Conference Call: Friday, June 29th

The Funding Exchange posted this summary of the call: What Does it Look Like to Occupy Philanthropy?

Links:

Conference Call

Sponsored by funders and funder networks engaged with Occupy Philanthropy

Less than a year after Occupy Wall Street set up camp in New York City’s Zuccotti Park, spilled into main streets around the country, and took root in [...]]]> Friday, June 29th, 11:00 AM- 12:30 PM PST/ 2:00-3:30 PM EST

Conference Call

Sponsored by funders and funder networks engaged with Occupy Philanthropy

Less than a year after Occupy Wall Street set up camp in New York City’s Zuccotti Park, spilled into main streets around the country, and took root in cities worldwide, the movement continues to inform the tone and substance of public debate and drive social mobilizations for greater equity and justice.

Philanthropy is still grappling with how it may fully understand, utilize, and support the Occupy moment. Responding to this complexity, Occupy Philanthropy was established to provide a space for analysis, dialogue, and reflection; and inspire within philanthropy an opportunity to envision what could happen if the movement is appropriately nurtured. If the bonds and energies established by Occupy can be sustained in a meaningful way, they could form the basis for the kind of lasting organizations necessary to traverse the long, hard road to economic and social equity.

Many today are asking where the movement stands. On June 29th, a 90-minute interactive conference call organized by funders and funder networks engaged with Occupy Philanthropy will respond to that question, and provide opportunities for funders to:

• Gain a sense of the scope and breadth of OWS-related work from the vantage point of hundreds of project grant submissions to the Movement Resource Group, set up by Ben & Jerry and others to support Occupy initiatives nationwide

• Hear an analysis of the motivations of young activists inspired by Occupy Wall Street, and the impacts of OWS and other key influences shaping the activism of the Millennial generation, based on focus-group research conducted by the Applied Research Center (ARC) in cities across the country. The research resulted in the recently published report Millennials, Activism and Racewhich provides detailed reactions on key current issues such as “to vote or not to vote,” “local vs national elections,” and “racial representation in Occupy.”

• Learn (and share) information about how members of the donor community are supporting and continuing to engage in Occupy and related efforts, and about worthwhile initiatives in need of support.

Format: This three-part call will feature thought leaders and activists to launch an interactive peer dialogue for funders to share what we are learning and help determine the most effective next steps in supporting this work. We will use interactive technology to maximize participation and insight.

Part 1: What are funders seeing on the ground with OWS and related efforts?
Featuring Theresa Earl from the Movement Resource Group and several other funders sharing what they see as the opportunities and challenges of supporting this movement.

Part 2: What does this moment mean for organizing?
Featuring Rinku Sen for a discussion about the implications of young activists perspectives on politics; economics; and race, class, gender and sexuality. How do we as funders respond to the unique dynamics of this moment?

Part 3: How has occupy impacted the culture and conversation in philanthropy?
An open discussion of how our philanthropy has changed as a result of Occupy – not only what we fund but how we interact. How has the changed conversation and public consciousness shifted what might be possible on issues of inequality? How have the tactics and issues raised by Occupy impacted us personally, as citizens, professionals and peers in a sector intended to serve society’s most pressing problems? And what might be next?

Featured Speakers:

Rinku Sen, President and Executive Director of Applied Research Center (ARC) and publisher of Colorlines.com.
Rinku is a leading figure in the racial justice movement who has positioned ARC as a national home for media, research and activism. Over the course of her career, she has combined journalism and activism to make social change. Rinku is the author of several books including Stir It Up, a primer on best practices in community organizing.

Theresa Earle, Proposal Review Committee member at Movement Resource Group (MRG). MRG is an independent OWS Affinity group which acts as a liaison between funders and the national Occupy Movement, and provides a single point of contact, as well as accountability for how funds are expended for individual donors, foundations, and unions.

And You!

Please register your interest in participating in our conversation, by contacting Lola Ibrahim at lola@fntg.org. Please also keep an eye out for future calls in this series.

Part of our job here at RESIST is to put ourselves out of a job. Let me explain.

From Wall Street to colleges, to the 
Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook thecircumstances of economic injustice which makephilanthropy necessary. - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Part of our job here at RESIST is to put ourselves out of a job. Let me explain.

