Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice — $25,000

Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice (ACRJ) promotes and protects reproductive justice through organizing, building leadership capacity, and developing alliances and education to achieve community and systemic change. Reproductive justice exists when all people have the economic, social and political power and resources to make healthy decisions about their gender, bodies, and sexuality for themselves, their families and their communities. ACRJ’s efforts at capacity building, leadership development, and agenda alignment have found their deepest expression in the development of ACRJ’s transformative practice, Forward Stance. The Forward Stance core principles—energy, synergy, rhythm, momentum, positioning, leveraging, and awareness—physically link how our consciousness can increase or decrease our effectiveness as leaders working towards social change. By integrating Forward Stance into the infrastructure of the emerging Reproductive Justice Movement from the ground up, ACRJ helps to build power and strengthen the capacity of the progressive movement as a whole.

Canopy Planet — $15,000

Canopy Planet transforms unsustainable paper production and consumption to deliver systemic change to some of the most pressing environmental issues facing humanity: forest loss, species decline and climate change. By harnessing the power of more than 700 book publishers, magazines, newspapers and printers, Canopy Planet generates leverage that results in innovative environmental solutions and forest conservation. Their work is rooted in the belief that, given the opportunity, tools and experiences, people will contribute towards a positive legacy, regardless of their line of work. They value people and strive to build relationships that are open, constructive and mutually enriching. In addition to transforming the market drivers behind unsustainable industrial forestry, Canopy Planet aspires to contribute to a paradigm shift – and return human connectivity to wild spaces. They work to build a compassionate and interconnected society, one that exists within the earth’s natural bounds and advances the wellbeing of humanity and all living things.

Center for Community Change — $30,000

The Center for Community Change’s (CCC) mission is to build the power and capacity of low-income people, particularly low-income people of color, to change their communities and public policies for the better. CCC works with grassroots community organizations across the country to advance policy change, develop and strengthen the field of organizing, and build new ideas, leaders, organizations and alliances for the future. They are committed to adopting transformative change practices in order to develop creative and innovative frameworks for achieving lasting social change. They intend to lead and inspire a new wave of transformational leadership that is capable of generating breakthroughs in the complex social problems endemic in our society.

Center for Transformative Change — $10,000

Center for Transformative Change (CXC) (formerly urbanPEACE) is a non-religious spiritually-based empowerment initiative. CXC’s mission is to inform, incite and empower the transformation of society by making the cultivation of compassion and presence synonymous with broad-based social change. Their primary work is to: 1) build and create a theory and practice of Transformative Change, 2) promote this theory of change and inspire the development of cultures of consciousness in progressive social movements nationwide, and 3) deepen collaborations to impact the culture of social justice and social change leadership and organizations. CXC hosts various programs including 27-day seasonal Practice Periods, weeklong Inner Justice Intensives, fearlessYOGA, and fearlessMeditation. They also publish a monthly newsletter—“transform. the vision and practice of transformative social change”—to become the central vehicle for news, articles, essays and interviews that capture the growth and breadth of the field of Transformative Social Change.

Center for Whole Communities — $10,000

Center for Whole Communities (CWC) fosters inclusive communities that are strongly rooted in place, where all people – regardless of income, race, or background – have access to and a healthy relationship with the natural world. CWC strengthens the capacities of environmental and social sectors by connecting their leaders to one another, by helping them to develop more durable and compelling responses to problems that cannot adequately be addressed in isolation, and by transforming their movements to act in concert with each other’s goals and aspirations. CWC holds a unique strategic position as a bridge between diverse groups; they take on the issues that in the past have created divides: the necessity to think and act beyond narrow definitions of success, the consequences of specialization that limit our efforts and ability to connect with others, and the roles of race, class and privilege in organizations and movements.

