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Here are some examples of discretionary grants that we made: Leadership retreat A cohort of Bay Area Executive Directors convened for peer exchange with FACT support. The group made a discretionary grant request for a leadership retreat, which FACT funded. As a result, in April 2006, seven Bay Area Executive Directors of Color came together over 3 days to discuss the state of the social justice movement in the Bay Area and nationwide, the role of their organizations within this movement, strategies to better support one another, and ways to provide each other with peer support. One outcome of these meetings was the formation of an Oakland-based coalition called Oakland Rising, which ultimately became a staffed entity and a core FACT grantee. Oakland Rising was formed to build power by aligning the program activities of its member organizations and coordinating their voter work. New computers Communities for Better Environment (CBE) brings together policy and legal work with grassroots organizing in California to build community health in low-income communities of color. At one point its staff were working on their personal computers because some office computers were too outdated to operate using today's software and applications. FACT was able to provide quick funding to purchase up to date computers with sufficient memory and processing speed to optimize the organization's operations. Strategic Planning Ventura/Oxnard-based, Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE) promotes public policies that advance economic and social justice on California's Central Coast through advocacy, research, organizing, leadership development and community building. CAUSE wanted to engage in strategic planning using a consultant who was not a part of the Management Assistance Program. FACT agreed to give the group a small grant toward its larger strategic planning budget. With the support of the consultant, CAUSE created an effective road map that it followed to grow not only their own organization but also to help develop other elements of a progressive infrastructure in the region. Organizational support for a merger Causa Justa::Just Cause mobilizes and educates its grassroots members to participate in policy advocacy, civic engagement and leadership development programs to create a just and diverse region. FACT gave Just Cause discretionary funds to study the feasibility of a merger with the San Francisco-based St. Peter's Housing Committee. Just Cause used the funds to hire a consultant who researched models of strategic alignment for non-profit social justice organizations. Most of the available documentation regarding merging institutions is orientated to for-profit configurations and motives. Through the consultant, Just Cause learned about the successful merger that led to Make the Road-NY, and the staff of both Just Cause and St. Peter's went on an exchange to investigate more deeply. The two organizations successfully merged and are operating under their new name, Causa Justa::Just Cause (CJJC). |
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