Declinations and Withdrawals

Declinations and Withdrawals September 16, 2014 – January 31, 2015

Note: The date listed below for each declination indicates when the Foundation received the request.

Millie:

Arise for Social Justice 9/24/2014 467 State St., P.O. Box 5423 Springfield, MA 01101 General Support to secure Springfield City commitment to climate change planning and prevent a biomass incinerator from being built in a poor, non-white residential neighborhood, near senior housing and schools. Comment: Good goals - at this point, the environmental justice work is a little too local for us, focused on one incinerator and a long-term battle with the local government on that issue. This will be an interesting group to keep an eye on, however, making connections between environmental issues and housing and other social justice issues (MB). Population served: Don’t know

Catskill Mountainkeeper (Extreme Energy Extraction Collaborative) 5/9/2014 PO Box 1000 Livingston Manor, NY 12758 Program support for the Extreme Energy Extraction Collaborative, a network of frontline communities, including a spectrum of over 80 groups working to stop any form of energy economy that comes at the expense of a community’s health, life or culture, with a base that is maximally diverse across issue focus areas, geographic representation, and cultural identity. Because these groups are fighting extraction on the front lines, the majority of participants represent poorer communities of color in rural areas. Comment: This is an interesting grouping, with some of our grantees involved. However, at this time there are more emerging interesting collaborations than we can support, and possibly than our groups can be realistically involved in. I believe our limited funds are needed more for the groups that make up the roots of collaboratives such as these (MB). Population served: African American Latinos/Hispanic Various racial/ethnic groups

Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice 6/7/2014 P.O. Box 33124 Riverside, CA 92519 General support for a progressive, multi-issue, grassroots organization working in southern California.

29 Comment: CCAEJ is part of coalitional work in California, including state environmental policy and goods movement impacts, but it is primarily a local organization. It has a large budget for an organization with its geographic scope, and while it would be a group to consider if we had more funds, there are others with less access that are a higher priority (MB). Population served: Don’t know

Clean Up The Mines! 9/22/2014 1704 N 2nd St Flagstaff, AZ 86004 General support to educate the public, empower impacted communities, pass legislation, and take action to ensure cleanup of more than 10,000 toxic abandoned uranium mines located throughout the US. Comment: This is a national campaign to pass federal legislation to clean up abandoned uranium mines. Good goal, and Klee is a media activist who supports causes related to uranium and Indigenous lands. But it has one specific legislative agenda, and seems to have mostly an online presence without a structure that builds leadership and solutions from the grassroots. Not a fit for us (MB). Population served: Don’t know

Climate Justice Alliance 5/18/2014 c/o Movement Strategy Center 436 14th St., 5th Fl Oakland, CA 94612 General support for a national campaign, Our Power: Communities United for a Just Transition, a new alliance of over 35 frontline communities forging a Just Transition away from an extractive economy and unsustainable energy to local, linked and living economies. CJA’s members are rooted in Indigenous, African American, Latino, Asian Pacific Islander, and working-class white communities, which are a key demographic in a growing movement demanding bold action to confront the climate crisis. In 2013, CJA launched the Our Power Campaign (OPC) - a national effort uniting communities fighting fossil fuels and other destructive industries around a common vision and strategy - to transition the economy in ways that reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the source, restore equity, and put decision- making in the hands of communities. Comment: This alliance is headed by a number of our current and former grantees, and is an exciting addition to the work they have been doing. CJA was the primary negotiator for putting impacted communities at the forefront of the NYC Climate March, and remains a valuable strategy and mobilization source for our groups. I recommend a turndown only because of limited funds, and because CJA’s visibility and success are opening the doors to larger pockets of funding. We have provided special assistance funds in the past at strategic points and supported some of the member groups to participate in the climate march. I will keep in touch with CJA leaders and supporters and leave the door open for quick turn-around special assistance and/or future general support if it seems to be strategic (MB). Population served: Various racial/ethnic groups

30 Honor The Earth 8/11/2014 2104 Stevens Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55404 For a report/research project and related materials on the link between the Athabasca Tar Sands, proposed oil pipelines, the port in Duluth, MN, and the rise in sex trafficking, sexual violence and the endangerment and impact on Indigenous communities and women. Comment: We gave general support funds to Honor the Earth in the past for its work to raise funds for pass-through grants to Indigenous communities, and currently fund Winona’s work with the White Earth Land Recovery Project through a general support grant under the Sustainable Agriculture program. While this is an important issue, others working on the effects of extractive industries with a broader movement lens are a better fit for our limited funds (MB). Population served: Native American/Alaska Native/Indigenous descendant

Strategic Actions for a Just Economy 10/16/2014 2636 Kenwood Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90007 To reduce displacement and community de-stabilization in South Los Angeles because of climate change. Comment: SAJE is an organization with a good reputation, working in South Los Angeles on social justice issues with a focus on the economy. The inclusion of climate adaptation planning to this mix is a good thing, but SAJE is a large, well-known organization with access to funds from much larger sources. Other potential grantees need our funding more (MB). Population served: Various racial/ethnic groups

Union de Vecinos 7/2/2014 346 S. Gless St Los Angeles, CA 90033 General support for community organizing campaigns for clean air and water; the right to healthy and stable neighborhoods, and the right to housing. Comment: A small group doing classic, door-to-door community organizing in two Los Angeles neighborhoods. Their issues - clean air and water, the right to healthy and stable neighborhoods, and the right to housing - are a fit with our priorities, but the scope is too local (MB). Population served: Don’t know

