Location: Washington, D.C.
Founding: 2023
Founders/leadership: Sam Draisen, Dean Ilyas, co-founders

Democracy at Home enhances the political engagement of young leaders by promoting greater accessibility to the decision making process. 

Democracy, at its most basic level, is direct involvement in decision making. Throughout its history, American democracy has fallen short of this most basic benchmark. Increasing accessibility to politics allows us all to claim power and influence decisions made by those we elect.

Democracy at Home works on projects that put decision making at the fingertips of the youngest segments of the electorate. The organization is committed to promoting intersectionality and anti-racism in all of its endeavors.

Location: Bay Area, CA
Founding: 2021
Founders/leadership: Pandora Thomas, founder 

EARTHseed Farm is a 14-acre solar-powered organic farm and orchard located on the ancestral lands of the Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo Peoples in Sonoma County, CA — the only all-Black owned permaculture farm in the county, where only 2% of land is Black-owned. It aims to heal generations of historical harm through educational programs that prioritize people of African descent and other communities of color.

EARTHseed honors all beings and their role in stewarding their communities and looks to nonhuman kin for guidance. With the permission and blessings of Graton Rancheria Tribe, EARTHseed is operated and rooted in Afro-Indigenous permaculture principles and built on the long legacy of earth wisdom traditions of people of African descent. Permaculture is a relationship-based ecological design system embedded in Indigenous wisdom that elevates ecosystem health while meeting human needs. 

EARTHseed is managed by a group of likeminded practitioners and is home to a variety of apples, pears, persimmons, plums, pluots, guavas, and mixed berries. In addition to a wholesale program, the farm is open to the public from May to November for berry and fruit-picking. EARTHseed has been featured in several media outlets, including Made Local magazine, Sonoma magazine, the Podship Earth podcast, and KQED.  

The Sebastopol, CA farm is a part of Thomas’ new nonprofit Sankofa Project — an FSP and member of the Movement Strategy Network. Sankofa will include Thomas’ work with Marin City and Urban  Permaculture Institute. 

Read more about MSC’s visit to EARTHSeed Farm on the Move Blog.

Read more about how Pandora Thomas, founder of EARTHSeed Farm, inspires others on the Move Blog.

Read more about EARTHSeed’s actions on climate change on the Move Blog.

Location: Oakland, CA
Region: National
Founding: 2014
Founders/leadership: Nevinna Khann, co-founder/executive director  

The Health, Environment, Agriculture and Labor Food Alliance (HEAL) is a national multi-sector, multi-racial coalition of 55 organizations led by members who represent over two million rural and urban farmers, ranchers, fishers, farm and food chain workers, Indigenous groups, scientists, public health advocates, policy experts, community organizers, and activists. HEAL’S mission is to build collective power to create food and farm systems that are healthy for families, accessible and affordable to all communities, and fair to the working people who grow, distribute, prepare, and serve our food — while protecting the air, water, and land we all depend on. 

In 2016, HEAL launched the Plate of the Union in partnership with Food Policy Action, the Food Policy Action Education Fund, and the Union of Concerned Scientists, to uplift the voices of Americans who care about food and farm issues. The #ProtectFoodWorkers campaign delivered over 100,000 petition signatures calling on the next President to take bold action for a food system that rewards farmers and farming practices that protect our environment, that provides dignity and fair wages to workers, and ensures that everyone living in the United States has access to healthy food that they can afford.

Anchored by the Food Chain Workers Alliance, the National Black Food and Justice Alliance, Real Food Generation, and the Union of Concerned Scientists, HEAL co-drafted the 10-plank Platform for Real Food, and, in 2017, they publicly launched the platform as their strategic compass. Together, these groups are building a movement to transform our food and farm systems from the current extractive economic model towards community control, care for the land, local economies, meaningful labor, and healthful communities nationwide — while supporting the sovereignty of all living beings.  

Read more about the relationship between funders and movement leaders including HEAL’s Candace Clark on the Move Blog.

