We Cannot Yield the Fight for Power: Funding Organizing in an Age of Scarcity

April 2026 — Moving the Needle // Woods Fund Chicago

Over the past year and a half, the federal administration has worked to defund and dismantle a broad swath of social service initiatives.

And amid the heartbreak and reverberating shocks of the war in Iran, the administration has proposed moving an unprecedented amount of money from investments in the health and safety of its citizens to fund a deeply unjust and unpopular war. The writing is on the wall: direct service organizations are being tasked with stepping into the breach and upholding the American safety net, and they’ll need to do so with resources that pale in comparison to those of the government they’re replacing.

Alongside that work, which is in critical need of support, we urge our fellow funders to double down on funding organizing. If we seek to fundamentally change — not just react to — the conditions being foisted upon us, we cannot yield the fight for power to the few who already hold it.

Here, we’re holding up several tactics that highlight how organizing can change our material conditions in ways that both immediately impact our communities and build toward a just future.

In a landscape that increasingly tilts toward monied interests, many organizations are working outside of government to bring the fight to businesses and landlords, demanding better working and living conditions, fair wages, and a halt to evictions. In Chicago, organizations like Autonomous Tenants Union and Southside Together are working to encourage, support, and equip tenants from Albany Park to South Shore to hold their landlords accountable through know- your-rights resources and tactics that range from press pushes to rent strikes to demonstrations.

A group of mostly Black and brown residents hold up signs in protest, a part of their work as a tenants' union.

In 2025, Southside Together launched a tenants union across 30 South Side buildings formerly managed by CKO Real Estate. Photo: Southside Together

Simultaneously, fair housing organizations are fighting to pass legislation that protects renters, builds more housing, and holds developers and landlords accountable: organizers are using legal and social power to push for better conditions, and building deeply local networks of solidarity that can be drawn on for efforts beyond housing — like deportation defense.

On a legislative level, organizers are pushing Illinois lawmakers to stand by vulnerable communities by putting state resources into programs that have been restricted or defunded by the federal government. Right now, organizations including Latino Policy Forum are fighting to protect SNAP benefits for more than 250,000 Illinoisans via a pair of bills that will fund benefits for families and immigrants. This spring, Brighton Park Neighborhood Council empowered dozens of students to engage legislators in Springfield and make the case for fully funding public education in Chicago and Illinois.

Simultaneously, grantee partners are fighting for legislation that empowers people over institutions. In one critical victory among many, last year, Alliance for Community Services fought for and won an anti-retaliation nursing home bill. The law, which went into effect this year, prohibits nursing homes from retaliating against residents who file complaints or ask to move, and allows people to bring civil suit when retaliation does happen.

A broad coalition of immigrant rights organizations secured protections against ICE across daycares, public schools, and universities. In many cases, the latter built or worked hand in hand with on-the-ground deportation defense networks: stepping in to physically protect vulnerable neighbors even as they fought for laws that would do the same.

A large group of protesters stand in front of the Illinois State Capitol, holding signs and banners advocating for a progressive income tax

The Illinois Revenue Alliance mobilized supporters to demand a fair tax system in Springfield. Photo: ICIRR

In a moment of extreme scarcity across many of these issue areas, grantee partners are tackling the playing field itself via progressive taxation. We know that in moments of scarcity, communities and organizations are often pitted against one another: Illinois Revenue Alliance is fighting to increase the available funding for a broad slew of progressive priorities by advocating for equitable revenue generation at the state level.

Illinois has the most unequal tax system of any state in the Midwest, and one of the most regressive in the nation. That creates, effectively, an artificial funding crunch: because corporations and ultra-wealthy Illinoisans have long been undertaxed, the resources currently available pale in comparison to what we could dedicate to education, healthcare, and food security across the state. On the table are everything from a tax on digital advertising, to a billionaire wealth tax — and organizers are coming together to hold legislatures accountable to fix a broken system.

Finally, we know many direct service providers are approaching their work in a way that seeks to equip clients with what they need to advocate for themselves and their communities. As organizations continue to step into the breach in new ways, and as foundations work to fund critical needs, how can we make sure we and the organizations we support are engaging in the work of solidarity over charity? As we enter a new era of authoritarianism, empowering as many ordinary people as possible isn’t just principled, it’s our fighting chance.

Chicago Racial Justice Pooled Fund Announces Executive Director

This March, the Chicago Racial Justice Pooled Fund (CRJPF), of which Woods Fund Chicago is a steering committee member, announced its inaugural Executive Director. Katelyn Johnson brings more than 20 years of experience in social justice leadership, community organizing, nonprofit management, and movement building across Chicago.

Katelyn most recently served as Executive Director of the BlackRoots Alliance, a Chicago-based network supporting organizations dedicated to Black liberation through leadership development, policy advocacy, communications, and community-centered strategies. Under her leadership, BlackRoots Alliance deepened its citywide impact, including projects like Reinvest 2 Repair, a participatory research and community engagement initiative examining reparations and community-led visions for repair. As Executive Director, Katelyn will guide CRJPF through its next phase of strategic growth, resource mobilization, and community partnership.

Formed in 2020 with a vision of long-term commitment to Chicago’s Black and ally-led organizations, CRJPF aims to channel $15 million in funding over the next five years.

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Resource: Keep Your SNAP

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