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Posted on March 24, 2023

CREDO will always fight for women’s rights

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For more than 35 years, CREDO has fought for women’s rights, reproductive freedom, equal pay in the workplace and the empowerment of women.

Since 1985, our members have helped us donate more than $11 million to leading women’s rights organizations like NARAL Pro-Choice America, UltraViolet and Women’s March — and we’re proud to be one of Planned Parenthood’s largest corporate donors.

This Women’s History Month, we’d like to highlight for you a few women’s rights groups we’ve recently funded to learn more about their important work for equality, reproductive freedom and more.

 

Futures Without Violence

March 2023 Grantee

For over 40 years, Futures Without Violence has led groundbreaking programs and policy solutions to create safer homes, schools, and communities for women, children, and families everywhere. Our vision is for all individuals to have equitable access to education, safety, justice, and economic freedom.

Since 1993, our members have helped us donate $487,161 to power their critical work for families and survivors. To learn more and get involved, please visit their website or follow them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Equal Rights Advocate

January 2023 Grantee

Our grantee allies at Equal Rights Advocates fight for gender justice in workplaces and schools. Since 1974, they have protected and advanced rights and opportunities for women, girls, and gender-expansive people with free legal services, bold legislation, and community advocacy.

Since 1986, CREDO has donated $194,384 to help ERA provide free legal help to more students and workers challenging discrimination, harassment, and gender-based violence and more.

To learn more and get involved with ERA, please visit their website or follow them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

National Abortion Hotline

Grantee in September 2022

The National Abortion Hotline is the largest national, toll-free, multi-lingual abortion access hotline and patient assistance fund in the U.S. Every day, they help people access abortion care. 

Last September, CREDO members voted to donate $31,391 to help support the organization’s Dr. Tiller Patient Assistance Fund, which covers travel and other practical support expenses for people seeking abortion care. 

To learn more and get involved, please visit their website.

Women’s March

Grantee in August 2022

Our partners at Women’s March harness the political power of millions of diverse women and their communities to create transformative social change. They are a women-led movement working to build a feminist future.

Since 2019, CREDO members have helped us donate $180,333, most recently last August, that helped to power travel and accommodations scholarships for the Women’s Convention, so everyday women activists can build the skills and community required to create the feminist future we all need.

To learn more and get involved, please visit their website or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok or Instagram.

 

She the People

Grantee in August 2022

She the People is amplifying the leadership, insights, power and solutions brought by women of color across the nation. The organization is building a multiracial coalition to ensure women of color win racial justice, gender equality, and an inclusive Democracy.

Last August, CREDO members helped us donate $36,465 to support She the People’s efforts to elevate women of color as a core voting bloc and leaders of a new progressive political and cultural era.

To learn more and get involved, please visit their website or follow them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

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Posted on March 7, 2023

Going Boldly Forward to End Violence with Futures Without Violence

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Note from the CREDO team: This March, Futures Without Violence is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the CREDO community will power FUTURES to collaborate and implement innovative solutions with community-based partners and meet the high demand for resources, materials, and programs to support survivors, their families, and broader communities.

Read this important blog post from the group’s founder and president Esta Soler, then click here to visit CREDODonations.com to cast your vote to help determine how we distribute our monthly grant to this organization and our other amazing grantees this March.

At Futures Without Violence, we are being called to step boldly into this moment.

It’s a time when places like Buffalo, Half Moon Bay, and Uvalde have become household words. When more than 1 out of every 3 children will grow up in homes exposed to domestic violence. And when a pandemic has left many of us facing serious health and economic struggles.

We believe we don’t have to live like this – and that everyone can play a part to prevent and respond to violence. How?

FUTURES has always put those who are most in harm’s way at the center of our work, whether it’s a woman facing violence, a child in crisis, a school devastated by gun violence, or a community – and country – facing deep division.

