2007 Grassroots Exchange Fund Grants
In 2007, the Grassroots Exchange Fund awarded 52 grants totaling $37,640.
Black Alliance for Just Immigration, Berkeley, CA • $500
Black Alliance for Just Immigration was founded to engage African Americans in supporting the immigrant rights movement and address underlying issues of race and economic status that frame U.S. immigration policy. This grant supported "Braving the Border, Building Bridges: A Journey for Human Rights," an African American U.S.-Mexico Border Tour in April 2007.
Campesinas Unidas de Tulare County, Poplar, CA • $800
Campesinas Unidas de Tulare County is a volunteer-run farmworker environmental health organization whose membership make up is predominantly Latina women-farmworkers from Tulare County, CA. They are fiscally sponsored and organizationally supported by the Pesticide Action Network. This grant supported Latina/Latino farmworker attendance at a meeting with the US EPA to present their testimonies on the health impacts of fumigant pesticides, and demand changes in policy that will protect local communities.
Central Labor Council of Alameda County, Oakland, CA • $875
The Central Labor Council of Alameda County supports organizing and bargaining efforts, pro-worker politicians and legislation, and community organizations in the struggle for social and economic justice. Funding from GXF went to support the Boards and Commissions course at Laney College, designed to prepare working people and community activists for public services on boards and commissions.
Chicago Interfaith Committee for Worker Issues, Chicago, IL • $400
Chicago Interfaith Committee on Worker Issues (CICWI), an affiliate of the IWJ Network, educates, organizes and mobilizes the religious community in Chicago on issues and campaigns that will improve wages, benefits and working conditions for low-wage workers. Funding from GXF enabled CICWI staff members to participate in the Interfaith Worker Justice (IWJ) National Conference in Chicago.
Citizens for Environmental Justice (CEJ), Savannah, GA • $1,000
CEJ is an environmental justice organization working to address the impacts of the local shipping port on the surrounding community and to halt proposals of expanding the port further into adjacent low-income neighborhoods. This grant provided funding for the organization to attend “Moving Forward,” a conference on healthy solutions for communities impacted by trade, ports and goods movement.
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), Los Angeles, CA • $3,000
To help send a delegation of grassroots leaders from seven community organizations in the Southwest to the Heartland Presidential Forum in Des Moines, Iowa where they will develop relationships with and make demands of the candidates for the next Presidency of the United States. These organizations include: CHIRLA, Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, NAKASEC (Los Angeles), California Partnership, Gamaliel Foundation Western Territory, Somos un Pueblo Unido (New Mexico).
Colorado Citizens Campaign, Denver, CO • $450
Colorado Citizens Campaign is a statewide grassroots citizens' organization dedicated to informing and mobilizing Coloradoans to protect quality of life, health, communities and the environment. This grant enabled staff to travel to Michigan and meet with neighborhood leaders who are fighting the same polluter in order to share strategies to avoid toxic pollution and other industrial problems associated with the cement industry.
Community Alliance of Lane County, Eugene, OR • $700
CALC is a multi-issue community organization whose work ranges from racial justice and LGBTIQ rights to immigrants rights and organizing against the war on Iraq. Support from GXF enabled them to participate in the Community Strategic Training Initiative (CSTI) a training event for community-based leaders working throughout the West.
Community Media Organizing Project, Knoxville, TN • $1,000
The Community Media Organizing Project is a collaborative effort among six community organizations to advance the use of media as an organizing tool. This grant covered travel costs for two trainers to facilitate communications and strategic visioning workshops for this coalition of grassroots organizations working for social change in the South.
Critical Resistance, Oakland, CA • $500
Critical Resistance is a national organization dedicated to opposing the expansion of the prison industrial complex. This grant helped to train and mobilize more than 250 people from all over California to demand reductions in the number of prisoners and dollars spent on imprisonment in the state by participating in The Coalition for Effective Public Safety's 3rd Annual Grassroots Visiting Day in Sacramento.
Dooda Desert Rock Committee, New Comb, NM • $1,200
The Dooda Desert Rock Committee is a group of Indigenous residents of the Navajo (Dine) Nation organizing in opposition to the environmental, social and economic injustice of the proposed desert rock power plant in north-western New Mexico. This grant supported a 4-day gathering of elders, spiritual leaders and supporters at the Dooda Desert Rock encampment near the site of the proposed power plant.
