Ten Initiatives Receive Racial Justice Funding
United Way of Lane County invests $50,000 in new grants
Escudo Latino, one of the programs receiving a Racial Justice grant, celebrates a new mural in Springfield. Photo credit: Ofelia Guzman
Thanks to contributions from local donors, ten initiatives led by or serving people of color will receive grants next month, building support for Black students, funding Indigenous mentorship programs, providing advocacy for Latinx families in the education system, and more.
The funding comes from United Way of Lane County’s new Racial Justice Fund, aimed at supporting racial justice initiatives and new, emerging efforts led by people of color in Lane County.
Over 200 individuals and organizations have donated to the new fund since 2021, enabling United Way to distribute $50,000 in this first year of funding.
On April 1, 2023, the following ten initiatives will each receive $5,000 grants:
Xcape Dance Company: provides scholarships for kids ages 2 and up to participate in performing arts, including almost 50 movement classes weekly with roots based in African Diaspora
Escudo Latino: provides free translation/interpretation services, advocacy for equity in education, and more for Spanish-speaking communities. Fiscal Sponsor*: Community Alliance of Lane County
*BLACKS: funds expansion of this new, culturally specific organization helping Black students succeed without giving up their cultural identity. Fiscal Sponsor*: H.O.N.E.Y. Inc.
Lift Every Voice: fills unmet wellness needs and service gaps for BIPOC families and provides spaces for leaders of color to coordinate services. Fiscal Sponsor*: Xcape Dance Company
Ecostudies Institute’s Willamette Valley Fire Collaboration: funds Indigenous mentors providing cultural mentorship, support, and training to Indigenous burn crew carrying out prescribed and cultural fire practices
King Silky’s Blessing Boxes: supports leaders of color coordinating delivery of food/care essentials to folks in need, particularly elders, folks with disabilities, and veterans, with respect to dietary, cultural, and other special needs
Solid Strides: supports culturally-specific equestrian programs to reduce barriers to horse sports for historically excluded riders
Refugee and Immigrant Services of Catholic Community Services of Lane County: expands translation and interpretation services to meet additional language needs of refugee and immigrant communities
Human Rights Human Stories: funds film projects providing legal support for potential victims of human/civil rights violations and education about the Declaration of Human Rights focused on youth and the education system
Lane Arts Council: expands the Arts & Culture Roundtables to better serve underrepresented cultural producers and artists of color and provide space for artists and cultural leaders to engage in solutions-oriented discussions
*Fiscal sponsor: a tax-exempt organization that accepts funds on behalf of a project or initiative that is not a registered 501(c)3. Fiscal sponsorship allows grassroots and smaller community initiatives that are not yet incorporated as nonprofit organizations to accept tax deductible donations or work with grant funds.
“Thanks to the Racial Justice Fund,” said Mariela German, organizer of Escudo Latino, “I will be available to continue to help my Latino Community here in Lane with connecting them to resources and information. I am so pleased to help my community daily… to help them guide in their journey to navigate different agencies and organizations in our community. The work I do is still very needed in our community and most importantly have access to this information in our primary language Spanish.”
“Lane Arts Council is grateful for support from the United Way Racial Justice Fund,” said Stacey Ray, Executive Director for Lane Arts Council, “for a series of conversations and workshops focused on diversity, equity, inclusion and access in Lane County's arts community. We recognize the important role of arts and culture in building inclusive communities, and the ongoing goal of this work to help shift local systems, practices, and representation in the arts to those that center equity and diverse voices."
In all, 28 applications were submitted in this grant cycle, totaling $132,600 in requests, almost three times the funding available.
Community members sharing their hopes for the Racial Justice Fund at a listening session in May 2022.
Origin of the Racial Justice Fund
With a primary focus on “creating a community where every child can succeed in school and life,” United Way also responds to new and evolving needs of the community, including public health crises, natural disasters, and racial injustice. So, in 2021, recognizing the importance of explicitly addressing the impact of systemic racism on historically underserved communities’ ability to succeed, United Way launched the Racial Justice Fund to invest in initiatives led by communities of color and addressing systemic injustice.
The fund is led by a Racial Justice Fund (RJF) Advisory Council, composed of local leaders of color, and shaped by feedback and needs identified by communities of color.
“We’ve tried diligently to remain true to our initial commitment: advancing racial justice within Lane County by investing in community-identified and community-led solutions. The intended impact of these grants is to have a lasting and long-range positive effect on our communities of color, which in turn ripples to our greater community and the state at large.”
Communities of color throughout Lane County have been instrumental in this process, sharing hopes and ideas, as well as concerns and frustrations. “When we committed to becoming more equitable in our grantmaking process several years ago, we knew we were going to make mistakes and that the process would be messy at times,” said Noreen J. Dunnells, United Way of Lane County’s President & CEO. “As we continue to strive to become more equitable in our process, we are honoring the constructive and critical feedback we receive as a way for community organizations to hold us accountable to our commitments.”
Priority for New, Emerging, and Scalable Initiatives
United Way and the Racial Justice Fund Advisory Council specifically sought to reduce barriers for culturally specific organizations and community-led projects in designing these grants.
For a few of these initiatives, this Racial Justice funding is the first grant they’ve ever received, and many of the grants will support innovative and culturally-responsive concepts that can be piloted and potentially “scaled up” in future years.
How Grantees were selected
Based on feedback from communities of color during grant listening sessions in 2021-22, the RJF Advisory Council prioritized emerging organizations and those with smaller operating budgets, those explicitly serving people of color, and those for whom funds could serve as a springboard for additional funding and work.
Grants were reviewed and selected by a panel of local volunteers, including Racial Justice Advisory Council members, United Way Community Investment Steering Committee members, and other community members. 85% of the review panelists identify as people of color, and represent various sectors including education, healthcare, and more.
Organizer of Escudo Latino, Mariela German (left), tables at a local event. Photo credit: Escudo Latino
Increasing Investments to Address Disparities
Though these grants are United Way’s first to explicitly fund only communities of color, United Way has long prioritized funds for marginalized communities, including rural communities of Lane County, communities of color, families navigating poverty and food insecurity, children living with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and community members who face disparities because of other aspects of their identity.
Between 2018 and 2022, United Way tripled its investments made to culturally-specific organizations, with a total of $698,000 being invested in organizations led by people of color, and more when including organizations serving communities of color.
“While we still have much progress to make and are continually seeking to learn from community feedback, we are proud of the impact that culturally specific organizations have achieved in part through United Way grant funds over the past several years” said Jared Pruch, Director of Community Impact.
Community-funded and Community-led
These new funds are possible thanks to the donations of individuals, employees, and organizations throughout Lane County, and grant recommendations are made by volunteers with professional and personal lived-experience well-attuned to community needs and solutions.
The Racial Justice Advisory Council is actively seeking new members of color—if you’re interested in learning more, email racialjustice@unitedwaylane.org.
If you’re interested in supporting future racial justice initiatives or United Way’s broader efforts to help kids succeed, individuals and organizations can donate to United Way’s work at www.unitedwaylane.org/donate or by calling 541-741-6000.