Common Counsel Foundation

Template:TOCnestleft The Common Counsel Foundation, founded in 1988, is a grant-making foundation which encompasses a number of funds. Funds are directed to progressive organizations that work to build the leadership of low-income people, women, youth, people of color and others working for justice, equity, and a healthy, sustainable environment.

About

Founded in 1988, Common Counsel Foundation partners with families and individual donors to expand philanthropic resources for progressive social movements. The organization prioritizes support for community-based organizations building the leadership of low-income people, women, youth, people of color and others working for justice, equity, and a healthy, sustainable environment. Over its more than 20-year history, Common Counsel Foundation has developed a reputation for progressive community-oriented philanthropy highlighted by grant-making that is defined not only by who we fund, but also by the principles and practices that guide our work. Common Counsel donors and member funds share a special interest in supporting organizations committed to grassroots community organizing for racial, economic, and environmental justice, policy reform, and social change.

Personnel

Board of Trustees

As at October 7, 2010, the following served on the Board:

• Patricia St. Onge, Board President, Partner, Seven Generations Consulting
• Michelle Natividad Rodriguez, Board Secretary, Staff Attorney, Public Advocates, Inc.
• Dan Ringer Barwick, Board Treasurer, Finance & Organizational Consultant, Small Hill Partners
• Stephen Kimball, President, Acorn Foundation
• Linda Burnham, Founder, Women of Color Resource Center
• Mark Kelley, Trustee, Lora L. & Martin N. Kelley Foundation
• Rosi Reyes, Communications Specialist
• Marcos Vargas, Executive Director, Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE)
• George Wells, Trustee, Abelard Foundation

Staff

As at October 7, 2010, the following served on the Staff of the organization:

• Ronald M. Rowell, CEO
• Larisa Casillas, Program Officer
• Luke Newton, Program Officer
• Holly Fincke, Windcall Director
• Layla Cooper, Finance Manager

Affiliated Personnel

• David Bacon (photographer)
• Daniel Owens (web designer)

Member Funds

The Foundation is home to the Abelard Foundation West, Acorn Foundation, Penney Family Fund, the Victor and Lorraine Honig Fund, the Grassroots Exchange Fund, and the Social and Economic Justice Fund. In partnership with its member funds, the foundation provides grant support to "well over 200 community organizations each year" and helps advance a broad range of initiatives towards progressive social, racial, economic and environmental change.

Abelard Foundation West

The Abelard Foundation is a family foundation with 50 years of experience in progressive philanthropy. The Foundation is committed to supporting grassroots social change organizations in predominantly low-income communities and communities of color that seek to expand community control over economic, social and environmental decisions affecting their communities' wellbeing.

Trustees

• Susan Wells

2008 Grants

In 2008, the Abelard Foundation West awarded 23 grants totaling $260,000:

• 9 to 5 Colorado, Denver, CO, $12,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: 9to5, National Association of Working Women)
• [[Anchorage Faith & Action - Congregations Together, Anchorage, AK, $10,000
• Arab Resource and Organizing Center, San Francisco, CA, $10,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Tides Center)
• Center for Intercultural Organizing, Portland, OR, $12,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods
• Colonias Development Council, Las Cruces, NM, $12,000
• Comite del Barrio, El Paso, TX, $8,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: La Mujer Obrera)
• Common Counsel Foundation Grassroots Exchange Fund, Oakland, CA, $20,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Common Counsel Foundation)
• Common Counsel Foundation Social and Economic Justice Fund, Oakland, CA, $3,333 (Fiscal Sponsor: Common Counsel Foundation)
• Diné CARE (Citizens Against Ruining our Environment), Winslow, AZ, $11,000
• El Centro de Igualdad y Derechos, Albuquerque, NM, $12,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Enlace Comunitario)
• Hispanics in Philanthropy, San Francisco, CA, $16,667
• Nevada Young Activist Project of Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, Reno, NV, $15,000
• New Mexico Environmental Justice Working Group, Albuquerque, NM, $10,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Community Networking Resources)
• Oregon Action, Portland, OR, $10,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: [[Fair Share Research & Education Fund
• Piñeros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN), Woodburn, OR, $15,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Willamette Valley Law Project)
• PUEBLO Education Fund, Santa Barbara, CA, $13,000
• San Antonio del Rio Colorado Land Grant, Questa, NM, $3,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Mexicano)
• San Francisco Day Labor Program/Colectiva de Mujeres, San Francisco, CA, $12,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: La Raza Centro Legal)
• Seattle Young People's Project, Seattle, WA, $12,000
• Southwest Voter Registration Education Project (SVREP), San Antonio, TX, $10,000
• Union de Vecinos, Los Angeles, CA, $11,000
• Washington ACORN, Burien, WA, $10,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: ACORN Institute)
• Workers Defense Project/Proyecto Defensa Laboral (PDL), Austin, TX, $12,000

2009 Grants

In 2009, the Abelard Foundation West awarded 22 grants totaling $260,000:

