Dear Community,
Here at G4GC, we are proud to support the leadership and power of AAPI girls, femmes and gender-expansive youth during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and all year. We are so inspired by AAPI youth activists like Mina Fedor who are organizing in their schools and communities toward a safe, equitable and abundant future for us all.
From frontline social justice advocacy to essential support for survivors of violence, several G4GC grantee partners led by Southeast Asian, Pacific Islander and Asian American women, femmes, and youth are doing transformative on-the-ground work. Despite experiencing physical and sexual harassment and violence and erasure in larger public dialogues about racial and gender justice, AAPI girls, femmes, and gender-expansive youth are organizing not only in their communities, but in solidarity with Black, Indigenous, and other communities of Color. We are proud to continue our partnerships in supporting incredible organizations that center girls and youth of Color. Read more about some of these wonderful partners below!
In this month’s newsletter, we share more information about May 5th as a day to recognize and honor Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG), an introduction to our second group of Black Girl Freedom Fund grantees, events and opportunities from our community, what’s inspiring our staff lately, and mental health resources for young people.
Our community continues to lead in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. We remain hopeful because girls, femmes, and gender-expansive youth of Color continue to dream and actualize a future filled with justice and abundance. G4GC proudly supports a number of reproductive justice organizations providing direct support to young people so that they can make healthy and safe decisions about their families, and working to dismantle the structural conditions that continue to impact Black, Indigenous, and other communities of Color. If you would like to learn more about these powerful organizations, please reach out to [email protected].
Meet some of our AAPI-led grantee partners, and their impactful work
“We envision a world where Southeast Asian women, girls, Queer and Trans people are free from injustice.” ~Hmong American Women’s Association, G4GC grantee partner
Hmong American Women’s Association, (Milwaukee, WI): Queer-fem-led grassroots social justice advocacy organization that has been investing in the healing of Southeast Asian women, girls, Queer and Trans people since 1993.
Banteay Srei (Oakland, CA): Youth development organization serving dozens of Southeast Asian women and girls in Oakland through education, community and leadership development since 2004.
Freedom Inc. (Madison, WI):
Black and Southeast Asian nonprofit working towards social, political, cultural, and economic change in order to end violence against women, gender-nonconforming and transgender folks, and children within communities of Color.
Monsoon Asians and Pacific Islanders in Solidarity (Iowa): Serves survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking in Asian Pacific Islander communities across Iowa since 2003; offers a violence prevention program that focuses on helping youth and girls through internships, in-school and after-school programs, and community education events.
Sakhi for South Asian Women (New York): Survivor-led movement for gender justice supporting 10,000+ South Asian women and girls in NY since 1989 through direct services, advocacy and organizing, technical assistance, and community outreach.
Other organizations we are proud to support include:
These are some but not nearly all of the incredible AAPI-led organizations we support at G4GC. For more information, please reach out to us directly at [email protected].
A day of awareness & action for Indigenous women and girls
Thursday, May 5 is National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). Through our New Songs Rising Initiative, in collaboration with Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples, we have allocated funds to grantee partners who are working on projects to bring awareness to this issue affecting many Native girls, femmes, and gender-expansive youth across the country, as well as their families and communities. The crisis of gender-based violence is deeply rooted in colonialism, and Indigenous women and gender-expansive relatives continue to devote tremendous energy to organizing their communities in order to both prevent future tragedies and honor those who have been lost. Grantmakers for Girls of Color stands with all who have gone missing, and we send support, love, and healing to their families and communities. You can read more about how our grantee partners are responding to this important day below:
Gedakina, which is based in Vermont, designed and distributed t-shirts honoring MMIWG to women in the multiple communities that they serve in the Northeast. The shirts included art designed by Gedakina employee Kay Mattena (Citizen Band of Potawatomi).
Kee Cha E Nar Corporation used this grant to outfit their boat with sonar equipment to enable their MMIP project, To’ Kee Skuy’ Soo Ney-wo-chek, to explore the Klamath River in the hopes that it provides answers to families who are missing relatives. This equipment is often available to non-tribal communities throughout the state, but has not been accessible within the community.
