March 2025
NOW MORE THAN EVER
Four months ago, in our November Update, we laid it out like this –
There’s no sugar-coating it: working people and immigrants are going to have it tough for the next four years. We at the Social Justice and Solidarity Fund are committed to supporting movements that can not only stick it out—but can grow stronger during these tough times. To defeat the right wing, we are funding groups that are working together to build and strengthen working-class movements.
The fact is that the attacks on immigrants, the working class, and basic democratic rights are even meaner than many of us expected. And the fightback isn’t yet measuring up to the task. Neither the Democratic Party nor the labor movement is mounting a united response appropriate to the challenge.
We are committed to do our part to weave together a broad, united fightback. We are upping our game at this crucial time to build and sustain workers’ movements. We have awarded $299,000 in grants in the first quarter of this year. We expect to match that figure in the coming months; we have already committed $70,000 more in grants.
We will both sustain organizations that we are committed to and support new projects that are building elements of a united fight.
We stand with the fight to protect federal workers and services. We have just awarded a grant to the Federal Unionists Network (FUN). This cross-union network of reformers in the federal unions met for the first time in person at the Labor Notes Conference in 2024 and was thus fortuitously ready when Trump began his illegal slash and burn – and it became obvious that their sleepy unions were not up to the task of protecting veterans, national parks, Medicaid, and Social Security.
Our initial grant will contribute to hiring a small staff and expanding their reach and services. As a FUN leader told us, “The more we do, the more we will move the unions into action.” FUN is growing apace as federal workers look for answers. The group is running a “Let Us Work” campaign to show that federal employees are dedicated public servants. Its March 13 online forum was attended by 6000 federal workers, was endorsed by the AFL-CIO, and gathered 202,000 views. FUN is in the process of hiring an initial staff of four people with diverse backgrounds. We will help ensure that they have the ongoing funds they need.
We will be making additional new grants where needed in the fight. Some NGOs are receiving fresh funding in the wake of the Trump-Musk attacks. But some of the organizations doing the most important work on the ground are badly underfunded. Those are our target groups.
We work closely with the Labor Education and Research Project (Labor Notes) in evaluating the most critical new movements within unions. And we welcome input from our supporters and friends.
We will continue to support our base. We just gave Labor Notes a major grant to expand their staff and work, and we continue to support movements across labor, from the Teamsters to the UAW, in the UFCW and in the construction trades – and those fighting to defend immigrants. You can see a list of our grantees here.
We are growing. We are pleased to report that since our November update we have five new sustaining contributors and we received one estate contribution, for a total of $91,500. Our sustaining donors are coming through – some are increasing their annual contribution.
We invite you to get in touch. Can you join our growing list of contributors? We are unique in that 99% of our income goes directly to grantees and just 1% goes to overhead. You can read About Us for background – or better yet, contact one of our board members. Your feedback is not only welcome, but critical to our work.