Sowing the Seeds

The Real Patriots Act

Timing has not always been our strong point at GrassrootsInternational, or maybe it has. In late 2001 and early 2002, GrassrootsInternational (GRI) put the finishing touches on a five-year strategic

plan. The context of that moment is not difficult to recall.

The September 11 attacks had recently occurred, Congress passed the U.S.A.Patriot Act and the Bush administration attacked Afghanistan with broadinternational support. Anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiment ran very high in this country, and that sentiment certainly extended to those U.S. organiza-tions that would speak out against the war on terrorism and in support of the rights of the Palestinians. If the political situation was not difficultenough, a weak economy completely tanked in late 2001. Donations nose-dived to international global justice and many other causes not directlyrelated in the public mind to September 11 response. In late 2001, decliningincome forced GRI to cut back staff and grants to our partners for the firsttime in a decade.

Not at all surprisingly, all of this coincided with a period of increased activityby our international partners. Grassroots organizations throughout Brazilstepped up their work in anticipation of national elections in which WorkersParty candidate Lula would seriously contend for power. Increasing repres-sion in Haiti, combined with the almost complete disappearance of stateservices dramatically increased the pressure on Haitian organizations like the Papaye Peasant Movement. In Palestine, the armed uprising against theIsraelis entered its second year and massive Israeli military incursions created a social and a security emergency that threatened to overwhelm our

Palestinian partners. As a result, our partnersmade a strong case for increased financialsupport, but they also urged Grassroots toincrease the impact of its public educationand advocacy work in this country.

In this context, the Board of Directors ofGrassroots made a risky set of decisions.

A C A M P A I G N R E P O R T F R O M G R A S S R O O T S I N T E R N A T I O N A L. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Global Justice FundReaches $1 Million Goal

InsideBuilding Pillars

Thank You to Our Donors

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K’inal Antzetik member cutting sugar cane nearMarques de Comilla, Mexico

With the organization’s budgetunder unprecedented pressure, theydesigned a plan to double GRI’sgrantmaking over the next five yearsand to dramatically increase thescope and the impact of its policyadvocacy and public education work.

Where would the funds come fromfor such bold expansion? From anational community of supportersthat agreed with Grassroots thatnow was the time for organizationscommitted to global justice to standup and model a different path toglobal security that took into accountthe intimate connection betweenglobal security and global justice.

Coincidentally, 2003 markedGrassroots’ 20th Anniversary andwe launched our celebration of thatanniversary under the banner, “SowJustice, Reap Security.” As part ofthat celebration, we moved furtherout on the limb and launched a $1 million 20th Anniversary GlobalJustice Fund, that had us going toevery single one of our donors andasking them to make an additionaldonation to help us put in place thepillars of GRI’s five-year strategicplan.

Our announcement of the Fundelicited more than a little skepticism,but it also elicited an extraordinaryresponse from over one thousandpeople. Yes, this does say somethingabout the nature of the work beingdone around the world by our part-ner organizations. It also says some-thing about the spirit and solidarityof each person who did somethingto create this sign of hope in lessthan hopeful times. We salute you,we thank you and we challenge youto remain committed to a vision ofAction for Global Justice. ■

Building PillarsPutting a Global Justice Fund to Work

In talking with our supporters aboutthe Global Justice Fund, we focusedon the idea that GRI wanted to under-

take four new initiatives that we thoughtwould dramatically strengthen our over-seas partnerships and increase the impactof our overall work. Just on the basis ofour ongoing fundraising and grantmakingoperations, we would never have theresources—human or financial—to makethese ideas real. The Global Justice Fundwill not fully fund these programs, but itwill surely allow us to get them off theground.

They are:

RESOURCE RIGHTS FOR ALLThis is a long-term collaboration betweenGrassroots and 6 of its partners alreadyengaged in work around land and waterrights. Together, we will give a boost to anexisting campaign in the resource rights area, such as Vía Campesina’s globalland reform campaign. Our initiative will include advocacy training, actionresearch, public education in the U.S. and joint work around a commonadvocacy agenda. Resource Rights for All represents a turn by GRI towardfocusing its resources (grantmaking, advocacy and education) on intensivework on a theme of particular interest to its partners.

