Resourcing Equity & Democracy
A well-functioning democracy for all requires a thriving multiracial society. The Resourcing Equity and Democracy portfolio at the Raikes Foundation strives to build capacity for democratic life by investing in organizing that builds the power of communities who have not had equal voice in our country’s institutions.
Supporting Robust & Evolving Organizing
The RED portfolio is in the early stages of designing a strategy centering modern organizing of, by, and for communities who have been locked out of power in our democracy. The portfolio will support infrastructure solutions guided by community leaders thinking about leadership, organizational structures, and philanthropic collaboration to bring about a revival of robust organizing. We will begin by co-developing an analysis of current organizing structures and will take counsel from youth organizers, veteran base-builders, and peer funders to guide our approach.
– Hahrie Han
The role of philanthropy
It is important that individuals of all backgrounds have the tools they need to reach their full potential. And we believe the field of philanthropy can help. Funders can play a tremendous role in using our reach, influence, and resources to support a robust multiracial democracy that levels the playing field for all Americans. This will then, in turn, maintain balance and equity in policy, resource allocation, economic systems and outcomes, and fair applications of laws and regulations.
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Education
All students deserve educational experiences that affirm who they are and prepare them to thrive. We support youth, educators, and policymakers to reimagine and redesign our public education system so that all young people have an excellent education, no matter who they are or where they live.
Housing Stability for Youth
Every young person deserves a safe and stable place to call home. The Raikes Foundation works with young people, multi-sector coalitions, and policymakers to not only respond to youth and young adult homelessness in Washington State and across the U.S. but also to prevent it from happening in the first place.
Impact-Driven Philanthropy
In 2021, individual donors gave two-thirds of the total philanthropic dollars in the U.S. Our Impact-Driven Philanthropy Initiative is designed to support them in distributing more money with fewer restrictions to organizations working to dismantle the root causes of inequity and transform the systems that created them.
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Our Work
The Raikes Foundation brings together community voices, ideas, and solutions to build a fair and just society for all. We believe that investing in systems-level change is the key to transforming society for the better, and that meaningful change requires building power in communities.