Our Love Letter to Survivors is one tool in our work with individuals. It reminds people living with violence or abuse now, and those who survived it, that they are worthy of love, of joy, of thriving – that they are strong and resilient, and that tomorrow is within reach. It sends the message that hope and change are possible and is a call to action for anyone who wants to help.

We also support the organizations that step in, instead of stepping away, when times are tough. From a nationwide network of community organizations confronting hate crimes in their communities, to a collective of California nonprofits pioneering new ways to prevent and end early childhood adversity, we identify resources and create ways for local innovators to share ideas and wisdom so that, collectively, they become stronger, surer, and even more effective.

Last year, we:

  •       Pioneered groundbreaking research that showed for the first time that 8 in 10 teens who experience dating violence also report financial abuse
  •       Unlocked with partners more than $2 billion in public funds for programs that prevent violence, provide economic supports, and help survivors heal in the U.S. and internationally
  •       Equipped thousands of first responders across healthcare, education, legal systems and more, to reach survivors with lifesaving support
  •       Launched with partners a first of its kind national network of mental health responders embedded in the activities young people love – like sports, video games and mentoring
  •       Continued our track record of financial excellence, receiving the highest possible marks from charity watchdog groups like Charity Navigator – 4 out of 4 stars for over a decade and counting (fewer than 5% of charities share that distinction).

There’s a fundamental truth that drives all our work: We’re all connected. We’re in this together. None of us can be strong and safe when any of us face poverty, toxic stress, discrimination, violence or hate.

For more than 40 years, FUTURES has been a powerful force for healing, compassion, equity and unity. We bring people, families, and communities together. We lift people up when others tear them down. We inspire people and help them find courage, show empathy, offer support, and counter abuse, discrimination and oppression.

We make progress, even in these tough times. And we will continue working to heal and strengthen families and communities.

We invite each one of you to be a part of our journey and change the world with us. For more information, you can find us at www.futureswithoutviolence.org.

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Posted on March 3, 2023

Pesticides & Climate Change: A Vicious Cycle

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Note from the CREDO team: This March, Pesticide Action Network is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the CREDO community will help PAN challenge the global proliferation of pesticides, defend basic rights to health and environmental quality, and champion agroecology — a transformative farming system rooted in social justice and biodiversity.

Read this important blog post from Pesticide Action Network, then click here to visit CREDODonations.com to cast your vote to help determine how we distribute our monthly grant to this organization and our other amazing grantees this March.

Climate change will have sweeping impacts on agriculture, some of which we’re seeing in real-time with unpredictable precipitation patterns and increases in the severity of extreme weather events. But how do pesticides specifically intersect with climate change? A new report by PAN Organizing Co-Director Asha Sharma, Senior Scientist Margaret Reeves, and Policy Fellow Calista Washburn explores this question.

The bottom line is pesticides contribute significantly to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while, at the same time, climate change is expected to increase pesticide applications. It’s a vicious cycle. 

Pesticides drive climate change

Very few studies calculate the GHG emissions of pesticide use over the full life-cycle (production, storage, shipment, application, breakdown) of the chemicals, which likely causes underestimates of true impact. In terms of production, 99% of all synthetic chemicals – including pesticides – are derived from fossil fuels. But they receive much less attention than nitrogen fertilizer, another key agricultural chemical input that creates dangerous levels of GHG emissions. Research has shown that the manufacture of one kilogram of pesticide requires, on average, about 10 times more energy than one kilogram of nitrogen fertilizer!

Pesticides can also release GHG emissions after their application, with fumigant pesticides shown to significantly increase nitrous oxide production in soils. Many pesticides lead to the production of ground-level ozone, a greenhouse gas harmful to both humans and plants.