YOUTH REMAKING OUR WORLDGrassroots is certainly not alone in realizing that youth organizing is thefuture of all social change work. Through this initiative, GRI will take a number of coordinated steps to strengthen the leadership role of youngpeople in our own workand in that of 5 of our partners that share thiscommitment. In connectionwith this initiative, we areparticularly excited aboutthe prospect of connectingyoung leaders in our partnerorganizations with eachother and with young socialchange activists in theUnited States.

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Landless Worker’s Movement (MST) supporters at the World Social Forum.

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Barn raising on Haiti’s Central Plateau.

IT’S IN THE MESSAGEWe view the extraordinary experiences of organizations like Brazil’s LandlessWorkers’ Movement (MST) and Palestine’s Women’s Center for Legal Aidand Counseling (WCLAC) as some of “The Greatest Stories Never Told.”Emerging communications technologies offer new opportunities to get outthis message of hope and struggle. Building communications capacity is nolonger a nice option for social change organizations: It is an urgent necessity.Through “It’s In the Message,” GRI will engage a small group of the partnersinvolved in the previous two programs—resource rights and youth leader-ship—in a participatory initiative to increase their ability to frame and disseminate their messages, while enlarging GRI’s own communicationsfootprint in the United States.

DOLLARS FOR DEVELOPMENT…AND CHANGE!If we learned anything about our work by creating a strategic plan, welearned that our efforts to transfer financial resources within a global net-work of social change groups is making a difference. In the five-year period,2003-2007, GRI will at least double the volume of its grantmaking activities.

These initiatives represent a determined effort to increase the impact ofGRI’s work by:

◗ Bringing more resources to this work;

◗ Focusing those resources on strategic themes; and

◗ Facilitating more exchange of experiences, learning and solidarity among our partners, rather than simply between GRI and those partners.

By successfully creating our 20th Anniversary Global Justice Fund, we havelaid the groundwork for each of those programs. We invite you to join us inseeing them through to the finish! ■

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Father taking care of children while women weave,Bautista Chico, Mexico.

179 Boylston Street, 4th fl. • Boston, MA 02130617.524.1400 • fax: 617.524.5525

e-mail: info@grassrootsonline.org

Board of DirectorsShalini Nataraj, Chair

Alejandro Amezcua • Dan Connell, EmeritusLena Deevy • Judith Lockhart-Radtke

Luis Prado • Byron Rushing Charlotte Ryan • Marilyn Tadros

Clark Taylor • Emira WoodsKatherine Yih

Kevin Murray, Executive Director, GRI

StaffMaria Aguiar, Director of Global Programs

Nisrin Elamin, Advocacy CoordinatorJyoti Gupta, Development Assistant

Marjorie Dove Kent, Administrative AssistantJennifer Lemire, Program Coordinator

Orson Moon, Administrative CoordinatorDaniel Moss, Director of Development

Kevin Murray, Executive DirectorStephanie Sluka Brauer, Development

Coordinator

Woman raising pigeons in urban agriculture project,Jabalia, Gaza.

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Via Campesina members plant a solidarity grove with treesrepresenting the small farmers who have lost their lives inthe struggle to defend their land.

grass rootson l ine .org

IndividualsHoward Aaron and Carol Fox • V. Mary Abraham and Robert Radtke • David Amdur • Kathryn Angell • John Ankele • Arlene Ash • Evan Ashkin and Cheryl

Baker • Janet Axelrod and Tim Plenk • James Babson • Darla Baker • Kaye and James Barker • Ken Barney • Emma Elizabeth Barnsley • Kathleen Barry and

Robert Burnett • Paul Beach • Jonathan and Barbara Beckwith • Michael Bedford • Sarah Behrendt • Douglas Bender • Kostia Bergman and Libby Zimmerman

• Marty Blatt • Brian Bloom and Susanna Moore • George and Eleanor Bollag • Louise Bowditch • Nancy Braus and Richard Geidel • Geraldine and Michael

Buckles • Martin Bunzl and Deborah Hertz • Nicholas Bunzl and Judy Bernstein Bunzl • Laura Burns and Jude Miller • Angela Cacciarru-Sieber • Bill and

