SJF is excited to announce the awardees of our 2023 Reproductive Justice Grant! A panel of five community members from Idaho, Oregon, and Washington came together for a decision-making session to select the awardees. We are so grateful for their labor to fund and support these amazing grassroots organizations. You can read more about the grant, process, and requirements here.
We understand reproductive justice as, “the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities,” as originally defined by the legendary Black feminist organization Sister Song. Their unwavering belief in reproductive justice as a movement that goes far beyond individual reproductive choice to champion the safety and wellbeing of all communities, with the leadership of Black women and gender diverse folks at the front inspired this grant. We knew there were organizers on the ground with the passion and skill to organize for a world in this vision as they were meeting the urgent needs of the political moment. And now we’re thrilled to announce the awardees!
The Reproductive Justice Grant has been awarded 14 organizations at $20,000 each. Factored all together, this cycle is set to move $280,000 to front-line, reproductive justice efforts across our 5-state region. You can learn more about the awardees below, and be sure to check out their organizational websites which are linked in the organization name. If you have any questions about our grantmaking process or how you can incorporate a participatory grantmaking process at your organization, contact us at [email protected].
We’re thrilled to announce the 2023 Reproductive Justice Grant awardees!
Black Liberation Collective, ID | Meridian, ID
This project is a collective of Black trans youth whose mission is generating support, cultivating thriving, and sustaining aliveness for their kinfolk. The values that guide them are rooted in old ways of ancestral wisdom, new ways of youth-led innovation, and reclaimed power from healing-centered liberation. They do this work through a three-pronged approach: a crisis fund, their Black Liberation Arts Collective (BLAC), and the BLC PWR Program (Black Power) which combats poverty and it’s effects on Black trans communities in Idaho
Edúcate Ya | Portland, OR
The mission of Edúcate Ya is to facilitate multi-cultural exchange and address the integration challenges faced by Latinxs in Oregon through bilingual health, leadership, and education programs. In 2000, Rafael Arellano-Barrera founded the organization in response to a lack of Latinxs in leadership and managerial roles. His vision was to create an organization that would educate Latinxs on how to navigate the western system in order to achieve better jobs and health care, helping them to eventually become leaders in the American Society.
Families of Color Seattle | Seattle, WA
Families of Color Seattle (FOCS) connects families, caregivers, and children of color through peer-led parent support groups; spaces to share culture, skills, and resources; and racial justice education and advocacy.
Foundation for Youth Resiliency and Engagement | Omak, WA
Foundation for Youth Resiliency and Engagement (FYRE)’s mission is to advocate for equitable opportunities that allow all youth to thrive. To meet our mission, we offer services to ensure underserved youth, ages 12-24, have their needs met in four main areas: 1) education, 2) physical and mental health, 3) basic needs and 4) resiliency programming. This includes educational advocacy, increasing accessibility to whole-person health services, providing referrals and resources to youth experiencing homelessness and youth who have been sexually exploited, supporting teen parents, and more. Our team envisions an Okanogan County where the opportunity for healthy minds, bodies, and homes exists for all youth.
həłmxiłp Indigenous Birth Justice | Spokane, WA
həłmxiłp (Cedar Grove/Cedar Circle) Indigenous Birth Justice uplifts Interior Salish culture and lifeways to create community for thriving Indigenous families. Their programming has included assisting families with Pregnancy ceremonies, parent coaching/mentoring, coming of Age preparation and ceremonies, and culturally informed and evidence-based sex education for teens. In the future they plan to get training for Indigenous birthing doulas, as well as open an Indigenous Birth Center which will provide a physical space for our offices, services, and community events.
Hilltop Urban Gardens (HUG) | Tacoma, WA
The mission is to develop systems for food sovereignty and create racial and economic justice. HUG partners with the community to grow healthy food, young people, and neighbors. The cornerstone of HUG’s effort is a revolutionary vision and mission ahead of its time, a 1/4 acre city farm and intentional gathering space that houses food & medicine, and Black Leaders who are future-forward thinkers with deep compassion for their community. Their work centers all Black Folks, and systemically disadvantaged individuals, families, and communities; keeping people of color in its leadership. We honor and hold sacred space for Indigenous Tribes who came before us and we welcome allies to help us achieve our goals.
