At Borealis Philanthropy, we believe ensuring that racial equity practitioners are abundantly supported is critical to upending white supremacy and anti-Blackness, and dreaming up the future we know is possible.
In October, The Racial Equity to Accelerate Change Fund (REACH) reaffirmed its commitment to resourcing this movement, awarding $100,000 each in continued support to 19 leaders and organizations advancing racial equity.
In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder and the racial justice uprisings that sparked a global movement for Black lives, leaders and organizations from every sector rushed to publish statements of racial solidarity. This historical moment galvanized people to deeply engage with anti-Blackness on a massive scale. A shared awareness and language was built, albeit for a short while, and the REACH grantee partners were well poised to meet the need for racial equity services. Amidst the increased demand and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the REACH Fund helped support a container for peer learning via the community of practice. Grantee partners shared ideas, tools, and tactics to pivot their entire bodies of work online, shared challenges, and learned more about each other’s varying approaches.
Unfortunately, the momentum of the global uprisings did not outlast the long-term coordination of extreme right-wing organizing. We are currently witnessing the chilling effect of increasing and simultaneous attacks on our bodily sovereignty, state-sanctioned violence against marginalized communities, mis- and disinformation campaigns, and the legitimacy of racial equity leaving practitioners now navigating industries where organizational leaders are afraid to use terms like “race” or “power” for fear of backlash.
REACH grantee partners and their fellow peers have sounded the alarm on this backslide. Funders like Borealis Philanthropy have the power to resource these practitioners’ capacity – giving them space to strengthen their networks and sharpen their strategies in alignment with movement comrades’ visions for justice. Increased investment in grassroots organizations and BIPOC community leaders moving work that explicitly centers racial equity is more important now than ever.
Through their efforts, significant progress has been made across the country and we cannot wait to see this continued progress unfold. The 19 REACH Fund grantee partners leading this work are:
- Anti-Oppression Resource and Training Alliance (AORTA)
- Bari Katz Inc. & Authentic Coaching and Consulting
- Center for Diversity and the Environment
- Center for Urban and Racial Equity, LLC
- Change Elemental
- Circle Forward
- CompassPoint Nonprofit Services
- Crossroads Antiracism Organizing and Training
- Fierce Allies
- Humboldt Area Foundation
- Interaction Institute for Social Change
- Latinx Racial Equity Project
- Liberatory Power Consulting Group
- OpenSource Leadership Strategies & MP Associates
- Richael Faithful & Vega Mala Consulting
- RoadMap Consulting
- Shriver Center on Poverty Law
- Western States Center
- YWCA Boston
To learn more about the REACH Fund and how to support its work, please contact REACH Program Officer, Ribkah Naga, at rnaga@borealisphilanthropy.org.