Indigenous Vision partnered with Native Action to hold an event at the University of Montana, bringing together community leaders, Native students, UM student groups, the families of murdered and missing Indigenous women, and non-profit collaboratives. Elders were invited to speak, and the event included drumming and singing to honor those who have not come home, and ended with a candlelight vigil walk around the UM Oval. Mental health professionals were on-site to help families of victims, and organizations joined to support with various in-kind services.
Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition
MIWSAC organized an in-person event near the Sexual Assault Survivors Memorial at Boom Island Park, in Minneapolis. The event included musical performances, jingle dress dancers, a drum group, legislative speakers, and an art installation with full-size tipis (with MMIR artwork and red dress cardboard cutouts). Additional funds covered MMIWG billboards, reward funds, and funding to assist with searches of relatives in Minnesota.
Restoring Justice for Indigenous Peoples
Restoring Justice for Indigenous Peoples hosted an event honoring and advocating for MMIWGR at the San Francisco City Hall. MMIWGR-Impacted Families will have the opportunity to share their loved ones’ stories, and dancers and drummers honored those who have been stolen.
Sacred Pipe Resource Center held an event to unveil a sculpture made by artist Kathy Whitman (Three Affiliated Tribes) to honor and advocate for murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls. The mobile sculpture was moved across various Bismarck businesses and held flyers and information about currently missing Native American women in the area. The unveiling included a community meal and guest speakers, including North Dakota State Representative Ruth Buffalo.
Wiconi Wawokiya hosted a community walk to advocate for and honor the murdered and missing women and girls within their community. The walk included snacks, water, and t-shirts for participants. Additional funds will be used to fund ongoing and future searches for missing relatives.
Xinacthli Girls used funds to bolster their capacity to create visibility, awareness, and movement-building around violence against Indigenous women and girls from the U.S., Canada and Latin America. Members of their Colectiva come together to adopt and make available an action manual/campaign to push for their local governments to declare May 5th as #MMIWGR Day of Awareness and ongoing push for the full implementation of Savanna’s Act and the Not Invisible Act.
68 New BGFF Grantees & news coverage!
Last month we announced our latest round of Black Girl Freedom Fund grantee partners. We’re so excited to introduce these organizations to our communities! You can view the full list of round two BGFF grantee partners on our website here. And we invite you to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn for spotlights of each grantee partner throughout the spring and summer.
News coverage of our BGFF investment in these wonderful organizations includes:
where Dr. Monique W. Morris, our President & CEO said “We wanted to challenge philanthropy to do better… to think about how we cultivate the ways in which Black girls and femmes are already showing up in their communities … because they are worthy of investment in and of themselves.”
You can read all three articles on our website!
Save the date: G4GC annual convening
We’re busy planning an exciting 2022 G4GC annual convening, and we have exciting surprises that you won’t want to miss! More details to come, but mark your calendars now for the week of October 24-29, 2022 so you can join us!
Creating wealth with other women of Color
Our grantee partner Seeds of Fortune is hosting their Women of Color Creating Wealth Financial Empowerment Summit on June 3-5, 2022. The summit is dedicated to helping Gen Z girls of Color (ages 15-24) learn how to manage their personal finances and prepare for their financial futures. The summit will be in New York City (tickets are $168), but there is an option to attend virtually for $25. Learn more and register athttps://www.seedsoffortune.org/summit
Funding Opportunity: Children’s Rights Innovation Fund
The Children’s Rights Innovation Fund (CRIF) has an open call for funding proposals from youth activist groups of Black, African, and/or African descent who are between the ages of 13-27 and reside in rural areas, or vulnerable urban areas. They are seeking applications for projects that address racism, colonialism, and related issues. Learn more about this funding opportunity and apply at crifund.org. Applications close on May 9th, 2022.
Calling young leaders!
Applications are live for The King Center’s newly established “Beloved Community Leadership Academy”! This 2-year program will focus on leadership and character development, entrepreneurship, and Dr. King’s nonviolent teachings for youth ages 13-18. Through Goldman Sachs’ One Million Black Women, The King Center is offering scholarships to Black girls and will support a dedicated cohort with special monthly programming. Applications are due May 20, and the academy will start on July 5th.
