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When NCG stepped into the policy space two years ago, we did so knowing that it would require us to be bold and lean deeply into our mission to bring philanthropy together to build healthy, thriving, and just communities. With the 2020 election around the corner, there is much at stake for California and our region. There has never been a more appropriate or important time for philanthropy to be advocating and using its voice in service of building a Better California for all.
Gun violence is the leading cause of death of children and teens in the United States, having disproportionately impacted BIPOC communities for generations. For far too long, the emphasis on gun violence reduction has focused on easy accessibility to guns without addressing the root causes and demanding direct input from those communities most impacted.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Community Based Organizations (CBOs) have responded quickly and nimbly to ensure Black, Indigenous, and other people of color who have been most impacted have access to timely and accurate information in multiple languages, tests and vaccines, food, internet, and so much more. These organizations are essential partners, trusted by the people they serve, who have taken on public health work that often goes beyond their core missions and programming because their communities need it.
As funders and concerned community members, we have the ability – and the responsibility – to direct more resources to local organizations that are fortifying our democracy from the ground up.
A two-part event series, the second of which will include in-person tour of flood affected communities in the Central Valley, including Tulare Lake. We strongly recommend funders attend both sessions, as in-person connections with communities and with other funders are critical at this time.
As California faces threats from federal budget and policy proposals amid an anticipated flat (no-growth) budget for its 2025 – 2026 fiscal year, strategic choices grounded in values of racial and economic equity are needed to ensure that all residents can thrive. The state’s budget process holds the key to determining which policies will create a more equitable California, and philanthropy has an important opportunity to influence these outcomes over the course of the state’s budget cycle from January to June.
In 2020, we witnessed philanthropy make major commitments and promises to resource Black-led organizations and movements as part of a renewed reckoning with racial justice after the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless other Black lives. Historically, Black-led power-building efforts have been at the forefront of transformative change but have been consistently underfunded and under-resourced. The sudden surge in resources allocated to Black-led nonprofits and power-building organizations over the last four years highlights the urgent need to invest in the leadership and visionary ideas for dismantling systemic racism and advancing an inclusive, multiracial democracy. Now, the question remains whether the investments so far are truly sufficient to provide long-term support for Black power-building organizations and their vital work.