These grants are for up to $1,000 -- Awarded throughout the year to help organizations respond to unexpected events or issues (this program was established to respond to legislative or policy attacks).
Total awarded in 2004: $25,973.00
Portland, OR: Andisheh Center's mission is to present Iranian culture and heritage to the non-Iranian community of the Portland area and SW WA. This grant supported a documentary called I Exist: Voices from the Lesbian & Gay Middle Eastern Community, a panel discussion with three women from the film, and displays of LGBT advocacy organizations.
Portland, OR: BREF educates and advocates to end discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in Oregon. In early 2004 they lobbied Multnomah County Commissioners to revise policy on same -sex marriage. They used this grant to reorganize their marriage resources on the popular Basic Rights Oregon website.
Hamilton, MT: Bitterroot Human Rights Alliance engages in activism to counter bigotry, hSocial Justice Fund NWed, intolerance in the Valley. This grant supported community organizing against a proposal adopted by the Darby Public School Board and funded by the Christian Right, that undermines the teaching of evolution.
Seattle, WA: The Center for Social Justice planned to organize a Northwest Social Forum (NWSF) to build relationships of mutual support among activists, organizations and communities in the Northwest by sharing common visions of social justice, economic equality and environmental restoration for the region. This grant supported outreach to Indigenous communities and leaders. The Forum was unfortunately cancelled, but funds were used to assist with outreach and discussion with Native communities on the Forum’s goals.
Seattle, WA: The Committee was founded in April 2000 to address the needs and rights of Washington's immigrant populations, specifically for the general amnesty for resident immigrants. This grant will help the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) Melt Campaign of Washington to combat the Fugitive Operations detentions that racially target the Latino community.
Seattle, WA: CARA promotes a broad agenda for liberation and social justice while prioritizing anti-rape work. This grant helped CARA's Disability Pride project partner with National ADAPT to mobilize local and national disability-rights activists in opposition to institutionalization and other restricive settings.
Portland, OR: The Community of Welcoming Congegrations (CWC) is a growing interfaith organization with 45 member congregations that provide LGBT persons with a safe, supportive place to explore their sexuality and spirituality. Because of growth, CWC recently moved into their own office space, and this grant enabled them to purchase needed items and to repair the office.
Eugene, OR: Eugene PeaceWork's Committee for Countering Military Recruitment promotes nonviolent strategies for direct action against militarism and its use to promote other institutions of oppression. This grant helped them bring speaker Fernando Suarez to teach at an event designed to empower youth to look closely at military service before giving in to high pressure sales tactics from military recruiters.
Bend, OR: Human Dignity Coalition’s mission is to safeguard and protect human rights, honor diversity, and achieve social justice for all. This grant helped the Support Diversity –Bend Together campaign with local businesses to raise awareness about diversity in the community and to prevent violence against groups in response to a recent hate crime.
Boise, ID: ICAN works to create a shared vision that empowers low-income Idahoans and mobilizes diverse membership to action. ICAN’s mission is to build unity among those facing poverty, racism, and injustice and to take on the fight for food security, health care access, and immigrant justice. In response to the increasingly hostile environment and strong anti-immigrant atmosphere in Idaho, this grant helped ICAN to attend a conference on race and public policy in order to strategize with other organizers.
Veradale, WA: Inland Northwest Pride (INPride) funds, hosts and coordinates the annual Spokane Pride Parade, Festival and Business Fair held for the LGBTQ community. This year, INPride is advocating for the right of same sex couples to marry by holding "The Wedding of the Year," in which couples will say "I do" or renew their marriage vows. This grant helped cover the costs of photographs and advertising for this event.
Poulsbo, WA: The Kitsap Human Rights Network organizes and educates communities and individuals to defend their rights and to confront hate groups. This grant helped them counter the National Alliance, a white supremacist hate group, by organizing a public rally and pledge drive.
