Posted on July 10, 2023
Thanks to CREDO members, the Zinn Education Project continues teaching our accurate history
Our grantee partners at the Zinn Education Project introduce students to a more accurate, complex, and engaging understanding of history than is found in traditional textbooks and curricula and help equip students with analytical tools to make sense of and improve the world today.
In December 2022, CREDO members voted to donate $27,433 to help the Zinn Education Project 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. In total, members like you have helped us donate $138,270 since 2015.
Powered in part by the generosity of CREDO and our members, Zinn Ed Project had some recent victories and launched some great new initiatives. Here’s a quick report on how your donations are making an impact from our friends at Zinn:
Teach Truth Day of Action
We hosted the third annual Teach Truth Day of Action in more than 65 cities across the United States with more than 50 co-sponsors including Color of Change; National Women’s Law Center; Learning for Justice; GLSEN; Red, Wine, & Blue; Human Rights Campaign; the National Education Association; and many more organizations of note.
Teach Banned Books at SXSW
We were invited to co-host a Teach Banned Books installation at SXSW in Austin in March of 2023 — allowing us to reach beyond our typical audience of educators. We traveled with the same installation to Orlando for the NEA Conference on Racial and Social Justice later in June.
New Lesson on Water and Environmental Racism
We released a new lesson for grades 7+ on water and environmental racism. Inspired by the 2016 Democracy Now! documentary Thirsty for Democracy, the lesson introduces students to the struggle of residents to access safe water for drinking, cooking, and bathing in the majority-Black cities of Flint, Michigan; Jackson, Mississippi; and Newark, New Jersey. Thanks to the support of CREDO and other donors, this lesson — and all the lessons at the Zinn Education Project — are free for teachers to download. Read more and access the lesson.
If you’d like to learn more and get involved with ZEP, please visit their website, or follow them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Posted on July 6, 2023
Reflect on 2023 so far, and vote now for a very special donation!
Thanks to our amazing CREDO customers, we’ve donated to 18 incredible progressive nonprofit groups so far this year. In celebration, we’ll be giving a special, extra donation of $10,000 to one of the groups we funded in 2023. Read below for a refresher on our grantees from January through June this year (list in alphabetical order), and then cast your vote now, and help send some extra support their way!
Democracy Now!
Grantee in February 2023
Democracy Now! is a daily, independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman, Juan González and Nermeen Shaikh. Its reporting includes breaking news headlines and in-depth interviews with people on the frontlines of today’s most pressing issues. Visit www.democracynow.org to learn more.
Action Against Hunger
Grantee in April 2023
Action Against Hunger is a global humanitarian organization that takes decisive action against the causes and effects of hunger. It saves the lives of malnourished children. It ensures everyone can access clean water, food, training and healthcare. It enables entire communities to be free from hunger. Visit www.actionagainsthunger.org to learn more.
Equal Rights Advocates
Grantee in January 2023
Equal Rights Advocates fights for gender justice in workplaces and schools. Since 1974, it’s protected and advanced rights and opportunities for women, girls, and gender-expansive people with free legal services, bold legislation, and community advocacy. Visit www.equalrights.org to learn more.
Evergreen Action
Grantee in February 2023
Evergreen pairs bold policy products with campaign-style communications and advocacy tactics to drive positive change. It fights for a just and thriving clean energy economy through raising standards, catalyzing investment, and centering justice. Visit www.evergreenaction.com to learn more.
Family Equality
Grantee in June 2023
Family Equality’s mission is to ensure that everyone has the freedom to find, form, and sustain their families by advancing equality for the LGBTQ+ community. It is creating a world where everyone can experience the love, safety, and belonging of family. Visit www.familyequality.org to learn more.
Friends of the Earth Action
Grantee in May 2023
Friends of the Earth Action believes that environmental protection and social justice are both part of the struggle for a healthy and just world. It fights for laws and lawmakers that echo that mission, and helps the public join in the battle. Visit www.foeaction.org to learn more.
Futures Without Violence
Grantee in March 2023
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. Visit www.futureswithoutviolence.org to learn more.
Global Fund for Women
Grantee in June 2023
Global Fund for Women envisions a world where movements for gender justice have transformed power and privilege for a few into equity and equality for all. Visit www.globalfundforwomen.org to learn more.
Green America
Grantee in April 2023
Since 1982, Green America has worked tirelessly to harness economic power – the strength of consumers, investors, and business leaders across the country – to create a more socially just and environmentally sustainable society. Visit www.greenamerica.org to learn more.
Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)
Grantee in April 2023
KIND’s vision is a world in which children’s rights and well-being are protected as they migrate alone. KIND’s team is made up of global experts on the rights and needs of unaccompanied and separated children and the laws, policies, and practices that affect them. Visit www.supportkind.org to learn more.
Life After Hate
Grantee in February 2023
Life After Hate helps individuals disengage and deradicalize from violent far-right extremist (VFRE) hate groups and hateful online spaces. Visit www.lifeafterhate.org to learn more.
National Domestic Violence Hotline
Grantee in May 2023
For more than 27 years, the National Domestic Violence Hotline has answered the call – over 6.5 million calls, chats, and texts to date – for those affected by relationship abuse. It provides crisis support and hope for a life free from violence. Visit thehotline.org to learn more.
National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA)
Grantee in June 2023
The National Fair Housing Alliance is the country’s only national civil rights organization dedicated solely to eliminating all forms of housing and lending discrimination and ensuring equal opportunities for all people. Visit thehotline.org to learn more.
Paid Leave for All
Grantee in May 2023
Paid Leave for All represents dozens of organizations and tens of millions of workers, families, small businesses, and advocates, and its campaign provides the strategy and coordinated effort to pass a federal law ensuring paid leave for all working people. Visit www.paidleaveforall.org to learn more.
Pesticide Action Network
Grantee in March 2023
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. Visit www.panna.org to learn more.
SAGE
Grantee in January 2023
Founded in 1978, SAGE has offered programming and direct services to LGBTQ+ elders and their caregivers for nearly 50 years. It advocates for impactful policy changes, and provide education, technical assistance, and training for aging providers. Visit www.sageusa.org to learn more.
Social Security Works
Grantee in March 2023
Social Security Works knows that the best defense against right-wing lies is a good offense. That’s why it fights every day to expand―never cut―our Social Security system! Visit socialsecurityworks.org to learn more.
Women’s Refugee Commission
Grantee in January 2023
WRC is proud to partner with displaced women, children, LGBTQI+, and people with disabilities to catalyze gender-transformative change, by ensuring their voices are heard – and heeded – by local, national, and global decision-makers. Visit www.womensrefugeecommission.org to learn more.
Posted on July 5, 2023
What You Need to Know About the Latest Attack on Abortion Care: the Mifepristone Abortion Pill
Note from the CREDO team: This July, Planned Parenthood Action Fund is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the CREDO community will help PPAF fight to restore and advance abortion access wherever possible while laying the foundation to reclaim and expand reproductive rights for all
Read this important blog post which was originally published on the PPAF website about the recent attacks on medication abortion, 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 July.
UPDATE: Access to mifepristone — a safe, effective pill for medication abortion — remains safe for now. The Supreme Court has issued a stay that protects access to mifepristone.
This is good news — but FDA-approved mifepristone should never have been at risk in the first place, and it’s not over yet.
In an yet another attack on abortion care, in early April 2023 a federal judge in Texas ruled in favor of anti-abortion organizations suing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The lawsuit challenges the FDA’s approval of mifepristone — also known as mife, one of two medications used in medication abortions. The court’s ruling means that mife could become unavailable to people who need abortions.
Although this decision came from a federal court in Texas, it doesn’t just apply to patients in Texas — it could apply to people in every state in the nation.
If the ruling stands, it will affect access to mifepristone across the country — but it will not end medication abortions. In states where abortion is legal, medication abortions will remain a safe and effective way to end an early pregnancy.
The supportive, expert staff at Planned Parenthood health centers are dedicated to providing the education and health care patients need, including abortion. Contact your nearest Planned Parenthood health center to learn more and book an appointment or a virtual visit.
What this lawsuit is really about
This case is about controlling the medical decisions of women, trans people, and nonbinary people. Not satisfied with ending the federal right to an abortion in June 2022, a group of anti-abortion activists and organizations asked the federal court in Texas to order the FDA to end its 22-year approval of mife. The judge ruled in their favor — threatening access to mifepristone across the nation.
This case is not about safety.
- Medication abortion is safer than other common medicines like penicillin, Tylenol, and Viagra.
- Medication abortion has a strong safety record — serious complications happen in less than ⅓ of 1% of cases, whether a patient gets their abortion pills in person, at a doctor’s office, or remotely through a virtual visit.
