Criteria For Support
BUILDING COMMUNITY POWER
Refers to groups who are working to increase the power of communities of color living in poverty (i.e., youth, residents, students, parents) by providing information, support, and equipping community members with the tools necessary for engaging in individual and collective, bottom-up, social change efforts.
Criteria for support:
Community Organizing
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Are intentional about shifting existing relationships of power
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Take direction from and operate with accountability to members
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Consistently develop members to become leaders and leaders to become organizers
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Actively build a membership base
Other Building Community Power
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Provide support, skills and training for grassroots to lead social change
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Build trust
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Build solidarity among communities most affected
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Focus efforts on communities of color (youth, parents, residents) in high poverty neighborhoods
DISRUPTING INSTITUTIONAL INEQUITY
Refers to groups who are working to develop and advocate for practices, policies, and structures that promote equity in education (at the school, district, or state level) and in related intersectional issues.
Criteria for support:
Participate in cross-group collective action
- Engage in advocacy activities, including local and state policy work
- Provide support and cover for individuals working within education and other institutions and coalitions
- Offer training and support to implement anti-racist practices in education and other intersecting institutions
- Raise public awareness on key issues and policies related to equity in education
ORGANIZATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS
In addition to the Program Focus Area criteria listed above, we consider the following criteria for all groups and organizations:
Leadership
- Led by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) (Board and Staff)
- Led by person with lived experience in the community they serve (Staff)
Culture
- Co-creating and advancing an anti-racist organizational culture (as evidenced by training, policies, practices, dedicated staff, use of equity tools, inclusive of all levels of organization)
- Use a racial equity lens in their work as evidenced by:
- Examining root causes to understand disparities within a historical context
- Distinguishing between individual, institutional, and structural or systemic
- Surfacing power dynamics in the work and pursuing actions to address power imbalances
- Practice shared leadership and shared decision making that is informed by the expertise of those most impacted
Capacity
- Have clear goals, strategies, and activities
- Have an established process to determine if they are making progress
- Have made progress towards goals
- Are clear about what organizational capacity exists and what needs to be built to carry out work described
- Work and organization/group have strong mission and values alignment
Partnership
- Are often regarded as instrumental by other grantee partners (e.g., as key contributors, mentors, or leaders)
- Have strong partnerships