Moving the Needle January 2020
Woods Fund Welcomes Kurt Summers as our newest board member
We are excited to share the appointment of a new board member, Kurt Summers. Kurt served as Chicago’s 70th City Treasurer from 2014-2019. As Treasurer, Summers managed
the city’s more than $8 billion investment portfolio as well as serving as a trustee or fiduciary of five local
pension boards with nearly $25 billion under management. Read more about Kurt here.Look for more news in the months to come of new board member appointments.
Grant Opportunity: Help Make Chicago Safer and More Peaceful
Recognizing the potential for a spike in violence in Chicago during the summer months, the Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities, a coalition of more than 40 funders committed to aligning their grant making to support proven and promising approaches to reducing gun violence, will once again administer the Chicago Fund, a rapid-response fund for community-led summer and early fall activities. The 2020 Chicago Fund will award grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 to support activities designed to promote peace, build trust, and strengthen relationships, and led by Chicago residents in 21 prioritized communities (full list in the RFP). These could include educational events, group or youth activities, recreational activities, festivals, performances, activities that improve community-police relationships, and more.
Applications are due Friday, February 14, 2020.
Grant awards will be announced on Wednesday, April 1, 2020, and funds distributed on Wednesday, April 22, 2020.
All activities related to the grants must be completed by Saturday, October 31, 2020.
To apply, organizations should prepare a short proposal and budget, and have 501(c)3 nonprofit status or partner with an organization that has that status, and have an annual operating budget of no more than $500,000.
Staying in Wonderland: A Love Letter to Community Organizers
By Michelle Morales, President, Woods Fund Chicago
While traveling to a conference recently, I watched The Matrix on the airplane. What struck me while watching it was how much the movie could be aligned with the process of becoming politically conscious and developing a critical, political analysis of the world. As Morpheus tells Neo when he presents him with the option of taking the red pill, "You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland and I'll show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember, all I'm offering is the truth, nothing more." Continue reading...
The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights condemns the US Supreme Court’s decision to lift a lower court order that had blocked implementation of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulations on public charge. The Supreme Court’s ruling allows the DHS regulations to go into effect throughout the United States except in Illinois, where a separate court order for now still blocks the rule from being implemented.
“By allowing these regulations to take effect, the Supreme Court is enabling this administration to scale up its efforts to scare immigrant families from getting the support that they need and are eligible for,” said Lawrence Benito, ICIRR’s chief executive officer. “The court is also allowing this administration to bar immigrants who are older or living with a disability or a chronic preexisting medical condition, or did not have good educational or work opportunities in their home country, that they can forget about getting onto a path toward citizenship.” Continue reading...
This week the U.S. Supreme Court granted a stay of the last remaining nationwide injunction halting the implementation of the public charge rule. The Illinois injunction the Shriver Center secured in October 2019 is not directly impacted by that decision and remains intact for now, though the government just filed a brief in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals seeking a stay of the Illinois injunction.
Shriver will continue to litigate this case and shed light on the government’s true motivation for the public charge rule. With Protecting Immigrant Families-Illinois and as a member of the national PIF steering committee, they will also increase their efforts to educate and support immigrant families and providers who have questions about the public charge rule. Continue reading...
2020 Discount Foundation Legacy Award: Nominations Now Open
Nominate someone you know who is an outstanding worker justice leader, and they could have the chance to receive a $20,000 stipend.
This stipend will provide the winner with the flexibility to expand upon their professional activities and achievements in the absence of reporting requirements or other specific obligations. Nominations are due online by March 13. Nominate someone today!
What we're reading...
Ella Baker’s Legacy Runs Deep. Know Her Name, Barbara Ransby, Woods Fund Chicago board member/NYT Opinion
Cannabis a key to strength, revitalization and ‘equity in action', Anton Seals Jr., Woods Fund Chicago board member/Crain's Chicago
What Livability Looks Like for Black Women, Brenton Mock/CityLab
An African American and Latinx History of the United States, Paul Ortiz
Fair Fares Chicagoland: Recommendations for a More Equitable Transit System, Active Transportation Alliance
In Case You Missed It...
Between the Great Migration and Growing Exodus: The Future of Black Chicago?
Starting in 1980, Chicago’s African American population growth not only halted, but reversed. By 2016, the population of black Chicagoans had decreased by 350,000 from its peak in 1980. These population trends have attracted significant media attention and speculation about why black Chicagoans are leaving the city. Given these trends, IRRPP set out to analyze what the data on population in Chicago can tell us about black migration into and out of the city. In this report, we assess the historical context of shifts taking place over the past 100 years, provide a more detailed analysis of population change across Chicago neighborhoods from 1990 to 2016, and examine where Chicagoans who are leaving the city are going.
Job Postings
Lead Organizer, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights