From Our President: An Update From Luz Vega-Marquis

Movement Building

Over the past eighteen months, the Marguerite Casey Foundation has spent a good deal of time engaged in conversation with people in low-income communities. We convened a series of Listening Circles across the country and invited not only local “experts” but also parents and youth. When we asked their advice on how they would spend $30 million dollars a year to benefit low-income families, they thought hard and spoke from the heart.

“We want the best for our children and families,” they told us, “but we have little influence on the key institutions that impact our lives.” “We have a hard time communicating with the professionals in our local schools, let alone the health care system, the child welfare system or the juvenile justice system.” “If you want to spend your money wisely, you don’t have enough dollars to change those systems by yourselves, but you could help us learn how to be better advocates for our kids so that we could demand they be fixed.”

It was in those conversations that we first heard the word “movement.” More than once, parents suggested that we help support a “movement of low-income families.” We know enough about movements to understand that they arise in response to a convergence of forces. And they are certainly not designed in glass office towers by foundations.

We also know that significant numbers of individuals and organizations have been involved in the task of movement building for many years in low-income communities. In most cases, these efforts have been fueled by “sweat equity” with little funding or formal infrastructure. We believe that kind of grassroots energy is essential and money can never “buy” that commitment. But we have come to believe that there is an important role for the foundation to play in supporting movement building among low-income families.

What might such a movement look like? We have no preconceived notion or master plan. We have elected to pursue a “non-categorical” approach to grant making – one which avoids program “silos” and issue-specific funding – in order to maintain maximum flexibility in identifying and supporting promising efforts in the regions where we fund.

We have begun by funding organizations that are already organizing in low-income communities and have a track record of success. We have provided them with core operating support, often through multi-year grants, and are beginning to talk with them about their other needs. We plan to bring them together to promote connections and mutual learning both within and across regions. We are also exploring ways in which we might fund work in strategic communications, action research and evaluation that can strengthen those organizations and enhance their effectiveness.

We realize that this will be a multi-year undertaking, and we embark on this journey with a spirit of true humility. We have no intention of attempting to do this work by ourselves. Collaboration will be essential. We know that our own asset base alone is no match for the enormous challenge before us. We also recognize that many who have come before us have made great progress toward this goal. We hope to learn from their experience and benefit from their collective wisdom.

As a learning organization, we have begun a series of conversations with many of the nation’s leading movement pioneers – veterans in the fights for civil rights, voting rights, immigrant rights, environmental justice, fair housing, the livable wage, Indian sovereignty, welfare reform, and countless other struggles.

The Foundation’s learning process has only just begun, and we do not pretend to have all the answers. But what follows are five themes that Marguerite Casey Foundation has heard repeatedly during our initial discovery process – themes that we believe can help shape our long term goal of supporting a movement of low income families and communities:

• Affirmative Vision. Many of the most successful movements throughout recent history are those which proposed an affirmative vision for change, a proactive objective or set of policy goals around which multiple constituencies can be organized and moved to action. Marguerite Casey Foundation strives to support its grantees’ individual organizational objectives, while also working to identify and implement a common vision for social change shared among these groups.

• Clarity of Message. Effective movements depend on effective communications. Framing the terms of the debate in language that is clear, simple and universally held makes it possible for movements to build the broad base of support necessary to effect change.

• Leadership Development. Social movements rarely succeed unless they have strong mechanisms to identify, engage and train new generations of leaders. The Foundation will continue to make this a priority for our grant making, and we will work closely with other funders to promote substantive mechanisms for long-term leadership development.

• Technology as Glue. The rise of the Internet, the deterioration of traditional political parties and the simultaneous de-evolution of public policy are leading us to a new era of issue advocacy. In this new environment, technology sharing and data integration among organizations will become increasingly important tools for organizing disparate networks and forging common policy agendas. We must be mindful, however, that access to technology remains an impediment for many low income communities.

• Working Across Generations. The positive energy and intelligence of young people provide a tremendous, though often-underutilized, resource for movement building. Community-based organizations of all kinds can benefit greatly by working across generations and engaging the support and energy of our nation’s powerful youth culture.

These five elements paint only a partial picture of what effective social movements ultimately look like. Success or failure depends on a complex intersection of factors far more complex, and more intangible, than can be summed up here. But as Marguerite Casey Foundation moves forward, we pledge to remain true to what we heard in those listening circles 18 months ago, and what we’ve been hearing ever since. We welcome your thoughts, partnership and guidance as we progress.

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This is the first in an ongoing series of commentaries from President and CEO, Luz Vega-Marquis. Check back regularly for additional articles on the Foundation’s progress.