ForestEthics — $35,000

ForestEthics exists to protect Endangered Forests, wild places, wildlife, and human wellbeing. Their innovative, inspiring and effective campaigns challenge corporations and catalyze environmental leadership in industry, governments and communities. Their work has played a leading role in the protection of over 65 million acres of forests in the last several years. All of their achievements have involved turning corporate adversaries into allies. They approach each company with a nonjudgmental willingness to listen, and then vigilantly embody that spirit of openness throughout a long and often contentious process. They promote consciousness for social change through an extensive process of staff development that focuses on cultivating sustainable working methods, inner alignment and tools for personal mastery.

Generative Somatics — $30,000

The mission of Generative Somatics is to grow a transformative social and environmental justice movement that integrates personal and social transformation, creates compelling alternatives to the status quo and embodies the creativity, rigor and life-affirming actions we need to forward systemic change. They formed the Somatics and Social Justice Collaborative to create theory, principles, and processes to address consumptive and destructive patterns in our communities, through deeper, transformative change at the individual organization and movement level — to bring transformation to the center of how we create lasting systemic change through organizing and movement building. Somatics understands that we “embody” our social environments and then act from those deep habits/learnings.

GreenPeace — $15,000

Greenpeace is an independent campaigning organization that uses peaceful direct action and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential for a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace has been a vehement defender of the environment since their founding in 1971. Greenpeace has more than 2.9 million supporters worldwide. They employ world-renowned scientists, policy experts and grassroots strategists who devise and spearhead targeted, thoughtful campaigns in 42 countries. Here in the U.S., Greenpeace supports a unique blend of activities for pressuring decision-makers through high-profile communications, policy analysis, media work, research, investigations and grassroots organizing as part of the greater organization’s global efforts to protect the environment. In addition, Greenpeace Fund helps train the next generation of environmental activists on college campuses across the country.

Institute for Radical Healing — $5,000

The Institute for Radical Healing works with urban communities of color to build thriving community life and individual wellbeing. They believe that social justice and wellbeing are inextricably connected and that personal transformation can unleash the extraordinary power to achieve social justice. Their mission is to build the capacity of individuals and communities to sustain social change efforts. The institute uses transformational practices that nourish individuals, cultivate community wellbeing and promotes the liberation of oppressed communities. Institute conducts healing retreats, research, and training seminars specifically designed for urban communities of color.

Jobs with Justice Education Fund — $20,000

The mission of Jobs with Justice (JwJ) is to build a strong, progressive labor movement that works in coalition with community, faith, and student organizations to build a broader movement for economic and social justice. To that end, the national JwJ office provides technical assistance to and coordinates the work of a national network of JwJ coalitions. They develop and win campaigns that build power for working people; build a national grassroots network of sustainable, strategic, and powerful coalitions; cultivate new strategic alliances to build power and movement; and develop leaders and activists to lead their fights. Jobs with Justice Education Fund is convinced that to achieve systemic change on the scale they envision, they need to promote organizational practices that cultivate and sustain effective and high-performing leaders. As a result, they are learning to integrate contemplative practices that encourage communication, accountability, and sustainability as part of JwJ’s national culture.

Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy — $10,000

LAANE is a leading advocacy organization dedicated to building a diverse movement to work for a new economy that ensures we all have good jobs, thriving communities and a healthy environment. They strive for a society where people have power over their own lives and a voice in civic life, good career path jobs with family supporting wages and health benefits, and where they live in environmentally healthy communities with safe and decent housing, good schools, clean air and clean water, and other basic necessities. LAANE organizes broad alliances and they use community organizing, research and communications to build the power to pass innovative public policies. Their work is based on the conviction that jobs in growing industries which cannot be exported—particularly those in the service sector and the new green economy—are the foundation for rebuilding broadly shared community prosperity. They have programs that aim for creation of good jobs and environmental improvements in major areas of economic activity including port trucking, construction, energy efficiency, waste and recycling, grocery stores, and the tourism industry.

