jessie smith noyes foundation documents/nov2014... · web viewnational organizations november 7 –...

National OrganizationsNovember 7 – 8, 2014 Board Meeting

1. American Civil Liberties Union Foundation (p. 43)

Support for the Reproductive Freedom Project’s work to protect and advance reproductive rights at the national, state and local levels. (www.aclu.org/reproductive-freedom)

New/ Renewal Priority

Urban/ Rural

OrganizationBudget

ProgramBudget

Prior Years of Funding

Total Prior

FundingGrant

Amounts

Renewal RR Both2014: $81,838,0002015: $83,477,000

$3,334,000$3,444,000 28 $946,500

2014: $25,0002015: $25,000

2 National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (p. 45)

General support to strengthen and build leadership among Asian Pacific American female advocates working on reproductive justice issues at the state and national levels. (www.napawf.org)


Urban/ Rural

OrganizationBudget


TotalPrior

Funding2014Grant

Renewal RR Both 2014: $1,180,352 9 $207,000 $15,000Fiscal sponsor: The Tides Center

3. National Immigrant Farming Initiative (p. 47)

General support to provide training, information sharing and networking opportunities for immigrant farmers. (www.immigrantfarming.org/)


Urban/ Rural

OrganizationBudget


TotalPrior

Funding2014Grant

New SA Both 2014: $223,562 None None $10,000

41

1. American Civil Liberties Union Foundation$50,000 over two years - renewalSupport for the Reproductive Freedom Project’s work to protect and advance reproductive rights at national, state and local levels. (Wilma)

ORGANIZATION PROFILE / DEVELOPMENTThe American Civil Liberties Union Foundation (ACLU) is a 500,000-plus member public interest organization devoted to fighting for human rights and civil liberties throughout the country. ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Project (RFP) protects reproductive rights through its national office, and network of 53 affiliates and chapters across the country and in Puerto Rico. RFP works on behalf of women, with an emphasis on teens, low-income women, women of color and women in prison or jail, who face the greatest obstacles to accessing reproductive health services. RFP uses a multi-pronged, integrated strategy of impact litigation, public education, and state-based advocacy and activism to protect reproductive rights.

Organization led by people of color: No

PAST GRANT ACTIVITYEngaging Affected People, Exerting Strong Voices & Expanding InfluenceThe RFP successfully:

Blocked the enforcement of numerous state laws restricting abortion access, including laws to shut down women’s health centers that provide abortions in Alabama, Wisconsin and Indiana; ban abortions starting at 12 weeks in Arkansas; ban abortions starting at 20-22 weeks in Arizona and Georgia; eliminate Medicaid coverage for abortion in Alaska; defund Planned Parenthood because it provides abortions in Indiana and Arizona; require North Carolina doctors to show and describe an ultrasound to women seeking an abortion; and forbid South Dakota women from obtaining an abortion unless they first visit an anti-choice crisis pregnancy center.

Defeated 69 bills in state legislatures restricting access to abortion, including an admitting privileges bill and a 20-week abortion ban in South Carolina; a similar ban on later abortions in West Virginia; and an Alabama bill to “immunize” hospitals who fail to provide abortions for women whose health is at risk.

Through the “Campaign to End the Use of Religion to Discriminate,” RFP played a lead role in supporting the federal rule requiring insurance plans to cover contraception against challenges brought by employers seeking to exclude contraception from their employees’ insurance plans – filing over 70 briefs in the lower courts and, once Hobby Lobby reached the Supreme Court, co-leading the strategy for friend-of-the-court briefs. After the Supreme Court’s devastating decision, RFP worked with the Obama administration, members of Congress, and state legislators to ensure that all women have access to insurance coverage for contraception. RFP also filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit charging the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops with negligence for forbidding Catholic hospitals from providing complete medical information and appropriate care to women suffering miscarriages.

Created and disseminated a Know Your Rights Guide, Pregnant or Parenting Behind Bars in Pennsylvania, to over 500 county and state jails, prison boards and others who work with incarcerated women; sent a memo to the Pennsylvania Attorney General detailing the state’s prisons’ continued use of shackling for prisoners giving birth (despite the state’s anti-shackling law); and conducted an analysis of the potential cost savings that would come from initiating birth control services for women in county jails ($9 million per year in Philadelphia County alone).

42

ACLU of New Mexico assisted in the implementation of a state law it helped pass last year to support pregnant and parenting teens. It got a legislative committee to inform all 88 school districts in the state about the law, developed a Know Your Rights card for students, and documented instances in which schools ignored the new law. This effort was also supported by Young Women United (grantee).

PROPOSED 11GRANT ACTIVITYIntervening for Systemic Change – policy development

Bring new litigation and continue legal challenges against a variety of severe restrictions on access to abortion and other reproductive health services in states around the country, including Targeted Regulations of Abortion Providers (TRAP) – laws that force clinic closings by imposing medically unnecessary regulations, abortion bans, restrictions on medication abortions and insurance coverage for abortions, biased counseling laws and other burdens.

Anticipate the Supreme Court taking a major abortion case (quite likely a TRAP case) in the next year or two that will likely recalibrate the standard against which all abortion restrictions will be judged. RFP plans to work extensively to ensure the conditions are as favorable as possible when the Court hears this case.

Make substantial investments in states facing dangerous anti-choice legislation where ACLU can hit back hard and defeat the legislation.

Support targeted state affiliates poised to have significant impact on reproductive health care policies, such as Michigan, where the affiliate and its allies will focus on building a more diverse and powerful reproductive rights coalition that can be used as a model.

Work with Congress, the Obama administration, and state legislators to ensure that religious refusals do not prevent women from having access to insurance coverage for contraceptives, regardless of whom they work for. RFP will undertake strategic litigation against religious refusals to provide abortion and other reproductive health services, such as its ongoing lawsuit against the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops.

Use communications strategies to reframe the debate in the press and political arena from one about religious liberty to one that uses religion to discriminate and to deny women health care.

ANALYSISIn 1974, with the guidance of then advocate and volunteer ACLU lawyer Ruth Bader Ginsburg, now a Supreme Court justice, the ACLU committed its resources to establishing a permanent Reproductive Freedom Project to litigate and advocate for reproductive rights. For 40 years, RFP – in collaboration with its affiliates – has participated in nearly every critical reproductive rights case before the Supreme Court, and in significant cases in federal and state courts. This heavy legal burden associated with reproductive rights and justice advocacy places big demands on ACLU, a variety of other legal allies, such as women’s law centers, along with an array of social justice organizations to carry out the work.

ACLU’s multi-pronged strategy, which includes issue-specific advocacy, such as for immigrant, LGBTQ, women’s, religious freedom and workers’ rights, is now essential in fighting for reproductive rights. These issues have become integral wedges, established by conservative policy-makers and elected officials. Reproductive rights ceased being a single-issue fight long ago. Today, state-level advocacy requires a high level of legal knowledge and skill. Groups depend on allies like the RFP to assist with legal and legislative analysis, education and advocacy strategies. Noyes has funded RFP for more than 20 years. This Noyes grant is modest today compared to other foundation grants it receives. But the Noyes grant continues to be a “seal of approval” regarding effective state-level advocacy efforts that help RFP to leverage other funding and credibility as a national group working on the ground.

43

2. National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum$15,000 for one year – renewalGeneral support to strengthen and build leadership among Asian Pacific American female advocates working on reproductive justice issues at the state and national levels. (Wilma)

ORGANIZATION PROFILE / DEVELOPMENTThe National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) is an Asian and Pacific Islander (API) women’s multi-issue advocacy organization. Its mission is to build a movement to advance social justice and human rights for API women and girls by engaging its constituents in policy advocacy in the areas of immigrant rights, economic justice and reproductive justice (RJ). NAPAWF’s strategies will:

Build a core group of young API women leaders from diverse ethnicities and regions of the U.S. to advocate for reproductive health policy change through research, leadership development and grassroots support;

Educate state and federal policy-makers about the harms of sex-selective abortion ban legislation, and continue to litigate against such bans;

Advocate for API women and girls, and provide policy analysis within sexual and reproductive health policy advocacy campaigns, emphasizing the reproductive health needs of low-income API women;

Expand partnerships for reproductive justice with API organizations, and build the cultural competency of reproductive rights, health and justice organizations to engage with API communities; and

Raise the visibility of API reproductive justice issues through research and strategic communications.

Organization led by people of color: Yes, Asian and Pacific Islanders

PAST GRANT ACTIVITYEngaging Affected People & Intervening for Systemic Change – participatory decision-making, policy development & grassroots-led researchTo increase its visibility within the overall API community, and the reproductive justice, and women’s and immigrant’s rights movements, NAPAWF:

1. Grew its work to combat sex-selective abortion bans. By 2013, these bans became the second most often proposed legislation in state legislatures. NAPAWF collaborated with the University of Chicago Law School and Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) to publish the report, Replacing Myths with Facts. ANSIRH was an important partner because its multi-disciplinary team works to ensure that reproductive health care and policy are grounded in evidence. Its information is used to rebut common myths about Asian Americans and sex-selective abortion bans used by anti-choice legislators. NAPAWF’s advocacy efforts were cited in the mainstream media a number of times, and it engaged and mobilized API women and girls to speak out against sex-selective abortion bans throughout the year in South Dakota, Florida, Virginia, California and other states.