From Wall Street to colleges, to the hood, to police, to Congress, there is a growing number of Occupy movements that are taking aim at various institutions of the 1%. Each of these Occupy endeavors has two things in common—they critique systems of injustice while actively creating just alternatives.

Philanthropy is no different. It’s no secret that foundations and funders have used their power and money not to overturn systems of injustice—but to control and enhance them. From the pivotal work “The Revolution Will Not be Funded” by Incite: Women of Color Against Violence (their Denver chapter is a former grantee), to the recent report on how large foundations are fueling the death of the environmental movement by funding top-down, large “green” groups instead of small grassroots groups, philanthropy has become the ultimate wolf in sheep’s clothing. Or to put it in Occupy language: the 1% in the 99%’s clothing.

Since our founding in 1967, we here at RESIST have aimed to do just the opposite.

RESIST recently signed onto a letter from our friends and colleagues to support the Occupy movement called “Occupy Philanthropy“. In addition to supporting Occupy in this critical moment, we must also utilize this window of opportunity that Occupy has provided to expose “traditional” philanthropy as a tool of the 1% and offer a renewed vision of how philanthropy can and should be part of the 99%.

For 45 years, RESIST has been supporting small grassroots groups that are actively trying to change the most powerful institutions on the planet from the ground up. It’s not easy, but we aspire to reverse the power imbalance between funders and grantees. We offer general support grants and don’t tell our grantees how they should organize or what they should be doing. We support small groups of committed activists who are most impacted by the institutions they are trying to change, not massive groups sitting in offices telling others what to do. Most importantly, we consider each of these groups not just grantees, but our friends and allies.

These are the principles which we believe everyone in “philanthropy” should abide by. Our goal is to put ourselves out of a job by helping to build a world where philanthropy is not needed.

As Occupy and grassroots organizations across the United States plan their spring offensive, we hope you will continue to help build that world.

Saif Rahman
Director of Communications, RESIST

P.S. This past funding cycle we were able to fund groups such as G.I. Coffeehouse Support Network in New York, the Border Agricultural Workers Project in Texas, and Urban EpiCenter in Tennessee. They are prime examples of the many dynamic grassroots groups on the frontlines of systemic social change. They are quite simply the best at what they do: resisting, organizing, building a better world.

Photo: The 99% Spring is aiming to train 100,000 Americans in non-violent direct actions. This is a bold initiative which many of our allies and grantees are participating in. Check it out!

RESIST has been funding social change since 1967. To support RESIST and the hundreds of organizations that we fund, please donate now by clicking here.  Learn more at: www.resistinc.org.

Thanks to Barbara [...]]]> We’re so pleased that the Funding Exchange has signed on to Occupy Philanthropy and is helping to spread the word for individuals and institutions to join us.  Read their post: FEX Supports Occupy Philanthropy about why they support this effort and encourage other leaders in philanthropy to do the same.

Thanks to Barbara Heisler, Executive Director of the Funding Exchange who signed our letter and to the Funding Exchange who became an Allied Philanthropic Organization.  Your leadership and the leadership of your member Foundations, board and staff are inspiring.  For 30+ years you have been leading the way in partnership with activists and donors dedicated to building lasting support for progressive social change.  Thank You.

Lola Ibrahim
Communications Manager/Consultant
Funders Network on Transforming the Global Economy (FNTG)
www.fntg.org

Special thanks also to our Creative Partner:

www.wheelhousenyc.com

Occupy the Food System’s Facebook Page

Farm Aid’s Occupy the Food System Resources

Farm Aid President Willie Nelson recently published an op-ed on [...]]]> The following are links to great resources on the Occupy the Food System Effort:

From Occupy Design

Occupy the Food System’s Facebook Page

Farm Aid’s Occupy the Food System Resources

Farm Aid President Willie Nelson recently published an op-ed on The Huffington Post calling for us to Occupy the Food System -Occupy the Food System

The Food Justice Group of Occupy Wall Street

Conference Call: F27: Global Day of Action to Occupy the Food Supply – 2/9/12 @ 7pm EST / 4pm PST