- In 2021, more than half of all documented abortions were medication abortions.
Medication abortions are safe and are still available where abortion is legal, even if the case succeeds.
Lots of people refer to medication abortions as the abortion pill, although medication abortion in the U.S. most commonly involves taking two pills: mifepristone and misoprostol. Both medications are safe and effective and have been used for decades by millions of people to end early pregnancies. Because of the court’s decision, mifepristone may be taken off the market. But misoprostol is — and will be — available as an option to end an early pregnancy.
Misoprostol by itself is a safe and effective way to end an early pregnancy. Reach out to your local Planned Parenthood to talk about your options and what kind of care is best for you.
- Get fast facts on misoprostol-only medication abortion at plannedparenthood.org.
Medication abortions without mifepristone are common around the world.
In the U.S. most people have relied on a combination of mifepristone and misoprostol for medication abortions. But for decades, all around the world, many people have used just misoprostol to safely end early pregnancies when mifepristone isn’t available.
Misoprostol works on its own to empty your uterus.
A few facts about misoprostol:
Misoprostol is, on its own, a safe way to end an early pregnancy.
- Respected medical organizations like The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Ipas, and the World Health Organization agree that misoprostol-only abortions are a safe alternative.
- Using misoprostol pills to have an abortion is legal in states where abortion is legal.
- Misoprostol has been around for more than 30 years. Besides abortion, misoprostol has other medical uses — like miscarriage management and preventing and treating ulcers.
Planned Parenthood health centers are here for you.
Planned Parenthood health care professionals will do everything we can to make sure you can get abortion care, where it’s legal. Contact your local Planned Parenthood health center to learn more about your options.
Posted on July 3, 2023
Vote for Center for Economic and Policy Research, Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Take Back the Court
Every month, CREDO members vote to distribute our monthly grant to three incredible progressive causes – and every vote makes a difference. This July, you can support groups fighting for economic justice, abortion rights and expanding the Supreme Court by voting to fund the Center for Economic and Policy Research, Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Take Back the Court.
Center for Economic and Policy Research
CEPR fights for economic justice everywhere. We provide progressive research and ideas to push Congress for economic policy that empowers all people to prosper, not just those at the top.
CREDO’s support will fund CEPR’s Full Employment For All campaign. We are lifting demands made 60 years ago at the March for Jobs and Freedom to push Congress to fix the nation’s chronic joblessness problem through a national subsidized jobs program.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund
Planned Parenthood was founded over 100 years ago on the revolutionary idea that women have the right to access the information and care they need to live strong, healthy lives. Today, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund fights to protect that right.
Funding from CREDO members will help the Planned Parenthood Action Fund fight to restore and advance abortion access wherever possible while laying the foundation to reclaim and expand reproductive rights for all.
Take Back the Court
The current Supreme Court poses a grave danger to a wide range of issues. By expanding and rebalancing the Court, we can rebuild democracy, protect the rights of women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people of color, tackle the climate crisis, and more.
This term, the Supreme Court will decide major cases threatening democracy, the environment, racial & economic justice, and more. Funding from CREDO members at this critical moment will allow us to mobilize progressive activists to take action.
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 July 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.
Posted on July 3, 2023
Our June grantees thank you for your support
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 fighting for LGBTQ rights, gender justice and fair housing. In June, CREDO members voted to distribute our monthly donation among Family Equality, Global Fund for Women, and National Fair Housing Alliance.
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 April grant recipients thank you.
Family Equality
“Thank you for your support for Family Equality and LGBTQ+ families. Together we fight for what matters most – Love. Family. Freedom.” – Stacey Stevenson, CEO, Family Equality
To learn more, visit www.familyequality.org.
Global Fund for Women
“We are in a time of change and great possibility, globally, and I am hopeful. I’m certain that shifting power to drive equity, equality, and justice for all is not only possible, but inevitable. I hope you will join us.” – Latanya Mapp Frett, President and CEO, Global Fund for Women
To learn more, visit www.globalfundforwomen.org.
National Fair Housing Alliance
“The work of breathing life into the rights guaranteed by the Fair Housing Act requires vigilance, fortitude and persistence on a national scale. Thank you for your generous support which allows us to continue this work.” – Lisa Rice, President and CEO, National Fair Housing Alliance
To learn more, visit nationalfairhousing.org.
Now check out the three groups we are funding in June, 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.