Indigenous Idaho Alliance | Boise, ID
The Indigenous Idaho Alliance asserts the sovereignty, liberation, & development of the Indigenous community in Idaho focusing on education, health & wellness, awareness, & collaboration. Their mission is to build a healthy, just, equitable & sustainable Indigenous community in Idaho through direct communication & outreach, as well as our go-to method of seeking community input: get them in the room with food. They focus our programs & campaigns around community- & base-building, & statewide awareness campaigns specifically; Missing & Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP), Natives for Black Lives, Food Sovereignty, Get Out the Vote Programming, & Indigenous Peoples Day. Each of these campaigns features varying levels of engagement from film screenings, legislative advocacy, cultural programs, rallies, & mutual aid drives. Notably, each facet of their work includes community engagement through tabling & programming on each reservation; at tribal ceremonies and holidays, powwows, fairs, & rodeos.
Liberation Medicine School | Seattle, WA
Liberation Medicine School (LMS) is an emerging Village of Black Trans care workers dedicated to dismantling and replacing the medical industrial complex with appropriate systems of care for our community. LMS is an African-Indigenous, decolonial, and Black Trans health system that fosters medical and educational sovereignty within the diasporic Afro-LGBTQI community. We acheive this through: housing a tribe of inter-dependent Black Trans healers who are committed to teaching, sharing, and practicing with each other and with community life-giving medicine; centering the indigenous medical knowledge and experiences of the Black Trans-Queer community; engaging practitioners in undoing pathologic systems of power that undermine the health of Black folks; and upholding and celebrating the central role of Black TGNC people in anchoring indigenous medicines. Ultimately, LMS seeks to embody a humane medical system that supports Black Trans autonomy, healing, and right to thrive.
Lifewerq Project | Seattle, WA
Lifewerq’s mission is to create a BIPOC Trans and Queer network of care across Birth, Bodily autonomy, Trans and Queer Reproductive Justice and liberation that centers Black, Indigenous, community, and intuitive knowledge.
QLaw Foundation of Washington | Seattle, WA
The QLaw Foundation of Washington promotes the dignity and respect of LGBTQ2S+ Washingtonians within the legal system through advocacy, education, and legal assistance. They have a vision of the world in which no LGBTQ2S+ person will face additional barriers to authentic living, access to justice, or equality before the law because of their queer identity.
Sex Ed with EU | Boise, ID
The mission at Sex Ed with Eu is to foster inclusivity, knowledge, and empowerment within the BIPOC, Refugee, and rural communities of Southern Idaho and beyond. Through thoughtfully designed comprehensive sex education classes and accessible reproductive health resources, they aim to bridge gaps in understanding, promoting informed choices, and cultivating a safe environment for open dialogue. By addressing unique cultural perspectives and geographical challenges, they strive to empower individuals of all backgrounds to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive well-being, fostering healthier and more resilient communities for generations to come.
Surge Reproductive Justice | Seattle, WA
Surge Reproductive Justice [SRJ] mobilizes communities to build a world where all people can make powerful, self-determined choices for their bodies and the future of their families and communities. Their work centers Black women, women of color, and queer and trans people of color for a movement that rises from the bottom up. At SRJ they focus on developing Black, Indigenous, people of Color communities, and centering queer and trans people, to create system change policies that use a reproductive justice framework.
UTOPIA PDX | Portland, OR
United Territories of Pacific Islanders Alliance (UTOPIA) Portland Chapter is a non profit run by and for queer and trans pacific islanders (qtpis) established in 2017. They organize to heal through the love for their culture and the love for their people. Their mission is to provide sacred spaces to strengthen the minds and bodies of QTPIs in the Portland and Vancouver areas through community organizing, political engagement, and cultural stewardship.
Whatcom Peace & Justice Center | Bellingham, WA
The Whatcom Peace & Justice Center works to create a voice for peace and social justice in Whatcom County through partnerships with local community and religious organizations, direct action, public witness, and education on alternatives to violence and war. We call on our government and society to disavow policies of violence and seek a culture of peace. They accomplish this through partnerships, education, and direct action.