Edith Cacciatore • Greg Campbell • James Campen and Phyllis Ewen • Brad Carroll • Chris Cartter and Dakota Butterfield • Barbara Cartwright • Joan and

Ed Cassidy • Melina Cataife • George and Eleanor Cernada • Ava Cheloff • Charlie Clements • Lynn Clowes • Marybeth and John Cockerham • Leslie Cohen

and David Slaney • Patricia Cohen • Elizabeth Coleman • Noel and Constance Coletti • Chuck Collins and Tricia Brennan • Dan Connell and Debbie Hird

• Martha Corneel • Derek Cottier and Laura Tilly • Margaret Covert • Jane Covey and David Brown • Frederick and Susan Curtis • Gavin Cutler and Ian

MacKenzie • Andy Davis and Andrea Walsh • Ginia Davis Wexler • Sara De Zerega • Estate of Robert DeBolt • Lena Deevy • Carl S. Dellmuth • Tom Des

Brisay • Anuradha Desai and Michael Sheridan • Marjorie DeWilde • Diana Lee Digges • Christopher Donahue • Peter Doris • Margaret Dulany • Cameron

Duncan • Christine Dunlap • Carol Dwyer • Enid Eckstein • Jonathan Edwards • Judith Ellenzweig • Anne Ellsworth • Sam Evans • Anne and William Ewing

• Garold and Joyce Faber • Steve Fahrer and Monona Yin • Roger Falcon • Michael Felsen • Barbara Ferrer and Ken Barnes • Richard and Rayzl Feuer • Donald

Foster • Marilyn Frankenstein • Susanne Freidberg • Stanton and Colleen Freidberg • Marlene and William Fried • Richard Friedberg • Donna Friedman •

Benjamin Fuller • Ridgely Fuller and Bradley Googins • Esther Fuller • Charles Gamble • Sarah Gammage and John Schmitt • Reebee Garofalo • Renny

Golden • Pamela Goldstein • Neva Goodwin • Patricia Goudvis • James Graham and W. Lee Dickson • Catherine Grosso and Stephen Gasteyer • Kate Guedj

• Alice Hall • Jack Hamilton • John Hammock • Raphael Hanson • Jean Hardisty • Ellen Haring • Deb Hatch • Deborah and G. Frederick Hatch • Dan

Hausman • Janice Hayden • Isaac and Sheila Heimbinder • Steven Hill • Anthony Hintze • Douglas Hodge • Maya Honda and Wayne O’Neil • Sally and

Lamar Hoover • Chuck Hosking and Mary Ann Fiske • Allen Howard • Eleanor Janeway • Greg and Maria Jobin-Leeds • Peter Johnson and Carol Hamilton

• Eric Johnson • Henry Kahn and Mary Gillmor-Kahn • Judith and Seymour Kass • Jason Kaufman • Marion and Frank Kellogg • Marie Kennedy and Chris

Tilly • Patricia Kent • Assaf Kfoury and Irene Gendzier • Mel and Joyce King • Martin King • Kathryn and Howard Kilguss • Stephen and Mary Kitchen •

Ben Kjelshus • Stephan Klein • Douglas Kline and Nancy Carlsson-Paige • Mike Klinger • Alfred Knobler • Stephen Knowlton • Carl Kohls • Nancy Kohn

• Eric Krielick • Wayne Langley and Aura Suarez • Winston Langley • Magda Lanuza • Mary Lassen and Martin Liebowitz • William Lazonick and Mary

O'Sullivan • Iara Lee and George Gund III • Tunney Lee • Wayne and Evelyn Lees • Martin and Gita Lefstein • June Leone and Luis Tamayo • Richard

Limbursky • Andy Lin • Robert and Myrle Linnell • Juan Linz • Christopher Lloyd and Vassie Sinopoulos • Arthur and Susan Lloyd • Robin Lloyd • David

Ludlow and Joann Gu • Betty Luke • Cindy Lutenbacher • Stephen Luttmann • M. Brinton Lykes and Catherine Mooney • Tony Mack • Janet Magnani •

John Maher • Jerome Manheim • Peter Manuel • Elaine Markson • Richard Marshall and Marsy Kirk Richardson • John and Linda Mason • William Mass and

