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From December 6-8th, Cedric and I had the opportunity to attend the Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation (FCCP)’s 2010 Winter Convening, Is there a New Normal. As all FCCP conferences do, this one provided us with a space to learn, to think, to build and deepen our relationships with funder colleagues… in short, a space to increase our capacity to be effective and informed civic participation funders.

The breadth and scope of topics covered, concerning the range of interconnected, and often interdependent, issues that fall under a large civic participation umbrella, are much too large to cover all here.  Instead, and in the spirit of the conference’s theme, I thought I’d share a few links that can provide a glimpse of the new normal at this year’s gathering:

• Consideration of the Relationship between Culture & Politics:  “Cultural change is often the dress rehearsal for political change. Or put in another way, political change is the final manifestation of cultural shifts that have already occurred.” – Jeff Chang

• Testing out Technology Tools Transforming Civic Engagement:  National Field |  Sunlight Foundation |  Presente.org |  Voting Information Project

• Exploring Race and the New Normal, Particularly in this Year’s Political Campaigns:  Featuring the work and people (Ludovic Blain and Camille Zubrinsky) of the American Values Institute

Enjoy!

Keynote Speaker Angela Davis and Kapor Foundation CEO Cedric Brown at What Works! 2010

This year’s sold out What Works! Convening brought  together more than 100 organizers, academics and funders, showcasing some of the most innovative and exciting social justice efforts happening in communities of color across the country – including, New Orleans, Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, New York, Oakland, and San Francisco among others – while also providing dedicated time and space for strategic dialogue (and socializing!) across sectors of the social justice movement.

As conveners of this event, we were immensely fortunate to work alongside and benefit  from the expertise of our Kapor Enterprise colleagues, our co-sponsors of this years convening, the Ford Foundation, Solidago Foundation and Surdna Foundation, and each of our key grant partners and invited speakers who made What Works! 2010 possible.  A heartfelt thanks to all.  We look forward to collaborating again soon.

And,  don’t forget to check back here for more from What Works! 2010 in the coming weeks.

We’re excited to share that Mitch and Freada Kapor were interviewed and featured in the Fall 2010 edition of Responsive Philanthropy, the quarterly journal of the National Center for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP). This article is an insightful glimpse into what drives their perspectives on philanthropy, both the sector and the personal practice.

NCRP promotes philanthropy that serves the public good, is responsive to people and communities with the least wealth and opportunity, and is held accountable to the highest standards of integrity and openness.  Read the full article HERE. (And never mind that photo – we were just jokin’ around.)

Ten days after the national mid-term elections, there is still much to digest about the implications of the electorate shifts. Attached are two excellent resources from the Funders Committee for Civic Participation:

FCCP 2010 Election Roundup (Word doc with live links)- A great compilation of analyses on policy issues, polling, and state-level elections.

Post-Election Analysis by Lake Research Partners (pdf) by Lake Research Partners

From a progressive (yet nonpartisan!) vantage point, some of this information is hard to read and accept, but these trends will have a pronounced impact on overall efforts to ensure fuller voting access and enthusiastic civic participation for all.

Kapor Foundation Offices Prepare for Election Day 2010

Encouraging evidence of the growing strength and vibrancy of Latino civic participation continues to emerge.  Unfortunately, deliberate efforts to silence the voice of these communities continue on as well.  In ways similar to the call earlier this year for Latinos to boycott the census in the name of immigration reform, there has been a call for Latinos to not vote this election.  Below is Kapor Foundation key grant partner VotoLatino’s statement in response to this “don’t vote” campaign.

With only a day left until this year’s mid-term election, we hope not only that you vote, and that you encourage your friends, co-workers, family and community members to do the same, but that we also collectively be watchful and vocal about any attempts to disenfranchise or discourage our active participation.

Here at the Mitchell Kapor Foundation offices, we’re gearing up ourselves.  We hope many of you coming over from Oakland, especially you morning casual carpoolers, have seen the “VOTE” sign in our windows, visible from the Fremont Street off-ramp in San Francisco.  And, beginning tomorrow, we will once again host the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law as they corral as many legal professionals as possible throughout the nation to answer calls and assist voters on Election Day through the 1-866-OUR-VOTE voter services Hotline.

Happy early Election Day to everyone!   Looking forward to hearing your own stories from these mid-term elections …

Voto Latino released the following statement regarding Latinos 4 Reform’s “Don’t Vote” campaign:

“While Voto Latino applauds the right for free speech, Voto Latino is fundamentally opposed to any organized effort by community leaders or organizers urging Latinos to sit out of the upcoming mid-term elections. The specific claims by Latinos for Reform are misleading to voters. Voting, no matter your political party or which candidate you support, is the most important civic tool that American Latinos have to be heard and understood by decision makers nationwide.

To be clear, only one thing happens when you don’t vote. You vote against your interest. Instead, you elect your opponent’s interest.

