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We are honored to present the grants awarded from our 2017 Intergenerational Giving Project cohorts (Portland and Seattle).
The two giving projects supported organizations that intentionally build leaders through their organizing work and use leadership development as part of a larger movement strategy. Combined, including a $40,000 match from the Satterberg Foundation, the groups gave and fundraised $303,324 for a grantable total of $263,824 from around 380donors.

Plus: Check out profiles of two Giving Project members here.

SJF 2017 Annual Dinner Video

Social Justice Fund NW grantees Empower MT Youth-Team, Western Native Voice, Hilltop Urban Gardens and Giving Project members Dean Jackson and Lola E Peters share their experiences building grassroots power with the support of Social Justice Fund NW.

Posted by Social Justice Fund NW on Tuesday, October 17, 2017

INTERGENERATIONAL GIVING PROJECT 2017 GRANTS

CAPACES Leadership Institute, Woodburn, OR
The CAPACES Leadership Institute defends, renews, and amplifies their accomplishments through an expansion of knowledge and appreciation of the history of the sister organizations, increasing the capacity of leaders committed to serve the community in the Mid-Willamette Valley through convenings enriched with social justice and political consciousness.

Colectiva Legal del Pueblo*, Burien, WA
Colectiva Legal del Pueblo uses community organizing and legal services strategies to strengthen undocumented communities to defend themselves from deportation and detention and transform the broken immigration system. Their goal is to train and prepare marginalized people, specifically women and people who identify as LGBTQ, to take on leadership roles within the collective to increase movement building and develop campaign strategies to address immigration reform and systemic racism within immigration laws and policies both locally and nationally.

EmpowerMT*, Missoula, MT
EmpowerMT creates a more just and inclusive society by developing youth and adult leaders who work to end mistreatment, correct systemic inequalities and strengthen communities across Montana. EmpowerMT plans to expand its youth leadership development programs into more rural and reservation communities. EmpowerMT will utilize these funds to empower more leaders in reservation communities with a special emphasis on Native American Youth in the Flathead Valley.

Firs Homeowner Association**, SeaTac, WA
The Firs Home Owner Association (HOA) was formed to save the Firs Manufactured Home Community (MHC) in response to a notice to close the park and to evict the home owners. The HOA is an association of the families who live at the Firs and is the organizing structure for a campaign to save the Firs community and to make affordable housing a reality for the Firs families and other families facing displacement.

Hilltop Urban Gardens, Tacoma, WA
HUG’s mission is to develop systems for food sovereignty and create racial and economic justice. HUG is doing this by building a neighborhood-based network of urban farms and gardens. This year HUG is running a summer youth program for queer and transgender youth of color in Pierce County. It will combine urban farm training with trauma informed peer support, advocacy, and leadership development.
Micronesian Islander Community**, Salem, OR
The Micronesian Islander Community (MIC) is organized exclusively for charitable, educational purposes and to promote cultural awareness programs and events that provide social needs, economic growth and racial justice to its MIC community members. MIC hopes to engage community members by showcasing their leadership abilities and enhancing areas of growth for the organization and for the community members.

Momentum Alliance, Portland, OR
Momentum Alliance is a youth-led non-profit, with experienced coaches, whose mission is to inspire youth to realize their power individually and collectively and to mentor future social justice leaders. Youth Education Advocates! (YEA!) convenes 20 diverse young people to explore the intersections of education, social justice, and community organizing. YEA! centers the leadership of LGBQTIA2S+ youth of color, undocumented youth, immigrant and refugee youth, low income youth, and youth with disabilities through intensive year-round programming.

Montana Women Vote*, Missoula, MT
Montana Women Vote is a statewide coalition that organizes with and alongside low-income women as informed voters, policy advocates, and community leaders. Montana Women Vote conducts year-round community organizing, political education, and leadership development with low-income women and families on a spectrum of economic and gender justice issues. In 2017 and 2018, Montana Women Vote will be building local power in Great Falls, expanding the civic engagement program, and seizing strategic leadership development opportunities that arise out of the current political climate.

Mujeres Luchadores Progresistas, Woodburn, OR
Mujeres Luchadoras Progresistas (MLP) is a group of farmworker women who create economic development and promote leadership among women in the community. MLP shares, coexists with other women, and learns new skills. The members of MLP strive to improve living and working conditions. MLP recognizes that women overcome exploitation and injustice when they organize and reclaim their rights. MLP believes there should be respect between workers.

Opal Environmental Justice Oregon**, Portland, OR
OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon is the premier EJ group in the Portland metro region and across the state. OPAL will carry forward our strategic work at the intersection of transportation, housing, and climate justice. In 2017 and beyond, OPAL will build off significant victories, advance local and regional policy change, and develop the next generation of organizers, to influence climate policy for our communities’ benefit.

Progreso: Latino Progress,* Seattle, WA
Progreso is a 501(c)4 with a mission to ensure that Latino communities are fairly represented in Washington State’s social, economic and political systems to improve the quality of life for all Washingtonians. Progreso supports community organizing, research, advocacy, network building, and civic engagement on issues impacting Latinos and other communities of color in South King and Yakima counties, with some activities also in Pierce, Snohomish, Benton, and Franklin counties.

Rural Organizing Project,* Scappoose, OR
Rural Organizing Project’s mission is to strengthen the skills, resources, and vision of primary leadership in local autonomous human dignity groups with a goal of keeping such groups a vibrant source for a just democracy. ROP will conduct leadership development work in rural Oregon to counter escalated state violence and militia organizing.

Seattle Young People’s Project (SYPP)*, Seattle, WA
Seattle Young People’s Project (SYPP) encourages and supports youth-led projects for social change. SYPP is a 25-year-old grassroots community-based organization creating space for anti-racist, intersectional feminist youth of color-led, adult-supported community organizing. SYPP does anti-racist, intersectional feminist leadership development of youth of color ages 13-22 via serving on their youth-led board; working as paid interns; participating in their urban gardening program; and organizing social justice campaigns, conferences, and workshops.

Stonewall Youth, Olympia, WA
Stonewall Youth is an organization of youth, activists, and allies that empowers LGBTQ+ youth to speak for themselves, support each other, educate themselves and their communities, and create social and systemic change. Stonewall Youth’s work in LGBTQ+ youth liberation through an integrated model of youth leadership, intentionally building leaders and counteracting intersectional systems of oppression.

Voz Workers’ Rights Education Project*, Portland, OR
Voz Workers’ Rights Education Project is a worker-led organization that empowers diverse day laborers and immigrants to improve their working condition and protect civil rights through leadership development, organizing, education and economic opportunity. Voz operates the MLK Jr. Worker Center, which connects hundreds of workers a week with local employers and jobs.

WA-BLOC, Seattle, WA
WA-BLOC empowers academic, creative, community-connected lifelong leaders through high-impact academic and “place-based” social justice leadership development. WA-BLOC transforms culture and space at Rainier Beach High School (RBHS) and in South Seattle by building intergenerational place-based leaders of change to disrupt educationally embedded systemic racism for the purpose of dismantling the school to prison pipeline.

Western Native Voice, Billings, MT
Western Native Voice’s mission is to inspire Native leadership so communities flourish. Western Native Voice’s grassroots leadership program engages Native Americans to build personal power to address local community issues. Western Native Voice inspires and leads Native community members to step up and be a voice from the polls to policy making and implementation.