2. Completed the second cohort of its community-based participatory action research project at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Twelve students completed the program and engaged with over 1,200 local community members about API women’s sexual health issues, including preventive women’s health care, sex education, contraception and abortion access.

3. Developed comprehensive immigration policy reform. The “We Belong Together” campaign, NAPAWF’s most visible policy effort, helped to shift the immigration reform narrative toward a full gender analysis, build leadership platforms for mainstream women’s

44

rights leaders to act in alliance with immigrant women leaders, mobilize a solid base of immigrant women leaders around the country and organize dozens of direct actions.

4. Worked with key Washington, DC, allies to highlight the challenges faced by immigrant women, particularly undocumented women, as they navigate barriers to health care access, including the exclusion from the Affordable Care Act. Through its public education efforts, a new alliance of organizations convinced Rep. Lujan-Grisham to introduce the Health, Equity & Access under the Law (HEAL) for Immigrant Women and Families Act.

PROPOSED GRANT ACTIVITYEngaging Affected People & Intervening for Systemic Change - leadership development & participatory and grassroots-led research NAPAWF chapter support will include the annual PowerUp! Convening – a summit for chapter and youth leaders, and board members. The convening will provide its leaders with training and skills for engaging in reproductive justice policy advocacy work on multiple levels. It also will conduct monthly chapter leader calls and/or webinars throughout the year for inter-chapter community building, skills development, updates on current policy issues and dissemination of best practices.

Its community-based participatory action research leadership development program, which started in California and now is also in Minnesota, will run concurrent cohorts of the Minnesota Young Women’s Collaborative project at both the University of Minnesota and St. Cloud State University. Each cohort engages in a yearlong curriculum of learning about sexual health, reproductive justice, API identity, and research methodology and activism. This research data is used in their social action projects.

NAPAWF’s RJ Leadership, Amplification, Mobilization and Power Building (LAMP) project will expand its leadership of young API women by developing a yearlong institute that will broaden and deepen the expertise of its base, strengthen strategic communication capacity, and increase the visibility of young API women.

ANALYSISAs a result of its policy analysis, NAPAWF has become a major public voice with elected officials on the topics of sex-selective abortion and API immigrant women’s access to comprehensive reproductive health services. While NAPAWF has carried out important actions in Washington, DC, it is difficult to see its strength and presence at the grassroots level. Its 15 chapters are all campus-based, which leaves out a large segment of the API population that is impacted by restrictive policies.

Much of NAPAWF’s budget is used for its participatory research work and message development. Over the past several years, I have discussed with Miriam Yeung, NAPAWF’s executive director, my concern about the organization’s limited on-the-ground organizing and community engagement work, and why that presents a problem in relation to Noyes support. NAPAWF, like other contemporary organizations led by younger leaders, has avoided some managerial and organizational development challenges, which raises the question of its long-term sustainability. For instance, nearly 20 years after its inception, NAPAWF still does not have its own tax-exempt status and uses the Tides Center as its fiscal sponsor at a cost of over $60,000 annually. It is also difficult to see how NAPAWF is developing leadership internally among staff, board and chapter leaders; and how it uses the young women it trains in its communities. Noyes has funded NAPAWF for nine years. This year’s grant has been reduced in amount and duration. If there is no clear indication during the coming grant period of a stronger grassroots organizing component, this will be NAPAWF’s last grant.

45

3. National Immigrant Farming Initiative$10,000 for one year - newGeneral support to provide training, information sharing and networking opportunities for immigrant farmers. (Kolu)

ORGANIZATION PROFILE / DEVELOPMENTIn 2009, community-based groups organized the National Conference of Immigrant Farmers, Refugees and Farm Workers in Las Cruces, NM, using a highly participatory process called Open Space Technology. Over 300 farmers, from 26 states and speaking 17 different languages, developed a cohesive vision that led to the establishment of the National Immigrant Farming Initiative (NIFI). Some network members, like the Farmworker Association of Florida (grantee), have a long history of activism; others, such as Women of African Affairs in Georgia and Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success (grantee) in New Hampshire, are in an expansion phase; and many are just beginning, including Veterans in Agriculture, which works in New Mexico and Texas. Since NIFI’s inception, 94 groups have gained access to land, water, technology and resources, which has helped to increase farm incomes.

NIFI undertakes projects with marginalized farmers and ranchers in areas of persistent poverty, and among the poorest communities in the U.S. Its constituents have spent their lives producing food for others, yet many are among the most food insecure. Typically, English is their second language. They do not know how to access the resources available to the dominant culture’s farmers and ranchers, and are challenged by a labyrinth of rules, regulations and discrimination. Participants include refugee women from Equatorial Africa, Jamaica, Hmong Asia, Mexico and Central America, as well as African and Indigenous American women. Many others are of diverse age, gender and background, and all are federally classified as “limited-resource” and “low-income.”

NIFI helps form new groups as they decide on their name, vision, mission and common purpose; develops governance procedures, writes bylaws and selects leaders; and crafts strategies to effect change within their communities. Participants’ insights, innovations, organizational development and business concepts emerge from shared observations, which underpin plans to implement the strategies discussed during trainings and activities. This approach, called the Participatory Self-Review and Planning Process, was developed by Dr. Rigoberto Delgado (Rigo), NIFI’s executive director. Rigo works with each group throughout the year and facilitates its annual review. Within two to three years, most of the groups have a stable base and are flourishing organizations that reject the status quo to advocate for justice and equity. Among the staff are regional f ield coordinators who connect NIFI’s constituents with resources, provide training and information, and assist groups in the implementation of projects. Participating farmers and ranchers are key evaluators of their own projects, and evaluation materials are created in the group’s preferred language(s).

Organization led by people of color: Yes, multiple racial/ethnic groups

PROPOSED GRANT ACTIVITYNIFI will support three of its field coordinators in establishing a regional coalition between immigrants living in colonias along the New Mexico-Texas-Mexico border and Hispanic families in northern New Mexico. These immigrants have over 400 years of agricultural tradition on ancestral lands. Frequently, these groups are very isolated, with little knowledge of, or interaction with, each other. There are seven projects in this regional coalition, totaling nearly 400 participants – all of whom qualify as “socially disadvantaged.” The participants are able to draw strength from their vibrant cultures, and have a vast range of skills and determination to contribute to their communities and the agricultural sector.

46

All three field coordinators live in and are a trusted part of their communities, and are able to communicate with group members in their languages. The groups and field coordinators will create culturally relevant practices and training resources that integrate current agricultural innovations with traditional wisdom, documenting it all to share with project groups, the public and resource partners. The goals of the new regional coalition are to:

Build connections in order to implement a regenerative economy rooted in community capacity, collaboration and resilience;

Strengthen family and community capacity for self-determination, human dignity, and control of land, water, seeds and other agricultural resources;

Build capacity through group empowerment, decision-making and leadership development; and

Support field coordinators and groups with knowledge and skills to mobilize other agricultural communities.

Four of the groups in the project now manage community farms with approximately 160 gardeners. At least two groups will gain access to land and water for establishing new community farms because of this work. In addition, families will acquire agricultural resources to start and/or expand five to ten small farms and ranches.

Most of the project’s ranchers operate in northern New Mexico. Because federal, state and local governments own 46 percent of New Mexico’s land, many of these ranchers must lease back land that was once owned by their ancestors. A long-time NIFI collaborator, Sangre de Cristo Valley Livestock Association, will mentor a newer group, Rancho Entre la Gente Unida, on cooperative development; and identify private and public grazing land that could be available for new ranchers.

ANALYSISNIFI’s framing of problems and solutions dissolves the separation between “limited-resource farmers and ranchers,” “immigrant and refugee farmers,” and farmworkers engaged in projects to supplement their own diets and build community. NIFI carries out the Foundation’s theory of change by developing the leadership and agency of some of the least politically and economically powerful people in our nation, many who live – literally – at the margins, often undocumented, and all feeling the weight of discrimination. As they build their farms and ranches, they also gain agency to engage in broader civic transformation. That NIFI is national in reach, yet hyper-local in its impact, only deepens its potential.

NIFI receives some funding from USDA and has a grant from Chipotle, but is largely unsupported by private foundations. Funding NIFI will once again place the Noyes Foundation in the position of “early supporter,” a role that meshes well with our ability to provide hands-on technical assistance and commitment to fund at the grassroots level.