31 Vic:

California Climate and Agriculture Network (CalCAN) 8/28/2014 PO Box 1366 Sebastopol, CA 95473 CalCAN will expand its Climate and Agriculture Leadership Circle of farmer, rancher and environmental allies and mobilize them on state and federal policies to support organic and sustainable agriculture in providing solutions to the climate crisis. Comment: CalCAN claims it is the only organization in the country focused exclusively on agriculture and climate policy. They look like they are able to build a network in California that may have some clout. It is unclear how effective they will be in challenging the strong agri-business lobby in that state. At the moment, Noyes does not have the financial resources to support this effort. It may be something that gets looked again in the future when Kolu is back from her Fellowship (VD). Population served: Don’t know

Hampstead Institute, Inc. 3/18/2014 5251 Hampstead High St., Suite 205 Montgomery, AL 36116 Working to increase healthy food availability through information gathering, coalition- building, and community-based action. Comment: The Institute is in Alabama and is approaching this work as a research project. There is no organizing or policy work associated with their efforts and therefore does not fit our priorities (VD). Population served: Don’t know

Izaak Walton League of America 8/19/2014 707 Conservation Lane Gaithersburg, MD 20906 Develop and implement educational grassroots campaigns on Farm Bill rulemaking and implementation in several key states. Comment: This is training implemented by a national environmental organization without any connection to grassroots farm bill activists. It does not meet our funding priorities (VD). Population served: Don’t know

Make the Road New York 8/28/2014 301 Grove Street Brooklyn, NY 11237 MRNY’s urban agriculture project will ensure that low-income Latino immigrants have access to healthy food options and work toward building a campaign to push for systemic improvements in environmental sustainability in New York City and beyond. Comment: This is a worthy endeavor in NYC. It is primarily training of young people on an urban farm with a companion training program in community organizing. At this stage, we do

32 not have grant dollars for this activity. In the future, it may be worth reviewing to see if they really are able to develop young leaders who can speak out for themselves (VD). Population served: Latinos/Hispanic

Prince George’s County Food Equity Council 8/28/2014 1301 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20036 Advocate for equitable food system policies and zoning, develop financing opportunities for small food producers, and increase healthy food options for low-income communities of color Comment: This request is for one county in Maryland and its scope is too local for our funding priorities (VD). Population served: Don’t know

US Kenya Somalia Cross Border Traders Association 8/18/2014 P O Box 7255 Lewiston, ME 04243 Redevelop Bantu Farming Independence and Superiority through Resource Mobilization, Education, Linkages, and Best Practices incorporating women and youth as primary beneficiaries. Comment: This is a request to train and support farming among Somalian refugees. There is not organizing or policy work associated with this request and it does not meet our funding priorities (VD). Population served: Various racial/ethnic groups

Wilma:

Alan Guttmacher Institute 10/10/2014 111 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10003- Project support to assist the Institute to leverage its unique strengths in evidence-based policy analysis and advocacy to promote access to Sexual and Reproductive health information and services, under a framework that emphasizes social justice and overcoming disparities. Comment: According to the Guttmacher Institute, that was founded in the 1960’s and has an almost $20 million budget, it will leverage its strengths in policy analysis and advocacy—and build on its strong and long-standing relationships with key players in the RJ community—to promote access to SRH information and services, under a frame that emphasizes social justice and over-coming disparities. This project’s budget is $25,000, the same amount requested. This conversation was had with Guttmacher over a decade ago when they presented this project with the same numbers. This project does not fit Noyes guidelines (WM). Population served: Don’t know

33 Feminist Women’s Health Center 8/28/2014 1924 Cliff Valley Way, N.E. Atlanta, GA 30329-2421 Program support for the Lifting Latina Voices Initiative (LLVI) that works to empower Latinas in metro Atlanta to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health and inform policy-makers, reproductive justice organizations and coalitions, and the larger community. Comment: Noyes funded LLVI in 2007 to train and include Latinas in reproductive rights policy efforts internally within the Feminist Women’s Health Center and within external policy circles. Instead, this initiative was mostly an outreach program to attract Latinas for services. According to this Letter of Intent, Latina health center patients have doubled since this initiative began, qualifying the outreach aspect of these efforts. There was no mention of Latina leadership in advocacy work. This program does not fit Noyes guidelines (WM) Population served: Latinos/Hispanic

National Council of Jewish Women New York Section 9/2/2014 241 West 72nd Street New York, NY 10023 To support an outreach project designed to teach women of all backgrounds how to be effective advocates in today’s policy sphere. Comment: This project wants to offer a series of five specialized skill workshops, featuring local leaders and experts to present materials on the following subjects: 1) Lobbying; 2) Social Media for Advocacy; 3) Presenting One’s Message; 4) Media Training/Op-Ed Writing & Placement; and 5) Community Organizing. This $2M organization has never developed and implemented this kind of project and does not fit Noyes’ funding guidelines. (WM). Population served: Various racial/ethnic groups

Prevention Healthcare Agency dba Isuroon hereinafter “Isuroon” 9/30/2014 Sabathani Center 310 38th Street, Suite 211 Minneapolis, MN 55409 Funding to hire operational staff, develop culturally specific health education programs for Somali women, evaluate effectiveness & develop best practices for health care providers for culturally-specific care. Comment: Noyes does not fund direct service provision, therefore this program does not fit guidelines (WM). Population served: Other ethnic group or groups