Moving the Needle | Woods Fund Chicago

OCAD has been building relationships with Black-led organizations for years in their fight against deportations and the criminalization of immigrants and people of color. “We believe we can be an example of collective power – that starts with collaborations between organizations like OCAD and Black Lives Matter Chicago, which can amplify movements at the national level. We hope to continue conversations and collaborations of liberation and healing with those who have been criminalized by the systems of oppression in chicago and beyond.” Find out more about OCAD's work during COVID and the racial justice framework in this month’s Grantee Spotlight.

Happenings at the Woods Fund

The Woods Fund is excited to announce the Movement Building for Racial Justice Fund awardees.

On September 28, Woods Fund Chicago granted half a million dollars to its first Movement Building for Racial Justice Fund. It first announced the fund in April to help support organizations working on progressive social change break out of the confines of single issues and organizational silos to make larger connections. The creation of the fund was a response to the current pandemic crisis, the social conditions it has produced, the racial inequities it has amplified, and the need for bold action in the face of an otherwise debilitating and confusing reality. As we are painfully aware, the virus has impacted and continues to profoundly impact communities of color, particularly Black and Latinx communities.

Eleven proposals were received and three finalists were selected for site visits. Of those finalists, the grant has been honored to Just Chicago, which is made up of six co-applicants: Resist. Reimagine. Rebuild. Coalition, ChiFresh Kitchen, TRACC4Movement, Action Now, BYP100, and Equity And Transformation.

Read the full announcement here.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Meet Our New Vice President
of Programs, Caroline McCoy

“I am so thrilled to be joining the Woods Fund and support its work of advancing racial equity and economic justice through grantmaking, especially in this moment when philanthropy has a critical role to play in supporting immediate and long-term strategies to address the systematic disparities and inequities that have long affected communities of colors.”

Read Caroline’s full letter here.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Join the Woods Fund Team

Woods Fund Chicago is looking for a dynamic individual capable of working during a period of organizational, programmatic, and culture change to manage the Foundation’s community organizing portfolio. The Program Officer reports directly to the Vice President of Programs and will work closely with them on defining conceptual and strategic directions for grantmaking that ensures alignment with Foundation goals and values. An eye to “disrupt” current, traditional philanthropic practices is desired.

Read the full job description here.

Upcoming Events

MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Cultivate: Women of Color Leadership (Cultivate)

Applications for Cultivate: Women of Color Leadership (Cultivate) are now being accepted for the 2020-2021 year!

Cultivate is an eight month-long leadership program facilitated by women of color leaders in philanthropy that centers the innate skills of women of color and provides bimonthly sessions that focus on meeting the program goals: equip leaders with tools of self-sustainability as we collaboratively transform these movements from the inside, fortify relationships among ourselves, and foster collaborations across organizations to advance a shared vision towards racial, gender, economic equity and justice. Applications are due Thursday, October 15.

Participants will have access to personal executive coaching (at their convenience) to build on the bimonthly sessions. Sessions will focus on dismantling mainstream thinking, capacity building towards organizational and systems change, peer learning, and community & movement building.

Please contact Alejandrá L. Ibañez, alejandra@woodsfund.org, with any questions about Cultivate or the application process. You can also learn more here.

What We're Reading

BETTINA LOVE

We Want to Do More Than Survive

“Offering readers a profoundly fresh perspective on teaching, Bettina Love breaks new ground. Using both the language of critical thinking and radical resistance, this book challenges and dares us all to teach for justice.” Read more...

THE CHICAGO REPORTER

Community Oversight or Control? Coalitions Meet on Competing Police Accountability Proposals

Both the Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability and the Civilian Police Accountability Council campaigns want to maximize the community’s role in selecting public safety leaders. Read more...

To stay up to date, please visit: woodsfund.org

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