Location: Brooklyn, NY
Region: National, plus Canada 
Founding: November 2019
Founders/leadership: Leonora Souza Paula, project director; Mel Adún; Flavia Barbosa; Fernanda Dias; Marry Ferreira; Juliana Maia; Luana Reis; Priscila Santana

Kilomba Collective is the first collective of Black Brazilian immigrant women in the United States and connects Black Brazilians with other Black women’s organizations in the United States and Latin America to strategize, advance human rights, and uplift Black women’s political activism. 

Kilomba’s name refers to the Quilombos, self-sustaining revolutionary communities representing Black Brazilians’ liberation and resistance, memory, radical love, and affection. With that in mind, Kilomba Collective has been driven by its vision: connecting a multigenerational network of Black Brazilian women from different backgrounds and centering the experiences of Black Brazilian women and girls in the United States and Canada. 

Throughout 2020 and 2021, Kilomba supported their community with local and international organizers and activists focused on issues around health and maternal health, COVID-19, racism, police brutality, and more. During the pandemic, Kilomba launched two booklets in the Portuguese language with resources for immigrants impacted by the pandemic, in addition to supporting families through food baskets and online therapy.

With a community of more than 100 members of various ages, backgrounds, and professional backgrounds, living across the United States and Canada, Kilomba remains committed to Black people from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Location: Saginaw, MI
Founding: 2021
Founders/leadership: Pamela Pugh, founder and co-director; Teresa Stitt, co-director; Hurley Coleman III, John Pugh, Hurley Coleman, Jr., Michelle McGregor, co-founders

In the middle of the city of Saginaw, MI, sits a 54-acre fairground that was once the home of the biggest fair in the region from the 1930s to the 1960s. By 2000, the lot and its historic gates had grown into a wasteland in the middle of the Fairgrounds neighborhood. Instances like this inspired community residents to take matters into their own hands, aligning efforts with the Saginaw Just Transition Indaba — an organization founded to promote Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), centered and recognized as the leaders in decisions made about them and their neighborhoods for more equitable and inclusive economic development opportunities. Composed of six community and faith-based organizations, the Indaba came together to combat poverty by mobilizing and utilizing public and private resources to provide education and employment opportunities and motivate productivity for better living, learning, and working conditions for the people of Saginaw.

With supporting partners throughout the city, the Indaba aims to reduce food and energy insecurity through the eventual development of the community, including the old fairground acreage into a park and recreation center, urban farm, and a community center that provides educational, cultural, social, and recreation opportunities to the community.

The six community and faith-based organizations that make up the Indaba include Saginaw County Community Action Committee, Fairground Neighborhood Association, World Outreach Campus, First Ward Community Service, and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (Florida A&M).

Borrowing from the Florida A&M University Sustainability Action Plan, the Saginaw Just Transition Indaba involves the convening and collective action of the aforementioned organizations along with local youth, seniors, entrepreneurs, academia members, and policymakers. The organization’s goals include working together toward food and energy justice, inclusive economic development, health equity, and general wellbeing for neighborhood residents, including Saginaw County seniors, youth, entrepreneurs, and BIPOC, low income, and ALICE residents living in Saginaw, Buena Vista, and Bridgeport Township.

Location: Sandbranch, TX 
Region: Dallas County, TX
Founders/leadership: Tonnette Yarbough Byrd; Jacqui Patterson

Believe it or not, there are folks living just 14 miles from Dallas, TX — one of the wealthiest cities in the world — who do not have access to clean, running water.

In 1878, emancipated from enslavement, Allen Hawthorne and 11 other people from Louisiana collectively purchased this parcel southeast of Dallas — as a homestead, and to provide opportunity and financial security for their families. A Freedmen’s Settlement, it was called Sandbranch — so-named for its abundance of sand and gravel, just one of the area’s abundant natural resources. Like so many Black and low income communities, those resources were exploited for industrial and agricultural uses that rarely benefited the community. Today, a dwindling population of residents faces pressure to move from pollution, a lack of infrastructure, and unfair zoning that prohibits many essential capital improvements.

