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Racial Justice Resources for Funders (A Compendium for Now)

July 15, 2016 //

Today’s headlines continue to painfully reveal the twin legacies of racism and economic inequality in this country for a global audience, as innocent men, women, and children (black, latino, native, trans) lose their lives.  Perhaps you, like me, are fiercely activated to expand and deepen both understanding and action.  I ask myself every day:  What am I doing to bring racial justice forward, as a funder?

What does it look like to be a funder or donor in solidarity with grassroots organizers and activists leading movements for racial and economic justice?  Thankfully, there’s no need to start from scratch.  Particularly as funders, perhaps our best bet is to join in, to follow, and get behind existing efforts.

I know this is an incomplete list.  For now, not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good, I offer the following compendium of racial justice resources for funders and donors.

Where to Direct Funding

Making Black Lives Matter, a Hill Snowden Foundation Initiative which includes a list of black led organizing groups.

Proteus Fund’s Security & Rights Collaborative Grantees.  These are groups working to end racial profiling, hate crimes, islamaphobia, and xenophobia.

Black Lives Matter itself.  You’ll notice it takes a few seconds to load the website because of an authentication process that protects it from destructive bots sent to crash website.  Thank you Media Action Grassroots Network, a local-to-local network of community organizations advancing racial and economic justice through media rights, access and representation.

Latino Community Foundation Grantees.  As our colleagues at LCF tell us often, Latina/o-led organizations receive a mere 1.1% of all philanthropic dollars.

Groundswell Fund Grantees. It’s an intersectional world, people, and reproductive rights are deeply tied to racial, economic, ecological justice.

Philanthropic Resources for Continuous Learning & Engagement

D5 Coalition

Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity

Indie Philanthropy

Bay Area Justice Funders

How Matters’ Reading List on Solidarity

Neighborhood Funders Group

Climate Justice Retreat for Donors

Care of the Self/Soul

Because it matters that we take care of ourselves, and each other, here are few fierce and loving suggestions.

5 Things You Can Do Right Now to Protect Your Magic by Kierra Johnson

21 Self Care Resources To Help You Heal & Survive by joi foley

Watch Lemonade, Beyonce’s Visual Album on Tidal

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but in these emotionally taxing times, I hope there is something in here that is some use to you.  What have I missed?  Please share the resources getting you through this time in the comments section.  In the meantime, let’s try not to do too much on our own.  As I learn over and over again, if I want to go fast, I go alone.  If we want to go far, we go together.