47

Regional OrganizationsNovember 7 – 8, 2014 Board Meeting

4. Center for Earth, Energy and Democracy (p. 51)

General support for an organization providing organizing and policy education on energy, climate and environmental solution building to ensure that the voices of Indigenous peoples, communities of color and people with moderate and low incomes are included. (www.ceed.org)


Urban/ Rural Region(s)

OrganizationBudget

PriorYears

of Funding

TotalPrior

FundingGrant

Amount

Renewal EJ Both Midwest2014: $446,9952015: $467,300 2 $50,000

2014: $25,0002015: $25,000

5. Project South (p. 53)

General support for a movement building organization working to strengthen the infrastructure of the reproductive justice movement in the Southeast. (www.projectsouth.org)


Urban/ Rural Region

OrganizationBudget

PriorYears of Funding

TotalPrior

Funding2014Grant

Renewal RR Both South $769,000 1 $10,000 $20,000

48

4. Center for Earth, Energy and Democracy$50,000 for two years – renewal General support for an organization providing organizing and policy education on energy, climate and environmental solution building to ensure that the voices of indigenous peoples, communities of color and people with moderate and low incomes are included. (Millie)

ORGANIZATION PROFILE / DEVELOPMENTThe Center for Earth, Energy and Democracy (CEED) was formed to bring a justice lens as a fundamental principle to strategies for addressing climate change, environmental degradation and long-term sustainability. It focuses on bringing the voices of community members throughout Minnesota and the surrounding region into discussions to find equitable solutions for today’s energy and environmental issues.Organization led by people of color: Yes, multiple racial/ethnic groups

PAST GRANT ACTIVITYExerting Strong Voices & Intervening for Systemic ChangeThe Environmental Justice Working Group of the Minneapolis Climate Action Plan Prioritization Team, established through CEED efforts, won significant changes in the Plan. It now (1) sets priorities on energy-efficiency benefits to renters; (2) includes racial and geographic justice goals as part of Plan evaluation; and (3) changes the criteria for Green Zones to put a priority on bringing green infrastructure to the most vulnerable neighborhoods rather than on the “low-hanging fruit” of better-resourced neighborhoods. In addition, the city’s new Energy Vision, formerly focused strictly on the economy and business needs, for the first time includes the charge that the system will “contribute to a more socially just community.”

Expanding Influence & Intervening for Systemic Change – participatory and grassroots-led researchCEED sponsored a Community Forum on Race, Climate and Community Health, which was attended by more than 120 activists, researchers and governmental leaders. The Forum marked the public release of CEED’s new interactive Environmental Justice Mapping Tool for the Twin Cities. The Mapping Tool will aid in identifying Green Zones under the Plan, and CEED is developing popular education workshops to help communities use it to monitor city policy decisions and determine community priorities. Local and state agencies have contributed information and the Minneapolis Health Department has already started using the Mapping Tool to target grant dollars.

Expanding Influence – working in collaborationCEED strengthened its role in national coalitions. It served on the steering committee of the Climate Justice Alliance (CJA, grantee), and CEED’s newly hired climate justice organizer and three community leaders attended CJA’s Our Power summer camp in Richmond, CA. CEED is considering applying as a future CJA pilot site. It also took a stronger leadership role in the EJ/Science Initiative of the Environmental Justice Leadership Forum on Climate Change to link scientists with environmental justice communities. In the Upper Midwest, years of organizing and advocacy in collaboration with Noyes grantees Little Village Environmental Justice Organization and East Michigan Environmental Action Council, in addition to others, resulted in support for the Midwest Environmental Justice Network and some local groups from mainstream funders, such as the RE-AMP Network.

PROPOSED GRANT ACTIVITYNational Coalition Work: The primary goal of CEED’s national coalition work is to develop relationships and knowledge that will help build the power and effectiveness of the environmental justice movement in the Twin Cities and the Midwest. CEED will continue to serve on the CJA

49

Steering Committee and to play a leadership role in the National EJ/Science Initiative, working to create access to scientists for environmental justice communities that need these resources. CEED and the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Science and Democracy Program are planning a Forum on Environmental Justice that centers on the role of science in addressing environmental justice issues. CEED will continue with the Building Equity and Alignment Initiative to convince mainstream environmental foundations to target resources to environmental justice community groups and will take a more formal role in the Coming Clean Coalition’s environmental justice working group.

Popular Education on the Mapping Tool: CEED will develop popular education workshops around its Mapping Tool and make the online portal more community accessible. It will partner with the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs at the University of Minnesota on technology; a group of community activists, graphic designers and community artists to help design an interactive popular education workshop; and youth who have been part of CEED’s summer Native Youth Energy Justice program to develop a display they will share with community members at pow wows and other spaces.Green Zones Campaign: A Green Zone is a place-based strategy designed to encourage strategic public investment in environmentally overburdened communities. CEED will learn from the Green Zones’ campaigns in California and undertake similar efforts in Minneapolis, building on previous work to ensure that Green Zones are included as a key recommendation in numerous city planning documents. CEED believes the Minneapolis City Council is ready to act following elections that increased the number of members of color and others stressing justice. However, there is a need to reach a common understanding of what a Green Zone program should look like. CEED hopes to facilitate an inclusive and meaningful collective planning process on Green Zones in 2015 so the policy program is ready to roll out in 2016.

Midwest Environmental Justice Network: With increased resources and visibility, the network will focus on holding EPA Region 5 and multi-state environmental policy efforts accountable to community; and connecting environmental justice groups working on similar issues in their local areas to share information, and help build solidarity and collaborative power.

EPA’s Existing Power Plant Rule and State Climate Planning: Minnesota has begun an intensive state climate action planning and analysis process, with limited justice criteria. CEED will push to integrate robust justice analyses. Also in the next year, Minnesota and other Upper Midwest states will develop draft State Implementation Plans for compliance with the EPA’s Existing Power Plant rule. Many environmental organizations are engaging in this process, but there are minimal resources for environmental justice participation. CEED will seek funds to support this work, but regardless of funding will develop an analysis useful for the environmental justice community.

ANALYSISCEED and the environmental justice lens it promotes are finally gaining traction among Midwest environmental funders and organizations, as well as government agencies. This has brought some level of financial stability, and requests to speak and participate in new arenas. CEED’s technical and legal expertise and its community connections make it a comfortable and preferred “go to” organization on justice issues. CEED has developed a three-pronged strategy to ensure valid community involvement. It insists as it deals with more powerful players that they must engage directly with community leaders; has hired a new climate justice organizer to increase the number and capacity of community-based groups; and has opened the door to direct funding for smaller, less visible organizations and for the Midwest Environmental Justice Network. We first funded CEED two years ago after it was introduced to us by environmental justice allies in the region, and it has rewarded that trust as it continues to take a strong role in increasing support and visibility for environmental justice in the Midwest. CEED now also plays an important role in

50

national environmental justice work. This has been and continues to be a good investment of Noyes environmental justice dollars.

51

5. Project South$20,000 for one year – renewalGeneral support for a movement building organization working to strengthen the infrastructure of the reproductive justice movement in the Southeast. (Wilma)

ORGANIZATION PROFILE / DEVELOPMENTProject South (PS) was founded in 1986 in response to attacks on voting rights gains in West Alabama. PS is committed to advancing local and regional social justice movements working to eliminate the root causes and conditions of systemic poverty, and building just, community-led infrastructures that ensure access and dignity for all people. PS’s mission is to work directly with communities to strengthen leadership for community organizing on the critical frontlines of economic, racial and social justice. PS catalyzes change by developing strong cross-community alliances that challenge systemic conditions, while simultaneously setting and implementing people’s agendas for a working economy and a functional democracy. Based in Atlanta, PS’s organizing includes youth-led leadership development, the Youth Community Action Program (YCAP); and parent organizing through Real Talk: Stand up for Parents (Real Talk). These local organizing efforts prioritize communities around South Atlanta, where 80 percent are African American; 40 percent are youth ages 13-18; and 70 percent are low income. Annually, YCAP and Real Talk reach over 400 predominantly Black youth (ages 13-24) through a combination of weekly afterschool programs, a summer organizing institute, the Youth Speak Truth radio program, political education, and community gatherings.

Regionally, PS anchors and coordinates the Southern Movement Assembly, an alliance of ten core organizations and over 30 supporting and participating organizations that jointly create powerful movement work through strategic local organizing programs, and regional movement-building projects.

Organization led by people of color: Yes, African American

PAST GRANT ACTIVITIESEngaging Affected People, Exerting Strong Voices & Expanding InfluenceThe Southeast Reproductive Justice convening was held in March, 2014 to develop a collective articulation of reproductive justice (RJ) organizing work in the South, and to design a one- to two-year cohort program for Southern RJ leaders. The sessions included a comprehensive mapping of active leadership and an assessment of capacity needs specific to organizing across the movement. Additionally, the group shared political analysis based on the history and conditions of RJ, shared lessons and best practices around organizing in the South on these issues, and developed next steps for the cohort. Five states were represented: Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. All participants were Black women, with the exception of one Latina representative from Florida. These women were primarily under 40; had varying levels of experience within the RJ movement and framework; were executive directors or program coordinators (two); and with one exception were native Southerners.

Through the collaborative process of its Southern Movement Assembly, PS supported growing reproductive justice organizing efforts regionally and connected women of color leaders working on these issues.

