Peace Development Fund - March 23, 2011

c-Integral, a non-profit education and research organization for social justice and libratory transformation, offers learning opportunities in integral transformative leadership development to persons, groups and organizations concerned with social and environmental justice and cultural transformation. Their purpose is to educate, train and mentor social change agents in an integral approach to liberation and transformation. They seek to develop integral awareness, deepen critical understanding, nurture liberating visions, and foster transformative practices among change agents addressing social injustice in its many forms.

HelpHinkley.org was formed to protect the environment and the people residing in the high desert of Southern California. The purpose of HelpHinkley.org is to make sure that companies who do business use the best available technology in their business practices to harm neither the environment nor the people.

afghans for Afghans is a humanitarian and educational people-to-people project that sends hand-knit and crochet blankets and sweaters, vests, hats, mittens, and socks to the beleaguered people of Afghanistan. To encourage cross-cultural appreciation, they document traditional Afghan knitting designs and create new knitting patterns based on Afghanistan's rich cultural heritage. They hope to develop micro enterprise to leverage our reputation and help the Afghans earn income, within the difficult circumstances of war and security.

BAY-Peace empowers Bay Area youth to resist aggressive military recruiting and war. They focus on fighting back against aggressive military recruiting in our schools-- especially the Oakland public schools where low-income youth of color are specifically targeted. They reach out to youth throughout the entire Bay Area to organize for better alternatives.

The Cambodian Water Project (CWP)'s goals, as it began, was to create clean sources of water as well as adequate sanitation facilities to prevent the contamination of new water supplies, focusing its efforts on the small villages of Omani, Onk, Pursat, Kaodak, Prey Totand, and Troh Pan Chann. Local villagers carry out much of the work using locally available technology and all donations have gone directly to supporting these efforts. With time, CWP has also begun to broaden the types of projects in each village to reach beyond water and sanitation. New projects and focuses have been proposed by the villagers and endorsed by the project’s Board. These have included projects relating to education, irrigation and food production and economic development. By working to improve the basic infrastructure of villages in Cambodia, CWP of Massachusetts is moving forward a movement for peace and social justice.

Caring For Our Own's purpose is to bring Sisters' national awareness and lived values that fostering quality of life within convent retirement centers is a service of not only our members, but the broader society. To honor aging and that of the frail, elder members is a countercultural witness to society's negative view of aging, as seen in its stereotypical images and its total institutionalization (typical nursing care and environment) of these "frail elders."

Development Executives Roundtable (DER) builds thriving organizations and communities by helping nonprofit professionals teach the joy of giving, providing accessible training, and peer support for Bay Area fundraisers at all stages of their careers.

Friends of Golden Gateway seeks permanent protection of recreational space, from the current prospective proposals put forward by this developer and others, that deny San Franciscans the kind of neighborhood facilities that make the city a rich and vibrant place for people of all ages and all walks of life.

The community-based Insight Garden Program (IGP) at San Quentin prison was launched in 2002 with the mission of providing prisoners vocational and life skills through the process of organic gardening so they can practice constructive relationships between themselves, their communities and the natural environment and become productive members of society when they leave prison. In 2003, and in close collaboration with the prison administration and staff, program staff and inmates built an organic flower garden on the prison’s medium security prison yard that serves more than 1,000 prisoners. IGP also is also planning to create a continuum of care for the formerly incarcerated to help them find green jobs (including opportunities in landscaping, gardening and sustainable agriculture) when they reenter society. This effort is based on the premise that everyone should be part of the green economy including former prisoners who face greater employment challenges upon reentry than any other population.

The mission of Mujer U'wa is to support the leadership development of indigenous U'wa women in Colombia in order to contribute to environmental efforts and play a role in peace building amid a war zone in their land. Mujer U'wa supports grassroots, indigenous U'wa women leaders as they resist oil extraction and the militarization that accompanies it. They support women from the perspective of supporting civil society, women's participation, human rights, community empowerment, peace building, environmental preservation, and strengthening the U'wa traditional culture. From the US, we raise funds, spread awareness and build community.

The Prison Birth Project is an organization focused on reproductive justice, working to provide education, support and resources about pregnancy, birth and mothering to incarcerated women. Their goal is to provide the tools to help make empowering birth choices and provide continuous care throughout the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum process. Their ultimate goal is abolition of the prison industrial complex and the mobilization of an intersectional movement for reproductive justice for all people.

The mission of TenThousandMeans (TTM) is the generation, organization, and provision of both financial support and volunteer contribution for groups like Saathi Nepal and Action Pour Les Enfants, who have proven track records in the fight against the practice of Human Trafficking and for the furtherance of women's and children's rights. It is also a TTM's subtextual mission to bring more men into direct support of pressing and current women's right issues, both domestically and abroad. Through their promoting projects, soliciting donations (in both private and corporate entities), and coordinating volunteer manpower, TTM seeks to bring beneficial production to all their projects.

Peninsula Peace and Justice Center (PPJC) works for peace and social justice at home and abroad, on nuclear and conventional disarmament, and a demilitarized, democratic economy, by providing a central clearing house for outreach, resources, and information for individuals and groups.

Mother Jones is known as the leading source for high impact investigative journalism that’s independent, intelligent, passionate, and creative; built on collaboration, innovation, flexibility, transparency; and (for our staff) a joy to be a part of. They want their readers to discover the world through our reporting, and to see things others don’t see. They want to give them the context needed to make sense of the world, and to answer the question of how one is to act effectively in it. To this end, they see themselves as part of the global progressive movement for justice.