Posted on June 29, 2023
How to Take Better Smartphone Photos with Built-In AI
Whether you’re an aspiring photographer or someone who just enjoys capturing daily moments, your smartphone can be a powerful tool. With the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in mobile technology, taking stunning photos has never been easier.
In this week’s tip, we’ll show you a couple tricks on how to use AI on both iPhone and Android devices to make your smartphone pictures even better.
iPhone Users: How to use Photographic Styles, Live Text and Sharpness
iPhone’s latest iOS offers a feature called Photographic Styles on the iPhone 13, iPhone 14 and iPhone SE (3rd generation). Photographic Styles uses advanced AI to personalize your camera’s look and adjust it to your aesthetic preferences. Here’s how you do it:
- Open the Camera app, and swipe up or tap the triangle to reveal the settings.
- Tap on ‘Photographic Styles’.
- Choose from the available styles: Rich Contrast, Vibrant, Warm, or Cool.
- Here, you can also customize the tone and warmth of these styles.
iPhone’s AI can also recognize and interact with text in your photos using the Live Text feature. So, you can take a photo of a recipe, a phone number, or an address, and then copy, paste, or call directly from the photo. It’s as simple as pointing your camera, taking the photo, and then tapping on the identified text.
Here’s how:
- Open your Camera app, then position the viewfinder so the text appears within the camera frame.
- After the yellow frame appears around detected text, tap the icon with a square and three lines, then choose one of these options: Copy Text, Select All, Look Up, Translate, Search the Web, or Share.
- Note: You can also touch and hold the text, then use the grab points to select specific text and perform the actions above.
Tap a quick action at the bottom of the screen to do things like make a phone call, visit a website, start an email, convert currencies, and more. - Tap the same button to return to your Camera app.
For blurry photos, you can open the image in your Photos app, tap edit, and slide your finger across the options until you find the adjustment for sharpness.
But if you’ve intentionally shot your image in Portrait Mode (which provides a blurry background), you can edit the background in your Photos app.
Android Users: Leverage Google Lens, Night Sight and Magic Eraser
Android devices, particularly the latest Pixel models, also have powerful AI-based features. Google Lens is an image recognition technology that can provide information about objects and texts it recognizes in your photos. Here’s how you can use it (note: all instructions below may vary between model, manufacturer and operating system):
- Open your Camera app and select ‘Google Lens’.
- Point your camera at the subject of your image.
- Tap on the object or text on your screen.
- You’ll then see results or actions based on what you’ve tapped.
For those who enjoy nighttime photography, Android’s Night Sight uses AI to brighten your photos taken in low-light conditions while preserving the details and colors.
- Open your Camera app and scroll to ‘Night Sight’.
- Steady your phone and take the photo.
- Wait as the AI works its magic – it might take a bit longer than a typical photo.
If you are a Google One subscriber (Pixel owner or not), you can now take advantage of the Magic Eraser feature in Google Photos to remove annoying background distractions, like street signs, power lines and even people. Here’s how:
- Open the Google Photos app on your smartphone and choose the photo you’d like to edit.
- Tap Edit > Tools > Magic Eraser.
- You may now see some suggestions based on the built-in AI to remove distractions, or you can swipe your finger across the elements you’d like to remove.
With these features in your hands, you can really improve your photography and create great long-lasting memories. Remember, the best camera is the one you have with you, and with AI, your smartphone’s camera is more powerful than ever. Happy snapping!
Posted on June 15, 2023
Turn off these default smartphone settings to protect your privacy
Our smartphones are amazing little machines. But did you know that these devices can collect a lot of personal data about our usage habits by default without us even knowing?
It’s true. Manufacturers and app makers are collecting data by default to improve their products, fix bugs, and even serve up advertisements — but sharing too much information is unnecessary and probably not in our best interests.
In this week’s tip, we’ll give you a few quick ways you can turn off these default settings to protect your privacy.
Turn off these default settings on Apple devices
- Allow Apps to Request to Track allows app manufacturers to track your usage across other apps and websites. By turning off this default setting, you can automatically deny all apps from tracking.
To turn it off: Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking > Toggle off Allow Apps to Request to Track
- iPhone Analytics allows Apple to track how you use your device to improve its services and devices, but it could drain your battery, too.
To turn it off: Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Analytics & Improvements > Toggle off Share iPhone [& Watch] Analytics
While you’re there, you can toggle off sharing iCloud analytics as well.