 

Climate change & pesticide use

At the same time pesticide use is driving climate change, research shows the effects of our changing climate will likely lead to increased use of synthetic pesticides. Here’s why:

  • Rising temperatures, heat stress and altered rain patterns are leading to decreased crop resilience. For example, drought conditions weaken plants’ natural defenses and change their biology, leaving them more vulnerable to pests.
  • Rising temperatures will likely stimulate insect population growth in certain regions. Scientists also expect to see continued shifts in insects’ geographic regions and potential to survive winter.
  • Because they have more diversity in their gene pool and a greater ability to acclimate, weeds are more resilient to climate change than cultivated crops. Research suggests weeds will have an increased ability to outcompete agricultural crops in many regions, leading to declining yields.
  • Climate change speeds up pesticide degradation, meaning pesticides will be effective for less time, leading farmers to increase their pesticide application rates. 

An environmental justice issue

Scientists caution that climate change will increase the movement of pesticides away from their intended targets, further polluting our environment and endangering public health. Increased temperatures are expected to result in more pesticide volatilization – when pesticides transform into a gas – meaning more pesticides in our air. Severe rain events are also expected to increase pesticide loss to our waterways.

In the US, people living in communities most exposed to pesticides – agricultural workers, rural communities, and residents living where pesticides are produced and wastes are dumped – are disproportionately low-income and people of color. The predicted increase in pesticide use will also compound other climate change effects that impact these communities, such as extreme heat and wildfire smoke.

This is both a climate crisis and a racial injustice.

Real solutions

Despite these findings, the reduction of synthetic pesticide use has been omitted from climate change solutions. Instead, synthetic pesticide use has been presented as a climate change mitigation strategy by industrial agriculture interests. 

The real solution addresses all sides of this vicious cycle: agroecology. The adoption of alternative agricultural systems minimizes or eliminates synthetic fertilizer and pesticide use while increasing the resilience of our farming systems to better withstand climate change impacts. 

Governments can start by adopting measurable goals to reduce synthetic pesticide use in climate policies. Laws and regulations should be written to uphold and promote the rights of groups most impacted by synthetic pesticide use. And finally, policies should be developed that provide improved technical assistance and incentives for farmers to adopt farming practices that protect community and ecosystem health. 

And, while we work toward future policy and practice change, we can collectively support the advocacy work of organizations and impacted communities fighting for climate justice now.

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Posted on March 3, 2023

Our February grantees thank you for your support

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Each month, CREDO members vote on how we distribute funding to three incredible nonprofits. Those small actions add up – with one click, you can help fund groups supporting independent journalism, climate justice, and the fight against violent right-wing extremism. In February, CREDO members voted to distribute our monthly donation among Democracy Now!, Evergreen Action and Life After Hate.

These donations are made possible by CREDO customers and the revenue they generate by using our services. The distribution depends entirely on the votes of CREDO members like you. And for that, our February grant recipients thank you.

 Democracy Now!

“None of our work would be possible without you and our global audience of listeners and viewers. Thank you so much for supporting our independent journalism.” – Amy Goodman, Host and Executive Producer, Democracy Now!

To learn more, visit www.democracynow.org.

 Evergreen Action

“With your donation, we are able to push the ball forward on bold climate action that protects people & the planet. Support from CREDO members like you helps ensure we have the best chance at a more livable & equitable future. Thank you.” – Jamal Raad, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Evergreen Action

To learn more, visit www.evergreenaction.com.

 Life After Hate

“Thank you for your commitment to and support of Life After Hate and its mission. Because of you, we have been able to help individuals leave the violent far-right. More importantly, together we have demonstrated that second chances are possible.” – Patrick R. Riccards, CEO, Life After Hate, Inc.

To learn more, visit www.lifeafterhate.org.

Now check out the three groups we are funding in March, and cast your vote to help distribute our donations.

CREDO members who use our products are the reason why we are able to make these donations each month. Learn more about CREDO Mobile, the carrier with a conscience.

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Posted on March 1, 2023

Vote for Futures Without Violence, Pesticide Action Network and Social Security Works

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Every month, CREDO members vote to distribute our monthly grant to three incredible progressive causes – and every vote makes a difference. This March, you can support preventing violence against women and children across the world, ending the use of dangerous pesticides and protecting Social Security by voting to fund Futures Without Violence, Pesticide Action Network and Social Security Works.