• 9 to 5 Colorado, Denver, CO, $12,500 (Fiscal Sponsor: 9to5, National Association of Working Women)
• Alliance of Forest Workers and Harvesters, Albany, CA, $12,000
• California Coalition for Women Prisoners, San Francisco, CA, $12,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Legal Services for Prisoners with Children)
• Center for Intercultural Organizing, Portland, OR, $12,500
• Common Counsel Foundation Grassroots Exchange Fund, Oakland, CA, $20,333
• Community Alliance of Tenants, Portland, OR, $10,000
• Faith Action for Community Equity - Maui, Honolulu, HI, $9,000
• Hispanics in Philanthropy, San Francisco, CA, $16,667
• HOMEY - Homies Organizing the Mission to Empower Youth, San Francisco, CA, $12,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: International Child Resource Center)
• Houston Interfaith Worker Justice Center, Houston, TX, $10,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Interfaith Worker Justice)
• Idaho Community Action Network (ICAN), Boise, ID, $12,000
• Justice Overcoming Boundaries, San Diego, CA, $12,000
• KoreaTown Immigrant Workers Alliance, Los Angeles, CA, $10,000
• Land Rights Council, Inc., San Luis, CO, $8,000
• Nevada Young Activist Project of PLAN, Reno, NV, $15,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada)
• Piñeros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN), Woodburn, OR, $15,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Willamette Valley Law Project)
• Restaurant Opportunities Center of Los Angeles (ROC-LA), Los Angeles, CA, $10,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York)
• San Bernardino ACORN, San Bernardino, CA, $11,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: ACORN Institute)
• San Francisco Day Labor Program / Colectiva de Mujeres, San Francisco, CA, $9,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: La Raza Centro Legal)
• Sunflower Community Action, Inc., Wichita, KS, $11,000
• Voz Workers' Rights Education Project, Portland, OR, $10,000
• Western Shoshone Defense Project, Crescent Valley, NV, $10,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Seventh Generation Fund for Indian Development Inc.)

Acorn Foundation

Not to be confused with ACORN (now defunct)

Established in 1978, the Acorn Foundation is a family foundation dedicated to advancing community-based organizations working for environmental conservation, sustainability and environmental justice.

2008 Grants

In 2008, the Acorn Foundation awarded 13 grants totaling $126,000:

• Cascadia Wildlands Project, Eugene, OR, $10,000
• Common Counsel Foundation Grassroots Exchange Fund, Oakland, CA, $10,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Common Counsel Foundation)
• Diné CARE (Citizens Against Ruining our Environment), Winslow, AZ, $12,000
• El Paso ACORN, El Paso, TX, $10,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: ACORN Institute)
• Gert Town Revival Initiative, Inc., New Orleans, LA, $12,000
• Gwich'in Steering Committee, Fairbanks, AK, $10,000
• Klamath Forest Alliance, Orleans, CA, $8,000
• Lynn Canal Conservation Inc., Haines, AK, $7,000
• New Mexico Environmental Justice Working Group, Albuquerque, NM, $8,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Community Networking Resources)
• Resisting Environmental Destruction on Indigenous Lands, Fairbanks, AK, $12,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Indigenous Environmental Network)
• Save Our Cumberland Mountains Resource Project, Lake City, TN, $8,000
• Western Shoshone Defense Project, Crescent Valley, NV, $10,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Seventh Generation Fund for Indian Development Inc.)
• Western Slope Environmental Resource Council, Paonia, CO, $9,000

2009 Grants

In 2009 the Acorn Foundation made 12 grants totaling $120,000:

• Black Mesa Water Coalition, Flagstaff, AZ
• Cascadia Wildlands Project, Eugene, OR
• Common Counsel Foundation Grassroots Exchange Fund, Oakland, CA
• Dakota Rural Action, Brookings, SD
• Diné CARE (Citizens Against Ruining our Environment), Winslow, AZ
• Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, Seattle, WA
• Gwich'in Steering Committee, Fairbanks, AK
• KAHEA: The Hawaiian Environmental Alliance, Honolulu, HI
• Klamath Riverkeeper, Ashland, OR
• Native Action, Lame Deer, MT
• Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, Big Stone Gap, VA
• Wind River Alliance, Ethete, WY

Penney Family Fund

Formed in 1999, the Penney Family Fund supports organizations based in Oregon and California that work to advance human rights, community social, political, and economic empowerment, government accountability, and environmental sustainability. The foundation formed after the James C. Penney Foundation restructured in early 1999. Since its inception, the foundation has supported 282 organizations for a total of $5,770,010 up to 2009. The foundation focuses on two areas: "Green Pathways Out of Poverty" and "Youth Organizing & Leadership Development".

2008 Grants

In 2008, the Penney Family Fund awarded 29 grants totaling $465,000:

• 1000 Friends of Oregon, Portland, OR, $15,000
• ACORN Peru/ACORN International, New Orleans, LA, $5,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: ACORN International)
• American Rivers, Nevada City, CA, $15,000
• Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy, Ventura, CA, $15,000
• Children's Institute, Portland, OR, $45,000
• Communities for a Better Environment, Huntington Park, CA, $15,000
• Democracy Reform Oregon, Portland, OR, $25,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Western States Center)
• East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, Oakland, CA, $10,000
• Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Oakland, CA, $2,500
• Four Freedoms Fund, New York, NY, $10,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Public Interest Projects)
• Grassroots Exchange Fund of Common Counsel Foundation, Oakland, CA, $10,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Common Counsel Foundation)
• Green Schools, Berkeley, CA, $2,500 (Fiscal Sponsor: Social & Environmental Entrepreneurs)
• Hoopa Valley Tribe, Hoopa, CA, $15,000
• Karuk Tribe of California, Orleans, CA, $15,000
• Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, Los Angeles, CA, $15,000
• Northwest Early Childhood Institute, Portland, OR, $10,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Hearing & Speech Institute)
• Oregon Action, Portland, OR, $15,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Fair Share Research & Education Fund)
• Oregon Child Care Resource & Referral Network, Salem, OR, $35,000
• Oregon Tradeswomen, Portland, OR, $15,000
• Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste, Woodburn, OR, $20,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Willamette Valley Law Project)
• Portland Jobs With Justice Education Fund, Portland, OR, $5,000
• San Francisco ACORN, San Francisco, CA, $10,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: ACORN Institute)
• Stand for Children Leadership Center, Portland, OR, $45,000
• Strategic Actions for a Just Economy, Los Angeles, CA, $10,000
• Sustainable Northwest, Portland, OR, $25,000
• The Klamath Basin Coalition, Eugene, OR, $15,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Institute for Fisheries Resources)
• The Piper Fund, Amherst, MA, $5,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Proteus Fund)
• Water Watch of Oregon, Portland, OR, $15,000