The National Legal Sanctuary for Community Advancement (NLSCA) is the next chapter of the civil rights movement, dedicated solely to the protection of the rights and dignity of Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian peoples. NLSCA is the unifying voice that demands civil rights for those who have been marginalized. They strive to bridge the gap within this diverse community and the community at large in order to boldly advance social justice. The bedrock of NLSCA's mission acts to mobilize and champion social change via legal defense of civil rights, responsible media coverage and depiction of action, proactive collaboration with legislative and political bodies, and education and community outreach.

The mission of the Little Tokyo Service Center, a Community Development Corporation, is to meet the critical needs of people and build community. They seek to improve the lives of individuals and families through culturally sensitive social services, strengthen neighborhoods through housing and community development, and promote the rich heritage of the ethnic community.

Earthjustice is dedicated to protecting our natural heritage, safeguarding our health and promoting a clean energy future. Through effective use of law and the courts, Earthjustice levels the playing field between corporate interests and the public good. The result is a safer, healthier environment for everyone.
Earthjustice is the first and largest nonprofit organization of public-interest environmental litigators in the world. They go to court on behalf of citizen groups concerned about threats to the environment and in need of superior legal representation. Since their founding nearly 40 years ago, they have represented almost 1,000 public-interest clients, large and small—always without charge.

Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics (FSEEE) seeks to protect national forests and to reform the U.S. Forest Service by advocating environmental ethics, educating citizens, and defending whistleblowers. FSEEE is made up of thousands of concerned citizens, present, former, and retired Forest Service employees, other government resource managers, and activists working to change the Forest Service's basic land management philosophy.

Filipino Community Support is a network of concerned Filipinos residing and working in Silicon Valley with their families and friends who realize the need to protect, assist, and advocate for our mutual and collective interest against exploitation, oppression, violence, and injustice. They come together to build a broad comprehensive grassroots organization that defends the rights gained by previous struggles and upholds the welfare of Filipinos. With nationalist and democratic values, they envision greater social, cultural, and political resources for the Filipino community in Santa Clara County that would benefit everyone and promote greater equity and justice.

Critical Resistance seeks to build an international movement to end the Prison Industrial Complex by challenging the belief that caging and controlling people makes us safe. They believe that basic necessities such as food, shelter, and freedom are what really make our communities secure. As such, their work is part of global struggles against inequality and powerlessness. The success of the movement requires that it reflect communities most affected by the PIC. Because they seek to abolish the PIC, they cannot support any work that extends its life or scope.

Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC) advocates for the civil rights and empowerment of incarcerated parents, children, family members and people at risk for incarceration through responding to requests for information, trainings, technical assistance, litigation, community activism, and the development of more advocates. Their focus is on women prisoners and their families, and they emphasize that issues of race are central to any discussion of incarceration.

Through lifesaving, emergency response measures, long-term community development, and advocacy for government policies supportive of sustainable development Oxfam America has worked to alleviate global poverty and hunger.

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibliity (PEER) acts as a safe channel for agency experts to work with reporters by providing them a cover for disclosures, deniability on press stories and legal tools for forcing critical paper trails into daylight. PEER already works in partnership with investigative reporters to make connections for background and off-the-record interviews with agency deep throats. In addition, they pursue Freedom of Information Act requests and litigation on behalf of both employees and news organizations (whose legal departments are not available for such suits). They seek support to expand our services to journalists, protect insider sources and to mount legal challenges against government non-disclosure policies.

The Valentino Achak Deng Foundation is a nonprofit organization working to increase access to education in post-conflict Southern Sudan by building schools, libraries, teacher-training institutes, and community centers. Established by Valentino Deng and Dave Eggers after the publication of What Is the What, the Foundation's first major project is the construction and operation of a 15-structure educational complex in Valentino's hometown of Marial Bai, Southern Sudan. The Marial Bai Secondary School opened in May 2009, and is the first high school in the entire region.

The New Mexico Alliance is a network of grassroots environmental, economic, and social justice groups who work to eliminate the harmful effects of military activity in New Mexico. Founded in 1991, this organization created a structure to allow real democratic participation within Native American and Chicano communities within the United States. The New Mexico Alliance, in conjunction with Somos Un Pueblo Unido and other organizations, are sponsoring the 1,000 Women March, a project that this grant will specifically support.

The Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO) was founded in 1967 by progressive church leaders and activists. Its purpose is to advance the struggles of oppressed people for justice and self-determination. For almost 40 years, IFCO has assisted the poor and disenfranchised in developing and sustaining community organizations to fight human and civil rights injustices. This work includes education about the realities of the poor in the US and the third world.

White Earth Land Recovery Project (WELRP) is a reservation based organizing, advocacy, and community development project, seeking to facilitate the recovery of the land, culture, economy and way of life of the Anishinaabeg people of the White Earth Reservation. The project includes a diverse set of activities, including organizing work, marketing, leadership development, circle loan funds, cultural education, and land acquisition. The WELRP is the largest reservation based non-profit organization in the state of Minnesota, and one of the four largest nationally.

Harambee House's mission is to educate, inspire, organize and build the capacity of African Americans and other communities of color in order to create and sustain safe, economically vibrant, healthy neighborhoods that promote healthy living, wellness, environmental justice and green sustainability.