2006 Penney Family Fund Grants

In 2006, 32 grants totaling $540,000 were made by the Penney Family Fund:

COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND WORKFORCE POLICY

Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), Ventura, CA • $15,000
A general support grant to promote economic and social justice in the Central Coast region of California, with an emphasis on community organizing and policy advocacy to expand living wages, health coverage, and accountable development ordinances for working people.

East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE), Oakland, CA • $12,500
For EBASE's work to build labor, community, and faith-based coalitions to win strategic policies that increase incomes for low-wage workers and support organizing in the growing, low-wage service sector in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, Los Angeles, CA • $12,500
A renewal, general support grant for work to reduce working poverty in Los Angeles through research and community organizing, with an emphasis on developing and implementing Community Benefit Agreements.

Oregon Rural Action, La Grande, OR • $20,000
A renewal, general support grant for efforts to organize rural residents to take leadership on campaigns promoting sustainable community development and economic justice in Eastern Oregon, with an emphasis on low-income and Latino residents.

Oregon Tradeswomen, Portland, OR • $15,000
This renewal grant will promote the success of working women in non-traditional trades, such as the construction, mechanical and utility trades, through education, leadership training and mentorship.

Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste, Woodburn, OR • $20,000
A renewal grant for ongoing PCUN programs to build leadership in the Woodburn/Salem Latino and farmworker community to strengthen labor and immigrants rights, and to promote community and economic development initiatives such as farmworker housing and community-based education.

San Francisco ACORN, San Francisco, CA • $12,500
For work to train and empower low- and moderate-income residents of San Francisco to improve their communities and to fight for social and economic justice, equitable economic development, high-quality public education, healthy communities, and immigrant rights.

Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE), Los Angeles, CA • $12,500
A renewal grant for SAJE's economic justice and popular education work build the power necessary to achieve the long-term goals of criminalizing slumlord activity, creating a universal Tenants Rights Law, reforming redevelopment, and building low-income people s control over land.

Discretionary Grants:

Our United Villages, Portland, OR • $5,000
To support a new neighborhood-based education program on community development and environmental sustainability, and to support the development of a model for a free community building business plan.

ACCION International, Boston, MA • $2,500
To help underwrite the costs of translating training materials into multiple languages so that ACCION International can offer its successful microenterprise training to as many of the world's poor as possible.

ACORN Peru/ACORN International, New Orleans, LA • $2,500

For general support of this grassroots membership-based organization in Lima, Peru, part of the international program of ACORN, a community organization of low and moderate-income families that organize and act to improve conditions in their neighborhoods.

MONEY AND INFLUENCE IN POLITICS

Money In Politics Research Action Project (MIPRAP), Portland, OR • $50,000
For general support of this organization's work to increase access, accountability, and participation in the political process and in governmental decision-making.

Oregon Action, Portland, OR •$25,000
A general support grant for work to promote economic justice and democracy through community organizing, with an emphasis on building power among traditionally disenfranchised sectors of society.

Western States Center, Portland, OR • $25,000
A general support grant for the Center's work to develop leadership and organizational capacities within emerging and historically disenfranchised communities.

STATE AND LOCAL FISCAL ANALYSIS

Oregon Center for Public Policy, Silverton, OR • $40,000
A matching grant to challenge individual donors to increase their support of OCPP's work on public policy research that educates lawmakers and the public on policies and practices which improve the economic and social opportunities of low- and moderate-income Oregonians.

STRENGTHENING YOUTH AND FAMILIES

California Childcare Resource & Referral Network/ Parent Voices, San Francisco, CA • $15,000
A renewal grant to support local chapters in California of this parent-led, parent-run grassroots organization fighting to make quality childcare affordable and accessible to all families.

Child Care Law Center, San Francisco, CA • $10,000
A renewal grant for CCLC's work to represent the interests of California s lowest income and most vulnerable children in the development of state policy, law and budget priorities.

Children First for Oregon, Portland, OR • $20,000
For the "Child Care Media Advocacy Project designed to raise awareness of child care affordability issues, and to frame the discussion among policymakers, advocates, and the public in a way that ensures that priority is given to providing families with appropriate, affordable child care.

Children's Institute, Portland, OR • $20,000
A renewal grant for research projects to examine Oregon s overall child care needs and the most cost-effective investments for Oregon s disadvantaged children.

Northwest Early Childhood Institute, Portland, OR • $10,000
In support of the Institute's work on improving the quality of the early childhood system, and on educating physicians about critical child care issues so that they can be more effective voices in the public policy arena.

Oregon Child Care Resource & Referral Network, Salem, OR • $25,000
For the Quality Indicators Project, a pilot project to measure and improve quality of child care by collecting and storing data on seven research-based indicators of child care quality from child care providers. This data will be stored in local child care resource and referral databases, shared with parents seeking child care, and reported to the community.

Stand for Children Leadership Center, Portland, OR • $20,000
A renewal grant for work in Oregon to build grassroots support in the state for improvements in early childhood education and care as well as the development of after-shool programs.

SUSTAINABLE AND LIVABLE COMMUNITIES

1000 Friends of Oregon, Portland, OR • $25,000For statewide organizing and advocacy work responding to the passage of Measure 37, which dramatically changes all of Oregon's community and land protection laws.

Friends of the River, Sacramento, CA • $20,000
A renewal grant for the Southern California Wild Rivers Project to significantly expand river protection for Southern California rivers in a region under rapid development that is currently under-represented in the National Wild & Scenic Rivers System.

Northern California Environmental Grassroots Fund, Oakland, CA • $10,000
A renewal, general support grant to allow the Northern California Environmental Grassroots Fund to fund underserved environmental organizations in the region.

Sierra Watch, Nevada City, CA • $15,000
A renewal grant for work to protect and conserve over 10,000 acres of priority conservation land in the Martis Valley area.

Smith River Alliance, Crescent City, CA • $25,000
A renewal, general support grant for Smith River Alliance's Watershed and Community Health Project, which brings together key watershed partners in the Smith River basin to build sustainable economic development in the region.

Sustainable Northwest, Portland, OR • $20,000
To support work in the Klamath Basin to increase dialogue, understanding and joint action between members of the tribal and agricultural communities; provide technical assistance to capture increased value and new markets for the products of sustainable resource management; and develop renewable energy projects to support local economic development.

The Klamath Basin Coalition, Eugene, OR • $15,000
For this federation of 15 local, regional, and national organizations working on a comprehensive restoration program to restore the damaged ecosystems of the Klamath Basin in northern California and southern Oregon which takes into account both people and natural resources.

Discretionary Grants:

Conservation Strategy Fund, Arcata, CA • $2,500
A renewal, general support grant for Conservation Strategy Fund's work to use economics and strategic thinking to help conserve natural ecosystems around the world.

Seacology, Berkeley, CA • $2,500
A renewal, general support grant for Seacology's work to preserve the environments and cultures of islands throughout the globe.

Common Counsel Foundation's Grassroots Exchange Fund, Oakland, CA • $15,000
A renewal grant in honor of Elizabeth Wilcox to Common Counsel's Grassroots Exchange Fund, which provides small travel and technical assistance grants to encourage community organizations to seek assistance from one another and to build regional and national networks.