Ashland, OR: The Lambda Community Center Association (LCCA) is dedicated to promoting positive and a healthy presence for LGBT persons, their families and friends in the larger community of southern Oregon through advocacy and education. This grant was used to inform the LGBT community about marriage equality and laws in order to encourage them to vote in the 2004 elections.
Seattle, WA: Since 1995, the Legal Marriage Alliance of Washington is a voice for marriage equality and educates the LGBT community and general public on this issue. Their goal is to achieve the legal right of civil marriage for same-sex couples in Washington state. This grant funded the printing of educational materials that were distributed at Pride events and at other events throughout the state, and enabled them to reach nearly twice as many people.
Portland, OR: Love Makes a Family, Inc. is a community organizing project advocating for families headed by LGBT people through constituency support, institutional change, and public education. These funds were used to train activists interested in putting on workshops about peace in Iraq and the Middle East.
Portland, OR: MRG is a leading funder of progressive activism throughout Oregon and is committed to building a strong, unified progressive movement. MRG Foundation hosted Alliance for Justice trainers to provide free workshops for their grantees in Portland and Eugene to help wade through IRS restrictions on lobbying and advocacy to effectively organize for the 2004 election.
Helena, MT: Montana Human Rights Network is a grassroots, membership driven organization that aims to promote democratic values, pluralism, equality, and justice. They organize communities to speak out on these values. This grant helped to disseminate racist books and materials that MHRN had collected to other organizations that monitor right wing organizations.
Seattle, WA: Based in Seattle, Multifaith Works has a core of over 500 volunteers from various economic, ethnic and spiritual backgrounds who serve many low-income people living with AIDS by providing housing and support services. The Multifaith Alliance of Reconciling Communities (MARC) project is a vision for all faith communities to be fully inclusive of LGBT persons, and they used this grant to advertise their Multifaith Pride Service that advocated the rights of same-sex couples to marry.
Medford, OR: NALI is an organization of Native Americans based in the Southern Oregon city of Medford that is working to create leaders and role models within the local Native American population in order to address the historical trauma and current day injustices facing Native peoples. NALI used this grant to increase Native American voter registration to combat the disenfranchisement of Native Americans from the political process.
Eugene, OR: Oregon Toxics Alliance tries to eliminate toxic threats in Oregon through outreach, community organizing, and education. They try to assist poor people to become involved and fight for their rights on environmental justice issues. This grant helped them organize against local attempts to implement a 900 megawatt power gas burning plant.
Helena, MT: PRIDE, Inc fights for the constitutional rights of LGBT individuals in Montana through political activism and education. PRIDE has proactively lobbied and drafted several pro-LGBT bills in the Montana legislature. On behalf of Montanans for Families and Fairness, a coalition of progressive organizations, PRIDE will use this grant to thwart an effort to ban same-gender marriage in Montana.
Seattle, WA: This community center is a project of Queen City Community Development. The goal of the project is to provide a center for the LGBT social and political community to address isolation, particularly of vulnerable sectors of the community, and to foster unity and a sense of community identity. This grant helped fund the Washington LGBT Civil Rights Project.
Seattle, WA: Seattle PFLAG is part of an international organization of LGBT members advocating on a wide range of issues affecting them from local and state governments. PFLAG also works on education and community organizing. This grant supported publicity for a Marriage Equality Town Hall, a community forum to inform, motivate and empower people to work for marriage equality in Washington State.
Tacoma, WA: South Sound Center provides a community center facility and support for the LGBT community in the South Puget Sound area. Their mission is to build a strong and healthy LGBT community through collaboration and support of communinty efforts and interests. This grant helped fund the Tacoma United For Fairness's forum on equal marriage rights.
Olympia, WA: Thurston Marriage Equality (TME) is a coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to providing education about marriage equality in their community. This grant funded a start-up advocacy campaign in which TME facilitated local forums on marriage equality issues.
Boise, ID: Your Family, Friends, and Neighbors, Inc.'s (YFFN) mission is to promote respect and understanding for all people, especially with regard to sexual orientation and gender identity. This grant helped YFFN to fund an ad that targets people who are currently opposed to same-sex marriage.