Now, more than ever, American Latinos are feeling squeezed. They have the highest unemployment rate, highest foreclosure rate and highest high school drop out rate. The next Congress will decide our country’s next steps and will take up legislation addressing our community’s top priorities. As a result, it is imperative that American Latinos exercise their vote to ensure that their voice is clear and present.  The American Latino community does not have the luxury to sit this election out.

Voto Latino is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that seeks to educate and empower American Latinos and young people to become engaged in the political process. Through the multi-tiered United We Win campaign, Voto Latino is actively working on a national and local level to get out the vote this mid-term election.”

We are excited to host our third annual What Works! Convening November 8-9, 2010 at the David Brower Center in Berkeley. This year’s convening will bring together organizations from across the country working at the cross-section of race, civic engagement, and criminalization. Angela Davis – scholar, life-long activist, and co-founder of Critical Resistance – will be the keynote speaker.

As the national conversation about race has become inundated by the reactionary, exclusive, and xenophobic, the Kapor Foundation sees a critical opportunity to bring together organizers from across the nation – New Orleans, Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, New York and Oakland among others – to deepen their relationships and build a meaningful network of support for the collective well-being. The convening also aims to inform a cross-race and cross-sector national agenda to build political and economic power with low-income people and people of color.

The Kapor Foundation is committed to creating meaningful spaces for its allies and colleagues to share and learn what has worked in their efforts to build power in low-income communities of color. What Works! is the annual manifestation of this commitment. We’re especially pleased that our 2010 gathering is in partnership with the Ford Foundation, Solidago Foundation, and Surdna Foundation.

Panels showcase a range of community-based work: youth organizing in the Bay Area and New York; worker organizing of Black workers in the Midwest, immigrant workers nationally, and cross racial organizing in San Francisco; and long-term civic engagement illustrating the relationship between Oakland and Albuquerque.

What Works! is open to staff and membership of community based organizations, funders, students, academics, and the interested general public. Space is limited. General admission is $50. There is free admission for students (with valid ID) and for staff of grant recipient organizations of the Ford, Kapor, Surdna, and Solidago Foundations. To register for What Works!, go to whatworks2010.eventbrite.com.

Please click the following link to see the convening agenda and speaker bios:  What Works! 2010 Program Booklet

The time has come to get out there and vote!

It’s been a crazy two years since the historic presidential election of President Obama.  Since then, we’ve seen the passage of national health care reform,  the rise of the tea party movement, and the economic crisis strike across the country.  We’ve also seen negative campaign ads, local critical mass, and all kinds of parties to make sure we make it out on election day.  And now the time has come.  A number of our key partner organizations are at the forefront of local and national civic engagement efforts including the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, San Francisco Rising, Oakland Rising, and Voto Latino.  Below are some voter resources, including two voter guides from the League of Women Voters & The Ballot as well as organizational voter guides from the Ella Baker Center and Oakland Rising

League of Women Voters

The Ballot

Ella Baker Center for Human Rights Voter Guide

Oakland Rising

The Windcall Institute has just announced the call for applications for its renowned residency progam, a “mini-sabbatical” for social justice leaders. Windcall is part of our colleague funder, the Common Counsel Foundation. The application deadline is November 30th. Click HERE for more information.

From their announcement:  “A Windcall Residency is a free, mini-sabbatical of three or four weeks, held in a restorative setting with a small cohort of community and labor organizers.  Since 1989, over 435 dedicated organizers have benefited from a Residency (Windcall Alumni).

You will have time to reflect, write, create, engage in physical activities and renew your energies – all in the company of other committed organizers.  Windcall Resident awardees can also access post-Residency coaching.

The Windcall Institute is a national program to renew and develop social, environmental and economic justice organizers.  Our goal is to support valuable leaders staying in their work for the long haul by supporting them in rediscovering their purposes, renewing their energies, working in more sustainable ways, and launching new approaches.”

Just having returned from a sabbatical, I can happily testify about the rejuvenating potential of such a break, so don’t pass up this opportunity!

Photo borrowed from the Windcall website.

Today, October 18th, is the last day to register to vote in the State of California.

If you haven’t already, register through California Secretary of State Debra Bowen’s website or through Kapor Foundation key grant partner, VotoLatino.

Already registered?  Check out these California-based voter engagement alliances, Oakland Rising, San Francisco Rising and the California Alliance.

On September 30, the Kapor Foundation’s own Mitchell Kapor and Freada Kapor Klein were honored with the 2010 Inno+prise Award at REDF‘s 2010 Benefit + Social Enterprise Expo.  Secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Matthew Cate, also received the award.

REDF creates jobs for individuals who are overcoming chronic poverty, homelessness, criminal history, substance abuse or mental illness.  REDF created the Inno+prise Award to recognize and celebrate institutions and individuals that work at the intersection of innovation and enterprise to improve the lives of those most heavily impacted by challenging social problems.  The Kapors received the award for their leadership and dedication to ensuring justice, opportunity and equity for vulnerable and underserved populations.

In addition to Mitch and Freada’s recognition, we also celebrated the debut of REDF’s new video at the event, which was created by our own Eric Wong and the KEI Creative team in collaboration with a music producer.  To see the amazing video, click HERE.

Image source: REDF