Grants

Our Campaign for Racial Justice has ended. And we just want to thank you for supporting, in these difficult times, our requests for donations. Because of your generosity, we were able to award four significant grants to:

1. The Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama, is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.
2. The Poor People’s Campaign, co-chaired by Rev. Dr. William Barber, II, and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, advocates on behalf of the 140 million poor and low-wealth people in our nation — from every race, creed, color, sexuality and place — agitating from coast-to-coast “to challenge the lie of scarcity in the midst of abundance.” You can sign their open letter to lawmakers, which calls for the protection and expansion of the right to vote, consequences for abuses of police power, demilitarization of the police and an end to mass incarceration, universal healthcare for all (especially during the COVID-19 pandemic), and the establishment of a National Truth Commission on the violence of systemic racism.
3. Fair Fight is an organization founded by Stacey Abrams (former Georgia congresswoman and gubernatorial candidate) to combat voter suppression of voters of color and young voters. Fair Fight promotes fair elections, encourages voter participation, and educates voters about elections and their voting rights.
4. BlackLine, a 24-hour hotline geared towards the Black, Black LGBTQI, Brown, Native and Muslim community. BlackLine provides an anonymous and confidential avenue to report negative, physical, and inappropriate contact with police and vigilantes. BlackLine provides immediate crisis counseling to those who are upset, need to talk with someone immediately, or are in distress.

Three weeks ago, as America’s passion for freedom seemed finally to embrace black Americans, The Jonah Maccabee Foundation began our Campaign for Racial Justice.

We’re pleased to share with you that the following grants have been awarded because of your generosity:

1. The Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama, is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.
2. The Poor People’s Campaign, co-chaired by Rev. Dr. William Barber, II, and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, advocates on behalf of the 140 million poor and low-wealth people in our nation — from every race, creed, color, sexuality and place — agitating from coast-to-coast “to challenge the lie of scarcity in the midst of abundance.” You can sign their open letter to lawmakers, which calls for the protection and expansion of the right to vote, consequences for abuses of police power, demilitarization of the police and an end to mass incarceration, universal healthcare for all (especially during the COVID-19 pandemic), and the establishment of a National Truth Commission on the violence of systemic racism.
3. Fair Fight is an organization founded by Stacey Abrams (former Georgia congresswoman and gubernatorial candidate) to combat voter suppression of voters of color and young voters. Fair Fight promotes fair elections, encourages voter participation, and educates voters about elections and their voting rights.

We are so proud to support these three organizations, and grateful to have your support during our Campaign for Racial Justice in making these grants possible.

Jewish Star is a North American talent search competition designed to find and encourage the next generation of singer-songwriters in the Jewish community. Celebrity music artists judge and select winners based on vocal, instrumental and performance skills, as well as their passion for impacting the Jewish world.

Jewish Star is a project of Jewish Rock Radio, a high-caliber, 24-7, Jewish rock internet radio station that broadcasts contemporary Jewish rock music and pieces of related interest.

The Jonah Maccabee Foundation is delighted to support Jewish Star with a grant from our Jewish Life Fund. Learn more by visiting Jewish Star and Jewish Rock Radio online.

Thank you for making our support possible.

With 680 undocumented workers arrested in a record-setting immigration sweep on the first day of school in Mississippi, The Jonah Maccabee Foundation felt the need to do something.

United We Dream is the largest immigrant youth-led community in the country. They create welcoming spaces for young people – regardless of immigration status – to support, engage, and empower them to make their voices heard and win!

Photos are not allowed in U.S. Immigration Court, but you can imagine what it’s like for a young child to go through a deportation hearing. Of children who enter Immigration Court without a lawyer, 9 out of 10 are deported. When provided legal representation, half are able to remain in the United States.

With the successful completion of our summer campaign, The Jonah Maccabee Foundation is honored to direct grants to the following five organizations:

• RAICES: Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services is hard at work throughout the state or Texas providing free legal information, referrals and direct representation for unaccompanied children in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).
• The Florence Project: The Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project provides free legal services to men, women, and unaccompanied children in immigration custody in Arizona who are facing immigration removal proceedings. The Florence Project endeavors to ensure that each immigrant has access to counsel, understands their rights under the law, and is treated fairly and humanely.
• KIND: Kids in Need of Defense works to: a) ensure no child appears in immigration court without high quality legal representation; b) secure legislation that ensures children’s protection and their right to due process; and, c) promote in countries of origin solutions to child migration grounded in the best interests of the child, to ensure that no child is forced to involuntarily migrate.
• Families Belong Together: As we continue to witness America’s betrayal of its long-standing passion for being a nation of refugees, some 250 organizations representing Americans from all backgrounds have joined together to fight family separation and detention, seek accountability for the harm that’s been done, and to reunite all families who remain torn apart.
• Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights: The Young Center advocates for the rights and best interests of immigrant children, from custody and release to the ultimate decision about whether the child will be allowed to remain in the U.S.

The Jonah Maccabee Foundation feels privileged to be able to support this most worthy work. Learn more by visiting these organizations’ website or home on Facebook.

Thank YOU for making our support possible.