Enlace, Portland, OR • $500
Enlace is a membership organization comprised of worker centers, unions and organizing groups in the U.S. and in Mexico. GXF support enabled key member and staff leaders of Enlace member organizations to attend their coach trainings in strategic planning in order to strengthen these leaders, their organizations, and the movement for social and economic justice.
Families United for Racial & Economic Equality (FUREE), Brooklyn, NY • $800
Families United for Racial and Economic Equality is a women of color led - economic justice organization in Brooklyn, NY. This grant enabled member-leaders to attend workshops and trainings throughout the year.
Global Justice Ecology Project, Hinesburg, VT • $500
The Global Justice Ecology Project works to build local, national and international alliances to address the common root causes of social injustice, economic domination and environmental destruction. This grant helped grassroots activists from around the US to attend an annual strategy meeting to address the growing threat of genetically engineered tree plantations.
Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training (GIFT), Oakland, CA • $1000
The Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training (GIFT) is a multiracial organization that works to build the capacity of social justice movements through grassroots fundraising training. This grant helped the organization to bring together a new class of fundraising for social justice interns from around the country for a 5-day session in Denver, CO.
Indigenous Peoples Power Project (IP3), Oakland, CA • $1,200
The Indigenous Peoples Power Project (IP3) works to increase the capacity for Indigenous community organizing towards environmental justice, human rights and self determination. The organization is made up of grassroots leaders from Indigenous communities across the US and Canada. This grant went to support a direct action training camp for 60 impacted community members from across the US.
Interfaith Action of Southwest Florida, Immokalee, FL • $500
Interfaith Action of Southwest Florida is a broad-based network of people of faith - both in South Florida and throughout the U.S. - who work in partnership with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers as they struggle for human rights in the fields. This grant enabled Interfaith Action organizers to travel to the Interfaith Worker Justice annual conference in Chicago.
Just Cause Oakland, Oakland, CA • $500
Just Cause Oakland is a membership-based organization building a powerful voice for Oakland's low-income tenants and workers. This grant helped to send a delegation of Just Cause Oakland members and staff to Atlanta, Georgia for the US Social Forum.
Land Rights Council Inc, San Luis, CO • $800
Land Rights Council, Inc. works to restore historic land rights for land grant communities of the Rio Culebra Basin in Colorado. This grant supported a one-day land grant learning seminar for youth and adults from Colorado and New Mexico.
Latino Union of Chicago, Chicago, IL • $500
The Latino Union collaborates with low-income immigrant workers to develop the tools necessary to collectively improve social and economic conditions. This grant enabled ten day laborer members and Latino Union Staff to attend the National Day Laborer Organizing Network Conference.
Leaders for Equality and Action in Dayton (LEAD), Dayton, OH • $400
The organization's mission is to build a strong, grassroots community organization, dedicated to empowering people of faith to work for a greater degree of justice in Montgomery County. This grant enabled the organization to send two members to the semi-annual Direct Action and Research Training Center introductory workshop in Florida.
Maine People's Resource Center, Portland, ME • $700
The mission of the Maine People's Resource Center (MPRC) is to fill a void in citizen activism by uniting Maine's under-represented citizens in their communities so that together they can identify common concerns, build power, and develop the skills and resources necessary to represent themselves effectively in decision-making forums. Support from GXF helped to send 30 people from Maine to the Northeast Action Regional Convening in June.
Movement for Justice in El Barrio, New York, NY • $500
Movement for Justice in El Barrio is a grassroots immigrant organization fighting against gentrification and for justice in New York City. This grant helped send the organization's Director to the California Lead Organizers Institute (CLOI).
MPOWER, Morton, MS • $600
MPOWER empowers poultry plant workers in Mississippi to improve their quality of life at work and in their communities. This grant helped to send eight members to participate in a workshop on social justice multi-lingual translating at the Highlander Research and Education.
National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (NNIRR), Oakland, CA • $3,000
NNIRR works to promote a just immigration and refugee policy in the United States and to defend and expand the rights of all immigrants and refugees, regardless of immigration status. This grant provided travel scholarships for grassroots organizations to attend the National Immigrant and Refugee Rights Conference in Houston Texas.
