Making Grants

May 28, 2015 The Roosevelt Institute, a nonprofit founded on the ideals of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, is dedicated to restoring America’s promise of opportunity for all. Its Campus Network was created in 2004 to support young people who are committed to carrying forward the Rooseveltian values through civic action. An initiative that started on

May 22, 2015 Causa Oregon advocates for policies that promote stability for Latino immigrant communities across the state. A primary source of insecurity for Latino families is the inability to obtain driver ID cards. That’s why Voqal Fund supported Causa’s vigorous campaign in favor of Oregon’s Measure 88, the Driver Card Law. Although the measure

May 20, 2015 The Youth Civic Leadership Academy (YCLA) unites recent Chicago-area college graduates, both immigrant and native-born, to learn about the democratic process and how to mobilize their communities in local and national election cycles. One of YCLA’s flagship programs is the New Americans Democracy Project. During the 2014 midterm election cycle, with support

May 15, 2015 Voqal Fund proudly supports efforts to close gaps in social equity for the LGBTQ community. With marriage equality gaining ground nationwide, we celebrate the victory achieved by Basic Rights Oregon (BRO). With help from Voqal Fund, BRO’s Freedom to Marry initiative generated strongly positive perceptions of same-sex couples among the Oregon public.

May 14, 2015 Educational success has proven to be a reliable indicator of subsequent economic opportunity and prosperity. When the U.S. Department of Education released data on high school graduation rates in 2013, the Minnesota nonprofit, In Progress, noticed a troubling trend for its state. Graduation rates among Native American, African American, Hmong and Latino

May 7, 2015 Texans for Public Justice tracks and exposes the influence of money and corporate power in state politics. Based in Austin and with help from Voqal Fund, this non-partisan nonprofit seeks to actualize political reform by building publicly accessible online databases containing over a decade of campaign contribution and expenditure records. Since its

May 5, 2015 Chicago Votes Action Fund (CVAF), a non-partisan organization, believes democracy works better when more citizens participate. CVAF leans neither right nor left but looks forward. The goal of the organization is to engage and develop a new generation of leaders by energizing Chicago’s Millennial voters; as its members put it, “people born

Founded in early 2013, Coworker.org is a digital organizing platform for workers’ rights. Through a combination of online tools, media outreach and research-based strategic support, it strives to help employees have a voice in the modern workplace. Coworker.org used its Voqal Fund grant to develop technology, media and organizing strategies that: • enabled workers to

April 20, 2015 J Street: The Art of the Possible a feature-length documentary partially funded by a grant from Voqal Fund is having its regional premiere tonight at the 8th annual Philadelphia Independent Film Festival. The film, co-directed by Ken Winikur and Ben Avishai, follows an upstart, progressive American-Jewish lobby group called J Street that

April 13, 2015 A whole slew of new organizations have been added to the Voqal Fund interactive map and national organizations list. These grants reflect Voqal Fund’s commitment to supporting the dissemination of alternative ideas and building a more engaged public to effect progressive social change and disrupt the status quo. Highlights from the latest