National Gender & Equity Campaign

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NGEC—Minnesota

NGEC in Minnesota

Across Minnesota, Asian American and Pacific Islander nonprofits are exploring and requesting for ways to create lasting social change for their communities. The National Gender and Equity Campaign–Minnesota is pleased to announce the launch of the Organizational Fellowship Program (OFP).

The Organizational Fellowship Program aims to strengthen the effectiveness of organizations to engage grassroots constituencies in creating social change. This program will provide multi-year general operating support and tailored capacity building that incorporates a range of organizational and movement building skills. Selected organizational partners will be awarded $75,000 in general operating support annually over three years.

We look to partner with organizations that are rooted in community, and share a commitment and readiness to become stronger "anchors" in their own communities—an anchor organization is one that is responsive and accountable to most impacted constituencies and equally committed to broader movement building efforts. This 3 year Organizational Fellowship Program offers a unique opportunity for AAPI led organizations to increase its organizational capacity and actively shape and strengthen the community’s infrastructure to participate in the social justice movement.

Download the Invitation Letter and Minnesota RFP Guidelines and Application Materials [PDF] [Word]
“What Make a Strong Application” Tip Sheet

Application Due Date: September 5th, 2008 (5pm CST)

Please note the following change in the submission process:
We will accept completed applications including all required attachments at a new email address or by postal mail only.

Visit our Apply for a Grant page for detailed instructions on how to submit your application.

What is the Organizational Fellowship Program?

Asian American and Pacific Islander voices, ideas, and leadership are needed to build a more inclusive, effective, and lasting social justice movement. The Organizational Fellowship Program supports whole organizations in becoming more responsive to their communities. By participating in the program, organizations will become more intentional in building effective and sustainable infrastructure, programs, and practices that benefit AAPI communities and beyond.

The Organizational Fellowship Program focuses on building the capacity and developing grassroots leadership and constituencies, and strengthening the infrastructure of AAPI community organizations to advance social justice work. All of this work encompasses a process we call organizational political development which entails applying a political framework to all aspects of an organization’s work by:

• Incorporating a gender and equity framework. Organizations will increase their ability to address the root causes (systemic and cultural barriers) of inequity through a gender and equity framework. This framework will help organizations sharpen their analysis and responses to community issues based on the intersections of class, gender, race, and sexuality.
• Building collective power and fostering alliances. Organizations will create a mutually beneficial space for peer learning and strategizing. Community organizations know best their needs and possess immeasurable assets including experience, community knowledge, and a long-term commitment to creating change from the ground up.

This program requires your full organizational participation. The NGEC will partner with organizations to receive input, guidance, and feedback in informing the program content. Your participation will also help shape the long-term direction of BRIDGE (Building Responsive Infrastructure to Develop Global Equity), a movement building resource.

Why is this Organizational Fellowship Program needed now?

Over the past two years, the NGEC-MN listened and learned from Minnesota based AAPI organizations and community leaders who voiced several issues and concerns with tackling disparities and contributing to broader social change efforts. They identified these key themes:

• AAPI organizations want to become more intentional and better equipped to address community issues and needs beyond racial and cultural identities.
• AAPI organizations are calling for culturally competent capacity building models, practices and approaches that help them address issues of inequity such as patriarchal structures and class divides and galvanize their communities to actively shape and sustain the broader social justice movement.
• AAPI organizations want to harness the leadership potential at multiple levels within their organization and across generations within their community.
• AAPI organizations are interested in creating spaces where they can deepen their relationships, exchange ideas and best practices, and explore ways of building collective action.

NGEC Minnesota’s Community Engagement Process

In 2006, when the National Gender and Equity Campaign launched its Minnesota efforts, we embarked on a scanning process that included three elements:

• Data Analysis: capturing a snapshot of work in Minnesota AAPI communities using a variety of data sources;
• Interviews: interviewed a number of community organizations to identify general themes in terms of framework, strategies and capacity needs; and
• Focus Groups: gathering more in-depth qualitative information about social justice movement building and its potential in Minnesota.

We heard from many individuals through this process—especially that there was interest in bringing conversations to their own communities, which led to NGEC’s design of the Community Engagement Process. It was through this process that NGEC has shaped its long-term investment and capacity building strategies in this region.

Community Engagement has been the NGEC’s approach of listening and learning from community in order to create meaningful action that has the potential to build a more just and equitable society. The Community Engagement Process took place over a six-month time period and provided funding support to AAPI organizations for conversation-based activities and assessment with key stakeholders including board or steering committee, paid/volunteer staff, and communities served.

The goals of the Community Engagement process included:

1. Better understanding how each organization has stayed relevant and responsive to community needs;
2. Assessing organizational capacity and ability to build on the assets and meet the ongoing needs of the community in its current environment;
3. Exploring innovative ways of implementing organizational mission and vision and how this fits within a social justice framework.

Please visit this page again soon for more information, analysis and key lessons learned from the Community Engagement Process.