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Contact: Jodi Williams
Phone: (612) 879-0602 x 12 |
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Headwaters Foundation Announces
2012 Social Change Fund Grants
MINNEAPOLIS, MN-May 30, 2012: The Headwaters Foundation for Justice is proud to announce its Social Change Fund grantees for 2011-2012. The Foundation is distributing $217,400 to 23 Minnesota-based not-for-profit organizations in the areas of Economic Justice, Social Justice, Environmental Justice, and Racial Justice. Rather than focusing on the symptoms of injustice, Headwaters awards grants to organizations that address issues at their core. By connecting groups on the front lines of change with funding and resources, Headwaters helps grassroots organizations spread their roots deeper and wider.
For 28 years The Headwaters Foundation for Justice has been committed to empowering the most marginalized communities in and around the Twin Cities. A grantmaking process led by community activists helps the Foundation to identify and understand needs that often fall beneath the radar of other funders. Twenty volunteer community leaders committed over 600 hours to the success of this community-led grant making process.
"Through the involvement of these activists, who represent a diverse set of communities, we are able to holistically assess applications and ensure lasting change in the Twin Cities" said Headwaters Executive Director Trista Harris.
One hundred percent of grants awarded in this funding round were designated for general operating support to provide maximum flexibility for grantees. This year, Headwaters was able to support approximately one-in-four proposals submitted, advancing collective action in communities of color and facilitating collaborative efforts to advance economic, social, environmental and racial justice.
Priority in the funding process is given to communities that have historically been excluded from resources and power, including groups like the Hmong American Farmers Association, which advocates for traditionally disenfranchised Hmong farmers by challenging unfair policies governing the agricultural sector and the Trans Youth Support Network, which encourages transgender youth to contest gender biased practices and make the institutions they encounter transgender-accessible and supportive.
Grants in the area of Economic Justice focus on programs that eliminate income disparities and advance economic opportunities for all. Among the grantees in this area are Occupy Homes MN which facilities the creation of community assemblies to resist neighborhood deconstruction amidst the recent rise in foreclosures, and the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless which aims to eliminate homelessness by advocating for change in housing, health care and economic policies.
Social Justice grants support work that transforms our society to ensure that everyone has a share of its opportunities and benefits. Among the grantees in this area are Centro Campesino, which advocates for immigration reform, aims to dismantle educational barriers, and promotes fair labor practices; and the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-Minnesota), the state's sole advocacy group serving the Muslim community, which focuses on issues of educational inequalities, employment discrimination and racial harassment.
Organizations receiving Environmental Justice grants advance solutions that address health disparities, toxic burdens, and weak enforcement of environmental protection laws. Among the grantees in this area are the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability, which aims to advance equity in the Twin Cities regional transitway system by addressing both the economic and environmental ramifications of future and current projects, and the Center for Earth Energy and Democracy, which encourages low-income neighborhoods, indigenous groups and communities of color to assume an active role in the climate change debate.
Racial Justice grants are distributed to groups addressing the root causes of racism. Among these grant recipients are Community Action Against Racism, which consists of Hmong Americans, Pan Asians and allies who advocate for fair media portrayals of minority groups in broadcast media; and Jewish Community Action, which actively constructs alliances across racial lines to tackle racial, social and economic issues using a congregational organizing framework.
As a public foundation, Headwaters raises all of the money it gives away in grants, so each of these organizations is supported by a broad network of community members who are concerned about issues of equity and fairness in Minnesota. This year's grants were supported in part with over $16,000 raised by members of the Social Justice Leadership Institute. In addition, with support from the Equality for All Families Fund (E4AF), special grants were made to Jewish Community Action and MN Public Interest Research Group for their work to broaden the base of support for marriage equality in the state. These grants combine with earlier E4AF contributions to the ACLU Foundation of MN, Minnesotans United for All Families, OutFront Minnesota, and Project 515.
The Headwaters Foundation is a catalyst for social, racial, economic and environmental justice. The Foundation was established in 1984 with the belief that the power for fundamental social change is in the hands of ordinary people. Through grantmaking and organizational assistance, Headwaters focuses on grassroots efforts, engaging and partnering with a committed community of donors and allies in its work. The Foundation distributes over $400,000 annually to groups working for social change. In its history, Headwaters has provided organizational support to more than 870 projects and trained 2,500 community leaders through its capacity building program. To date, Headwaters has distributed $9.3 million dollars across 3,405 grants. As a member of The Funding Exchange, Headwaters is part of a national network of community foundations committed to addressing social justice at the grassroots level.
For further information on Headwaters Foundation and a complete list of grants click here or go to http://www.headwatersfoundation.org/grants/current-grantees.
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