New Mexico Alliance/ Youth Group, Chimayo, NM • $500
The New Mexico Alliance Youth Group is a grass roots membership organization of local indigenous and community youth working to develop new leadership within the youth community and to empower young leaders. This grant helped send 8 members to the US Social Form in Atlanta GA.
Northwest Toxic Communities Coalition, Seattle, WA • $600
The Northwest Toxic Communities Coalition works to achieve environmental and economic justice in low-income communities and communities of color in the Northwest. This grant helped to formalize a regional coalition dedicated to building the capacity of marginalized communities impacted by toxic and hazardous waste sites throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska.
Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, Huntington, WV • $765
OVEC's mission is to organize and maintain a diverse grassroots organization dedicated to the improvement and preservation of the environment and community health. This grant supported a two-day organizing training for staff, board and members of Coal River Mountain Watch (CRMW) and Kentuckians for the Commonwealth (KFTC) that covered the process of social change, power analysis, house visits, one-on-ones, and social mapping.
People Organized to Win Employment Rights (POWER), San Francisco, CA • $500
POWER works to build the power of low-income people in San Francisco to improve the conditions in their communities and in their workplaces. This grant enabled one low-income leader from POWER's membership to represent the organization at the 2007 US Social Forum in Atlanta, GA.
PODER (People Organized in Defense of Earth and her Resources), Austin, TX • $1000
PODER is working to build community leadership in the neighborhoods of East Austin in order to advance campaigns for social and environmental justice. This grant supported the Schools to Prison Pipeline event, a forum for PODER-Young Scholars for Justice and other local and state-wide youth organizations to address youth incarceration issues.
Poor Magazine, Inc., San Francisco, CA • $500
POOR Magazine/PNN offers a comprehensive curricula of media, arts and social justice-based education for low and no income youth, adults and elders in The Bay Area. Funding from GXF enabled a POOR Scholar to attend the US Social Forum and train fellow Poverty/Race/ Disability/Youth Grassroots Activists in community based Journalism.
Raleigh ACORN, Raleigh, NC • $500
To send Latino members to the “Working for Working Families” event in Washington, DC, where Raleigh members joined ACORN members from across the Northeast, as well as a host of labor, religious, and other organizations, to receive training on the legislative process and current issues that affect the lives of working families.
Religion and Labor Network of Austin (RLNA), Austin, TX • $500
The Religion and Labor Network of Austin is a network of people from faith, labor and the community who call upon their religious values to educate, organize and mobilize the people of Austin to support initiatives that advance justice for workers and improve wages, benefits and working conditions, especially for low-wage workers. This grant allowed their staff person, and their Seminary Summer Intern, to travel to the annual Interfaith Worker Justice conference in Chicago.
Rural Appalachian Improvement League, Inc. (RAIL), Mullens, WV • $400
RAIL works to improve the lives of rural Appalachian residents. This grant enabled coal miners from southern West Virginia to visit Washington, DC and engage in meetings and public events geared to hastening the reform of federal black lung compensation rules that arbitrarily sever payments to miners and their families.
SAJE (Strategic Actions for a Just Economy), Los Angeles, CA • $400
SAJE is an economic justice, community development, and popular education center that works to build economic power for working class people in Los Angeles. This grant enabled two grassroots tenant leaders to participate in the U.S. Social Forum and present on SAJE's 'Right to the City' framework.
Seventh Generation Fund for Indian Development, Inc., Arcata, CA • $500
To help Seventh Generation Fund send Board member, Henrietta Mann from Montana (Southern Cheyenne), and Executive Director, Tia Oros Peters (Zuni), to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York City, NY.
SF Day Labor Program/Women's Collective, San Francisco, CA • $500
The Women's Collective (La Colectiva de Mujeres) of the San Francisco Day Labor Program is led by immigrant workers and combines services with community organizing, education, and leadership development in order to advance immigrant, worker, and gender justice. This grant helped support low income Latina/Latino members to attend the United States Social Forum in Atlanta, Georgia.
South Carolina United Action (SCUA), Orangeburg, SC • $600
SCUA is an African-American led membership community-based organization that involves people in working to bring about political, societal and economic changes in the communities in which they live and in the state of South Carolina. Support from GXF allowed a SCUA community organizer and board member to attend the Grantsmanship training program.