Miami Workers Center — $25,000

The Miami Workers Center (MWC) is a strategy and action center whose purpose is to: 1) build the power and self-determination of South Florida’s most oppressed communities, and 2) help to build a progressive voice and platform that can nurture the growth of movements for social change in Florida and in the United States. Since their founding in 1999, the Center has gained local and national recognition for success in: energizing, engaging and mobilizing oppressed and disenfranchised constituencies in Miami-Dade; developing low-income community leadership for long term, activist grassroots organizations; developing public relations and communications strategies geared towards shifting public debate around poverty and racism; providing strategic leadership and support for regional and national movement-building; and winning signature policy victories around public housing redevelopment, welfare rights, and urban development. In recent years, the Center has emerged as a leader in the transformative justice field, with folks at all levels of the organization beginning to understand and work together with a common language of personal transformation, organizational values, and social justice.

Movement Generation — $10,000

Movement Generation’s mission is to help build a vibrant and proactive movement for ecological justice and climate justice in the United States. Movement Generation works with emerging and young leaders from grassroots organizations in communities of color to forge long-term collaborations that help build a mass social movement for social and economic transformation grounded in an understanding of ecology. Specifically, they host retreat intensives focusing on strategy development, provides technical support and campaign integration to organizations working for ecological justice, and delivers community Earth Skills workshops. They promote a holistic approach to solving the “eco-crisis” (the crisis of home), as it has economic, ecological, interpersonal and intrapersonal manifestations. They seek to support creativity, collaboration and innovation towards a transformation in our movements.

Movement Strategy Center — $35,000

Movement Strategy Center (MSC) builds the progressive social justice movement by increasing the capacity of individuals, organizations, alliances, and sectors to be more strategic, collaborative, and sustainable. A national leader in the areas of political strategy and methodology, MSC supports organizations to develop the skills, culture, analysis, and vision to work together in broad alliances. MSC supports movement building by helping to build critical consensus and alignment around shared strategies through the development of local, regional and national networks of progressive groups across issues and constituencies. In promoting transformational movement building, MSC has developed new approaches and frameworks that place transformative practice at the core of progressive movement building.

Mujeres Unidas y Activas — $15,000

Mujeres Unidas y Activas (MUA) is a grassroots organization of Latina immigrant women with a double mission of promoting personal transformation and building community power for social and economic justice. MUA achieves its mission by creating an environment of understanding and confidentiality, empowering and educating its members to provide mutual support, offering trainings to build economic security and leadership, working in diverse alliances on the local, regional, national, and international levels, and organizing campaigns to win immigrant, workers’ and women’s rights.

National Domestic Workers Alliance — $25,000

Founded at the US Social Forum in 2007, the National Domestic Workers Alliance is a vehicle to build power nationally as a workforce. NDWA organizes to improve the living and working conditions of domestic workers; win respect and justice from employers and government for exploited domestic workers; change the racism and sexism that has led to the persistent devaluing of this labor so that dignity of domestic work is honored; end the exclusion of domestic workers from recognition and protection; build a movement of migrant workers to fight the labor displacement and exploitation created by globalization; and continue a brave legacy of resistance by supporting movement-building among domestic workers and other communities and workers in struggle. Member organizations include: Domestic Workers United (New York, NY); Mujeres Unidas y Activas (Oakland, CA); Casa de Maryland (Silver Springs, MD); Damayan Migrant Workers Association (New York, NY); POWER (San Francisco, CA); and Day Labor Program Women’s Collective of La Raza Centro Legal (San Francisco, CA). Apart from these groups, which serve as its coordinating committee, NDWA has close to thirty other organizations in its network.

Rainforest Action Network — $10,000

Rainforest Action Network (RAN) campaigns for the forests, their inhabitants and the natural systems that sustain life by transforming the global marketplace through grassroots organizing, education and non-violent direct action. RAN’s longstanding history of protecting rainforests remains at the heart of their work to confront the climate crisis, just as their ongoing solidarity with frontline and Indigenous communities remains a cornerstone of all their work. They assert that we cannot solve the climate crisis without protecting the world’s remaining forests, just as we cannot protect forests without curbing the causes of global warming elsewhere. This inescapable truth guides and informs RAN’s work and is the reason that they are dedicated to protecting the world’s remaining old-growth forests, while fighting climate change and accelerating a clean energy transition by ending our addiction to oil and coal.

