Arcus Foundation

The Arcus Foundation has launched a special initiative to address issues of economic and racial justice in Michigan communities. Titled the Michigan Racial & Economic Justice Initiative, this new effort began in Kalamazoo in 2007, following an extensive consultation process that included dozens of interviews with individuals in the community and two meetings of the Initiative's Advisory Committee. The Initiative was developed by the Arcus Foundation to support community-based organizations that are working for racial and economic justice. The Initiative supports organizations to assess, define and advance racial and economic justice priorities and to strengthen their ability to achieve structural and policy change.

Like all Arcus programs, the Initiative works with groups that are also inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity in their practices and policies. Funds for the Initiative will be allocated from the Arcus Gay & Lesbian Fund.

"As we developed the focus of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) grant making program, the Foundation heard a lot of input from organizations serving communities of color about the challenges and resource limitations they faced," explains Cindy Rizzo, Arcus Director of Grant Making Programs. "The Foundation's Board decided it was important to allocate a significant amount of resources to support the advocacy, organizing and policy needs of community-based organizations working for racial and economic justice. Because we have longstanding relationships with community-based organizations and civic leaders in Kalamazoo, we are starting here." As the initiative moves forward and if it shows promise, Arcus will explore expansion to other areas of the state.

Working with consultant Dr. Joyce Brown, a former Urban League executive director and W.K. Kellogg Foundation program staff, the Foundation conducted a broad-based inquiry that resulted in a program design focused on developing the capacity of community members to articulate, organize around and achieve social change in areas such as public safety policies and practices, building youth and adult leadership, ethnic and racial health disparities, access to permanent housing and access to economic opportunities.

Current Activities
In the pilot year of the Initiative, a group of 10 community organizations in Kalamazoo are being convened to form the core of a Michigan Racial & Economic Justice Network. Each organization will be invited to apply for capacity-building grants to strengthen the organization's overall ability to participate in this work, as well as special project grants to begin efforts to address local racial and economic justice priorities.

Participating organizations include ISAAC (Interfaith Strategy for Advocacy & Action in the Community), New Latino Visions, Northside Economic Potential Group, ERAC/CE, Hispanic American Council, Michigan Organizing Project, Kalamazoo Homeless Action Network, Boys and Girls Club of Kalamazoo, Northside Association for Community Development and Douglass Community Association.

As the Michigan Racial & Economic Justice Network develops, there will be opportunities for its members to access funds to plan and implement new, community-wide forums to provide opportunities to learn about issues of racial and economic justice and to broaden the network of those working on these issues. Supported will be strategic efforts that empower residents to define their needs, come together to create solutions and organize to advance change that can impact public policy, the composition of civic leadership, and the responsiveness of institutions, government and business.

In addition to the creation of this new network of community organizations, the Michigan Racial & Economic Justice Initiative will also be funding new research to assist community and civic leaders, as well as funders, in developing a better understanding of local demographics and racial and economic disparities.

Arcus Michigan Program Officer, Johnny Jenkins, will lead the Michigan Racial & Economic Justice Initiative. Dr. Brown will continue as project consultant and an evaluation component has also been planned. For more information, please contact Mr. Jenkins at .