ID hotline for youth
Our grantee partner National Network for Youth is launching the I Am Here: Vital Document Legal Hotline for Youth. This national hotline will provide resources and assistance to youth in obtaining state ID cards and licenses, birth certificates, social security cards, or documents needed to get an ID/license. This is a pilot hotline on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12 to 8 p.m. ET throughout May 2022.
Toolkit for building healthier gender dynamics
Earlier this month, the New Mexico Healthy Masculinities Collaborative, of which NewMexicoWomen.Org (NMW.O) is a member, launched the NM Healthy Masculinities Toolkit. This is a free resource for communities to engage in conversations and activities focused on healthy masculinities and, ultimately, to build healthier gender dynamics. Visit masculinitiesnm.orgto download the toolkit and watch the launch video.
A chance to elevate your impact
Applications for the 2023 Roddenberry Fellowship are now open. The 12-month program offers fellows $50K to take an existing initiative (e.g. campaign, organization) to the next level and amplify its impact OR to launch a new initiative. Applications are accepted through May 27. They will also be hosting a webinar on May 18 for more information.
Tracking funding for Native communities
Native Americans in Philanthropy and CANDID have partnered to create a robust resource library with funding data, research, historical context, and tools to support Native communities and causes. “Investing in Native Communities” aims to:
- Understand why funding for Native communities is important;
- Visualize the landscape of philanthropic funding over the years; and
- Learn from the knowledge and experiences of other organizations
Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/erwKmBi
Perfect timing!
What’s inspiring our Black Girl Freedom Fund Manager Cidra M. Sebastien? “Perfect Timing Podcast hosted by Sydnie Chandler Monet’, a wonderful host who curates episodes with young people in mind. “Her most recent podcast features advice on building financial literacy and finding money for college. And yes, she’s one of the BGFF grantee partners,” said Cidra.
Some dope Instagram accounts
Our Senior Director of Research, Advocacy, and Policy, Dr. Whitney Richards-Calathes, is inspired by Know Your Caribbean. She describes the page as, “an educational, inspiring, and connecting resource that speaks to the rich, fun, powerful histories of Caribbean people and our diaspora.” Whitney’s also inspired by the art of Nourie Flayhan, and calls it, “just great art.”
An Anthology of Black Lesbian thought
Our Office Manager Mariah Gill is inspired by “Mouths of Rain,” a compilation of stories that traces the long history of intellectual thought produced by Black Lesbian writers, spanning the past two centuries.
A game-changing album
Data Analyst for G4GC Solace Mensah-Narh is inspired by singer and artist Jazmine Sullivan’s EP Heaux Tales. The EP won Sullivan a Grammy award earlier this year and continues to have fans gushing a whole year and a half after its release.
Prioritizing youth mental health
In addition to being AAPI Heritage Month and Haitian Heritage Month, May is also Mental Health Awareness Month. The Upswing Fund for Adolescent Mental Health has released their latest report, Addressing the Adolescent Mental Health Emergency, where they provide action-oriented recommendations to close gaps in care for the most vulnerable adolescent populations. They hope it will be particularly useful to new funders in the adolescent mental health space to encourage unrestricted and trust-based giving at the intersections of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth mental health.
May 2022
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2-8: National Small Business Week
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5: Day bringing awareness to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in the U.S.
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8: Mother’s Day
June 2022
*National Caribbean American Heritage Month
*Immigrant Heritage Month
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19: Juneteenth
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26: Anniversary of Supreme Court same-sex marriage ruling
Do you know of an important, historical date or upcoming celebration? Or does your organization have a funding opportunity, upcoming conference, or other celebration centering girls of Color you want to share with the G4GC community? Or an important date to be included in our upcoming calendar section? Email them to [email protected] with “newsletter” in the subject line for consideration 6-8 weeks before the event or date.
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*When G4GC refers to “girls of color” we include any cis, trans, gender-expansive, non-binary and/or any girl- or femme-identified person age 25 and younger who identifies as Black, Indigenous, Latine, Asian, Arab, Pacific Islander, and/or other People of Color.