Sandbranch is an underdog. In its 142-year history, the community has never had running water. It lacks a sewage system and its groundwater became contaminated in the 1980s. Living in a waterless town means living in a place without fire hydrants or a way to put out fires, leaving homes and businesses destroyed. There is no trash pick-up and residents must burn their garbage — adding to the air pollution caused by adjacent cement plants. Every drop of drinkable water in Sandbranch is shipped in. The closest grocery store is seven miles away; the closest health care facility is 35 miles away. There are no streetlights and few signs. Yet, Sandbranch is rising.

Today, 100 intrepid Sandbranch residents — property owners and taxpayers — are determined to make their community a healthy and thriving place to call home. They’re led by the Sandbranch Planning Committee, whose first priority is to provide drinking water directly to 25 households through the cutting edge, regenerative technology of Hydropanels — a solar-powered system that extracts clean drinking water from the air.

In addition to water, they plan to increase access to fresh food, equitable healthcare, opportunity, and basic infrastructure (streetlights, trash removal, sewerage, signage). With help from MSC, the Chisholm Legacy Project, and the Until Justice Corporation, the affiliated Sandbranch Revitalization Fund centers on water justice, food justice, and land justice — all rooted in a Just Transition.

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is sponsoring Hydropanels for two homes while working to raise additional funds and urge other large environmental organizations to make similar investments in Sandbranch and other frontline communities struggling to access clean drinking water.

Read more about Sandbranch and the intersectionality of American water on the Move Blog.

Read more about the legacy of Sandbranch on the Move Blog.

Learn more about how the Sandbranch Revitalization Fund, a MSC Special Interest Fund, is helping to shift philanthropy on the Move Blog.

Location: Saginaw, MI
Region: Missouri
Founding: 2021
Founders/leadership: Canika Owen Robinson, project director

The Neighb serves the evolving needs of the Saginaw community. With a strong focus on economically disadvantaged youth and families, The Neighb provides tailored programs and services that promote socio-economic empowerment and enhance quality of life.

The Neighb believes that individuals and families can thrive and achieve their full potential when every community member has access to education, health services, housing, and financial resources. Their initiatives encompass a wide range of areas that bridge gaps and are crucial to community well-being. Education is a key pillar, with dedicated youth tutoring programs and mentoring initiatives to nurture academic success. The Neighb also recognizes the importance of physical and mental well-being, offering health and nutrition services that cater to the community’s specific needs.

In their unwavering commitment to provide support, the Neighb extends a helping hand to those facing challenging circumstances. Strangers, orphans, widows, individuals with mental health disorders, and those with chronic illnesses can find solace in the Neighb’s care and assistance. The Neighb’s focus extends to arts and culture, recognizing the transformative power of creative expression. Through enriching art programs and cultural initiatives, the Neighb fosters a sense of community and provides opportunities for personal growth.

To address immediate needs, the Neighb operates a daily soup kitchen which provides nourishing meals to youths and adults. Additionally, they offer job training programs and financial literacy initiatives, equipping individuals with the skills and knowledge necessary to secure sustainable employment and financial stability.

The Neighb’s vision of progress extends to the physical realm as well. Through the Brick By Brick Campaign, the organization invites community members to participate in the renovation of their center. Donors can contribute a personalized brick that will be displayed prominently in the state of the art facility, symbolizing their support for the Neighb’s mission. 

Location: Sacramento, CA
Region: California
Founding: 2020
Founders/leadership: An Nguyen, program manager, liaison; Josephine Young

The President’s Youth Council (PYC) is a body of youth ambassadors from across California that serves in partnership with the CEO of the California Endowment to ultimately shape the Endowment’s investments and culture. Dr. Robert K. Ross formed PYC in a genuine effort to integrate youth input and decision making into the Endowment. PYC members work as thought partners in redefining wellness for young Californians and provide a youth perspective in advancing health equity and health justice campaigns while strengthening youth voice and leadership across communities, statewide and nationally. 

PYC envisions a world where young people of color are at the center of an intergenerational movement to create a healthy, just, and equitable California. These ambassadors provide community perspective by centering youth voices and cultivating narrative and systems change through storytelling while supporting health equity for underserved communities across the state. PYC members earn a yearly stipend, further their skills, and gain access to networking and mentoring opportunities. They also participate in youth development opportunities that strengthen their leadership skills and help them be more effective advocates for their communities.