 Futures Without Violence

For over 40 years, FUTURES has led groundbreaking programs and policy solutions to create safer homes, schools, and communities for women, children, and families everywhere. Its vision is for all individuals to have equitable access to education, safety, justice, and economic freedom.

Funding from CREDO will power FUTURES to collaborate and implement innovative solutions with community-based partners and meet the high demand for resources, materials, and programs to support survivors, their families, and broader communities.

Pesticide Action Network

Across the US and around the world, PAN works with those on the frontlines of industrial agriculture — farmworkers, family farmers, rural communities, Indigenous people and children — to eradicate pesticide use and build a just, healthy food system.

Funding from CREDO members will help PAN challenge the global proliferation of pesticides, defend basic rights to health and environmental quality, and champion agroecology — a transformative farming system rooted in social justice and biodiversity.

Social Security Works

Social Security Works knows that the best defense against right-wing lies is a good offense. That’s why they fight every day to expand―never cut―our Social Security system!

Wall Street has been plotting to cut Social Security for nearly a century. Funding from CREDO members will help SSW defeat the plot to create a program to fast-track cuts to Social Security.

Your vote this month will determine how we divide our monthly donations among these three progressive groups. Be sure to cast your vote to support one, two or all three by March 31.

CREDO members who use our products and services everyday are the reason we are able to make these donations each month. Learn more about CREDO Mobile and join our movement.

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Posted on March 1, 2023

How to scan your important tax documents right from your phone

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Tax Day is right around the corner, and if you haven’t filed yet, it’s time to quickly get all your documents in order.

The best way to save, store or upload your tax documents, especially if you have paper copies, is by digitizing them.

You don’t have a scanner? Not a problem! You can easily scan all your documents right from your smartphone. Here’s how.

Scanning tax documents from your iPhone or iPad

There are a few ways to digitize your tax documents from an iPhone or iPad. The simplest way is to simply open your camera app and take photos of each document. Make sure you place your documents on a well-lit, flat surface and snap a picture of each one. This method will be a bit time consuming, since the files will be stored as images (not PDFs) and you will need to manually crop and organize each one.

However, our preferred method is using the Files app, which will automatically recognize, scan and crop your documents and help you organize them for easy sharing at a later date. Here’s how to get started:

    1. Open the Files app on your iPhone or iPad
    2. Tap the Browse tab (likely in the bottom corner)
    3. Tap the three dots in the top right corner and choose Scan Documents
    4. Position your document on a well-lit flat surface and hover your phone’s camera over the document. The app should automatically recognize and scan it. The file will be placed in your scanned documents
    5. Continue scanning documents until you are done. Click Save.
    6. Choose the folder you would like to save your documents in, or click the three dots at the top of your screen to create a new folder. Click Save to save your documents.

Scanning tax documents from your Android device

Scanning documents on Android devices can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Some models have a built-in scanning function in the Camera app, while others do not. However, you will likely use Google Drive on your Android to store your documents, photos and other important information, so here’s how to use Google Drive to scan your tax documents, which should work across all Android models.

  1. Open the Google Drive app. (If you don’t have Google Drive installed on your device, download and install it from Google Play here.)
  2. Tap the “+” button, then tap Scan.
  3. Position your document on a well-lit flat surface and hover your phone’s camera over the document, then tap the shutter button. You can now edit, crop or rotate the image.
  4. To add more documents, tap the + button.
  5. When you’re finished scanning, click Save. Now give your document a name and organize your files in Google Drive.

 

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Posted on February 28, 2023

Social Security Works is Fighting to Protect and Expand Social Security’s Earned Benefits

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Note from the CREDO team: This March, Social Security Works is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the CREDO community will help SSW fight to make sure that Social Security and Medicare are protected from reckless cuts and pressure lawmakers to pledge to never cut these critical programs.