Ensuring Educational and Reproductive Justice for Pregnant and Parenting Teens: In an effort to expand the Georgia childcare subsidy, PS participated in the Department of Early Care & Learning (DECAL), a statewide working group. As working group members representing impacted parents, Real Talk program coordinators attended quarterly meetings with policy-makers, and its members organized two Parents’ Assemblies and collectively developed criteria to ensure quality, affordable and accessible childcare. Recommendations were then synthesized and submitted to DECAL for reconfiguring the childcare program to better serve parents. These

52

contributions resulted in a public report with over 150 recommendations to inform budget and policy decisions during the 2015 Georgia legislative session.

PROPOSED GRANT ACTIVITYEngaging Affected People, Exerting Strong Voices & Expanding Influence – grassroots constituency, expanding the base, communicating, vision, root causes & working in collaborationThrough three phases – campaign development, action and evaluation – PS’s Atlanta Local Programs and Organizing Campaign will coordinate a youth-led organizing drive, including YCAP and Real Talk members, to address inequities in the Atlanta public school system, and expand access to childcare and family support.

PS will organize 40-50 members to participate and lead a campaign that builds community-based power and responds to the interlocking crises created by poverty, violence and racism. The campaign’s goals and actions will be established through community-wide surveys and neighborhood canvassing in preparation for a South Atlanta Community Assembly in mid-October. This Assembly will establish ongoing participatory democratic practices to make sure leadership and decision-making remain within the communities. The campaign will also ensure viable choices for education and long-term economic security for young women and parents.

Leadership development programs will include extensive political education on the connections between reproductive, economic and education justice. YCAP will support young people after school to connect their lived experiences to a broader analysis, and the practice of organizing and movement building. The Real Talk Stand up for Parents will bring young parents together for parenting support, political education and advocacy training. Both groups will nominate a leadership team that will hold weekly organizing sessions to design the community-based Assembly and campaign. The weekly meetings will coordinate a Research and Investigation phase following the Assembly and implementation and action phases through 2015.

Evaluation will be based on benchmarks and goals set by the PS Atlanta Organizing team and Member Leadership team.

ANALYSISIn 2012 and 2013, PS coordinated two regional campaigns and four simultaneous actions across 12 southern states. The organizations and sites where PS concentrates its efforts represent communities affected by generational poverty, criminalization, violence and disenfranchisement. PS partners with organizations active on the frontlines of the economic and environmental crises, education justice and youth development, immigration rights, RJ organizing, and re-enfranchisement of formerly incarcerated people. Parallel to Noyes’ theory of change, PS’s work is based on the belief that the people most impacted by social, racial and economic injustices must lead the movement to transform their living conditions and challenge the structures that limit their power to bring about authentic participatory democracy in the South. PS carries out this huge task effectively.

PS’s attempt to become a RJ convener and re-granter in the South was derailed due to burdensome funding expectations and complex group dynamics. A matching grant from Groundswell fell through when the last $30,000 of the needed $60,000 for the match could not be raised. This resulted in a $120,000 gap for carrying out PS’s RJ work. This was an ambitious plan from the beginning, full of great potential and need. PS is still interested in using its current work and crucial regional connections to help develop and sustain a Southern RJ cohort. PS’s work is powerful, accommodating and the perfect place to integrate RJ. Noyes’ support will be helpful to PS in a variety of ways, and I am confident the outcomes will be critical in the region.

53

State OrganizationsNovember 7– 8, 2014 Board Meeting

6. California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative (p. 57) General support for a coalition that advances a preventive environmental health agenda to assure the health and safety of nail and beauty salon workers. (www.cahealthynailsalons.org)


Urban/ Rural State

OrganizationBudget


TotalPrior

FundingGrant

Amounts

Renewal EJ/RR Urban California 2014: $259,676 5 $116,500

(EJ: $12,000)(RR: $5,000)

2014: $17,000

Fiscal Sponsor: Asian Health Services

7. East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice (p. 59) General support for a Los Angeles community organization developing self-advocates in collaboration with others to build a larger environmental health and justice movement. (http://eycej.org/)


Urban/ Rural State

OrganizationBudget


TotalPrior

Funding2014Grant

Renewal EJ Urban California $529,687 1 $25,000 $25,000Fiscal Sponsor: Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs

8. NAACP Collective Action Fund (p. 61)Program support for the Forward Together Moral Movement progressive fusion coalition to build connections, commonality among issues and power for a social justice agenda in North Carolina.


Urban/ Rural Region

OrganizationBudget

ProgramBudget

PriorYears of Funding

TotalPrior

Funding2014Grant

New EJ Both South $800,000 $180,000 None $12,500* $10,000

Fiscal Sponsor: The Tides Foundation *Represents Special Assistance Fund grant in 2013 of $7,500; and $5,000 in 2014.

54

9. The Renaissance Project (p. 63)General support to expand food justice programming to remove barriers to fresh food access in three wards of New Orleans, LA. (http://therenaissanceproject.la)


Urban/ Rural State

OrganizationBudget


Total Prior

Funding2014Grant

New SA Urban New York $750,000 None None $10,000

10. West Virginia Focus: Reproductive Education and Equality (p. 65)General support for a statewide coalition working to protect the reproductive health and freedom of West Virginia women through grassroots education and advocacy. (http://wvfree.org)


Urban/ Rural State

OrganizationBudget


Total Prior

FundingGrant

Amounts

Renewal RR Both W. Virginia2014: $463,5002015: $583,000 13 $313,000

2014: $25,0002015: $25,000

55

6. California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative$17,000 for one year – renewalGeneral support for a coalition that advances a preventive environmental health agenda to assure the health and safety of nail and beauty salon workers. (Wilma and Millie)Multiple funding priorities: Advancing environmental justice ($12,000); and Ensuring quality reproductive health care as a human right ($5,000)

ORGANIZATION PROFILE / DEVELOPMENTThe California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative (CHNSC) is a coalition of 41 organizations, groups, educational institutions, allies, partners, and nail salon community members that use an environmental justice, reproductive justice, and public health lens to improve the health, safety, and rights of nail salon workers in California and nationally. CHNSC employs a multi-sector approach that includes outreach, education and leadership development; policy advocacy; research; and movement building strategies. CHNSC’s primary constituents are nail salon and cosmetology workers, owners, students, and their families. Its secondary constituents include CHNSC members, external partners and allies, the broader salon community, nail salon consumers, and members of the general public.Organization led by people of color: Yes, Asian

PAST GRANT ACTIVITYEngaging Affected People – leadership development & communicationCHNSC completed leadership skill-building training for ten participants in the Core Leader Training Program and recruited a new cohort of 12 additional members, all from Northern California cities. More than half of the first cohort participated in an advocacy/policy activity by sharing their personal stories in testimony regarding their rights and the issues they face, talking with a policy-maker, or speaking during one of several CHNSC press conferences. Cohort members also took on more active roles during regional nail salon community meetings, and former cohort members served as mentors to newer ones.

Intervening for Systemic Change – policy developmentCHNSC established key partnerships with officials and agencies of the City of Santa Monica, which became the first city in Southern California to adopt a Healthy Nail Salon Program, recognizing salons that switch to safer products. Nail salons that successfully completed the Healthy Nail Salon Program requirements were officially honored and recognized in a ceremony with the mayor. In San Francisco, 20 salons joined a program established several years ago.

CHNSC co-convened the National Healthy Nail Salon and Beauty Alliance (the Alliance) , which worked with the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI) to form an interagency working group to discuss a national agenda to reduce salon workers’ toxic chemical exposure. The Alliance urged federal agencies to use existing authority to reduce workplace exposure; led the Occupational Health and Safety Agency (OSHA) to translate and distribute nail salon worker health and safety materials nationwide, and on its website; and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to develop recommendations on effective ventilation systems.

Intervening for Systemic Change – participatory and grassroots-led research CHNSC launched a web-based Environmental Health and Safety Information portal, which allows the public to access research and scientific studies on chemicals and compounds often present in nail care and cleaning products used in salons. The portal, which has some content in Vietnamese, includes recent studies on the impact these chemicals have on the nail salon workforce.

56

PROPOSED GRANT ACTIVITYEngaging Affected People – grassroots constituency & leadership developmentCHNSC will increase awareness in the nail salon community of salon safety, healthy/green concepts and worker rights; and work with them to be engaged advocates for their health and safety needs. It will establish a third cohort for its Core Leader trainings, and involve the first two cohorts as mentors for new participants and leaders of workshops to deepen their leadership development. In Southern California, it will reach out to salons, and build relationships with ethnic media to promote awareness of these issues in the public and the nail salon community.

Expanding Influence & Intervening for Systemic Change – policy developmentThe Healthy Nail Salon Workgroup – made up of counties, cities and CHNSC members – will hold monthly meetings to create a common framework for Healthy Nail Salon recognition programs and develop a common brand throughout the state. CHNSC will partner with policy-makers and agencies to pass and implement policies and programs that protect nail salon workers’ health and safety, and encourage the use of safer salon product alternatives. It will continue to work closely in the Bay Area and will target the Los Angeles and Santa Clara County regions with the goal of passing a Healthy Nail Salon program in at least one additional Southern California community. The workgroup also will identify strategies for greater consumer awareness.

