Way to Rise Announces $59.1M Goal With Foundation Partners to Substantially Fund Voter Protection and Racial Equity

OAKLAND, Calif., June 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Way to Win LLC?the progressive donor collaborative that seeks to upend philanthropy and politics as usual?today announced they are working with foundation partners in the philanthropic sector to fill $59.1 million in identified funding gaps for organizations dedicated to serving Black, Brown, AAPI, and Indigenous communities across the country. The collective effort, led by their nonpartisan arm Way to Rise, will substantially fund voter protection efforts, including expanding Vote-By-Mail opportunities, and digital organizing in communities of color across key battleground states.

"We need to meet the urgency of this moment. There is deep potential for real, long-term change?look to the civic uprisings nationwide facilitating institutional change in just a few weeks?but we need everyone to keep their foot on the gas pedal," said Senior Advisor of Way to Rise, Nicole Boucher. "We're challenging others and our partners in the sector to help fill critical funding gaps for communities of color, who have long been under-resourced in philanthropy."

Institutional racism has been pervasive in the philanthropic sector where only 8-9% of philanthropic grant-making is directed to communities of color. Way to Rise will direct funding to more than 70 organizations nationwide in key battleground states in order to break the "boom and bust" cycle of funding and instead support sustained, nonpartisan civic engagement geared toward communities of color. This includes organizations like: Instituto, Blueprint North Carolina, and Texas Civil Rights Project, which bolster local communities through voter protection, voter education programs, training, and mutual aid; Kairos and Reframe, which help expand digital organizing among communities of color; Sojourners and Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute, which are committed to voter protection and voter outreach efforts; and United We Dream and Color of Change, which fight against systemic racial inequality.

"Way to Rise empowers organizations on the ground, like ours, with the resources we need to make real changes that will improve people's lives," said Maria Rodriguez, Executive Director of the Florida Immigrant Rights Coalition (FLIC). "In turn, we are able to empower a social movement?communities under attack in America?creating connection, consciousness, and capacity for a truer democracy."

As the nonpartisan partner of Way to Win, Way to Rise?housed at the Amalgamated Foundation?was co-designed with community organizers at the state and national level to ignite change and build lasting power across the country. The nonprofit provides a framework for aligned funders to collectively and efficiently move resources to support charitable and educational work that furthers the vision of a progressive future. The nonprofit also works to provide local organizers with the resources they need in the long term to help shape policy outcomes for their communities, co-govern with elected officials, and reshape the future of our democracy. The key funding priorities of Way to Rise include:

• Voter Protection and Education: Supporting efforts that protect voters and expand Vote-By-Mail access come November. This includes nonpartisan voter education and registration.
• Co-Governance & Sustainable Communities: Ensuring elected officials, staff, and community-based organizations are provided with the training and support programs needed to be involved in legislative sessions, draft policy, and hold elected officials accountable.
• Narrative Change: Building a new narrative around multiracial communities led by state-based organizations.

Way to Rise is supported by a number of c3 partners, including the: Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Nathan Cummings Foundation, Amalgamated Foundation, and the Weissberg Foundation. The partnerships help to increase the impact and scale of funding, so the outcomes are stronger.

"It's critical that donors and the philanthropic sector step up to support transformative organizing at the state and local level to advance lasting policy change," said political and philanthropic donor, Susan Pritzker. "Way to Rise has the infrastructure and strategy in place to facilitate that end and correct a huge gap in philanthropic funding among communities of color."

The effort, co-led by Way to Rise Senior Advisor Tori Miyagi, will kick off today at Way Forward, a virtual event where philanthropic and political leaders will discuss holistic approaches to philanthropy to gain new traction equity and solidified digital organizing efforts amid COVID-19. Attendees include: Harris County Judge Linda Hidalgo, Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II, and the Honorable Cia Price from Virginia. In light of the current moment, Way to Rise will be lowering their paywall and inviting members of the community to participate in this philanthropic conversation and sharing of best practices.

Way to Rise's strategy will extend through 2020 into 2021 as the nonprofit and progressive donor collaborative look to translate electoral victories into progressive policies and bolster nonpartisan organizations when funding tends to wane. To learn more, or to get involved, visit: https://waytorise.org/.

About Way to Rise

Way to Rise, the 501(c)(3) arm of Way to Win, centers communities most impacted by injustice, funding sustained nonpartisan civic engagement led by both state-based organizations and national groups that support state-based partners. Way to Rise is creating a framework for aligned funders to give collectively, around a shared strategy, to lay the groundwork for significant power shifts over time. We seek to build power in local communities across the country and facilitate lasting change to ultimately reshape the future of our democracy. For more information on Way to Rise, visit: waytorise.org

SOURCE Way To Win