Read this important blog post from SSW’s Executive Director Alex Lawson, then click here to visit CREDODonations.com to cast your vote to help determine how we distribute our monthly grant to this organization and our other amazing grantees this March.

Social Security Works advocates on behalf of the 66 million Americans who rely on their earned Social Security benefits, and the millions more Americans who will rely on these earned benefits in the future. While Republican politicians including Senators Rick Scott (R-FL) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) have released plans to cut, privatize, and destroy Social Security, Social Security Works is fighting back.

Social Security is a promise between generations that brings people of all backgrounds together. Not surprisingly, Social Security is wildly popular among Americans of all political persuasions. More Americans believe in the Loch Ness Monster than support cutting Social Security’s earned benefits!

The challenge is holding members of Congress accountable so that they listen to the will of their voters, not to Wall Street donors. To that end, Social Security Works and its coalition partners are demanding that every member of Congress — both Democrats and Republicans — make a public pledge: I will never cut Social Security and Medicare under any circumstances.

Getting politicians on the record is important because Republicans, along with a small group of corporate-friendly Democrats like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), are trying to cut benefits behind closed doors.

Republicans realize that their quest to defund and dismantle Social Security will never win the support of the American people. This is why Republicans want to force Democrats to go behind closed doors and cut benefits together, so that voters won’t know which party to blame. They are trying to use the must-pass debt ceiling increase as leverage to do so.

When Donald Trump was President, Republicans let the debt ceiling increase three times without it ever becoming a negotiation. But before the midterm elections, Senator John Thune (the second-most powerful Senate Republican) and Speaker Kevin McCarthy both called for Republicans to hold the debt ceiling hostage for cuts to Social Security and Medicare. While those top Republicans are now backing off that call, fast-tracked commissions that would allow for Social Security cuts without Republican fingerprints are still being discussed.

Whether it takes place through a commission or through a hostage negotiation, a cut is still a cut. The Biden Administration has rightfully called these commissions “death panels” for Social Security and Medicare. This is a huge change from a decade ago, when far more Democrats were open to such a commission. 

When Social Security Works was founded, the DC conventional wisdom was dominated by talk of cutting Social Security, with absolutely no room for imagining benefits could be expanded. Now, nearly all Democrats are united in support of expanding benefits and even many Republicans are running away (at least rhetorically) from their support for cuts.

That’s how much Social Security Works has changed the conversation over the past decade, and we are never going to back down.

We will never let Republicans destroy Social Security and Medicare.

We will fight to make sure that Social Security and Medicare are expanded, and we won’t let the people trying to cut the earned benefits of the American people hide behind mealy-mouthed weasel words.

The best way to save Social Security from its enemies is to keep pressuring every politician in Washington D.C. to take the No Cuts pledge and raise the debt ceiling without hostage-taking.

Go to DontCutSocialSecurity.org to find out if your member has taken the pledge. If they have not, call them, email them, and hold rallies outside their offices, all with one message: Commit to protecting our earned Social Security and Medicare benefits!

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Posted on February 16, 2023

Four great groups to follow this Black History Month

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For nearly 40 years, CREDO has donated more than $25 million to incredible organizations fighting for civil rights, equality and voting rights.

This Black History Month, we wanted to highlight a few groups that our members have helped to fund who are working to protect the fundamental right to vote, centering the role of Black women in our communities, fighting for racial justice and so much more.

Please take a minute to read more about these incredible groups and then give them a follow to support their work!

Fair Fight Action

Founded by Stacey Abrams, Fair Fight Action is a national voting rights organization that brings high-impact, politically sophisticated strategies to the fight for free and fair elections. They advocate, organize, and litigate to protect the freedom to vote for all eligible American voters.