The Alliance will continue to collaborate with OSHA and NIOSH, pressure the Environmental Protection Agency to support pollution prevention strategies in salons, and advance the development of safer salon products and disinfectants.

Intervening for Systemic Change – participatory and grassroots-led research CHNSC’s Research Advisory Committee will promote the use of the web portal; discuss potential research opportunities related to the development of safer product alternatives, such as nail thinners and nail polish removers; identify best workplace practices and “green” salon tips; and prioritize chemicals of concern that impact the salon workforce, focusing especially on newer salon products, chemicals and methods (e.g., gel nails) for which little research is available. The Committee will advise NIOSH and the National Occupational Research Agenda Council, and provide updates to the broader CHNSC on ongoing research studies.

ANALYSISWe began funding this collaborative in 2009 because it focused on organizing and leadership development among a population of young women that was not strongly represented in either the reproductive or the environmental justice movements; there was interesting potential for education and awareness raising among salon customers who might never otherwise consider the health impacts of cosmetic choices; and there was a well-articulated strategy for making incremental workplace changes in an industry where health and safety regulations are weak. Early plans included a research agenda informed by the workers’ needs, state and national policy development, and regular networking meetings in which members could deepen relationships, build joint strategies, and eventually bring their collective voices into broader movement discussions. After five years of funding, it is clear that much of that early potential has not materialized. The policy work in the initial base of Northern California is strong. Several municipalities have adopted Healthy Nail Salon programs that set standards for and honor best practices, and help raise worker and consumer awareness of the toxic dangers of nail products. However, attempts to broaden the work have not been successful. Organizing has not moved forward in Southern California. The National Alliance has not built a presence in other states, although there may be potential inroads into a national policy agenda to inform workers of dangers, if not remove them. Work to build a leadership base and to connect it with broader movements has not been successful. We are recommending a final one-year grant at a reduced amount.

57

7. East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice$25,000 for one year – renewalGeneral support for a Los Angeles community organization developing self-advocates in collaboration with others to build a larger environmental health and justice movement. (Millie)

ORGANIZATION PROFILE / DEVELOPMENT East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice (EYCEJ) is an environmental health and justice organization working since 2001 toward a safe and healthy environment for communities that are disproportionately suffering the negative impacts of industrial pollution. EYCEJ is based in the Los Angeles communities of Commerce, East Los Angeles and Long Beach – areas heavily impacted by pollution from the transport of goods to and from L.A’s ports and rails. The organization and its members, in collaboration with community members, academic partners, and allies, make environmental justice and quality of life issues their policy priorities, and work on a variety of strategies in the policy-making process.Organization led by people of color: Yes, Latino

PAST GRANT ACTIVITYExpanding Influence & Intervening for Systemic Change – policy developmentCalTrans (California Department of Transportation) is charged with developing plans for expansion of I-710 and issuing an Environmental Impact Review (EIR) of proposed routes. CalTrans repeatedly resisted including among the options a community-generated alternative, Community Alternative 7 (CA7). Unlike CalTrans’ proposals, CA7 would avoid destroying homes and would meet the needs of nearby residents, in addition to facilitating freight transportation. EYCEJ and allies organized and advocated, securing resolutions in support of CA7 from the majority of cities along the corridor, and from individual elected officials. It broadened the community conversation by working with a local television station on a series of stories asking residents “How would you improve the 710 corridor?” Community members turned out in force at meetings of the Project Committee, made up of officials from cities along the corridor, and flocked to city council meetings. The Project Committee voted 11 to 4 to support CA7 as an option. CalTrans has scheduled issuance of the EIR sometime next year.

EYCEJ’s research, organizing and advocacy convinced the City of Commerce to pass one of the first Green Zones policies in the nation. Working collaboratively with various stakeholders (local residents, academic partners, small and big business and labor representatives), EYCEJ developed a policy framework consisting of prevention, reduction, revitalization and reinvestment. The City Council unanimously approved three of the pillars, as well as a Commerce Community Specific Plan focused on a particularly busy intersection, and announced further study sessions to address prevention. EYCEJ began holding community-based planning workshops to set the stage for monitoring and influencing implementation of the plans.

Engaging Affected People - leadership developmentEYCEJ hired a full-time leadership development coordinator to organize and run EYCEJ workshops, increase the number of sessions and far exceed 2014 participation goals. Skills and issue workshops were a primary avenue for developing new member-leaders.

EYCEJ youth developed Ride On All Roads, a bicycle program to promote pedestrian and bicycle needs in truck-dense I-710 corridor communities. A Bike Toxic Tour, organized rides, and self-guided tours helped participants learn more about local challenges and encouraged involvement in solutions.

PROPOSED GRANT ACTIVITYDirect Organizing: EYCEJ will organize in Commerce, East Los Angeles and Long Beach, canvassing door-to-door, encouraging members to engage neighbors, and hosting quarterly

59

community building events. These will include movie screenings, barbeques, a Dia de Los Muertos Celebration and a Planting the Seeds of Change Celebration. EYCEJ will continue to host toxic tours and sponsor Youth in Action (YA), promoting youth empowerment and representation. YA will engage in EYCEJ’s ongoing campaigns, create youth-led projects, and build interest and capacity among young community members.

Engaging Affected People—leadership developmentEYCEJ will hold leadership development trainings at multiple locations in core communities. Participants will be asked to bring neighbors and friends to increase the number of residents involved in local environmental justice campaigns. A workshop specifically for women will focus on the intersections of environmental justice and reproductive health, and engage participants in making safe cleaning and beauty products to take home.

Coalition Building: EYCEJ’s policy work is embedded within a movement building strategy that focuses on collaboration and partnerships with organizations and networks ranging from local to state to national. For example:

The Green LA Coalition’s Port Work Group will develop and help implement policy recommendations for city agencies, focusing on promoting zero-emission alternatives in the Ports of LA and Long Beach, the largest source of air pollution in the region. In particular, the Port Work Group will advocate for the adoption of “on-dock” rail technology, moving containers directly from ships to rail lines to minimize truck traffic as an alternative to two proposed rail expansion projects in the City of L.A. that would generate over two million truck trips per year;

The Coalition for Environmental Health and Justice will continue advocating for CA7 and prepare community members to participate in public hearings on the EIR;

THE (Trade, Health and Environment) Impact Project, a community-academic partnership, will bring together L.A. community-based groups and academic allies to coordinate efforts to address health and environmental impacts of goods movement (the transport of goods for sale). Community organizations will work together to understand the connections among various movement systems, and combine efforts to influence agencies and reduce the impacts of international trade on health and community life; and

The Moving Forward Network will continue building a nationwide partnership to increase the reach and capacity of community-based organizations impacted by goods movement. Members of THE Impact Project, including EYCEJ, are leaders in the Network, lending their hard-earned expertise to communities across the country facing the impacts of growing infrastructure for moving goods in a global economy. The Network will facilitate information sharing, share advocacy tools and research on emerging issues, provide peer-to-peer training, and hold regional and national workshops.

ANALYSISEYCEJ’s base is a few neighborhoods in the L.A. area, but its reach and influence extend much farther. Communities across the country are struggling with the impacts of industrial pollutants from both mobile and stationary sources, and looking for ways to improve community environments. The Green Zones policy EYCEJ shepherded in Commerce is one of the first in the country, and the Moving Forward Network is one of the few collaborations – perhaps the only one – centered on building the capacity of impacted communities to engage in policy around movement of goods. As a leader in both of these efforts, EYCEJ meets our criteria for a “larger-than-local” group, bringing community voice and leadership to complex urban planning issues, acting as mentor for other communities, and continuing direct organizing and local policy advocacy at home. EYCEJ has helped L.A. communities resist agency attempts to pit one neighborhood’s needs against another’s, build a common regional agenda, and work together to fight for their communities. It is a valuable resource for other communities balancing the same issues and wanting to work together for the common good.

60

8. NAACP Collective Action Fund $10,000 for one year – newProgram support for the Forward Together Moral Movement progressive fusion coalition to build connections, commonality among issues and power for a social justice agenda in North Carolina. (Millie)

ORGANIZATION PROFILE / DEVELOPMENT The North Carolina branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NC NAACP) has grown in the past ten years into one of the largest membership organizations in NC and the largest NAACP state conference in the South. When the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II became state president in 2005, his goal was to create a progressive fusion coalition to build power to influence state policy. Barber brought together a diverse group of some of the state’s best organizers, political scientists, lawyers, religious leaders and activists, who in 2006 founded Historic Thousands on Jones Street (HKonJ), a multi-racial coalition of about 30 social justice organizations.

Less than two months later, at the first HKonJ People’s Assembly more than 3,500 supporters created the 14-Point People’s Agenda. One of the 14 points was Promote Environmental Justice, with an emphasis on establishing an Environmental Job Corps to employ young people who did not graduate high school and re-engage them in public service.