2009 Grants

In 2009, the Penney Family Fund awarded 15 grants totaling $297,500:

• Applied Research Center, Oakland, CA, $20,000
• Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy, Ventura, CA, $30,000
• East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, Oakland, CA, $20,000
• Everybody Counts 2010 Census Collaboration, Portland, OR, $10,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: United Way of the Columbia-Willamette)
• Fair Share Research & Education Fund (DBA Oregon Action), Portland, OR, $30,000
• Grassroots Exchange Fund of Common Counsel Foundation, Oakland, CA, $10,000
• High Atlas Foundation, New York, NY, $10,000
• InnerCity Struggle, Los Angeles, CA, $7,500 (Fiscal Sponsor: Commnity Partners)
• Oregon Child Care Resource & Referral Network, Salem, OR, $45,000
• Oregon Rural Action, La Grande, OR, $25,000
• Piper Fund, The, Amherst, MA, $5,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Proteus Fund)
• Portland YouthBuilders, Portland, OR, $20,000
• Strategic Concepts in Organizing & Policy Education, Los Angeles, CA, $30,000
• The Pangaea Project, Portland, OR, $10,000
• Verde, Portland, OR, $25,000

Victor and Lorraine Honig Fund

The Victor and Lorraine Honig Fund has operated for over 30 years to support community organizations that are "working to advance equality, opportunity, justice, and civil rights for low-income communities and communities of color" in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. The Fund also works to support organizations that connect local social justice efforts with national and international movements for peace and justice. The Fund has been a donor advised fund member of the Common Counsel Foundation since Summer 2005.

2008 Grants

In 2008, the Victor & Lorraine Hong Fund awarded 72 grants totaling $406,000:

• Alliance of Forest Workers and Harvesters, Willow Creek, CA
• American Jewish World Service, San Francisco, CA
• Arab Resource and Organizing Center, San Francisco, CA
• Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice, Oakland, CA
• Asian Pacific Environmental Network, Oakland, CA
• Black Alliance for Just Immigration, Berkeley, CA
• Brit Tzedek V'Shalom (Jewish Alliance for Justice & Peace), Chicago, IL
• Center for Media Justice (formerly Youth Media Council), Oakland, CA
• Center for Popular Economics, Amherst, MA
• Center for Young Women's Development, San Francisco, CA
• Coal River Mountain Watch, Whitesville, WV
• Coalition Against Militarism in our Schools, South Pasadena, CA
• CODEPINK, Women for Peace, San Francisco, CA
• Common Counsel Foundation Grassroots Exchange Fund, Oakland, CA
• Communities for a Better Environment, Huntington Park, CA
• CorpWatch, Oakland, CA
• Courage to Resist, Oakland, CA
• Death Penalty Focus, San Francisco, CA
• Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Oakland, CA
• FACTS Education Fund (Families to Amend California's Three Strikes), Los Angeles, CA
• Free Battered Women, San Francisco, CA
• Gay Straight Alliance Network, San Francisco, CA
• Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training, Oakland, CA
• H.O.M.E.Y., San Francisco, CA
• Institute for Public Accuracy, San Francisco, CA
• Jewish Voice for Peace, Oakland, CA
• Just Cause Oakland, Oakland, CA
• Lawyers' Committee on Nuclear Policy, Inc., New York, NY
• Los Angeles Community Action Network, Los Angeles, CA
• Military Families Speak Out Education Fund, Jamaica Plain, MA
• Our Family Coalition, San Francisco, CA
• Parent Voices - San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
• People Organized to Demand Economic & Environmental Rights, San Francisco, CA
• People Organized to Win Employment Rights, San Francisco, CA
• Progressive Jewish Alliance, El Cerrito, CA
• Project on Youth and Non-Military Opportunities, Encinitas, CA
• PUEBLO Education Fund, Santa Barbara, CA
• San Francisco Day Labor Program/Colectiva de Mujeres (Women's Collective), San Francisco, CA
• San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, San Francisco, CA
• San Francisco Senior Action Network, San Francisco, CA
• South of Market Community Action Network, San Francisco, CA
• Transnational Institute for Grassroots Research and Action, Oakland, CA
• Tri-Valley CAREs (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment), Livermore, CA
• Young Workers United, San Francisco, CA
• Western Regional Advocacy Project, San Francisco, CA
• Western States Legal Foundation, Oakland, CA
• Women of Color Resource Center, Oakland, CA

2009 Grants

In 2009, the Victor & Lorraine Hong Fund awarded 68 grants totaling $410,500:

