Last week, our general grant cycle came to a close with 13 new grants totaling over $134,000 in more funding for community organizing and base building in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming.  We’re proud to announce the newest set of grants from our general grant cycle.  Take a moment to read about some of the amazing organizations working for progressive change!

Africatown Development Center – Seattle,WA.   Umoja P.E.A.C.E. Center’s mission is to inspire and empower youth through Positive Education, Art, Culture & Enterprise (P.E.A.C.E.). This grant will help Africa Town to continue to empower the African descendant community, particularly youth, using education and practical tools that will encourage economic redevelopment and community engagement in economic justice issues.

CAPACES Leadership Institute  – Woodburn, OR.  CAPACES Leadership Institute was founded to prepare leaders with the political consciousness and capacity needed to lead and support social justice work.  Their focus is on developing more deeply and methodically the commitment and the skills of grassroots leaders serving and organizing the Northern and Mid-Willamette Valley Latino community and Oregon farmworker movement.

Clatsop-Nehalem Confederated Tribes – Seaside, OR.  Clatsop-Nehalem Confederated Tribes seeks to revitalize their Tribal Heritage and Culture and to gain Federal Restoration. This grant will help the Tribes train members in legislative advocacy, gain support from allies, increase community engagement, and ultimately pass the Tribes’ Bill for Restoration in Congress.

Community to Community Development Fund (C2C) – Bellingham, WA. C2C is a place based, women-led grassroots organization working for a just society and healthy communities. C2C is committed to systemic change and to creating strategic alliances that strengthen local and global movements towards social, economic and environmental justice.

Equality State Policy Center (ESPC) – Casper, WY.  ESPC’s mission is to work through research, public education, and advocacy to hold state and local governments accountable to the people they represent, and help Wyomingites participate effectively in public policy making.  Founded in 1993 as a progressive coalition in a conservative, rural state, the ESPC now has 29 member organizations representing conservation, labor, professional, and other social justice groups.

Gender Justice League (GJL) – Seattle, WA.  GJL works to empower trans* activists and their allies to fight oppression based on gender and sexuality in Washington State and to create a community where trans people can live their lives safely, true to themselves, and free from discrimination. (GJL uses the term trans with an asterisk-trans*-as an umbrella term to include those who identify as transgender, transsexual, genderqueer, gender non-conforming, Two Spirit, and those medically labeled or those who identify as intersex).

Idaho Community Action Network (ICAN) – Boise, ID.  ICAN empowers disenfranchised Idahoans to create the power necessary to create systemic changes that positively impact low income communities and communities of color. ICAN is dedicated to the following principles: Empowerment of disenfranchised people and development of new leadership; diversity; a stable, membership-driven funding base; the democratic process within and outside the organization; and non-violent action in the spirit of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Montana Immigrant Justice Alliance (MIJA) – Helena, MT.  MIJA is a statewide non-profit organization working for immigrants’ rights. Montana has a rich history of immigration, but in recent years the contributions that immigrants have made to Montana have sometimes been overshadowed by negative stereotypes and false myths. MIJA works to educate the public about our migrant communities, and provide services to empower these communities.

Montana Women Vote – Missoula, MT.  Montana Women Vote is a statewide coalition that works to engage, organize, and mobilize low-income women as informed voters, policy advocates, and community leaders. Montana Women Vote believes that civic action, policy change, and leadership development can together shift the balance of power and improve the lives of those in poverty.

Native Youth Leadership Alliance – Pablo, MT and Beverly, WA.  The Native Youth Leadership invests in young Native American leaders to create culturally based community change. These grants fund the community organizing and leadership development of NYLA fellows in Montana and Washington.

Village of Hope – Seattle, WA.  Village of Hope’s mission is to work in cooperation with other organizations and with elders, children, youth and adults to share resources, knowledge, creativity, and experience to build a strong and healthy community where people are liberated to live powerfully in every aspect of their lives.

Women of Color Alliance (WOCA) – Boise, ID.  WOCA’s mission is to unite women of color in a common bond to achieve social, economic and political justice in Idaho. This grant will support ongoing leadership development as well as an Internalized Racial Oppression training for women of color.

About the Giving Projects….

Social Justice Fund NW accomplishes it’s grantmaking through our Giving Projects.  Each Giving Project engages in a shared race and class analysis, grassroots fundraising support, and grantmaking training.  Giving Project members engage in a collective grant process where each member invests their time, makes a personal gift, and a commitment to engage in grassroots fundraising to fund community organizing work.  The Giving Projects who funded this year’s 2013 general grant cycle are:

The Montana Giving Project:  Starting only three months ago, a small but mighty group of 8 volunteers began working together fund general grants to nurture progressive organizations specific to Montana.  Collectively, members have driven a total of 3,500 miles to meet three times, attend site visits and raised $23,664 to fund some of the organizations above.

The Next Generation Giving Project:  A group of 19 volunteers dedicated their time, resources, and energy to engage in grassroots fundraising and together they raised $94,087 to contribute to our new general grants above.

Social Justice Giving Project, based in Portland:  A team of 18 volunteers came together with one thing in common; a passion, dedication, and commitment to social justice.  Six months, six site visits, and countless donor conversations later, they raised $40,864 to fund community organizing and base building work across the Northwest.

Want to be part of a Giving Project?  Contact Mijo Lee, Program Director mijo@socialjusticefund.org or learn more about them here