Early HKonJ victories included:

1. Passage of the Racial Justice Act to prohibit imposition of the death penalty on the basis of race and establish a process for determining if race was a factor;

2. Creation of an extended early voting period with same-day registration and voting; and

3. Gaining the right to unionize for Smithfield workers. HKonJ also helped form the groundwork for a Eugenics Compensation Program Bill promoted by former Governor Beverly Perdue.

When NC’s politics turned sharply to the right in 2013, HKonJ and the NC NAACP convened the Forward Together Moral Movement (MM). Marches in Raleigh and throughout the state attracted thousands, with nearly 1,000 arrested during peaceful civil disobedience actions, gaining national media attention and culminating in a march in Raleigh in February, 2014 that brought an estimated 80,000 people to the state capital. Despite this, state policies on education, environment, criminal justice, women’s rights, gay rights, voter rights and other social issues became even more draconian. Passage of one of the most regressive voting laws in the country was particularly alarming in the state that spawned the civil rights movement lunch counter protests and had gained a reputation of moderation. MM sent 40 young summer organizers throughout the state to provide education on the new voter requirements and organize momentum toward a strong voter turnout this fall.


PROPOSED GRANT ACTIVITY Build and broaden the coalition, which now has 140 partners including labor organizations,

women’s rights activists, gay rights activists, teachers’ unions, immigrant rights activists, public employees’ groups and others. Nine have environmental justice as a top priority, including some former Noyes grantees, and many are multi-issue social justice organizations.

Assess changes in the social and political climate following the 2014 elections and develop appropriate strategies for influencing policy;

61

Conduct inclusive strategic planning with coalition partners and potential partners, including developing processes for rapid response and organizing around issue platforms;

Sustain the increase begun this year in student involvement in the planning and outreach phases of student mobilization;

Hire field secretaries across the state to build infrastructure to sustain a long-term movement through civic engagement and empowerment, expanding access to the ballot, and exploring how to connect local issues to citizen activism in order to build leadership; and

Strengthen local Peoples’ Assemblies and support local issue campaigns, building on local victories won this year with coalition help, including a successful campaign to keep a for-profit Eastern NC hospital open under increased local control. Other issues include newly prominent environmental issues, such as fracking, coal ash disposal and climate disruption.

ANALYSISMM is a multi-issue coalition, and environmental justice issues were not in the forefront in its early years. However, in the past two years, North Carolina has been targeted for fracking, massive coal ash spills have reached rivers, and there is growing awareness that the state’s lengthy, highly developed coastline, as well as the economy it supports, is at serious risk from climate change. This comes at a time when the state legislature dealt with predictions of ocean rise by outlawing the scientific report that documented it, fearing developers would lose money, and the governor, a Duke Energy executive for 28 years, continues a long pattern of giving the utility a free pass on pollution. MM’s environmental agenda, emphasizing justice, green jobs and youth employment, can help counter the old jobs vs. environment canard, and strengthen both the social justice coalition and the state’s environmental players.

The Moral Monday protests and arrests in the past two years, along with the Rev. Barber’s eloquence and inclusive human rights message, have drawn national attention. He is an African American Southern evangelical preacher who stands up for gay rights and women’s reproductive rights as human rights, and is a tireless and charismatic speaker. Not as well publicized or understood is the fact that it took eight preceding years of outreach and organizing to build the connections and trust among existing state nonprofit forces that made massive turnout and well-coordinated work possible. Barber is vigilant about sharing credit and the stage, but in a media world that highlights individuals, and mistrusts or misunderstands long-term movement building, it will take solid organizational infrastructure to maintain the coalition so it can fulfill its promise for long-term power. As other states in the South and beyond ask for the formula for duplicating the MM mobilization successes, an important piece of MM’s work in the coming years will be to help make clear the conditions that built this coalition, and to emphasize the long, non-flashy work of meetings and outreach that made it possible. This could be an interesting addition to our portfolio as we look more closely at multi-issue work.

62

9. The Renaissance Project$10,000 for one year – newGeneral support to expand food justice programming to remove barriers to fresh food access in three wards of New Orleans, LA. (Kolu)

ORGANIZATION PROFILE / DEVELOPMENT Founded in 2001, the Renaissance Project (RP) engages New Orleans residents from low-income communities of color in the “rebirth” of their neighborhoods as safe, economically resilient and culturally vibrant places that provide access to good food, education, economic opportunity and civic participation. With constituents ranging in age from 14 to 75, RP concentrates its work in the Ninth Ward, Central City and Algiers neighborhoods. Its programs are designed to address racial inequity and systemic poverty. RP’s staff and board are multi-ethnic, intergenerational, and cross sexual orientation and gender boundaries.

Racial inequality and poverty in New Orleans predate hurricanes Katrina and Rita. As in the rest of the U.S., Jim Crow laws and federal incentives supported “white flight” from central city neighborhoods, altering the landscape of mixed income and race communities in New Orleans. From 1940 to 1970, his phenomenon was particularly stark in the Lower Ninth Ward, where the non-white population increased from 31 percent to 73 percent, and “white flight” was accelerated by racial desegregation of schools and the effects of Hurricane Betsy in 1965. This resulted in a loss of businesses, with the last midsize grocery store in the Ninth Ward closing in 1987. Katrina flooded both the Upper and Lower Ninth Wards, but particularly devastated the Lower Ninth. Currently, of the ten food-based businesses in the neighborhood, two are gas station marts and four are traditional corner stores that stock mostly junk food. There is still a tremendous need for increased healthy food access in the neighborhood.

Acknowledging that neighborhood-based work cannot singlehandedly uproot systemic inequality, RP cultivates partnerships with other organizations at the city, state and regional levels. For example, RP is a member of the Louisiana Building Economic Sustainability Together coalition, which promotes a grassroots approach to address policies related to affordable housing, Earned Income Tax Credits, entrepreneurship and small businesses. RP also is part of the Southern Regional Asset Building Coalition (SRABC), comprising state coalitions in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi, including the Federation of Southern Cooperatives and the Southwest Georgia Project (grantees). SRAWBC’s asset-building approach goes beyond traditional thinking about poverty as defined primarily by income, to incorporate the key role played by home and business ownership and retirement savings. Nationally, RP’s director served twice on the James Beard Foundation’s annual conference committee, which has afforded RP’s staff and youth with opportunities to meet and develop relationships with sustainable food practitioners, advocates and funders from around the nation.

RP’s core programs include:

Regrowing Community: A summer youth employment program that provided 50 teenagers with salaries of $10.00 an hour for 20 hours over eight weeks, a rate significantly above the state minimum wage of $7.25. The teens’ earnings supplemented their families’ incomes, two-thirds of which were below the poverty level and one-third were less than $5,500 annually. This project provided academic enrichment in mathematics and language training and developed participants’ job skills. RP is participating in a national study by the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society to review the impact on families of the living wage it paid youth participants.

Mobile Fresh Markets and Food Pantries: Ten years ago, RP joined with the Crescent City Peace Alliance and Saint Claude Avenue Merchants Association to create the Downtown Neighborhood Market Consortium to address food access challenges among low-income

63

residents. In 2006, RP established two farmers’ markets that attracted higher income residents, but failed to serve the poor and food insecure. After revisiting its values and mission, RP closed the markets. A community planning process in the Lower Ninth Ward identified a mobile grocery store as the most appropriate and feasible short-term solution to improving neighborhood access to fresh foods. RP launched a mobile market that now brings fresh produce to communities where people have limited access to transportation and healthy food. In response to surveys and focus groups, it also opened a monthly food pantry that serves shoppers referred by local social service agencies.

St. Claude Main Street Revitalization Coalition: The year after Hurricane Katrina, RP brought neighborhood associations into the process of revitalizing the St. Claude Main Street commercial corridor, which traverses nearly two miles across five diverse, historic communities, and connects two of the city’s most iconic places, the French Quarter and Lower Ninth Ward. The project operates numerous arts projects that involve community members and generate foot traffic and tourism. For example, St. Claude Main Street supported an oral history project that recorded neighborhood conversations that were aired on a local radio station, demonstrating that local voices matter. The New Orleans Youth Sound Experience, which teaches music production and recording to young teens, uses the St. Claude Lab as a hub for its creative programming.

Food Policy Advisory Committee (FPAC): FPAC identifies ways for the city and state to facilitate access to fresh and healthy food by low-income residents. RP is a member of the FPAC steering committee along with community-based groups, civic associations, public health agencies and the municipal government.


PROPOSED GRANT ACTIVITYRP will partner with Aisle Won, a social enterprise corporation, to roll out a “digital farmers’ market.” This mobile phone app will allow residents to place orders and pre-purchase food using food stamps, WIC benefits, and debit and credit cards. The app was piloted in Baltimore in 2013 and is credited with vastly improving food distribution. The food purchased using the app will be delivered by RP’s mobile market. By making the purchase of groceries and meal planning easier, RP believes this app will encourage healthier eating habits and better shopping decisions. The app also benefits local suppliers wishing to connect with new markets in a way that reduces their risk of being squeezed out of competition by big-box retailers. This past October, Aisle Won visited New Orleans to take part in RP’s Regrowing Community conference. It then wrote it is “humbled to have been invited to take part in the Project’s social efforts to ‘Cross the Canal,’ and looks forward to a strong partnership that results in economic self-reliance for residents of the Lower Ninth Ward.” Additionally, the Regrowing Community project will double in size in order to employ 100 young people next summer with work sites provided through a network of nonprofit partners.

