Joint Statement from Common Counsel Foundation and Movement for Black Lives on Solidarity with Movements

Joint Statement on Solidarity with Movements

In this time of mounting attacks against our communities, philanthropy must hold the line in defense of social justice movements.

We at Common Counsel Foundation (CCF) are rising to meet this moment in solidarity with frontline organizers. Together with our longtime movement partners at Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) and allied philanthropic institutions, CCF is in formation, ready for the challenges and possibilities of this historic moment. When we are organized and moving in unison, we gain the collective power to act boldly. We are braver and stronger together. 

Recent politicized financial attacks have targeted organizations from the Atlanta Solidarity Fund to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). Designed to cut movements off from crucial resources, these attacks also ripple through the philanthropic sector. Without evidence or due process, a group of the largest Donor-Advised Fund providers–Fidelity Charitable, Vanguard Charitable, and Schwab Charitable–froze all grants to the SPLC following a politicized indictment by the Trump administration. Each of these institutions made the decision to preemptively comply with this right-wing attack, setting a dangerous precedent that puts movements at risk.

Financial exclusion and punishment are not new tactics. Banks have long been used as political tools to exclude communities, cutting off resources and isolating people who stand up to unjust, oppressive leaders and regimes. This historic moment makes clear that there is no such thing as bystander democracy: in order to counter rising authoritarianism, we must be active and unwavering in our support of movements. 

Aligned philanthropy can play a role not only in defending organizations that advance social justice but also in building alternative structures that nourish our communities. Led by the vision of our movement partners, CCF organizes donors and funders to leverage our collective power and resources while growing the capacity of movements to build new systems grounded in community ownership and community power, including through our movement-aligned DAF program.

This moment is also larger than any one institution. In moments of upheaval, we don’t act alone; we advance together in an organized front. That is why CCF is a core founding member of Free Your DAF, a coalition of philanthropic allies organizing across the sector in solidarity with movements taking action together. 

As a member of the CCF community, you are a part of this effort, too! Here’s what we need you to do:

Alongside other coalition allies, we’re organizing DAF holders to push back and ensure that financial institutions don’t collude with politicized investigations. We must move beyond business-as-usual corporate philanthropy and reject financial systems that perpetuate harm. Rather than pulling back on movements, now is the time to increase our support to organizations that reflect our values, and we call on you to join this effort. Our steadfast commitment helps ensure these movements can withstand right-wing targeting and continue the essential work to build toward the future we know is possible.

These are the times CCF was built from and for. We are committed to the practice of aligned action and mobilization to create alternatives rooted in repair and regeneration. Now is the time to shift collective power together where it rightfully belongs: in the hands of the people, with our movements leading the way.