Nancy Hellman • Kathy McAfee • Barbara and Jim McCauley • Carolyn McCoy and Bill Sanderson • John McKay and Azalia Mitchell • Genevieve McMillan

• Lynn McWhood • Howard Mechanic • Kathleen Mezoff • Donald and Suzanne Miller • Martha Miller and Robbie Gamble • Thomas and Terri Miller •

Sandra Miller • Steven Miller and Sally Benbasset • Valerie Miller and Ralph Fine • Gerry Milliken • Kelly Moore • Nancy Moore • Francis Moore Lappe •

John Morison and John Morison III • Pat and Jim Morris • Adam Moss and Daniel Kaizer • Philip Moss and Kathy Bradbury • Abigail and Paul Moss • Kevin

Murray and Ellen Coletti • Shalini Nataraj • Kevin Neel and Debbie Schimberg • Carol Nevins • Jill and Tom Newhouse • Dotty and Roger Nittler • Margaret

Norman • Judy Norris • Fran Nye • Dede Ordin • Laura Orlando • Sanford Orlow • Steven Ostrow and Ann Koloski-Ostrow • Bhavin Patel • Allan and Jane

Paulson • Frances Perkins • Winfield and Linda Perry • Dain Perry • Ruth and John Peters • John and Lynn Peterson • William Pettus and Stevie Kaplan •

Nancy Phillips and George Gulick • Rebecca Pierce and Michael Prokosch • Luis Prado and Martha Karchere • Laura Price • Jaime Pullen • Judith and Warren

Radtke • Elizabeth Rankin and Marc Belanger • Hilary Rantisi • Randolph Richardson • John Riordan • John Roberson • Teresa Roberts • Margaret Robinson

• Alice Rogers • David Rohrlich • Eleanor Rooney • Charlie Rosenberg • Karen Rosmarin • Alice Rothchild and Daniel Klein • Delia and Frank Rudiger •

Betsy Rueda Gynn and Libardo Rueda • Dick Ruhl • Byron Rushing • Katherine Sangree • Victoria Sarro • Alfred Schwendtner • Brian Seed • Jan Sendzimir

• Ezio and Minella Sgrelli • Martha Shaw • David Shayeb • Barry Shelley and Brenda Wyss • Michael Shimkin • Thea Lee & Mark Simon • Mary Simon •

Morris and Josephine Simon • Alice Slater Grace • Peter and Mary Sluka • Mark Smith and Stacy Swain • Daniel Solomon • Sara Jane and Len Spaulding •

Victoria Steinitz and Elliot Mishler • Joe Stork and Priscilla Norris • Alice Stowell • Marjorie Suisman • Alice Sutter • Kay and Clark Taylor • Karl and Anita

Teeter • Cynthia Terrell • Don Thompson • Martha Thompson and Minor Sinclair • Laura Tillem and Thomas Hull • Louise Tilly • Charles Tilly • Chris

Toensing • Martha Claire Tompkins • Swati and William Toppin • Jennie Traschen and David Kastor • Jonathan Tucker • Paul Tullis • Molly Turner • Michael

Ubell • Nancy Van Schooenderwoert • Gary and Donna Via • Robert and Elizabeth Wagner • Mary Wakeman • James and Julia Wallace • Terry Weber •

Christina Weir and Sally Arnold • Brian Whistler • Joel Whiting • Margaret Wilcox and Robert Warren • Jean and James Williams • Holly Wilson • Janet

Wilson • Lee Winkelman • Ernest and Roswitha Winsor • Tim Wise and Kaela Lee • Barbara and Austin Wise • Henry and Rochelle Wortis • Anne Wright

and Eric Segal • Nadia Yassa • Jane Yett • Katherine Yih and Jack Spence • Judith and Albert Zabin • David Zarowin and Elizabeth Stahl • Alan Zaslavsky •

Robert Zevin • David Ziemann • Janet Zobel • John Zunes

InstitutionsBlossom Fund • First Parish in Bedford • Hansen Family Foundation • Haymarket People’s Fund • Perls Foundation • The Shefa Fund • Venturi Technology Partners

Thank You!Grassroots would like to express our deep gratitude to the following donors, who have given $100 or more tothe Global Justice Fund, and to the hundreds of others who helped us reach our million-dollar goal.