ANALYSISThe USDA defines a food desert as a low-income area with a population greater than 500 that lacks a full-service grocery store within one mile. Following Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans lost 15 of its 38 grocery stores, with the remaining supermarkets concentrated in affluent neighborhoods. The Lower Ninth Ward falls in the center of a very large food desert area that provides access only to fast food restaurants, bodegas and “dollar stores” stocked with junk foods. Not surprisingly, residents suffer high rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high cholesterol and malnutrition. What I find compelling about RP is that it is not just advocating for change, it is building solutions, employing people and working through networks to grow its scale of impact. As the Foundation considers the need to build power through the intersection of multiple movements, I am increasingly interested in the leadership some community development corporations can provide in utilizing food justice strategies, while also connecting more broadly to those advocating for economic equity.

64

10. West Virginia Focus: Reproductive Education and Equality$50,000 over two years – renewalGeneral support for a statewide coalition working to protect the reproductive health and freedom of West Virginia women through grassroots education and advocacy. (Wilma)

ORGANIZATION PROFILE / DEVELOPMENT Since its inception in 1989, West Virginia Focus: Reproductive Education and Equality (WVFREE) has led the state’s reproductive justice movement and plays an integral role nationally. WVFREE works to improve education on reproductive decisions, increase access to affordable birth control, reduce teen pregnancy and protect personal decision-making, including decisions about whether or when to have a child. WVFREE accomplishes its goals through research, grassroots activism, public education, direct service, advocacy, coalition building, media outreach and conducting community events.Organization led by people of color: No

PAST GRANT ACTIVITYEngaging Affected People & Exerting Strong Voices – expanding the base and communicating

Led coordinated efforts to beat back all proposed anti-choice legislation, including those that would place arbitrary limits on abortion access without regard for women’s health and well-being, and others that would limit insurance coverage. Its annual strategy session on reproductive health policy informed its 2014 policy agenda.

Continued to serve as a key partner in the Coalition for Abortion Access and Equality, as a state voice for a national collaborative effort aimed at building political and movement-wide support for abortion coverage through Medicaid (Federal funding).

Hosted six Women & Water listening sessions to assess concerns and needs of women affected by the Elk River chemical spill.

Worked as regional coordinator for Raising Women’s Voices (grantee), bringing women’s health concerns into discussions on health care reform, and engaging in community education about the benefits and enrollment opportunities offered by the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Served as a leading West Virginian voice for women’s and youth’s reproductive health issues, statewide and nationally, by delivering the opening plenary at the first statewide Teen Pregnancy Prevention Conference, serving on the implementation coalition for ACA, and participating as a steering committee member for the Our Children, Our Future coalition.

Actively participated in budget policy issues nationally and statewide, including working with a coalition that successfully got the minimum wage raised, affecting more than 175,000 workers in West Virginia; and helping to restore state funds for child advocacy centers, domestic violence agencies and family resource networks.

Advocated for improved care for rape victims through the establishment of county-level protocol councils; and to prohibit discrimination against breastfeeding women (the Right to Nurse Act).

Ramped up its social media outreach through email blasts to more than 5,670 supporters (150 percent increase over 2013); increased its presence on YouTube, Instagram and Twitter; and served as a key contact for media on reproductive rights issues, appearing in over 30 media stories.

65

With Planned Parenthood Health Systems and ACLU-WV, WVFREE held a “Stand with WV Women” lobby day at the state capitol with over 100 participants. It commissioned a poll to assess attitudes of WV voters on policies impacting reproductive health, rights and justice. WVFREE hosted panels in partnership with the National Women’s Law Center (former grantee), Fairness WV, ACLU-WV and Planned Parenthood on the implications of, and response to, the Hobby Lobby ruling, with over 30 in attendance at each session.

PROPOSED GRANT ACTIVITYIntervening for Systemic Change & Expanding Influence – policy development and community engagement

Work in broad coalition to educate the public and policy-makers about the unfair implications of anti-choice initiatives and how a reproductive health, rights and justice agenda improves women’s lives and reduces unplanned pregnancy and poverty;

Collaborate with Raising Women’s Voices, West Virginians for Affordable Health Care, the West Virginia Office of the Insurance Commission, Planned Parenthood Health Systems, ACLU-WV, WV Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and other allies to research and plan its policy strategies and agenda;

Engage in policy advocacy and grassroots mobilization, including two annual lobby days for Women’s Lives, with the goal of bringing 150 supporters each time to the state capitol to meet with legislators;

Launch a public education campaign on paid sick days and paid family leave, issues that disproportionately affect women, especially low-income women, with the goal of creating a legislative bill that can be introduced during the 2016 legislative session; and

Create campus chapters at Marshall University and West Virginia University to raise awareness of the upcoming legislative session, encourage voter engagement, host movie viewings and discussions, and build a diverse network of millennial advocates.

ANALYSISWest Virginia has the eighth highest teen childbearing rate in the U.S. The counties with the highest teen birth rates are simultaneously those with the highest rates of poverty. In West Virginia, 96 percent of the counties have no abortion provider. Politically, reproductive rights is used as a red herring and wedge issue, forcing many supportive legislators to back away because the political cost is too high. WVFREE advocates on behalf of all these issues.

In response to the chemical leak at a Freedom Industries storage facility that caused a ban on water usage for over 300,000 people in nine counties last December, WVFREE, along with other state allies, such as Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition (former grantee) used this incident to engage and mobilize impacted communities around environmental and reproductive justice issues.

Noyes has funded WVFREE since 1996 (with a gap from 1998 to 2004). At that time, two former nuns led the organization, with a focus solely on abortion and a budget of $9,000. With Noyes’ long-term funding commitment and steady technical assistance, WVFREE has slowly but surely transformed into one of the most effective and respected state-level reproductive rights and justice groups in the nation. This year, it raised $500,000, including over $60,000 for its Women & Water work and $80,000 from a partner organization’s re-granting budget. WVFREE works arduously to maintain an average budget of $400,000. Noyes support continues to help it leverage funding to accomplish its mission. Noyes can proudly celebrate WVFREE’s successes and know its support has been, and continues to be, critically needed.

66

Tribal OrganizationsNovember 7 – 8, 2014 Board Meeting

11. Owe Aku International Justice Project (p. 69)General support for a grassroots organization of Lakota people promoting protection of sacred water and preservation of territorial lands on traditional Lakota territories. (http://www.oweakuinternational.org/)


Urban/ Rural State

OrganizationBudget


Total Prior

Funding2014Grant

New EJ RuralSouth

Dakota 2014: $104,000 None None $20,000

67

11. Owe Aku International Justice Project$20,000 for one year – newGeneral support for a grassroots organization of Lakota people promoting protection of sacred water and preservation of territorial lands on traditional Lakota territories. (Millie)

ORGANIZATION PROFILE / DEVELOPMENT Owe Aku International Justice Project is a grassroots organization founded nearly 20 years ago to promote protection of sacred water and preservation of territorial lands, relying on cultural revitalization as a major tool. Owe Aku, Bring Back the Way in the Lakota language, is led by traditional Lakota leaders from the tiyospaye (extended family) system, the traditional system of governance, and works cooperatively with other Native American and non-Native allies. The Owe Aku International Justice Project is the tax-exempt, nonprofit corporation, with a board made up of elders and others of Lakota descent. Operations are based primarily on Lakota territory along Wounded Knee Creek on what is called the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where Owe Aku just this summer built a new office and community space. Owe Aku advocates for public policies that prevent and reduce toxic pollution and environmental degradation in low-income communities and communities of color; develops and implements strategies for economic revitalization and environmental sustainability in impacted communities; challenges the expansion of corporate power and rights; and works to hold corporations accountable for their impact on the environment. A primary goal of current program work is stopping TransCanada’s Keystone XL Pipeline (KXL) and expanded uranium mining in the Black Hills.Organization led by people of color: Yes, Native American

PROPOSED GRANT ACTIVITYMoccasins on the GroundOwe Aku’s Moccasins on the Ground trainings are the cornerstone of its resistance work. These three-day educational activist camps bring together local Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to learn, strategize, and develop skills to resist the KXL pipeline and uranium mining through non-violent direct action, tactical blockades, social media and communications, and cultural and artistic expression. Internally, Owe Aku sees the trainings as a vehicle for strengthening and revitalizing Lakota communities and traditional practices within the tiyospaye system. Externally, the trainings demonstrate growing grassroots resistance to the KXL, amplify the voices of those who stand to be most affected, and help build alliances with other communities, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, around these issues. Camps are held in affected communities by invitation of local organizers. To date, they have been held or requested in 12 states.

In addition to scheduled three-day trainings, Owe Aku members will travel on short notice at the request of organizers in communities at risk. It will offer teach-ins, education and strategy sessions for activists, tribal councils and/or other decision-making bodies, depending on specific requests.

