Applied Research Center

Template:TOCnestleft Applied Research Center

Akonadi funding

Founded in 2000 by Quinn Delaney and her husband Wayne Jordan, Akonadi Foundation began as an extension of their commitment to racial justice. The foundation evolved from Quinn and Wayne’s years of experience as progressive donors, campaign activists, and civil rights advocates.

The foundation’s seeds were planted in 1999, as youth groups in the San Francisco Bay Area began campaigning against Proposition 21, a statewide initiative that was to appear on the March 2000 ballot. Under the proposition, many 14-year-olds would be tried in adult rather than juvenile courts and 16-year-olds could be incarcerated in adult prisons. A wave of youth activists and youth-led organizations organized against the initiative, inspiring people across the country. Quinn and Wayne noticed something different about these organizations’ approach to their work: each was committed to an explicit vision for racial justice. Inspired by what they saw and resolving to support organizations that had a racial justice focus, Quinn and Wayne launched Akonadi Foundation, named after the oracle goddess of justice in Ghana. For the next five years, Akonadi supported local and national groups that advanced racial justice, including the Applied Research Center, Asian Pacific Environmental Network, East Side Arts Alliance, and Causa Justa/Just Cause.