- Apple Advertising. Apple promises that it does not track you, but it can personalize ads for you among its own sites and apps and you may not want to share this kind of data.
To turn it off: Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Apple Advertising > Toggle off Personalized Ads
- Location Services allows apps to know your current location. It’s an important setting when using maps, a rideshare service or another app that relies on your location to function properly. However, many apps that have know business knowing your location still want to know where you are and where you’ve been.
To turn it off on an app-by-app basis: Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > then click on the app you want to change > choose from the options Never/Ask Next Time/While Using the App/Always.
A tip from the New York Times: You can also turn off Apple-specific location services tracking by scrolling down to the bottom of the list, choosing System Services, and toggling off “iPhone Analytics and Routing & Traffic to prevent the device from sharing geodata with Apple for improving Apple Maps.”
Turn off these default settings on Android devices
- Turn Off or Limit History by visiting https://myactivity.google.com/ and changing the settings for Web & App Activity, Location History and YouTube History. You can set these to never store your history or to auto-delete after a set period of time.
- Personalizations allow Google to track you around the web. You probably want to turn this off.
Go to: myaccount.google.com > Manage your data & privacy > Turn off Web & App Activity, Location History, and YouTube History.
To turn off personalized ads, click on My Ads Center > Toggle off Personalized Ads.
- Location Tracking. Just like iPhone, Android devices can track your location and you can turn this off as well. The settings may differ by manufacturer or your OS version, but to turn this off on an app-by-app basis:
Go to Settings > Privacy > Permissions manager > Location > then choose the permissions for each app (Allowed all the time, allowed only while in use, or denied)
To learn more about protecting your privacy on your Android device, visit this great post from Android Police.
Posted on June 10, 2023
As more politicians run on anti-immigrant platforms, the National Immigration Law Center Immigrant Justice Fund is fighting back
As more politicians run on anti-immigrant platforms, our grantee partners at National Immigration Law Center Immigrant Justice Fund are building power on all fronts by pushing for Congress to advance key legislation, supporting pro-immigrant candidates running for office and building partnerships to achieve electoral wins.
In November 2022, CREDO members voted to donate $26,383 to fuel NILC Immigrant Justice Fund’s legislative advocacy, messaging research, and electoral work geared toward advancing inclusive, equitable policies that improve the lives of low-income immigrants and their loved ones.
Powered in part by the generosity of CREDO and our members, NILC Immigrant Justice Fund had some recent victories and launched some great new initiatives. Here’s a quick report from the organization on how your donations are making an impact
Recent Victories
After the 2022 midterm elections, the NILC Immigrant Justice Fund analyzed the role immigration played in key electoral races across the country and met with allies in the progressive movement to better understand how to engage them in the upcoming election cycle.
We focused on applying lessons learned to build upon and refine our program strategies, as well as adding new tactics and new partners to strengthen the IJF’s impact and continue to fulfill our goals to defend and advance the rights of low-income immigrants and their families.
We also initiated an opposition research project focused on top contenders for the Republican Party’s nomination for President, and then produced profiles on these candidates. Recognizing that these candidates will be trying to “out-extreme” one another on immigration-related issues during the upcoming election cycle, we are compiling in-depth reports of policies, statements, and any other actions these candidates have taken to produce a detailed report on what their administrations might pursue and what is at stake if they were to become President.
Visit https://www.immigrantjusticefund.org/extremism to learn more.
New Initiatives
Going forward, we will work to garner earned media attention on our findings, share our report with political committees, partners in the progressive movement, and other stakeholders, and co-brand digital ads during key presidential debates so that we can apply more lessons learned toward our electoral cycle work to include the public debate on immigration issues.
We also plan to create a candidate, “Immigration 101” training program, which will be a succinct, but comprehensive guide to policy and messaging that helps promote and advance immigrant justice.
If you’d like to learn more or get involved with NILC Immigrant Justice Fund, please visit their website, or follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Posted on June 7, 2023
With CREDO funding, the National Fair Housing Alliance is fighting housing and lending discrimination
Note from the CREDO team: This June, the National Fair Housing Alliance is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the CREDO community will play a critical role in NFHA’s efforts to address housing inequalities that persist in this country
Read this important blog post from NFHA’s President and CEO Lisa Rice, 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.
