Poor Peoples Army Emergency Fund for Organizing
Donation protected
The organizing of the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign is built on the knowledge that poor people need to take care of ourselves, and that building solidarity among the poor is how we gain power & control over our own lives. The economic and health crisis presented by COVID-19 is impacting poor and houseless people in extreme ways that will not be met by the state. Poor people already lost cash assistance before the pandemic started, and now those who were employed are losing their jobs or risking their & their family’s health to continue working; losing housing; unable to access testing or medical care; and unable to access information, resources, and education due to the digital divide. We believe that this is a moment to fund poor-led organizing so we can demand an economic system where we can not just survive but thrive.
We know that our work has always taken place as part of a family of poor-led organizations across the country. We know poor-led organizing that truly demands systemic change is NOT being funded, as large philanthropic foundations, banks/corporations, and major political parties do not actually want to change the status quo. In this moment, we want to use our position to raise money for this work as much as we can.We want to quickly raise funds and distribute them to people in our network with need in real time, to support organizing & mutual aid work that is ALREADY HAPPENING, across the South, in reservations, and across the country. Instead of reacting to this crisis with scarcity & fear that there isn’t enough to go around, we instead want to take this moment to LIFT UP each other’s work, to remember that there is an abundance of resources to support this work if we truly imagine what it would look like to resource and support poor people’s liberation. Now is the time.
We will distribute funds to poor-led organizing & mutual aid efforts that meet the following criteria:
1. Don't take money from the Ford Foundation
2. Don't take money from Banks and Corporations
3. Don't take money from the two corporate political parties (Democrats or Republicans).
4. Are led by poor and homeless people
5. Are independent, and committed to building mutual aid systems and poor people’s leadership
Our goal is to raise $20,000 so that we can distribute $1000 to 19 different organizations. If we meet this goal, we will keep $1000 to cover PPEHRC’s office rent. This is a one-time push - we hope to raise & distribute money on a one-time basis to quickly infuse front-line, poor-led mutual aid orgs with capacity in this moment when funds are urgently needed. Funds will be distributed by Philadelphia-area leadership of PPEHRC for as long as funds last. A list of the groups we distribute funds to will be shared publicly.
If you are aware of a group/organization that meets this criteria that you think we should fund, please let us know by contacting us through this page.
We know that our work has always taken place as part of a family of poor-led organizations across the country. We know poor-led organizing that truly demands systemic change is NOT being funded, as large philanthropic foundations, banks/corporations, and major political parties do not actually want to change the status quo. In this moment, we want to use our position to raise money for this work as much as we can.We want to quickly raise funds and distribute them to people in our network with need in real time, to support organizing & mutual aid work that is ALREADY HAPPENING, across the South, in reservations, and across the country. Instead of reacting to this crisis with scarcity & fear that there isn’t enough to go around, we instead want to take this moment to LIFT UP each other’s work, to remember that there is an abundance of resources to support this work if we truly imagine what it would look like to resource and support poor people’s liberation. Now is the time.
We will distribute funds to poor-led organizing & mutual aid efforts that meet the following criteria:
1. Don't take money from the Ford Foundation
2. Don't take money from Banks and Corporations
3. Don't take money from the two corporate political parties (Democrats or Republicans).
4. Are led by poor and homeless people
5. Are independent, and committed to building mutual aid systems and poor people’s leadership
Our goal is to raise $20,000 so that we can distribute $1000 to 19 different organizations. If we meet this goal, we will keep $1000 to cover PPEHRC’s office rent. This is a one-time push - we hope to raise & distribute money on a one-time basis to quickly infuse front-line, poor-led mutual aid orgs with capacity in this moment when funds are urgently needed. Funds will be distributed by Philadelphia-area leadership of PPEHRC for as long as funds last. A list of the groups we distribute funds to will be shared publicly.
If you are aware of a group/organization that meets this criteria that you think we should fund, please let us know by contacting us through this page.
Organizer and beneficiary
Cheri Honkala
Organizer
Philadelphia, PA
Alliance for Global Justice
Beneficiary
