Grants of $10,000 each to build the capacity of social justice organizations to use arts and cultural expression to achieve social change goals through partnerships with artists. These grants will be awarded later this year.
The Center Pole Foundation’s mission is to preserve and raise awareness of traditional Crow Indian ways and to promote equal opportunity and a just society for the Native American people by providing access to information and resources. This grant will help support the foundation’s efforts to create a digital arts and cultural archive from Crow cultural items that are held in museum collections across the country. By documenting and studying artifacts of their historical culture, they also want to reclaim the original art and craft work. They believe that relearning the traditional arts and crafts of their people will build and strengthen their identity as a people.
CALC is dedicated to working for a society that is free of bigotry and that upholds human rights and human dignity for all. This grant will support CALC cultural work, which includes creating youth murals and replacing hate graffiti with art; circulating two photo exhibits, student art, essay and poetry contests, and hosting commemorations of the birthdays of Martin Luther King Jr and Cesar Chavez.
Justice Works!’ mission is to undo racism in the criminal justice system as experienced by African Americans. This grant will support their “Set Up To Fail” play by increasing public exposure by adding audio and video productions and broadening the audience across the state. Justice Works! is a volunteer-driven organization of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals and their families, friends, and supporters.
The Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center serves as Seattle’s authentic, positive and community-driven voice for African American arts and culture work. This grant will support their annual African American Film Festival in April of 2007. This annual event provides films by or about black people from independent filmmakers and features panel discussions, screenplay readings, and in-depth chats with filmmakers. Funds from SJF will allow the LHPAC to bring artists and film critics to the festival for post-screening community dialogue.
SYPP is a youth-led, adult supported social justice organization that empowers youth to express themselves and take action on the issues that affect their lives. This grant from SJF will support the event planning costs of their Martin Luther King Jr Hip Hop Show. This annual event is a venue for young people to express themselves and raise consciousness about issues they see and experience.
The Seattle Debate Foundation empowers youth by providing debate training and opportunities to public school students and teachers. This grant will help train students on how to use Hip Hop in public debates and weekend tournaments as a way to challenge and switch the traditional and elite code of debate and develop and articulate critical perspectives on their experiences as under-served youth.
UNETE is a movement of farm workers and immigrants that strives to empower and enrich their lives through education and advocacy, representation in issues that affect their lives and organizing to defend immigrant rights. This grant will assist Latino youth in using their creative resources to reduce inequities in educational access and opportunity through the Encuentro de Raices project.