• ACLU Foundation of Northern California, San Francisco, CA
• American Friends Service Committee, San Francisco, CA
• American Jewish World Service, San Francisco, CA
• Arab Resource and Organizing Center, San Francisco, CA
• Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice, Oakland, CA
• Asian Pacific Environmental Network, Oakland, CA
• Bay Area Parent Leadership Action Network, Oakland, CA
• Brit Tzedek V'Shalom (Jewish Alliance for Justice & Peace), Chicago, IL
• California Coalition for Women Prisoners, San Francisco, CA
• Center for Constitutional Rights, New York, NY
• Center for Investigative Reporting, Berkeley, CA
• Center for Young Women's Development, San Francisco, CA
• Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy, Ventura, CA
• Chinese Progressive Association, San Francisco, CA
• Coalition for Alternatives Militarism in our Schools, South Pasadena, CA
• Coalition on Homelessness - San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
• Coleman Advocates for Children & Youth, San Francisco, CA
• Common Counsel Foundation Grassroots Exchange Fund, Oakland, CA
• Communities for a Better Environment, Oakland, CA
• Communities United Against Violence, San Francisco, CA
• Community Music Center, San Francisco, CA
• Courage to Resist, Oakland, CA
• Critical Resistance, Oakland, CA
• Defending Dissent Foundation, Silver Spring, MD
• East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, Oakland, CA
• Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, New York, NY
• Filipinos for Affirmative Action, Oakland, CA
• Gay Straight Alliance Network, San Francisco, CA
• Global Exchange, San Francisco, CA
• Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training, Oakland, CA
• H.O.M.E.Y. - Homies Organizing the Mission to Empower Youth, San Francisco, CA
• Henry Lefferts Scholarship Fund of the City College Fund, New York, NY
• In These Times, Chicago, IL
• Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Minneapolis, MN
• Institute for Policy Studies, Washington, DC
• Institute for Public Accuracy, San Francisco, CA
• Iraq Veterans Against the War, Philadelphia, PA
• Jewish Music Festival, Berkeley, CA
• Jewish Voice for Peace, Oakland, CA
• Just Cause Oakland, Oakland, CA
• KWMR, Point Reyes Station, CA
• Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of SF Bay Area, San Francisco, CA
• Legal Services for Prisoners with Children - All of Us or None, San Francisco, CA
• Marin Agricultural Land Trust, Point Reyes Station, CA
• Military Families Speak Out Education Fund, Jamaica Plain, MA
• National Network for Immigrant & Refugee Rights, Oakland, CA
• New Israel Fund, San Francisco, CA
• Oakland ACORN, Oakland, CA
• Oakland Rising, Oakland, CA
• People Organized to Demand Economic & Environmental Rights, San Francisco, CA
• People Organized to Win Employment Rights, San Francisco, CA
• Progressive Jewish Alliance, El Cerrito, CA
• Project on Youth and Non-Military Opportunities, Encinitas, CA
• People United for Economic Justice Building Leadership through Organizing, Santa Barbara, CA
• Rosenberg Fund for Children, Easthampton, MA
• San Francisco Day Labor Program Women's Collective, San Francisco, CA
• San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, San Francisco, CA
• San Francisco Senior Action Network, San Francisco, CA
• Save the Bay, Oakland, CA
• Service Women's Action Network, New York, NY
• Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, San Jose, CA
• South of Market Community Action Network, San Francisco, CA
• St. Peter's Housing Committee, San Francisco, CA
• The Dance Palace, Point Reyes, CA
• Women of Color Resource Center, Oakland, CA
• Young Workers United, San Francisco, CA
• Youth United for Community Action, East Palo Alto, CA
• Z Magazine, Woods Hole, MA

Social and Economic Justice Fund

The Social and Economic Justice Fund is a collaborative grants initiative that supports organizations working on civil and human rights, youth organizing, alternative media, and economic justice for low-income immigrant communities, and communities of color in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Created in 1999 as a joint program between the former Progressive Way of the Bay Area and the Common Counsel Foundation, it is funded by individual donors and has made 45 grants totaling $111,500 since 2000.

2005 Grants

In 2005, the Fund made 8 grants totalling $9,500:

• Asian Pacific Environmental Network, Oakland, CA $1,500
• Centro Laboral de Graton, Graton, CA $1,000
• Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Oakland, CA $1,000
• Just Cause Oakland, Oakland, CA $1,000
• Mujeres Unidas y Activas, Oakland and San Francisco, CA $1,000
• National Radio Project, Oakland, CA $1,500
• Oakland Congregation of Organizations, Oakland, CA $1,000
• Women of Color Resource Center, Oakland, CA $1,500

2006 Grants

In 2006, the Fund made four grants totaling $11,000:

• Asian Pacific Environmental Network, Oakland, CA $2,000
• East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, Oakland, CA $5,000
• Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Oakland, CA $2,000
• Oakland ACORN Oakland, CA $2,000

2007 Grants

In 2007, the Social & Economic Justice Fund awarded 5 grants totaling $9,500:

• Asian Pacific Environmental Network, Oakland, CA, $2,000
• Deporten a la Migra Coalition/St. Peter's Housing Committee, San Francisco, CA, $1,000
• East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, Oakland, CA, $2,000
• Generation Five, San Francisco, CA, $1,500
• The Gathering for Justice, New York, NY, $3,000

2008-2009

In 2008 and 2009 the Fund awarded the following grants:

• Black Alliance for Just Immigration, Berkeley, CA, $500 (Fiscal Sponsor: Bay Area Black United Fund)
• Californians for Justice, Oakland, CA, $500
• Center for Third World Organizing, Oakland, CA, $500 (Fiscal Sponsor: Center for Third World Organizing)
• Coalition Against Police Executions, San Francisco, CA, $300 (Fiscal Sponsor: Peace Development Fund)
• Just Cause Oakland, Oakland, CA, $1,500
• Oakland ACORN, Oakland, CA, $1500 (Fiscal Sponsor: ACORN Institute)
• Women Organized to Respond to Life-threatening Diseases, Oakland, CA, $1,500
• Young Workers United, San Francisco, CA, $1,500

Grassroots Exchange Fund

The Grassroots Exchange Fund is a community-guided rapid response small grants program established to build bridges between grassroots social and environmental justice organizations throughout the United States. GXF grants help community-based organizations to engage in collaborative campaigns, strengthen key cross-region and cross-sector movements, and participate in organizing and technical assistance trainings. The program focuses on three goals:

• To strengthen the ability of small organizations to participate in public debates
• To strengthen key cross-region and cross-sector movements
• To contribute to collaborative policy victories in the realms of social, environmental and economic justice

2008

In 2008, the Grassroots Exchange Fund awarded 53 grants totaling $43,950:

• Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice, Oakland, CA, $800
• Border Action Network, Tucson, AZ, $800
• California Partnership, Los Angeles, CA, $2,000
• Catalyst Project, San Francisco, CA, $750
• Center for Third World Organizing, Oakland, CA, $700
• Charlottesville Public Housing Association of Residents, Charlottesville, VA, $700
• Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center, Cincinnati, OH, $700
• Community Alliance of Lane County, Eugene, OR, $800
• Critical Resistance, Oakland, CA, $2,000
• Desiree Alliance, Henderson, NV, $1,000
• Dine CARE, Durango, CO, $700
• Domestic Workers United, Bronx, NY, $500
• El Quinto Sol de América, Lindsay, CA, $500
• Good Jobs First, Washington, DC, $800
• Grass Roots Organizing, Mexico, MO, $800
• Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, San Pedro, CA, $2,000
• Green for All, Oakland, CA, $500
• Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice, San Francisco, CA, $500
• Gwich'in Steering Committee, Fairbanks, AK, $800
• Idaho Community Action Network, Boise, ID, $500
• Just Cause Oakland, Oakland, CA, $800
• Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance, Los Angeles, CA, $800
• Louisiana Bucket Brigade, New Orleans, LA, $800
• Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance, Jackson, MS, $1,000
• Mujeres Unidas y Activas, San Francisco, CA, $1,000
• Nashville Homeless Power Project, Nashville, TN, $500
• National Coalition for Burned Churches and Community Empowerment, Gainesville, GA, $1,000
• New Mexico Alliance/ Youth Group, Chimayo, NM, $800
• New Mexico Environmental Law Center, Santa Fe, NM, $800
• Nodutdol for Korean Community Development, Woodside, NY, $800
• Northwest Toxic Communities Coalition, Seattle, WA, $800
• Organizers' Forum, Stinson Beach, CA, $800
• Partnership for Immigrant Leadership and Action, San Francisco, CA, $700
• Peace and Dignity Journeys, Phoenix, AZ, $500
• Picture the Homeless, Bronx, NY, $500
• Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste, Woodburn, OR, $1,500
• Proyecto Del Valle, Bakersfield, CA, $500
• Pueblo Education Fund, Santa Barbara, CA, $1,000
• South Dakota Peace and Justice Center, Sioux Falls, SD, $400
• Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice, Albuquerque, NM, $1,000
• St. Peter's Housing Committee, San Francisco, CA, $600
• Student Action with Farmworkers, Durham, NC, $700
• Tennessee Alliance for Progress, Nashville, TN, $500
• Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, Nashville, TN, $500
• Toxics Action Center, Boston, MA, $800
• Transnational Institute for Grassroots Research and Action, Oakland, CA, $800
• UE Research and Education Fund, Pittsburgh, PA, $800
• Western Regional Advocacy Project, San Francisco, CA, $1000
• Western Shoshone Defense Project, Crescent Valley, NV, $1000
• Women of Color in the Global Women's Strike, San Francisco, CA, $800
• Women's Collective of the San Francisco Day Labor Program, San Francisco, CA, $1,000
• Working for Equality and Economic Liberation, Helena, MT, $800
• Young Workers United, San Francisco, CA, $800

2009

In 2009 the Grassroots Exchange Fund made 45 grants totaling $36,700:

• Alianza Indigena Sin Fronteras, Tucson, AZ, $800 (Fiscal Sponsor: Seventh Generation Fund)
• Allgo (Austin Latino)/a Lesbian Gay Organization)]], Austin, TX, $1,200
• Asian Pacific Islander Youth Promoting Advocacy & Leadership, Oakland, CA, $800 (Fiscal Sponsor: Asian Community Mental Health Services)
• Bay Area Parent Leadership Action Network, Oakland, CA, $1,000
• Central Labor Council of Alameda County, Oakland, CA, $1000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Urban Strategies Council)
• Chinese Progressive Association, San Francisco, CA, $1,000
• Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center, Cincinnati, OH, $600
• Colonias Development Council, Las Cruces, NM, $800
• Community Media Organizing Project, Knoxville, TN, $1,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Save Our Cumberland Mountains, Inc.)
• Domestic Workers United, New York, NY, $800 (Fiscal Sponsor: CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities)
• Families United for Racial and Economic Equality, Brooklyn, NY, $800
• Flanbwayan Haitian Literacy Project, Brooklyn, NY, $1,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization)
• Grass Roots Organizing, Mexico, MO, $800
• Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, San Pedro, CA, $300 (Fiscal Sponsor: Southwest Community Resources, Inc.)
• Hope Street Youth Development, Wichita, KS, $500
• INCITE! Denver, Longmont, CO, $1,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition)
• Interfaith Action of Southwest Florida, Immokalee, FL, $800
• Interfaith Worker Justice, Chicago, IL, $2,000
• LaStraw (last straw), The, Greensboro, NC, $800
• LGBTQ Womyn of Color Conference, Swarthmore, Pa, $800 (Fiscal Sponsor: Resources for Human Development)
• Media Mobilizing Project, Philadelphia, PA, $800
• Movement for Justice in El Barrio, New York, NY, $500 (Fiscal Sponsor: St. Cecilia's Church)
• National Coalition for Burned Churches & Community Empowerment, Gainesville, GA, $500
• National Day Labor Organizing Network, Los Angeles, CA, $1,000
• New York State Prisoner Justice Coalition, Albany, NY, $800 (Fiscal Sponsor: Social Justice Center of Albany)
• North San Diego County Sponsoring Committee/dba: Faith Works, Escondido, CA, $700
• Nuestro Centro, Asheville, NC, $500 (Fiscal Sponsor: Asheville Buncombe Community Relations Council)
• Oregon Action, Portland, OR, $800 (Fiscal Sponsor: The Fair Share Research and Education Fund)
• People Organized to Win Employment Rights, San Francisco, CA, $800
• People Organized to Demand Environmental & Economic Rights, San Francisco, CA, $600 (Fiscal Sponsor: Tides Center)
• Poor Peoples Economic Human Rights Campaign, Cleveland, OH, $800 (Fiscal Sponsor: Women's Economic Agenda Project)
• Prometheus Radio Project, Philadelphia, PA, $800
• Pueblo Education Fund, Santa Barbara, CA, $1,000
• Seattle Young People's Project, Seattle, WA, $500
• Southeast Indigenous Peoples' Center, Jacksonville, FL, $700 (Fiscal Sponsor: Community Futures Collective)
• Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice, Albuquerque, NM, $1,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Community Networking Resources)
• Street Academy Foundation, Oakland, CA, $500
• Texas Media Empowerment Project, San Antonio, TX, $600 (Fiscal Sponsor: Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ, OC, Inc
• Toxics Action Center, Boston, MA, $800
• Transit Riders for Public Transportation, Los Angeles, CA, $1,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Labor/Community Strategy Center)
• Transnational Institute for Grassroots Research and Action, Oakland, CA, $800
• Western Shoshone Defense Project, Spring Creek, NV, $1,000 (Fiscal Sponsor: Seventh Generation Fund for Indian Development)
• Women for Genuine Society, Oakland, CA, $800 (Fiscal Sponsor: The Agape Foundation)
• Women of Color Resource Center, Oakland, CA, $800
• Workers' Rights Center, Madison, WI, $800

Residency Programs

In addition to issuing grants, the Common Counsel has worked for over 20 years to support and coordinate residency programs that advance leadership development and leadership sustainability among grassroots organizers, community leaders, and social and environmental innovators. The organization is currently the fiscal sponsor of the Windcall Institute and the Mesa Refuge Writers Retreat.

Windcall Institute

The Windcall Residency Program was founded by Susan and Albert Wells and operated on their ranch in Montana from 1989 until 2006. The Wells family foundation, the Abelard Foundation, is part of the Common Counsel Foundation consortium of family foundations.

Holly Fincke is the Director of the Windcall Institute.

Board

The following serve on the board:

• Elsa Barboza, SCOPE/AGENDA, Los Angeles, CA
• Dothula Baron-Hall, Consultant, Warsaw, NC
• Margi Clarke, Consultant to grassroots organizations, Berkeley, CA
• Bob Fulkerson, Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, Reno, NV
• Sue Hutchinson, Student, California Institute for Integral Studies, Oakland, CA
• Rev. Mac Legerton (Treasurer), Center for Community Action, Lumberton, NC
• Kamau Marcharia (Co-Chair), Fairfield County Council Vice-Chairman, South Carolina Progressive Network, Jenkinsville, SC
• Donna Parson, Demos, New York, NY
• Deepak Pateriya (Co-Chair), United Food and Commercial Workers, Oakland, CA
• Joy Persall, Native Americans in Philanthropy, Minneapolis, MN

Advisory Board

The following have served on the advisory board:

• Stuart Acuff, 1999, AFL-CIO, Organizing Director, Washington, DC
• Carl Anthony, 1992, Ford Foundation, New York, NY
• Fran Barrett, 1997, Community Resource Exchange, New York, NY
• Maria Blanco, 1996, Warren Institute on Race, Ethnicity & Diversity, Berkeley, CA
• Linda Burnham, 1992, Non-profit consultant, Oakland, CA
• Pamela Chiang, 2000, Center for Community Change, Belgrade, MT
• Walter Davis, 1998, Southern Empowerment Project, Maryville, TN
• Scott Douglas, 2001, Greater Birmingham Ministries, Birmingham, AL
• Emily Goldfarb, 1994, Nonprofit consultant, San Francisco, CA
• LeeAnn Hall, 1997, Northwest Federation of Community Organizations, Seattle, WA
• Taj James, 2001, Movement Strategy Center, Oakland, CA
• Madeline Janis-Aparicio, 1997, LA Alliance for a New Economy, Los Angeles, CA
• Sandra Jerabek, 1994, Redwood Economic Development Institute, Crescent City, CA
• Anthony Van Jones, 2000, White House Council on Environmental Quality, Washington, DC
• Burt Lauderdale, 2000, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, London, KY
• David Mann, 1997, Nonprofit consultant, Minneapolis, MN
• Rev. David Ostendorf, 1991, Center for New Community, Ellsworth, WI
• Millard Mitty Owens, 1997, New York University, New York, NY
• Julie Quiroz-Martinez, 1994, mosaic consulting, Oakland, CA
• Rosi Reyes, 2001, Nonprofit consultant, San Francisco, CA
• Janet Robideau, 2001, Montana People's Action, Missoula, MT
• Andy Robinson, 2005, Nonprofit Consultant, Plainfield, VT
• Gary Sandusky, 1990, Center for Community Change, Boise, ID
• Rinku Sen, 2000, Applied Research Center, New York, NY
• Jim Sessions, 1999, former director, Highlander Center & the Union Community Fund, Knoxville, TN
• Nina Shapiro-Perl, 2004, Service Employees International Union, Washington, DC
• Esmeralda Simmons, 2000, Center for Law & Social Justice, Brooklyn, NY
• Arturo Vargas, 1992, National Association of Latino Elected Officials, Los Angeles, CA
• Carol Prejean Zippert, 1992, Society of Folk Arts & Culture, Eutaw, AL

Residents

The following have attended the recidency program:

1989 - 2008:

