracking and mobilizing their constituency on an ongoing basis, including between major election years.

The Salem/Keizer Coalition for Equality, Salem, OR: The Salem/Keizer Coalition for Equality is a multi-racial/ethnic community organization formed in 1999 to address unequal access and quality of education, and unequal administration of justice facing low-income and minority children and their families in Salem and Keizer. SKCE empowers students, parents, and the community by giving them a voice in the institutions that affect and represent them. SKCE is requesting support to help them deepen their financial management and fundraising skills, strengthen administrative systems, and develop new leaders from their core constituency.

Three-Year Support Grants

CAUSA, Salem, OR: CAUSA is Oregon’s statewide, Latino-led, grassroots immigrant rights coalition. CAUSA was founded in 1995 to defeat anti-immigrant ballot measures modeled after California Proposition 187. CAUSA defends and advances the rights and well being of immigrant workers and families while countering the growing right wing anti-immigrant agenda in Oregon and nationally through campaigns, policy advocacy, and community organizing. CAUSA is requesting support to continue their effort to win legalization, immigrant labor rights, and civil rights.

Equality State Policy Center, Casper, WY: The Equality State Policy Center is Wyoming’s progressive, statewide coalition of 30 organizations. ESPC conducts research, public education, and policy analysis and advocacy to encourage citizen participation in efforts to hold Wyoming state government accountable to all of the people it represents. ESPC is requesting general support to continue their work of promoting civic participation and policy leadership of under-represented and unrepresented low-income residents of Wyoming.

Idaho Hispanic Caucus Institute for Research and Education, Caldwell, ID: Idaho Hispanic Caucus was founded in 1991 to influence the 1992 Idaho reapportionment plan. Since then, the Caucus was become a leader in promoting the social welfare of the Latino community of Idaho through policy research, community education, voter registration, and grassroots lobbying and direct action. The Caucus is requesting support of their continuing civic participation and issue education and advocacy work.

Jefferson Center for Education and Research, Portland, OR/WA (terminated): The Jefferson Center was founded in 1994 as an agent of popular education and organizing among rural, working people in the Pacific NW. JC brings people together across languages and cultures to engage in a peer education process that starts with stories and experience, and builds a structural analysis facilitating the creation of statewide networks, relationships, and collective capacity to move towards transformative action to achieve environmental, economic and social justice. The Center is requesting support for their Rural Worker Empowerment Program that is organizing diverse immigrant and low-wage workers and their families in Western Washington and the northern Oregon coast.

Montana Human Rights Network, Helena, MT: The Montana Human Rights Network is a grassroots, membership-based organization that organizes local human rights groups; monitors and reports on the activities of right wing groups in Montana; develops and pursues public policy initiatives; and holds public officials accountable in the area of human, civil and political rights. MHRN is seeking general support of their effort to strengthen their grassroots organizing and coalition building work.

Partnership for Safety and Justice, Portland, OR: The Partnership for Safety and Justice was originally founded as the Western Prison Project in 1999. Safety and Justice unites people convicted of crime, survivors of crime and the families of both to advance approaches that redirect policies away from an over-reliance on incarceration to effective strategies that reduce violence and increase safety. Safety and Justice is requesting general support for their effort to organize their constituents in Oregon.