Report Back: Central Valley Funders Convening
"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, Root and Rebound
from the Ku Klux Klan in Fresno, CA.
In mid-April, 18 funders from throughout California traveled to Fresno for the California Criminal Justice Funders Group Central Valley Funder Convening. They were joined by 20 movement leaders representing community organizations throughout the Central San Joaquin Valley from Stockton to Bakersfield. The aim of this convening was to broaden funders' knowledge about organizing for safety and justice in this region and focused on the question: how do we increase support for system-involved youth and people in the Central Valley, including movement leaders and their base? You can view the presentations and panel discussion through this video.
Over two days, funders deepened their understanding of the unique landscape of the Central Valley. This region is home to rural, agricultural, poor and working-class communities of color and contains the majority of the state’s prisons. Cal State University Fresno Professor Patrick Fontes shared his research about white supremacist and confederate roots of the region; and Tia Martinez of Organizing Roots shared current statistics and information about how that history has manifested into the discriminatory school-to-prison pipeline that disproportionately impacts Black and Brown youth throughout the Valley.
Despite its rich history of organizing and the undeniable impacts of the state’s investment in carceral infrastructure, the Central Valley is overlooked by philanthropy. This region receives the least amount of philanthropic resources for community organizing in the state. Funders heard from a handful of movement partners about the concrete barriers to organizing in the Valley through two panel discussions. The first was focused on intersectionality (“Laying the Groundwork: Intersectional Lives Require Intersectional Strategies”) and the second on youth justice (“Our Future/Our Voice: Building a Future Worthy of the Next Generation”).
Each day, funders and organizers spent time building relationships with one another in small circles where participants shared candidly about the experiences that brought them to the work of community safety and justice transformation. Funders and organizers shared vulnerably about personal connections to this issue and the risks needed to meaningfully transform the state’s reliance on the incarceration of Black, Brown, poor and marginalized communities.
"Last month, I was fortunate enough to attend CCJFG's Central Valley Convening to break bread, share thoughts and lessons. I learned about the Central Valley and how its history is deeply rooted in slavery. I also learned about the immense passion that lives within the community. The two days were filled with intention, motivation, and an urgency to bring investment and resources to an area of California that is often overlooked. This was the first convening where I saw funders and CBO's come together to discuss how their relationships can be stronger and what the direct needs are from the community. This gathering was beautifully and intentionally structured from the venue, to the food, to the panelists. That intentionality is what will allow for next steps to happen in order to invest in the Central Valley." - Kenia Miranda Verdugo, Michelson 20MM Foundation
We ended the event in one large circle where funders articulated commitments to ongoing support for the Central Valley. Funders named an interest in initiating or increasing funding, supporting the leadership of organizers, spending more time building relationships, and continuing to learn about the challenges that communities must navigate while living and organizing throughout the Valley. We have already held a follow-up meeting to continue to track the funder's commitments and ensure we are accountable to the folks we learned from. We are in the process of brainstorming collective action to continue to lift up and resource the unique and strategic organizing emerging from this valuable and overlooked region. If you are interested in joining us in resourcing the Central Valley and weren’t able to attend the convening, please reach out to Adrienne Skye Roberts at [email protected]. If you weren’t able to attend the convening, you can still learn from our movement partners by checking out the video of the presentations and panel discussion.
I went to the CCJFG convening in Fresno with high expectations that were greatly exceeded. The program was thoughtfully put together, and the chance to meet with community organizers on the ground in the Central Valley was exceptional. From the first day of learning about the historical context of Fresno and the Central Valley, to the clear articulation and sharing of possible next steps as funders on the last day, the Fresno convening was highly additive to the work of the Kautz Family Foundation. I hope there will be similar events in the future. - Leslie Kautz, Kautz Family Foundation
This event was planned with the support of the National Center for Youth Law. It was co-sponsored by The California Endowment, The Central Valley Community Foundation, Heising-Simons Foundation, and Sierra Health Foundation.
The following organizations were represented at the Central Valley Funders Convening: Advance Peace; The Amelia Adams Whole Life Center; Be Smooth, Inc.; CA Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance; Central Valley Movement Building; Community Justice Alliance; Community Justice Center; Community Interventions, Inc.; Concrete Development; Empower Marginalized Asian Communities (EMAC); Faith In the Valley; Fresno Barrios Unidos; Fresno Stop the Violence; Hope Now; Integral Communities Solution Institute; Jakara Movement; LEAP Institute; Restore 180; Root & Rebound and Youngsters for Change
2023 Year End Message & Reflections
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The California Criminal Justice Funders Group (CCJFG) is an established network of funders and donors that invest in a wide range of system change. We firmly believe that efforts to transform this country’s response to safety, justice, and accountability must be led by those individuals who have been directly impacted by systems of punishment themselves.