Media and CommunicationsThe Lakota Media Project, a collaboration between Owe Aku and Prairie Dust Films, was formed to mentor Lakota youth and women in documentary filmmaking as a way for Lakota youth to tell their stories in their own way. Led by young people, the project develops music videos, graphic art projects, and documentary films designed to complement and support the collective action projects.

Crying Earth Rise Up, a documentary film on the effects of uranium mining on the Ogallala Aquifer, and the Lakota and others who depend on it, is scheduled for release this year.

68

Owe Aku will provide its communications network of nearly 20,000 individuals and organizations with frequent written and multimedia updates, sharing strategies and cultural references and quoting elders to help preserve Indigenous knowledge for future generations.

Already a major issue in other parts of the world, water privatization is now a growing threat to Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in North America. Owe Aku will develop a comprehensive research paper on the privatization of water from a community perspective, to be used as a basis for meeting challenges as corporations expand privatization.

Owe Aku will develop instructions on using the internationally recognized legal concept of “free, prior and informed consent,” especially as it relates to communication in Indigenous communities, where often information flows only to a few tribal officials and is not accessible to the majority of the community.

Unite to Fight youth trainings will continue as part of Owe Aku’s commitment to youth leadership training and capacity building. The trainings were created early in the group’s existence as a space to formalize an understanding of Lakota tradition and its application to ongoing work. Trainings include creation stories and connection to Lakota territory, historical presentations by elders and other leaders, Lakota language, and decolonization talking circles. They also focus on practical aspects of activism, such as organizing in Lakota communities; communications through the internet and other technologies; art for activism; Lakota treaties in international and domestic law, and at the United Nations and Organization of American States. More recently, they have included damage caused by the processes involved in fracking, pipelines and uranium mining. Additional emphasis will be placed on strategic planning and non-violent direct action in preparation for active challenges to the KXL, proposed uranium mines and fracking in Lakota territory.

Alliances: Owe Aku will continue to build and strengthen alliances across the continent. In the KXL work, Owe Aku’s Moccasins on the Ground and other educational efforts will involve a broad range of allies, Indigenous and non-Indigenous. These include recently formed groups, such as the Great Basin Tar Sands Resistance, the Cowboy and Indian Alliance (CIA) and Idle No More; and long-term organizations, such as former Noyes grantees Dakota Rural Action and Indigenous Environmental Network.

Capacity building: Owe Aku is nearly 20 years old and has been unofficially active for much longer. Those who began the work, some of them veterans of the American Indian Movement, are ready to shift to the role of advisors, as a solid core of young activists begins to assume leadership positions. The goal is to leave both a legacy of strongly embedded values and an infrastructure from which new generations can successfully continue the work. There is a particular need for physical and technological capacity to support the Lakota Media Project, and other internet and social media work.

ANALYSISOwe Aku is grounded in and led by an impacted community with deep roots in culturally appropriate organizing and network building. It has a long history of female leadership. Winyan Ituwan, the Vision of the Women, was the collective vision and guidance that played a significant role in traditional governance of the Lakota community, determining where to camp and whether to wage war, and remains a significant part of current decision-making. As tar sands and pipeline actions attract a broad selection of increasingly frustrated activists, Owe Aku’s combination of experience in long-term, principled resistance to power and greed, and its deliberate, collaborative decision-making will be valuable to the campaigns, and its Moccasins on the Ground trainings are increasingly in demand. Just as importantly, Owe Aku is solidly focused on long-term community and movement building. Our funds are for general support, but Owe Aku hopes to use a significant portion of this grant for increasing organizational infrastructure and youth leadership capacity.

69

New York City OrganizationsNovember 7 - 8, 2014 Board Meeting

12. New Yorkers Against Fracking (p. 73)Program support for community organizing and outreach to new constituencies in New York City to build support for a ban on fracking in New York State. (http://nyagainstfracking.org/)

New/ Renewal

OrganizationBudget

Program Budget


Total Prior Funding

2014Grant

Renewal $14,768,744 $375,700 2 $40,000 $20,000

Fiscal sponsor: Food & Water Watch

70

12. New Yorkers Against Fracking$20,000 for one year – renewalProgram support for community organizing and outreach to new constituencies in New York City to build support for a ban on fracking in New York State. (Wilma)

ORGANIZATION PROFILE / DEVELOPMENT New Yorkers Against Fracking (NYAF) was launched as a formal coalition in 2012. Presently, over 250 organizations, 1,500 New York businesses and 500 faith leaders have joined the coalition in calling for a ban on fracking. Its members include environmental, public health, religious, community and public interest groups.

NYAF received significant support from award-winning author, biologist and advocate Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D., who is internationally recognized for her work in uncovering and understanding the ways in which chemical contaminants in the air, water and food endanger human health. As a cancer survivor and because of her deep concerned for her children’s future in New York, Steingraber donated a significant portion of her recent Heinz award for lifetime achievement to provide seed money for the coalition.NYAF works under the auspices of Food & Water Watch (FWW), a national nonprofit organization advocating for commonsense policies that will result in healthy, safe food, and access to safe and affordable drinking water. FWW’s staff is located in 15 offices in the U.S., and it works with a range of constituencies to inform and hold policy-makers accountable. Its international staff in Latin America and the European Union (where it is known as Food & Water Europe) works with coalition partners to track the global impact of U.S. corporations on public policy.Organization led by people of color: No

PAST GRANT ACTIVITYExerting Strong Voices & Expanding Influence – vision, communicating & working in collaborationSo far, NYAF has kept fracking out of New York. Its long-term goal is to get a permanent statewide ban on fracking. For the past several years, Governor Cuomo has put a hold on deciding whether or not to allow fracking. Because of this, NYAF’s campaign has focused largely on educating the public and organizing at the grassroots level to convince the governor not to open the state to fracking, and ultimately to ban it.

NYAF worked with 250 coalition member organizations to ensure the overall strategies used are consistent with the coalition’s mission. Regularly convening in every region of the state served as an important feedback loop. NYAF also earned excellent media coverage highlighting the nationwide movement to ban fracking.

Anti-fracking activities increased in New York City, engaging large numbers of participants. Significant crowds were organized to demonstrate at ten events for Governor Cuomo, including one in December with over 700 people, and another in June with over 500 on hand.

NYAF worked closely with the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance and WE-ACT for Environmental Justice (former grantees), in preparation for the People’s Climate March, as well as for part of its ongoing campaign to keep fracking out of the state. NYAF also deepened its working relationship with the United Puerto Rican Organization of Sunset Park (UPROSE) and WE-ACT (former grantees). It participated in and tabled at their climate conference, and organized a Grub Party in coordination with UPROSE and the Brooklyn Movement Center (a group based in Central Brooklyn that works on food justice issues). WE-ACT is a NYAF

71

coalition member. This year NYAF participated in WE-ACT’s Earth Day event where they jointly educated the public about the dangers involved with fracking.

PROPOSED 11GRANT ACTIVITYExerting Strong Voices & Expanding Influence – vision, communicating & working in collaborationNYAF will continue its multi-pronged effort to keep fracking out of New York. It will:

Broaden the coalition within New York City by engaging new constituencies and expanding existing relationships with public health, faith-based and business communities. A particular focus will be on Governor Cuomo as the ultimate decision-maker.

Conduct a large-scale education campaign to build and demonstrate the statewide political power of the anti-fracking movement. This work will include a massive petition drive in New York City and across the state urging Governor Cuomo to implement a statewide ban on fracking.

Work aggressively to gain statewide media coverage on this issue.

ANALYSISAccording to NYAF, fracking has brought rampant environmental and economic problems to rural communities throughout the U.S. Accidents and leaks have polluted rivers, streams and drinking water supplies. Regions peppered with drilling rigs have high levels of smog and other airborne pollutants, including potential carcinogens. Rural communities face an onslaught of heavy truck traffic – often laden with dangerous chemicals used in drilling – and declining property values, not to mention the negative social impact of higher rates of alcohol use and sexual violence near fracking industry work camps.

For many, these problems appear to impact mostly rural areas, leaving urban regions protected by distance. The truth is that no one is protected. All water reserves, like all communities, stand at risk of contamination in one way or another, sooner or later. That is the very reason why a group like NYAF is important. Developing and disseminating an “urban message” about fracking will take time and skill to accomplish. NYAF is predominately a white, middle-class organization and its constituency reflects its profile. Demographically, New York City is over 50 percent people of color, has dense immigrant communities and is disproportionately low-income. Many residents in these communities already are impacted by harsh urban pollution. On-the-ground education campaigns have been instrumental in engaging these communities on varied environmental justice issues. NYAF says it is committed to expanding and engaging a broad spectrum of constituents. Now its work has to be replicated in a manner that will resonate with the diverse communities across NYC. NYAF works under FWW, the well-funded, global umbrella organization. Noyes will continue to monitor its progress, since making the rural/urban fracking connection is of critical importance.

72

jessie smith noyes foundation documents/nov2014... · web viewnational organizations november 7 –...

Documents