Our work is rooted in a simple, yet transformative idea: that people can come together around shared values of justice and equity: to raise and pool money and get it to the people doing that work in our community.

This vision has proven to be true. And it is powerful and inspiring.

Last month, we called our community into action on a humanitarian crisis happening in our midst. And you responded: with hundreds of donors, contributing small and large amounts, we raised over $300,000 that will go to 17 immigrant-led organizations, supporting their work on the frontlines of the asylum seeker crisis.

I am proud and grateful. Thank you. 

This is grassroots philanthropy. This is community organizing. This is how change happens. 

But the flip side of this happy story is also true: those opposed to our vision of justice and equity are hard at work, using the same tools, to move our country in the opposite direction. And they are being wildly successful.

Overturning affirmative action. Criminalizing abortion. Attacking LGBTQIA+ communities. Foreclosing rights and opportunity.

These setbacks are not merely the project or whims of some Supreme Court justices. They represent years – decades even – of grassroots and grasstops organizing, activism, and funding. 

These same tools – our tools – are being used to turn back the clock on rights, justice, and opportunity. 

It is not arbitrary. It is intentional. It is a strategic, long-term movement. And it is working.

The folks behind this movement understand how power works. They understand the importance of getting money in the hands of people who can make change happen. And they are not messing around. 

They are transforming our world to conform to their vision. They are ensuring that rights, privileges, opportunities, and protections are not distributed equally, but are reserved for the people and groups who agree with and look like them.

I wish I could tell you that this is all a surprise or some sort of unexpected aberration. But the truth is, this is how the system is designed. Our work of community-based, grassroots, racial justice philanthropy is the exception, not the rule. 

Traditional philanthropy has long been a vehicle for hoarding money, wealth, and power, and mobilizing it in support of a narrow vision of what – and who – matters.

No more. We cannot let them win. We will not. Become a part of our movement. Join us.

Peace and love,

Phil