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As the political economy ebbs and flows, California finds itself dealing with significant budget deficits more frequently, which ultimately impacts our state’s most historically marginalized residents. Cuts to important programs impacting housing and homelessness, the social safety net, climate resiliency programs and much more have a disproportionate and adverse effect on women and children, low-income families, rural communities, and neighborhoods of color. Nonprofit and direct service organizations often see an uptick in their clients during economic downturns and are compelled to fill the gap without augmentation in funding and resources.
Our staff from the Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County joined NCG’s 2023 Power Building cohort to learn how to be better advocates for policy changes on behalf of our grantees and their clients. Our goals were to learn more about IRS rules governing public charity C3s doing C4 and C4-aligned funding, and to bring what we learn to our many nonprofit colleagues in Sonoma County who are hungry to engage in more advocacy, but unclear on how to move forward. There are roughly 3,000 nonprofits in Sonoma County. We believe that only by aligning and harnessing our collective resources around key issues that affect our most marginalized residents can we, as a sector, build the power necessary for real change.
Last week we celebrated Black futures and explored how we achieve a multiracial democracy that centers Black people. Northern California Grantmakers (NCG) and California Black Freedom Fund (CBFF) have been scheming to bring something to philanthropy for a while. More than 200 folks joined us to have some challenging conversations about the legacy of systemic racism, how it impacts today, and how we turn the corner and build a democracy that serves us all.
About
California Black Freedom Fund, the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy (the Democracy Center) at Japanese American National Museum, and Philanthropy California are hosing Shared Pathways to Heal, Repair, and Liberate.
As we work towards our vision of an inclusive, multiracial democracy, there is much to gain from sharing and exploring our parallel and interwoven fights for liberation and civil rights in this country.
Agenda
- 1:00 PM: Registration
- 1:15 PM: Self-guided JANM Gallery Exploration with Museum Facilitators
- 2:30 PM: Program at the Democracy Center
- 5:00 PM Reception
Speakers
- Anne Burroughs, President & CEO, Japanese American National Museum
- Dr. Cheryl Grills, Professor, Psychology | Director, Psychology Applied Research Center, Loyola Marymount University
- Jim Herr, Director, National Center for the Preservation of Democracy at the Japanese American National Museum
- Lisa Holder, President, Equal Justice Society
- Joanna Jackson, Interim President & CEO, Weingart Foundation
- Jennifer Noji, PhD candidate in the Department of Comparative Literature at UCLA
- Kaci Patterson, Founder and Chief Architect, Social Good Solutions
- Marc Philpart, Executive Director, California Black Freedom Fund
- Don Tamaki, Senior Counsel, Minami Tamaki LLP
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Jan Tokumaru, Reparations Committee Member, Nikkei Progressives / Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress
Achieving racial equity and sustaining a viable democracy go hand in hand. NCG defines democracy as the processes, systems, and structures for historically marginalized and underrepresented community members to participate in a political system that fulfills the promise of an equitable multi-racial society. Northern California is a region that can model this approach, ensuring that people of color and other communities historically underrepresented and marginalized in our political process fully engage in the democratic process.
As we look ahead in 2021, it will be another difficult year for California’s older adults. Many of them are experiencing social isolation during shelter-in-place, are at high risk of contracting COVID-19, and have difficulties accessing in-home health care and support services. Many older adults will cope with anticipated wildfires and lingering smoke during Public Safety Power Shutoffs later this year.
Trans leaders need the spaciousness–many of us understand to be provided by sufficient resourcing–to be able to dream even bigger. As funders, we must understand, now is not the time to center our individual agendas; we cannot focus on single program areas, issues, and strategies, or tepid expansion of portfolios. The Right continues to fund for the long haul, and progressive philanthropy needs to expand our funding and our imagination. If we are working toward equity, we must be steadfast in resourcing trans leaders committed to, and creating long-term strategies for, trans people to live with self-determination and full autonomy.