• Stuart Acuff, AFL-CIO, Organizing Department, Washington, DC
• Jan Adams, Applied Research Center, San Francisco, CA
• Olga Morales Aguirre (Deceased), The Mujeres Project, San Antonio, TX
• Nancy Ailes, Pine Cabin Run Ecological Laboratory, High View, WV
• Jane Alexander, Womens Lunch Place, Jamaica Plains, MA
• Leon Allen, UNITE HERE, AFL-CIO, Washington, DC
• Cassandra Allen, UNITE HERE, AFL-CIO, Washington, DC
• Susan Alva, Migration Policy and Resource Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Adrienne Anderson, University of Colorado at Boulder, Denver, CO
• Carl Anthony, Ford Foundation, New York, NY (formerly with Urban Habitat)
• Ronald Aubourg, Haitian Centers Council, Brooklyn, NY
• Barbara Ayotte, Physicians for Human Rights, Boston, MA
• Dianne Bady, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, Proctorville, OH
• Pam Baldwin, The Interfaith Alliance of Idaho, Meridian, ID
• Lois Jewel Barber, EarthAction, Amherst, MA
• Elsa Barboza, SCOPE/AGENDA, Los Angeles, CA
• Peter Barnes, The Mesa Refuge, San Francisco, CA
• Dothula Baron-Hall, The Dispute Settlement Center, Wilmington, NC
• Fran Barrett, Community Resource Exchange, New York, NY
• Alfreda Barringer, Grassroots Leadership, Charlotte, NC
• Betsy Barton, North Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Project, Durham, NC
• Jeff Bartow, Southwest Organizing Project, Chicago, IL
• Adriana Portillo-Bartow, Where Are the Children Project, Chicago, IL
• Nikki Fortunato Bas, Sweatshop Watch, Oakland, CA
• Rebecca Bauen, Women's Action to Gain Economic Security, Oakland, CA
• Louise Bauschard, Community Corrections Administration, Hillsboro, OR
• Donna Bazemore-Dudley, New Life Womens Leadership Project, Willamston, NC
• Beverley Bell, Center for Economic Justice, Albuquerque, NM
• Ilana Berger, Families United for Racial & Economic Equality, Brooklyn, NY
• Allen Bernard, Louisiana Injured Workers Union, New Orleans, LA
• Dennis Bernstein, KPFA/Pacifica Radio, Berkeley, CA
• Michaelann Bewsee, Arise for Social Justice, Springfield, MA
• Kaleema Sumareh Biteye (aka Anne Sanders), Detroit, MI
• Maria Blanco, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, San Francisco, CA
• Jennifer Blevins, Jobs and Affordable Housing Campaign - FCS, Minneapolis, MN
• Rev. Carrie Bolton, Alston Chapel United Holy Church/Fannie Lou Hamer Project, Pittsboro, NC
• Regina Botterill, National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice, Chicago, IL
• Alexa Bradley, Grassroots Policy Project, Milwaukee, WI
• Susan Braine, Koahnic Broadcast Corporation, Albuquerque, NM
• Robert Bray, SPIN Project, San Francisco, CA
• Cheryl Brown, Urban Habitat, Oakland, CA
• Les Brown, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, Chicago, IL
• Miriam Brown, OP, Churches Center for Land and People, Milwaukee, WI
• Gene Bruskin, Food & Allied Services Trades, AFL-CIO, Washington, DC
• Devin Burghart, Center for New Community, Chicago, IL
• Linda Burnham, Women of Color Resource Center, Oakland, CA
• Mary Burns, The Maura Clarke-Ita Ford Center, Richmond Hill, NY
• Susan Burton, A New Way of Life, Los Angeles, CA
• Ken Butigan, Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service, Chicago, IL
• Leslie Cagan, United for Peace & Justice, Elmhurst, NY
• Steve Cagan, Cleveland Jobs With Justice, Cleveland Heights, OH
• Francis Calpotura, Center for Third World Organizing, Oakland, CA
• Sandra Camacho (Deceased), Violence Intervention Program, Inc., New York, NY
• Elizabeth Ainsley Campbell, Nashua River Watershed, Lunenberg, MA
• Mandy Carter, Southerners on New Ground, Durham, NC
• Joannie C. Chang, Asian Law Caucus, San Francisco, CA
• Vivian Chang, Asian Pacific Environmental Network, Oakland, CA
• Pamela Chiang, Center for Community Change, Windcall Institute, Belgrade, MT
• Diane T. Chin, Chinese for Affirmative Action, San Francisco, CA
• Estelle Chun, Asian Pacific American Legal Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Victor Clark-Alfaro, Binational Center for Human Rights, Rio Tijuana, Tijuana
• Ben Clarke, Urban Habitat, Oakland, CA
• Margi Clarke, consultant to grassroots organizations, Berkeley, CA
• Pat Clifford, Drop Inn Center, Cincinnati, OH
• Gary Cohen, Environmental Health Fund, Jamaica Plain, MA
• Donald Cohen, Center on Policy Initiatives, San Diego, CA
• Janet Conner, National AFL-CIO, Sunrise, FL
• C. Scott Cooper, Minnesota Alliance for Progressive Action, St. Paul, MN
• Jim Cook, [[SEIU Local 503, Salem, OR
• Pamela Costain, Wellstone Action, Minneapolis, MN
• Kirsten Cross, East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, Oakland, CA
• Frances Hyde Crowe, Traprock Peace Center, Northampton, MA
• Brenda Cummings, Womens Health Rights Coalition, Oakland, CA
• Diane DArrigo, Nuclear Information and Resource Services, Washington, DC
• Mary Dailey, Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, Bronx, NY
• [[Nancy Davis (formerly with Equal Rights Advocates), San Francisco, CA
• Walter Davis, Southern Empowerment Project, Maryville, TN
• Martha Davis, NOW Legal Defense & Education Fund, New York, NY
• Sharon M. Day, Indigenous Peoples Task Force, St. Paul, MN
• Luz de Leon, Philippine Resource Center, Daly City, CA
• Richard Deats, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Nyack, NY
• Trishala Deb, The Audre Lorde Project, Brooklyn, NY
• Sharon Delugach Office of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Los Angeles, CA
• Julia Devin, Seattle, WA
• Stefano DeZerega, San Francisco, CA
• Grace M. Dickerson, For Love of Children, Washington, DC
• Jim Dickerson, MANNA, Inc. & New Community Church, Washington, DC
• Tom di Maria, Creative Growth Arts Center, San Francisco, CA (previously with International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission)
• Julie Dorf, Horizons Foundation, San Francisco, CA (previously with International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission)
• Nancy Dorsinville, Harvard Center for Population & Development Studies, Cambridge, MA
• Scott Douglas, Greater Birmingham Ministries, Birmingham, AL
• Joyce Dukes, Commission on Religion in Appalachia, Knoxville, TN
• Lisa Duran, Rights for All People/Derechos Para Todos, Denver, CO
• Katie Elliott-McCrea, Soquel, CA
• Rick Engler, Work Environment Council of New Jersey, Moorestown, NJ
• Rev. Richard Estrada, Jovenes, Inc., Los Angeles, CA
• Audrey Evans, Tulane Environmental Clinic, New Orleans, LA
• David Fair, We the People Living with AIDS/HIV of the Delaware Valley, Philadelphia, PA
• Karen Fant (Deceased), Seattle, WA
• Steve Fendt, Southside Organizing Committee, Milwaukee, WI
• Thomas Patrick Fenton, Bulletin of Concerned Asian Scholars, Cedar, MI
• Brad Fields, Columbia, MD
• Bill Fields, Under One Sky, Seymour, TN
• Holly Fincke, Just Cause Oakland, Oakland, CA
• Michael Fontana, Cincinnati, OH
• Lora Jo Foo, Sweatshop Watch, El Cerrito, CA
• Conny Ford, OPEIU Local 3, Daly City, CA
• Lenny Foster, Navajo Nation Corrections Project, Window Rock, AZ
• Janet Fout, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, Huntington, WV
• Susan Freundlich, Womens Foundation, Oakland, CA
• Tonya Gonnella Frichner, American Indian Law Alliance, New York, NY
• Neris Amanda Gonzalez, Ecovida, Chicago, IL
• Arnie Graf, Industrial Areas Foundation, Ellicott City, MD
• Bob Fulkerson, Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, Reno, NV
• more coming...

2009-2010:

• Susana Almanza, founding member and Co-Director, People Organized in Defense of Earth and her Resources
• Rona Fernandez, movement fundraiser, Bay Area
• Amy Gottlieb, Director, American Friends Service Committee Immigrant Rights Program, Newark
• Cesar Lara, Executive Director, Central Coast Citizenship Project, California
• Rey Leon, founder and Executive Director, San Joaquin Valley Latino Environmental Advancement and Policy Project
• Rosenda Mataka, co-founder, Grayson Neighborhood Council, Westley, California
• [[Don Morrison, founder and executive director, NDPeople.Org
• Myrna Martinez Nateras, American Friends Service Committee
• Father [[Vien Nguyen, pastor of Mary Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church, Chair of Mary Queen of Vietnam Community Development Corporation, East New Orleans
• Parisa Norouzi, Executive Director, Empower DC
• Amisha Patel, Executive Director, Grassroots Collaborative
• Ruby Roa, Austin, Texas
• Shannon Sullivan (partial Residency), Chicago, Executive Director, Illinois Safe Schools Alliance
• Aditi Vaidya, Northern California’s East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy
• Cathy Woodson, Virginia Organizing Project

References

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