ABOUT US
OUR MISSION is to provide sustained support to long-term organizing projects with a progressive program and a demonstrated ability to build political power. We support projects that work to build power independent of the political parties and that rely primarily on their members and constituency.
We are committed to building successful social movements, rooted in the multi-racial working class, for a democratic transformation of society and a sustainable future. We are committed to funding critically important projects and movements that our donors and initiators may presently support, and increasing our range as our funding grows.
WHY A NEW FOUNDATION?
Social Justice and Solidarity donors already contribute to movement organizations as individuals. Why start a new foundation? This is a good question – and we think we have good answers.
Pooling Our Resources for Greater Impact. We could each just give money to different projects. But pooling our financial resources increases our collective impact. Coming together allows us to give substantial grants to carefully targeted organizations and to grow our collective resources by responsibly generating investment income to fund even more donations.
Shared Vision & Experienced Leadership. Our board and collaborators have experience as leaders and Board members of projects and movements that organize for working-class power, including Labor Notes, TDU, and other movements.
Estate Contributions. Estate contributions are important for the movement’s future – but can also be risky. One-time large donations can sometimes distort organizations, and projects can change course or leadership in unanticipated ways. The SJS Fund is a vehicle for us to make estate donations with confidence that our contributions will reliably go to organizations that reflect our values and principles.
Money for Organizing, Not Overhead. The SJS Fund commits nearly 100% of our resources to directly funding organizing projects. Most other foundations have large overhead costs, such as maintaining an office and staff in Manhattan. We exist solely to fund our work. Our contributors’ money is put to work supporting our goals.
Why Should You Join Us? Our founders committed significant personal resources to launch the SJS Fund, and our community of contributors is growing each year. We are reaching out to new donors and increasing the amounts and scope of our grants. Your contribution now or through your estate will be put to work building the movement, and will also help the SJS Fund attract other donors to put resources to work for social transformation.
OUR BOARD AND DONORS. Presently our Board consists of Pam Galpern, Ken Paff, Johanna Parker and Jane Slaughter. We aim to expand our board incrementally as more donors and collaborators join in. We work with additional collaborators to evaluate our work. Our major donors are invited to have input on Board membership and on funding priorities.
FOUNDATION STATUS. The SJS Fund is a 501(c)(3) public foundation, incorporated in California. The IRS made this determination on August 10, 2021. The SJS Fund’s EIN is 86-2889524. You can contact our treasurer, Ken Paff, at kpaff@sjsfund.org or our president, Johanna Parker, at jparker@sjsfund.org or other Board members regarding organizational matters.