Since 2019, CREDO members have helped us donate $84,235 so far to help Fair Fight Action lead the charge to protect voting rights. If you would like to get involved, please sign up to volunteer, and follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

She The People

She the People builds power for women of color to lead America to a new political era. The organization’s vision is of an America governed by love, justice, and belonging, led by the leadership of women of color.

Funding from CREDO members has supported She the People’s efforts to elevate women of color as a core voting bloc and leaders of a new progressive political and cultural era.

Take a minute to read their analysis on how Black women played a pivotal role in the 2022 midterm elections, and follow the organization on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Zinn Education Project

The Zinn Education Project introduces students to a more accurate, complex, and engaging understanding of history than is found in traditional textbooks and curricula. They help equip students with analytical tools to make sense of and improve the world today.

Since 2015, CREDO and our members have donated $110,837 to help the organization double the number of Teaching for Black Lives teacher-led study groups; expand its Climate Justice and Reconstruction education campaigns; and defend the right to teach honestly in the face of anti-history education laws.

If you or someone you know is a teacher, please check out their materials on teaching the People’s History and follow the organization on social media: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Legal Defense Fund

The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is America’s premier legal organization fighting for racial justice. Using the power of law, narrative, research, and people, we defend and advance the full dignity and citizenship of Black people in America.

Since 1997, our incredible members have helped us donate $274,532 to help LDF’s efforts to expand democracy, eliminate disparities, and achieve racial justice.

Take a minute to read their recent piece on a framework for effective, equitable and humane public safety structures and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Posted on February 14, 2023

Thanks to the continued support of CREDO members, Brady is working to keep our communities safe from gun violence

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For more than 40 years, our long-time grantee partners at Brady: United Against Gun Violence have united gun owners and non-gun owners alike in the fight against gun violence and worked to ensure that every community is safer.

In July 2022, CREDO members voted to distribute donations to help Brady bolster its on-the-ground programs in areas most impacted by gun violence, hold the gun industry accountable in court, promote safe gun storage, and more. Since 1994, CREDO and our members have donated over $1 million to the organization.

Powered in part by the generosity of CREDO and our members, Brady had some recent victories and launched some great new initiatives. Here’s a quick rundown from the organization:

Recent Victories

The Brady Center

The Brady Center seeks to end the public health epidemic of gun violence. To achieve this life-saving goal, our work must address the root causes of the different types of violence fueling gun deaths and injuries in America. As with any epidemic, there are many approaches to eradicating gun violence. The best courses of action differ for each form of gun violence and community impacted. Focused on taking action, not sides, Brady is blazing the trail for an evidence-based, public health approach to preventing gun violence in America.

Our core programs—including End Family Fire, Brady Legal, and our supply-side programming —rely on innovative and proven strategies that don’t require legislative action. Over the past year, thanks to the generous support of partners like Credo, we have continued to expand and strengthen these life-saving efforts. The following paragraphs detail recent organizational achievements and updates since Credo’s investment in our gun violence prevention mission.

End Family Fire (EFF)

End Family Fire is a national public service advertising campaign from Brady and the Ad Council that debuted in August 2018. EFF recognizes that gun owners are an essential part of the gun violence prevention movement—and can prevent tragedies through safe gun storage. EFF initially focused on preventing unintentional shootings. In late 2020, we expanded the campaign to focus on another type of gun violence that is often not talked about: gun suicide. In the U.S., we lose 63 people a day to gun suicide—more than those who are lost to firearm murders and unintentional shootings combined.

In 2022, Brady launched a statewide EFF suicide prevention campaign in partnership with the Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH). The launch includes a geo-targeted multimedia PSA campaign, focused on promoting safe storage to prevent gun suicide, that will run for 2 years. This involved the development of localized EFF creative assets for distribution via television, radio, print, out-of-home, and digital display, along with a social media campaign targeting gun owners in Missouri. Through survey data comparing pre-and-post campaign, we’ve found that by September 2022 there were statistically significant increases among Missourian respondents in recognition of End Family Fire suicide prevention PSAs (40% baseline to 48% in Q3 2022) and the percent of those who report talking to friends and family about safe gun storage in the past six months (26% baseline to 35% in Q3 2022). These early results are promising reflections of the individual behavior change model and will continue to be monitored in the coming months.