Fifty-five years ago, on February 29, 1968, the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, also known as the Kerner Commission, issued a seminal report noting that our nation was “moving toward two societies, one black, one white‒separate and unequal.” Just weeks later, on April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a champion of justice who had been outspoken on the nation’s economic and racial inequalities, was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Just seven days later, the Fair Housing Act became law.
We have come a long way since that tumultuous time 55 years ago.
Yet, with these accomplishments, and amid material abundance, we still have unfair systems that are driving racial wealth and homeownership gaps; economic inequality; and structural barriers for women, people with disabilities, certain religious groups, new immigrants, and LGBTQ+ communities.
That is why efforts like CREDO Mobile’s grant program play a critical role in NFHA’s efforts to address inequalities that persist in this country.
Through NFHA’s education and outreach, member services, public policy, advocacy, housing and community development, tech equity, enforcement, and consulting and compliance programs, our team works to dismantle those long standing barriers to equity and build diverse, inclusive, well-resourced communities where everyone can thrive. Funding is the pillar of NFHA’s efforts to continue this work.
This year, as part of the 55th Anniversary Campaign celebrating Dr. King’s legacy and commemorating key events of 1968, NFHA is working with its allies and partners to examine what has been achieved over the years and develop solutions that must be put in place to make fair housing a reality in the United States. We are creating and implementing strategies for addressing appraisal bias, discrimination against people who use Housing Choice Vouchers, algorithmic injustice, the racial wealth and homeownership gaps, the affordable housing crisis, restrictive zoning challenges, ways to implement the Fair Housing Act’s Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing mandate, and much more.
Fair housing should be the norm in this country. A fair housing system makes for stronger families, livable communities, and resilient businesses to create a robust, productive economy that generates opportunities for all to thrive and prosper.
Posted on June 6, 2023
Envisioning feminist philanthropy with the Global Fund for Women
Note from the CREDO team: This June, the Global Fund for Women is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Take a minute to read this important blog post, 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 June.
Traditional philanthropy is typically white and male dominated, and that’s bad news for feminist activists who end up getting the short end of the stick. Only 1.9% of all charity makes it to women and girls. And Black feminist social movements get even less—smaller than 0.5%.
Global Fund for Women is flipping the script in favor of a new way of showing solidarity and support: Feminist Philanthropy. It’s about time, right?
We’re shifting power to the people left behind by the old boys’ club—Black and Indigenous people, LGBTQI+ people, rural women, people with disabilities, sex workers, and more people most impacted by gender injustice. We believe they know their communities best, and we trust them to know how best to spend funds and create revolutionary change in their communities.
That’s why we created the 1.9 Rising community, where supporters can make a monthly gift, and receive a welcome gift featuring feminist artwork, access to online and in-person events, and more. Dependable funding every month is a meaningful way to reach out to an activist and offer direct support so they can spend their time making revolutionary change in their own communities instead of raising money.
It’s not new for all of us at Global Fund for Women. We’ve been at it for over 30 years, funding human rights and gender justice for women, girls, and all marginalized people at the local level and trusting local partners to drive solutions that make sense.
Partners like our longtime sister fund in Ukraine, who is reeling from the Russian invasion and war. Global Fund for Women has supported feminist work in this region for over 20 years. In addition to help with evacuations and humanitarian aid such as food and medicine, Ukrainians are also asking for support in publicizing their simple ask: stop the war.
Because of our deep relationship with partners in Ukraine, we are listening to what local needs are on the ground right now—and for the foreseeable future. Global Fund for Women will be there long after the cameras and news reports move on.
As a feminist funder, we’re shifting power to historically marginalized communities including women, girls, and gender non-conforming people. We’re getting flexible funding and resources directly to feminist activists who know exactly how to use it.
And here’s what makes it especially great: activists can spend their days making change instead of raising cash. It matters every day, and especially in times of crisis.
Zoneziwoh Mbondgulo-Wondieh of Women for a Change, Cameroon said, “We need not just more funding, but better funding: flexible core funding that allows organizations to use the grants how they wish. It was this unrestricted funding from Global Fund for Women that allowed our organization to quickly turn our attention towards the Covid response and gave us the autonomy to provide what our communities really needed.”
We know this approach supports bold grassroots gender justice movements creating meaningful change that will last beyond our lifetimes.
Join us in our feminist approach to philanthropy, and support the work of feminist leaders working at the forefront of climate justice, sexual and reproductive justice, racial justice, economic justice, and so many more gender justice movements. To learn more, visit https://www.globalfundforwomen.org/.
