Today, we are announcing the Fund for Black-led Change, a $20 million commitment of core support to Black-led organizations in the Greater Washington region that are building power, advancing permanently organized communities, and transforming systems toward liberty, justice, and the pursuit of happiness for all.
Earlier this summer Meyer awarded $1.18 million in general operating grants to 28 grantee partners whose work strongly aligns with our goal to change systems by building movements to advance racial equity and justice.
The COVID-19 virus does not discriminate — it can infect anyone. However, when an indiscriminate virus is unleashed in a country where racially unjust systems have long decided who lives, who dies, who thrives and who just gets by, the impact is anything but equal.
In the midst of this unprecedented public health and economic crisis, I want to share the Meyer Foundation’s response and how we are supporting our communities at this time.
As we navigate the uncertainties and anxiety of where we are and what lies ahead, we want you to know that you have our support.
Just about one year ago, I was given the opportunity to lead an effort to redesign Meyer’s grants process to be more equitable and inclusive. Our CEO Nicky Goren, urged us to get out of our comfort zones toward “blue sky” thinking, framing our work around this question: What would grantmaking look like that embedded …
As we launch into 2020, I would like to share news about a few exciting changes to leadership and titles at the Meyer Foundation.
At their June 4 board meeting, the board of directors of the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation approved 66 grants totaling $3,292,500 in general grantmaking to support a growing number of organizations working to further racial equity in the Greater Washington community within our four goals of housing, education, employment, and asset building; and four grants totaling $340,000 in capacity building to organizations seeking to support other Meyer grantee and community partners in strengthening their capacity to build movements that impact systems and advance racial equity.
We are long past any question about whether the president and many of the people around him and supporting him are racist. His actions and his words by any objective standard make it so. What is more important is to understand how our systems of government and white culture actively enable racism to continue to play out in our election processes, our governance processes, in virtually every aspect of our day-to-day existence in this country.
In May, Meyer Foundation staff and several grantee partners gathered for Latino Challenges Toward Racial Justice, a two-day workshop by c-Integral designed for people who live in or work with Latino communities, and who seek to end racial disparities in our institutions and end racism in our society.