Institute for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion

Support and Build the Community Coalition for Sustainable Diversity & Inclusion to fight for fairness, inclusion, equal opportunity and human dignity for all—nationwide.

We are living through an orchestrated assault on diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging. Across the country, programs are being dismantled, leaders are being isolated or pushed out, and communities are being told that equity and inclusion no longer matter. As a result, you and your fellow citizens are losing rights, services and benefits.

Political narratives are painting this work as divisive or unnecessary. Organizations that once voiced support are retreating under legal, political, and reputational pressure. Civil rights organizations are being targeted and intimidated. And many of the people doing this work—especially those most directly affected—are carrying the emotional, professional, and financial burden of this moment.

We refuse to accept this retreat as inevitable or permanent.

We believe this moment demands a strategic, coordinated response: the creation of a nationwide Community Coalition for Sustainable Diversity & Inclusion—a place where people can come together to connect, learn, share resources and expertise, support one another, and organize for a more just and inclusive future.

Today, that place must be online.

This campaign will help us build the infrastructure required: an online community platform and app where people across the country can convene, collaborate, and take action together. This is infrastructure. This is alignment. This is power—built intentionally.

Who We Are

The Coalition has formed under the umbrella of The Institute for Sustainable Diversity & Inclusion (ISDI), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to advancing sustainable diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging—in workplaces, in communities and in society.

The Coalition exists because this moment requires more than isolated efforts. It requires community, strategy, mutual support, and coordinated action.

We are bringing together people who care deeply about equity and inclusion, including:

Our goal is to create a sustainable, action-oriented community where members can connect, collaborate, learn, and respond together in a rapidly changing environment. We believe people accomplish more together than they ever can alone.

Why We’re Fundraising Now

We are at a critical point in the Coalition’s development.

To move from vision to a functioning national community, we need the infrastructure to bring people together effectively, consistently, and safely. That means building a real home for the Coalition—one that supports connection, strategy-sharing, education, resource exchange, and collective action.

To do that, we are launching the Coalition on the Circle platform, which will serve as our digital community hub and organizing center. Circle provides a dedicated space where members can gather, communicate, support one another, and coordinate around the challenges ahead.

The cost of launching and implementing this platform—including setup, implementation, and the first year of use—is approximately $20,000. This fundraiser will help us cover those launch costs and build the foundation the Coalition needs to grow.

What Your Donation Will Support

Your gift will directly support the Coalition’s launch and early growth, including:

1) Our national digital community platform and app

We are implementing Circle as the Coalition’s central online home—a place where members can gather, collaborate, learn, and organize.

2) Platform implementation and onboarding

We want to launch the Coalition well, not haphazardly. Funds will support setup, implementation, structure design, onboarding, and early member experience.

3) Programming and member engagement

We are building a space that offers real value: conversations, workshops, peer support, networking, strategy-sharing, resource libraries and tools, leadership development, collaboration, and community learning for DEIAB practitioners and allies.

4) Coalition communications and outreach

We need to reach the people who most need this community—especially those working in isolation, under pressure, or without institutional support.

5) A stronger, more sustainable DEIAB ecosystem

This is not just about one platform. It is about building the connective tissue that helps people in this work stay informed, supported, equipped, and in relationship with one another so they can continue making a positive difference in their organizations and communities.

Why This Matters

DEIAB work is often talked about in abstract terms. But the stakes are deeply human.

When inclusion efforts are rolled back, real people feel the impact:

This Coalition exists because we believe another response is possible. We are talking about you and your loved one’s lives, futures, and dignity.

We believe:

If You Work in DEIAB, or You’re an Ally of DEIAB, or You're Part of an Affected Community - This Coalition Is for You!

If you're a DEIAB practitioner, leader, consultant, educator, advocate, or organizational change agent, you already know how hard this moment is.

You may be carrying isolation, burnout, uncertainty, pressure to stay silent, shrinking budgets, disappearing institutional support, or fear about what comes next for your work or your career.

The Coalition is being built with you in mind.

We want to create a community where you can find:

If you’re an ally or you're part of an affected community, you also understand why this matters.

Supporting this fundraiser is a way to say:

The progress we have made in recent decades matters and must be protected and continued. This is a matter of human rights, civil rights, and dignity for all. We have the commitment, expertise, and shared responsibility to keep moving equity forward—we just need a platform where we can convene and continue this vital work together.

