1000 Leaders Project — $10,000: general support

The 1000 Leaders Project—a project of Working Partnerships USA—is based on the belief that to create a more just and sustainable society, communities must grow leaders whose actions are deeply rooted in their values and interconnections. 1000 Leaders creates unique, transformative training programs to grow these leaders and then helps organizations across the country use these powerful tools in their own communities. They cultivate participants’ awareness of their values and commitment to aligning their actions with these values. And they grow participants’ capacity to engage in authentic relationships in a way that moves others to action, building collective power. As a result, their programs weave together a region’s progressive leaders—nonprofits, unions, elected officials and more—into leadership teams, bound by their shared values and their commitment to translate those beliefs into collective action for social transformation.

Canopy Planet — $15,000: Transformative Change Grant

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. This grant supports Canopy’s efforts to build a deeper practice of mindful leadership within their organization.

Center for Community Change — $30,000: Transformative Change Grant

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. This grant supports their deep, ongoing “CCC of the Future” organizational restructuring and learning process.

Center for Whole Communities — $20,000: general support

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.

East Bay Meditation Center — $15,000: project support

The East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC) is a non-religious center located in downtown Oakland that provides training in inner awareness practices to the diverse populations of the Bay Area, especially those who may not feel welcome in a traditional meditation center. EBMC has been called the most diverse meditation center in the country. The three pillars of EBMC’s mission are: Training in Inner Awareness Practices; Transformative Social Action; and Diversity. Because their mission specifically focuses on Transformative Social Action, and they emphasize the connection between inner transformation and progressive social change, the center draws a large number of social justice activists. EBMC holds a vision of a culture of social change work that is kind, non-blaming, non-harming, strategically effective in reaching activist goals, compassionate, and skillful in communication and in action. Much of their programming is designed to support the efforts of individuals to bring these skills to their social justice work. They charge no fees for their programs, which makes the teachings and refuge they offer open to everyone regardless of socioeconomic class. This grant supports EBMC’s project to add specific programs aimed at supporting individuals to foster organizational change by bringing mindful awareness practices into their work with organizations, coalitions, and social movements.

ForestEthics— $40,000: Transformative Change Grant

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. This grant supports ForestEthics to expand and improve their usage of the concepts of personal mastery, at both the individual and organizational level.

Forward Together— $35,000: general support

Forward Together 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. Forward Together’s efforts at capacity building, leadership development, and agenda alignment have found their deepest expression in the development of their 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, Forward Together helps to build power and strengthen the capacity of the progressive movement as a whole.

Generative Somatics— $50,000: general support

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: Transformative Change Grant

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. This grant supports Greenpeace’s top-level staff participation in a Cross-Movement “Leading from the Inside Out” yearlong fellowship to promote collaboration and transformational leadership building across progressive sectors.

Institute for Radical Healing — $5,000: project support

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. The Institute conducts healing retreats, research, and training seminars specifically designed for urban communities of color. This grant supports the Institute’s Black Space project, which brings together Black organizers, activists, and community leaders for once-a-month meetings to deepen their contemplative practices and collective social change work.

Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy— $20,000: Transformative Change Grant

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. This grant supports LAANE in enhancing their transformational organizing work with staff through retreats and transformational coaching.

Miami Workers Center— $20,000: Transformative Change Grant

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.

Mobilize the Immigrant Vote — $15,000: Transformative Change Grant

Mobilize the Immigrant Vote (MIV) was founded in 2004 as the first-ever statewide multiracial immigrant civic engagement coalition in California. MIV’s mission is to lift up the progressive voice and power of low-income immigrant communities of color in California through year-round and strategic communications, voter engagement, capacity building, and alliance building. They work to advance a new model of civic engagement and alliance building led by grassroots immigrant leaders themselves, rooted in a deep commitment to humanity and transformation, drawing on the most sophisticated thinking in the field, and highly agile to the changing landscape and needs. This grant supports MIV’s transformative organizing practices and their work to incorporate culture shift and transformation at every level of their organization, including the Board of Directors, statewide staff, and community partners.

Movement Generation — $15,000: general support

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 — $50,000: general support

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— $20,000: Transformative Change Grant

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. This grant supports MUA’s efforts to build the personal leadership and transformative organizing skills of their staff and constituents.

National Domestic Workers Alliance — $45,000: project support

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. This grant supports the Alliance’s Strategic Organizing Leadership Initiative, which works to improve the effectiveness and impact of individuals, organizations, and the domestic workers movement as part of and in relationship to a broader social justice movement.

