About Windcall

The Windcall Residency Program was founded by Susan and Albert Wells and operated on their ranch in Montana from 1989 until 2006. The Wells family foundation, the Abelard Foundation, is part of the Common Counsel Foundation consortium of family foundations.

Over the course of 17 years, the Wells hosted over 400 Residents. The insights gained on the program's impact and residents experiences are documented in Changing Course: Windcall and the Art of Renewal by Susan Wells.

Susan and Albert Wells retired from hosting the program in 2006. However, the transition began in 2003 when a core group of alumni organized to continue the program. This group, later joined by other alumni formed an Advisory Board that is leading Windcall into the future.

In the last year, the new Windcall has:

  • Launched an Alumni Association that over a quarter of alumni have joined, an outstanding demonstration of support
  • Launched a major donor and sponsorship program with our first organizational sponsor the Service Employees International Union, which sponsored five residents in 2007-2009
  • Located a new interim site in Vermont and successfully made the transition from the Wells Montana ranch to Pie in the Sky
  • Developed an organizational structure for the new Windcall Institute (WI), led by long standing social justice leaders
  • Focused recruiting efforts on Gulf Coast activists who need time for reflection and renewal to sustain themselves in the continuing aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

The Windcall Institute now runs the Windcall Residency Program and is planning complementary programs to help sustain and renew social justice leaders over the long haul.

Common Counsel Foundation is the Windcall Institute's fiscal sponsor. Common Counsel Foundation manages several donor-designated funds supporting social justice organizations throughout the U.S. Its history with Windcall and its work as a social justice grant-making hub gives the Windcall Institute access to a large and diverse network of outstanding grassroots social justice organizers from across the country.