Six months ago, the Community Foundation launched our Solidarity program, one of the first philanthropic programs of its kind in Virginia. The Solidarity program supports racial equity movement building — efforts that go beyond providing services and relief, and instead seek to collectively reimagine and alter unjust systems, and shift power to achieve long-term, community-level change.
“Movement building is the effort of social change agents to engage power holders and the broader society in addressing a systemic problem or injustice while promoting an alternative vision or solution.”
Julie Quiroz-Martinez, From the Roots: Building the Power of Communities of Color to Challenge Structural Racism, Akonadi Foundation, 2010 (pg. 5)
The most effective drivers of racial equity are the social movements led by those most affected by injustice. The Solidarity program therefore supports movement building led by Black and ALAANA (African, Latine, Asian, Arab, and Native American) members of our community.
From the very beginning, the program has been envisioned as an ongoing conversation with our community. In the first six months of our pilot year, we received an unprecedented number of applications, which affirms the need for programs like Solidarity that support racial equity movement building in our region. The tremendous enthusiasm and learning we’ve experienced thus far will powerfully shape future iterations of the program.
Seeking feedback
We are excited to continue adapting the Solidarity program in the coming months in preparation for 2025. If you are interested in providing feedback, such as sharing your experience applying for a Solidarity grant, or willing to take part in focus groups to help us take the next steps in imagining the Solidarity program, please email us at grants@cacfonline.org.