National People’s Action— $20,000: Transformative Change Grant

National People’s Action (NPA) is a network of grassroots organizations that work to advance a national economic and racial justice agenda. NPA has over 200 organizers working in 29 organizations to unite everyday people in cities, towns, and rural communities throughout the United States. In an effort to build a deeper consciousness for social change, NPA engages their base through practices such as direct-action, house meetings and community organizing. The campaigns they support strive for tangible concrete changes for communities through policy and consciousness of social injustices and the empowerment to fight them. Core to NPA’s work is the belief that “personal transformation is the foundation of social transformation.” This grant specifically supports the transformative elements woven into their organizing model: attention to deeply personal relationship building, collaboration, compassion, and storytelling.

On the Commons — $10,000: general support

On The Commons (OTC) is a network of citizens and organizations working to highlight the importance of “the commons” in the modern world. Their purpose is to foster a new worldview, set of practices, and solutions that promote the emergence of a commons-based society. They do this by: bringing visibility to the commons movement; acting as both catalyst and incubator for commons solution making; creating space and opportunity for work that illuminates new pathways and patterns for social change; and developing and linking commons leaders and leadership. OTC promotes commons-based solutions for environmental restoration, social justice, and other global and community initiatives. They promote the power of people coming together to share resources equitably and ensure their preservation for the future. In essence, they see “commons work” as a deeply egalitarian, collaborative, and stewardship-oriented approach where people are not only users and beneficiaries of a shared resource but also empowered stewards and protectors.

Partnership for Working Families— $10,000: Transformative Change Grant

Partnership for Working Families (PWF) is dedicated to building power and reshaping the economy and urban environment for workers and communities. They work to ensure that low- and middle-income workers and communities participate in the process and share in the benefits of economic growth and development, emphasizing the creation of high quality jobs, affordable housing, environmental health, and career pipelines for shared prosperity. Their current base of 16 established partners—augmented by more than a dozen emerging organizations and coalitions—is redesigning the way communities engage in decision-making, development, and the U.S political-economy. PWF has a core belief in participatory democracy, supported by deep, permanent relationships between union, community, environmental, and faith leaders and constituencies. They are cultivating a new generation of leaders that connects strategic worker and community organizing and cutting edge public policy to the building of an energized power base in key metropolitan areas nationwide. This grant supports PWF’s Leadership Development program, including the practice of transformational coaching.

Rainforest Action Network— $10,000: Transformative Change Grant

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. This grant supports RAN’s Leadership Team follow-up training with a transformational coach, and helps send two additional RAN staff members to leadership trainings in 2013.

Rockwood Leadership Institute — $50,000: general support

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.

Social Justice Leadership — $50,000: general support

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 — $35,000: general support

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 — $15,000: project support

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. This grant supports a research project on the history and implications of transformative organizing.

Sustainability Leaders Network — $15,000: project support

The Sustainability Leaders Network (SLN) is a multi-sector network of leaders who draw on a core set of Leadership Practices to create a more just and sustainable world. Their mission is to deepen the capacity of sustainability champions who are versed in an approach that integrates vision, systems thinking, reflective conversation, and creative expression. SLN draws inspiration, teachings and strategy from Donella Meadows, Buckminster Fuller, Joanna Macy, Peter Senge and other systems thinkers who combine personal transformation, love, and systems analysis towards sustainability. They help develop mindfulness as an integral part of leadership capacity in people from multiple sectors who are creating inspiring solutions for social and environmental challenges. They strive to enhance mindfulness in the sustainability movement, helping leaders create shared visions in their organizations that honor the whole person and team, resulting in learning and action for a more just, sustainable and peaceful world. This grant supports a yearlong project of engagement in transformative “Daily Practices” with the Network Fellows, as well as documentation and evaluation of the impact of the practices.

Transformation: A Learning Community — $25,000: project support

“Transformation: A Learning Community” is a new section (currently under construction) of the website Open Democracy, an independent and non-partisan website that brings together high-quality writing on politics, economics, social activism, and international relations. The overall site generates close to six million page views per year from 200 countries, with approximately one-third of readers living in the US. All content is freely-available and re-publication is encouraged at no cost. The goal of Open Democracy is to raise awareness of the challenges facing humanity and how best to meet them using innovative solutions. The Transformation section specifically showcases cutting-edge examples of social transformation in practice, building links between activists and thinkers in the US and the rest of the world, fostering constructive debates and self-criticism about these approaches and their assumptions, and so helping shift the consciousness of those who are working for fundamental change in their societies in the direction of compassion and social justice. This project grant supports the build-out, launch, and promotion of the website.

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