It goes on one at a time,
it starts when you care
to act, it starts when you do
it again and they said no,
it starts when you say We
and know who you mean, and each
day you mean one more.
— Marge Piercy
We are living in a moment of great uncertainty, where societal rules and norms are being thrown out the window for a politic of chaos and cruelty. It is a time when many of our grantees are feeling uncertain about how they can keep their organizations afloat, how they can keep their communities safe. It is a time when I have literally been asked, “Will philanthropy save us?”
The answer, of course, is no, it’s not actually possible to fill all the deficits that a potential lack of federal funding would leave. Beyond that, philanthropy is just one small piece of the puzzle. Because it’s not just money that will help us move forward in this work. We need each other. We need strong communities, we need movements, we need the ability to build a vision for the world we want to live in and to continue fighting for that vision.
When I was the executive director of Basic Rights Oregon, I often talked about the Oregon Equality Act, which bars discrimination against LGTBQ+ Oregonians. It passed in 2007, yet the majority of other states in the U.S. still do not have this very basic protection.
But the story of the equality act didn’t start in 2007 or even 2005. It was first introduced in Oregon in 1973. It took over 30 years to make it a reality and what changed wasn’t that the wording of the legislation was finally perfected. What changed was that a movement was built to shift people’s opinions on the rights of LGBTQ+ people to live lives free from discrimination.
When people say, “the world changed,” that change doesn’t just happen. Often that change looks like a lot of meetings, phone calls, door knocks, text banks and trainings. At the heart of all of those things are people connecting to other people — to educate, to inform, to move, to help each other feel less isolated in a world that can seem hellbent on making us feel alone and powerless.
So it is with that organizing ethos in mind that we announce Meyer's Summer Funding Opportunity. This opportunity is grounded in the belief that we can build the power to create the world we want to see. Because we spent the majority of our funding last year to make multi-year commitments, this summer’s opportunities are more focused on a few key goals and strategies.
For Our Collective Prosperity, that means working towards our mission of racial justice by focusing on Closing the Racial Wealth Gap and working to ensure our children’s futures through Multi-generational Asset Building. For Our Empowered Youth, the focus is on community organizing, with the goal of Building Power for A Thriving Education. For Our Resilient Places, the opportunity is centered on those most impacted by climate change, with a focus on Building Power for Frontline Communities. For Together, We Rise, the focus is on building those fundamentals of organizing, base building and leadership development, for Oregon’s coastal and rural communities.
Together, these opportunities represent a little more than $7 million of Meyer’s $48 million in grantmaking investments this year. Broadly, the other funding is situated in our multi-year investments, invited opportunities, collaborative grants and strategic work with other funders. At this moment, with all of our funding, it is so important for us to really lean into our mission of accelerating racial, social and economic justice for Oregon’s lands and peoples. And with this funding opportunity, our hope is that we are seeding the hard work of organizing and building the movement for a stronger Oregon, for all of us.
— Nancy