2024 Year End Message & Reflections

Photo Description: Closing Funder Commitment Circle at Central Valley Funders Convening in April 2024.

Dear CCJFG Member,

The 2024 election results put us face to face with the brutal truth of rising fascism in our country and the reality of California’s return to conservative “tough-on-crime” policies. We know the communities that will be most impacted by the regressive and dangerous statewide and national legislation are the same communities that survive the oppression of state violence, criminalization, and incarceration. Our solidarity with grassroots movements for healing and community safety is needed now more than ever. As we consider what this moment requires of us, we want to reflect on the lessons and successes from CCJFG’s last year and recommit to our role of supporting funders standing with the people.  

This year we brought to life our commitment to increase support for the Central Valley. In April, we convened funders and movement leaders for a two-day event in Fresno in an effort to build relationships and broaden funders’ knowledge about organizing in this historically overlooked region. We heard from directly impacted organizers about the challenges they face through small circles and panel discussions. We encouraged funders to make commitments to invest in community-based organizations throughout the Central Valley and we will continue supporting funders to do so in the coming year. Be sure to read our report-back and check out the video from the convening that features a presentation about the region’s white supremacist history, current data on the school-to-prison pipeline, and panel discussions on intersectionality and youth justice. 

We recommitted to accountability and solidarity with grassroots leaders in the movements for justice transformation and healing. We welcomed our second cohort of Movement Advisors, consisting of three powerful grassroots community organizers, whose invaluable guidance will help shape our work over the next two years. (Learn about them here). We’ve already begun to metabolize their wisdom about the need for philanthropy to break out of funding silos and take more risks as we prepare for a second Trump presidency. 

We offered educational programs that center the experience, vision, and leadership of directly impacted people. In each of our virtual and in-person programs, our speakers shared their wisdom as directly impacted grassroots organizers. These speakers challenged us to align our strategies in philanthropy with healing justice principles, fund infrastructure development essential to building alternatives to the Prison Industrial Complex, and prioritize funding innovation and trusting system-impacted leaders over quantitative returns. 

Photo Description: Panelists of “Our Future/Our Voice: Building a Future Worthy of the Next Generation” at the Central Valley Funders Convening; (L to R) Misty Franklin of Restore 180, Tanice Wallace formerly with Amelia Adams Whole Life Center, Gina Peralta of Heising-Simons Foundation, and Andrea Vasquez of CA Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance.

If you missed any of our offerings this year, below are quotations from a few of our speakers: 

• "We need to build a defense line at all levels: the city level and most importantly, the county level. We need to figure out what a harm mitigation plan looks like [given the election results] and actually push [that plan] to be even bolder than we think is possible. The Right and law enforcement are more organized, so we have to create systems of safety amongst each other and centralize resources. How do we make sure that we resource and support leaders who are already living and organizing in these conditions?"  - Sandy Valenciano, Consultant and Decarceration Strategist and Organizer with All Youth Are Sacred Initiative and California Alliance for Youth and Community Justice

• "Our community's basic needs are attacked every day, so it’s hard to focus on power building when that is the lived reality of our young folks of color and system-impacted families. It can be hard to envision solutions. It’s hard to win tangible campaigns when folks are struggling to eat. One way we try to combat this is through history lessons about abolition movements that came before us…what would the future look like if we continue to win?" - Andrea Vasquez, Youth Coordinator, California Immigrant and Youth Justice Alliance

• "We need to be able to imagine what is possible. When we invest in the market, we leave a lot of space for innovation. It should be the same when we invest in the community and in people. Our work has grown so much because a small group of funders invested in us and believed that impacted people know what they need. " - Jessica Nowlan, President, Reimagine Freedom

• "Funders have hesitated to stand with people. [They] don’t want to ruffle feathers. You have to not be afraid of risk-taking and that means standing in solidarity with the people doing this work on the ground." - Claudia Gonzalez, Central Valley Policy Associate, Root and Rebound

We know that 2025 will require us to act boldly, be strategic, and work together. We hope to answer the call to action from our Movement Advisors to create spaces that deepen collective strategy and coalition building between funders and organizers; to support power building amongst directly impacted communities; to fund healing and rest for organizers; and invest in organizations and rising leaders from underfunded and neglected regions in the state.

We do this work with and for you. We hope to create spaces that feel valuable to our collective work as funders who believe in true community safety and justice. Please consider making a multi-year financial commitment to CCJFG to ensure the future of our work and please contribute your ideas, attend our meetings, and reach out to us directly at [email protected]. 

Sincerely,

Iris Garcia, CCJFG Chair

Fela Thomas, CCJFG Chair

Adrienne Skye Roberts, CCJFG Coordinator