January 14, 2016
Voqal Fund is pleased to announce four grants intended to effect progressive social change and disrupt the status quo in the Chicago area.
These grants to The Black Youth Project, CEL Education Fund, Chicago Votes Action Fund and Mikva Challenge are strongly aligned with Voqal’s commitment to building progressive movements for social change and addressing the root causes of inequality.
The Black Youth Project
The Black Youth Project produces research, heightens new voices and supports activism focused on improving the lived experiences of Black American youth.
Funding from Voqal Fund will support the Black Youth Project’s efforts to produce research about the ideas, attitudes and experiences of young black people; provide a platform for their voices and perspectives; and support the work of young black activists and their allies.
CEL Education Fund
The Cultural Pulse, a project of the Culture Lab at CEL Education Fund (CELEF), is also receiving a grant from Voqal Fund. CELEF invests in new leaders, tools and strategies that help individuals and organizations harness the power of technology to shift culture and transform society.
Funding from Voqal Fund will support The Cultural Pulse, a project that combines media, technology, civic education and grassroots engagement to increase the impact of progressive nonprofits by adding pop culture to their communications and organizing strategies.
Chicago Votes Action Fund
Another grantee, Chicago Votes Action Fund, an Affiliate of the Bus Federation, has been organizing young Chicagoans since 2011.
With support from Voqal Fund, Chicago Votes Action Fund plans to develop, test and distribute an updated voter guide, designed specifically to educate and mobilize new and low propensity young voters.
Mikva Challenge
The fourth grantee, Mikva Challenge was founded on the premise that youth voice and participation matter, and that civic and political life is stronger when youth participate and help shape their own destinies.
Funding from Voqal Fund will support Mikva Challenge’s underlying mission to set young people on a path to lifelong civic engagement by continuing to fund programs that provide youth with democratic experience, skills and knowledge.