Our collaboration with MFH underscores the growth and impact of EFF since its 2018 debut and exemplifies our vision for the program’s growth. We seek to replicate this geo-targeted work in other strategically-chosen cities/states/regions, such as those with high rates of gun ownership and/or incidents of family fire. We believe that concentrating EFF messaging—both related to unintentional shootings and gun suicide—in these higher-risk areas will maximize the campaign’s life-saving impact on gun owner attitude, awareness, and behavior.

Brady Legal

Brady Legal brings together a strong network of talent to provide pro bono representation to victims of gun violence and counter the gun industry’s well-financed influence and special protections. Our team has secured landmark precedents that hold gun companies and dealers accountable for the deaths and injuries they enable. To date, the program has won over $60 million in settlements and verdicts for gun violence victims and successfully pushed many gun dealers and manufacturers to adopt more responsible, safer business practices. Find more details below one of Brady’s new legal cases.

As part of its work, Brady Legal helps cities in the grips of gun violence hold manufacturers of “ghost guns” accountable. Ghost guns are untraceable guns made without serial numbers that are typically assembled with parts and kits that can be purchased online, without a background check. Credo’s support allowed us to fight, and win, against a motion to dismiss the case in December 2022. In the case, the City of Baltimore, represented by Brady Legal and Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP, is suing Polymer80, Inc. — the largest “ghost gun” manufacturer in the U.S. — for fueling gun violence in Baltimore. Polymer80 accounts for 91% of all ghost guns recovered by police in Baltimore from January 2020 to April 2022. Prior to 2018, the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) had never recovered a ghost gun.

New Initiatives

Government Transparency for Gun Violence Prevention (GTGVP)

Brady stands out in the gun violence prevention (GVP) field in part because of our ‘supply-side’ approach to reduce gun crime. Instead of solely focusing on the shooter, Brady believes that we must also address the source or supplier of guns used in crime – namely, the gun industry and dealers who are contributing to and profiting from gun violence. Transparency is key to a successful supply-side approach, allowing us to identify and reform the gun businesses responsible for supplying crime guns; hold agencies accountable for failures in firearms industry regulation and enforcement; and expose how the powerful gun lobby influences decisions and policies at all levels of government.

Brady’s Government Transparency for Gun Violence Prevention (GTGVP) initiative was created to further these goals. Our transparency work is core to Brady’s mission, influencing and forwarding many of Brady’s other programs in addition to its important external impact on public awareness. Through public records requests and litigation, GTGVP gathers information and data on the firearms industry and government oversight; uses such data to inform our priorities and programs; and releases it to the public through published reports, data dashboards, and reputable news outlets.

New Project Launch: Firearms Procurement Project

Brady relies on our data from government transparency requests to inform our procurement work with state government and law enforcement agencies. Increasing industry transparency and identifying at-risk dealers is necessary to inform public officials which vendors are complying with the law and engaging in safe business practices. Starting in January 2023, we launched a responsible firearms procurement project, advocating for law enforcement agencies to buy from only law-abiding and otherwise responsible gun vendors. Taxpayers are the number one buyer of firearms in America. Altogether, taxpayers spend more than $5 billion a year to buy guns and ammunition for our nation’s law enforcement agencies. Our most recent analysis shows that California law enforcement agencies spent tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on gun dealers that have been cited for serious violations of the law. 

If you’d like to learn more or get involved with Win Without War, please visit their website, or follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About CREDO
Most companies go into business to make money. Thirty-five years ago, we went into business to make change, offering services to make it easy for you to make a difference. That’s why, since day one, we’ve donated a portion of our revenue to progressive causes — $94 million since our founding in 1985.
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