Our Fundraising Goal

We are seeking to raise $20,000 to support the Coalition’s Circle platform implementation and first-year launch costs.

How You Can Help

1) Make a donation

Every gift helps—whether it’s $25, $100, $500, or more.

2) Share this campaign

Please share with DEIAB professionals and practitioners, colleagues and organizational leaders, community advocates and nonprofit leaders, affected community members, friends, family, and anyone who believes this work matters.

3) Help us build momentum

Early gifts and shares make a big difference. They help build visibility, credibility, and momentum for the Coalition’s launch.

We see the Coalition as the strategy for what comes next. Be bold—build it with us.

A Note of Gratitude

We know there are many worthy causes competing for attention and support right now. If you choose to support this campaign, thank you.

Your gift is not simply helping fund a platform. It is helping build a community of resistance, resilience, strategy, and hope at a time when all four are urgently needed.

With your help, we can create a stronger home for DEIAB practitioners, allies, and advocates—and a stronger response to the forces trying to roll our society back to the 1950s.

Thank you for believing in this work, and in the people doing it.

With gratitude,

Kirk Adams, PhD | Executive Director

Barbara Deane | Co-Director

Effenus Henderson | Co-Director

Joseph Marth, PhD | Board President

Amelia Ransom | Board Member

Eddie Pate, PhD | Board Member

Constance Durham-Engelstad | Board Member

Jacob Davidson | Board Advisor

We all see what’s happening across the country—Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts are under relentless attack. From chilling executive orders to coordinated misinformation campaigns to a barrage of anti-DEI laws across many states, we’re witnessing an organized attempt to dismantle decades of hard-won progress for greater fairness and inclusion in our workplaces, our communities, and our society.

But here's the truth: diversity isn’t a threat—it’s America’s future!

The Institute for Sustainable Diversity & Inclusion (ISDI) is not willing to turn its back on the progress made over the past 60 years, or on the promise of the future. ISDI is calling on you—our allies, partners, and champions of DEI—please help us fight back by donating to our first ever GoFundMe Campaign!

Why donate to ISDI?

Your support for ISDI at this time will enable us to:

Our story:

The ISDI team has led this work for more than three decades, through backlash and breakthroughs alike. For 27 years, our NW Diversity Learning Series has consistently offered 15 to 20 learning events annually. The Series has trained more than 16,000 employees, managers and leaders to be more effective in inclusive, multicultural workplaces. We’ve brought thought leaders with wide-ranging social identities from throughout the United States and Canada to speak on relevant workplace issues. We’ve built our learning approaches and strategies in collaboration with clients and organizations.

We have participated in global-standards work that helps to anchor and sustain DEI programs worldwide. We bring perspectives from the corporate, non-profit and public sectors. We’ve worked with local institutions to craft sustainable DEI change frameworks. We have shaped national conversations by providing input to coalition-building processes nationwide. ISDI’s leaders serve as authors and researchers providing major contributions to the field. ISDI’s work has been recognized at local, national and international levels. ISDI has stood in the gap when others stayed silent. But now—we have to stand up and fight together. We can’t fight alone!

Organizations still require the benefits of DEI:

While many organizations pull back, shelve their DEI infrastructures, and take down resources, ISDI intends to push forward. Research shows that companies and organizations still need the benefits of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion—increased innovation, greater employee engagement and retention, better adaptability to market changes, improved community relations and satisfied customers. To continue delivering on these goals, we need your help.

Please support ISDI with your donation starting on Juneteenth!

Our normal source of funds has fallen drastically due to the pushback on DEI. Now, we are in the fight of our lives. Please make a financial contribution to help ISDI continue this work.

We’re not just aiming to survive—we’re strategizing for success in the long term.

Our Commitments to DEI change:

ISDI’s name:

We chose ISDI’s name to say, “sustainable diversity and inclusion” because that is what is required in a society like ours. Differences of all kinds exist within the social make-up of the people in the United States. When we unwaveringly recognize and support these differences, then people feel they belong and are truly included as members of society. When these feelings are present, the country and its organizations realize the benefits of diversity—everyone is participating, contributing their best ideas, discovering innovative solutions, and helping to solve problems and make the best decisions. This is “sustainable diversity and inclusion.”

If you’ve ever benefited from a more inclusive workplace, a just policy, or a mentor who saw your full humanity—this is your moment to give back.

Help ISDI keep the DEI flame burning. Please donate starting on Juneteenth! Help us build toward what comes next—and there will be a NEXT!