St. Peter's Housing Committee, San Francisco, CA • $500
St. Peter's Housing Committee works in the mission district of San Francisco, CA, to help working class immigrant Latina/Latino tenants to build collective power, preserve and expand affordable housing and immigrant rights, prevent displacement and improve living conditions. This grant supported a delegation of staff members to attend the US Social Forum in Atlanta.
Student Action with Farmworkers, Durham, NC • $700
This grant would enabled Student Action with Farmworkers to train four college student activists on farmworker issues in preparation for their summer advocacy work for improved farm labor conditions in Tennessee, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York.
Tennessee Alliance for Progress, Nashville, TN • $500
This grant helped to fund scholarships, travel and accommodations for low income people and young people from around the state of Tennessee to attend the Compass IV Conference, to learn more about social, economic and environmental justice issues, and learn how they can participate in building a statewide progressive movement.
The Carpetbag Theatre, Inc., Knoxville, TN • $500
This grant helped enable emerging youth cultural organizers from Knoxville, Tennessee to meet other progressive youth from across the region at the US Social Forum, discuss their responsibilities as youth cultural workers, and share strategies for using cultural work for social change.
The Women’s Institute for Leadership Development (WILD) for Human Rights, San Francisco, CA • $1000
WILD for Human Rights engages in innovative education, advocacy, and trainings led by women and girls, with an aim to end identity-based discrimination and advance the full realization of rights. This grant helped to send two staff members to a meeting in New York entitled "Communications Strategies to Ensure Human Rights in the US."
Toxics Action Center, Boston, MA • $500
Toxics Action Center has helped more than 525 neighborhood groups across New England fight toxic pollution in their communities. This grant helped community group representatives from across Southern New England to attend the Toxics Action Center's 20th annual citizens' conference.
Tribal Environmental Watch Alliance (TEWA), Santa Fe, NM • $800
TEWA works to educate and empower grassroots communities in New Mexico to address the health impacts from the nuclear industry and the laboratories in Los Alamos. Support from GXF allowed them to participate in the Progressive Technology training in Santa Barbara, CA.
Turning Point for Women and Families, Flushing, NY • $500
Turning Point is a community based, women's empowerment organization addressing the needs of Muslim women and children through crisis intervention, individual and group counseling, advocacy, outreach, education and training. This grant supported their attendance at the Islamic Society of North America Conference.
UE Research and Education Fund, Pittsburgh, PA • $500
The United Electrical Worker Research and Education Fund is the 501(c)3 education arm of the United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America (UE). Funding from GXF supported a delegation of UE members and staff to take part in the US Social Forum.
Urban Rural Mission, Glassboro, NJ • $650
The Urban Rural Mission works to encourage, assist and support the WCC member churches in an understanding and practice of mission that involves resisting unjust structures in solidarity with those who have been made poor and marginalized. This grant supported a regional social forum, calling together diverse grassroots organizations in the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware area, to identify and discuss regional issues, including migration, war, work, housing, and the environment.
War Times/Tiempo de Guerras, Emeryville, CA • $300
War Times/Tiempo de Guerras is an antiwar education and information project providing grassroots organizations and antiwar activists across the country with free, accessible, bilingual materials to use in their work with members, supporters, allies, and popular constituencies. This grant allowed War Times/Tiempo de Guerras Staff Members/Delegates to attend the National Assembly of United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ).
Women of Color Resource Center, Oakland, CA • $500
The Women of Color Resource Center promotes the political, economic, social and cultural well being of women and girls of color in the United States. This grant went to support a May 2007 gathering of women veterans who are speaking out for peace.
Workers' Rights Center/CNY Labor-Religion Coalition, Syracuse, NY • $500
The Labor-Religion Coalition works to promote economic justice and address immorality of the ever widening gap between the rich and poor. Support from GXF allowed worker center members to attend the New Sanctuary Movement Meeting in Chicago.
Working for Equality and Economic Liberation (WEEL), Helena, MT • $1,000
Working for Equality and Economic Liberation works to hold those in power accountable to families instead of profits. WEEL works on the state(Montana), local, and national level to promote economic justice. This grant helped send several low-income members to a Western States Center Community Strategy Training Institute in Portland, OR.
