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When I started at NCG early in 2015 I spent a lot of time listening. Like, a LOT. During close to 200 meetings in my first year, I sought to learn what was strong about our work, what members of our community wanted more (and less) of from NCG, and – perhaps most importantly – what folks needed to increase their impact and to remain connected to their sense of purpose, their agency, and their community of colleagues. The guidance I received was remarkable in its continuity – and in its vehemence.
Last year in July 2021, NCG hosted a conversation with trans women of color leaders and queer/trans funder advocates–including the Akonadi Foundation, Borealis Philanthropy, Funders for LGBTQ Issues, Horizons Foundation, and Solidaire–to highlight trans leadership and dispel myths that BIPOC trans leaders and their organizations were being adequately resourced, even in the Bay Area.
There are few communities that haven’t been impacted by homelessness, and while jurisdictions grapple with possible resolutions, we know that criminalizing unhoused people is not the solution to this growing problem. The real solution lies in addressing the root causes of poverty and homelessness, implementing a strategy to increase the production and preservation of affordable housing units, including extremely low income and no income housing, and protecting tenants so that they can maintain stable housing and keep from slipping into homelessness.
Climate change is here to stay. Although what’s needed seems endless as the impacts will worsen in the coming years, I am hopeful. Since joining the sector four years ago, I have seen an increasing number of funders exploring new ways to address climate change.
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.
Midterm elections provide voters the opportunity to assess and signal if the current presidential administration, federal elected officials, and local elected leaders are meeting their needs. This November, California voters will have the opportunity to cast their votes and determine the make-up of the Senate and House through the next presidential election in 2024. All eligible California voters will receive an election guide and a mail-in ballot. Vote-by-mail ballots can be filled out and mailed or can be taken to a local dropbox. For voters that prefer to vote in-person, they can drop their completed ballot or complete the ballot in-person at polling stations found in communities across California.
COVID-19 had housing advocates worried. The underlying causes of homelessness – structural racism, income inequality, and lack of affordable housing – were exacerbated by the pandemic and were going to add to the problem.