Rockwood Leadership Institute — $40,000

Rockwood Leadership promotes social change by providing individuals, nonprofit organizations and issue sectors with powerful and effective training in self-reflective leadership and collaboration. Every year Rockwood serves more than 250 leaders working on key issues of our day. By the end of 2009, Rockwood had nearly 3000 alumnae/i, making it the nation’s largest provider of multi-day, transformational leadership trainings for the nonprofit social change sector. The Rockwood model of change begins with the premise that leadership can be taught and learned—it is not limited to an elite few. Equally important in Rockwood’s theory of change is that “personal mastery” is a primary component of creating leadership excellence. Set in a nurturing retreat environment, Rockwood’s unique curriculum employs exercises and perspectives that teach personal mastery and core leadership and collaboration skills, combining corporate leadership training techniques, personal growth methodologies, conflict resolution exercises, contemplative and reflective disciplines and emotional intelligence practices.

Seasons Fund for Social Transformation — $100,000

The Seasons Fund for Social Transformation catalyzes vibrant and effective social change movements by coupling the power of personal transformation with the public work of creating a just and sustainable world. The Fund, a collaborative effort led by several private foundations, springs from a shared belief that cultivating a rich inner life is both a worthy end in itself and an overlooked pathway to heightening the impact, effectiveness, and sustainability of social change initiatives. Seasons is committed to raising at least $10 million to support those working for social, economic, and environmental justice to embrace a range of contemplative practices that can deepen their capacity to lead. In pursuit of this mission, Seasons catalyzes money for the field through strategic donor organizing efforts; cultivates connectedness, self-awareness and capacity to strengthen the field; and invests in broadening and deepening the work of social transformation through strategic grantmaking.

Social Justice Leadership — $40,000

The mission of Social Justice Leadership (SJL) is to help usher in the transformation to a just society by catalyzing a new generation of social justice leaders and organizations with the skills, analysis, and competency to lead a renewed social justice movement. SJL aspires to assemble the elements for a new model of social justice organization: a values-driven and skillful leadership that understands the significance of reflective practice, a culture of organizational performance that is uncompromising on results, and a perspective toward movement-building that is strategic and long-term in its outlook. SJL runs long-term training programs that help organizations build their capacity, deepen trusting relationships, and transform the art and science of community organizing and movement-building. There work is primarily within the New York City social justice community, but they have expanded in recent years to Florida and New Orleans.

Social Transformation Project — $30,000

The Social Transformation Project (STP) exists to catalyze networks of social change agents and practitioners committed to transformational change. They are developing resources to address the critical next-stage needs of leaders who require expertise and support to integrate transformational ideology, systems and practices into their organizations and movements. Their strategies are to: train and mentor significantly greater numbers of intermediaries to meet the growing demand for consultants and coaches trained in the transformational arts; support field-building by convening and facilitating the emergence of networks of transformational intermediaries and front-line leaders; support frontline leaders to bring transformational practices into their organizations, coalitions and movements; and develop and proliferate tools, practices, methodologies and ideology that empower the work of practitioners of social transformation.

stone circles — $10,000

stone circles’ mission is to sustain activists and strengthen work for justice through spiritual practice and principles. Their retreat center, the Stone House, harnesses spiritual wisdom and a sustainable relationship with the land to nurture stronger leadership for social change. stone circles has made deep practice available, culturally appropriate and financially accessible to many social change practitioners who might not otherwise have ever explored the relationship between their inner lives and the work they are doing in the world. The transformational impact of their programs is the result of the power of the land itself, the spirit of radical hospitality (including warmth, ease and good food), the strength of the container, and the depth of the practices shared. stone circle is also committed to national level movement-building from the inside out.

Estrangement of the individual from its own experience is the basis for all we term evil.
— Carl Rogers