Stories of Philanthropic Leadership in Advancing Regional and ...

I. B. PROMOTING COALITIONSTO ADVANCE EQUITY:GAMALIEL FOUNDATION’SCROSS-COALITION BUILDINGFunders Highlighted:Catholic Campaign for Human DevelopmentFord FoundationW.K. Kellogg FoundationCharles Stewart Mott Foundation“We are battling apartheid in America—thesegregation of opportunity. By creating anorganization that can bring all constituenciestogether, we’re saying let there be opportunity forall communities. Opportunity for all communitiesis the civil rights movement of the 21 st century.”— Michael Kruglick, Gamaliel FoundationCross-coalition building weaves together grassroots,interfaith, and multicultural community organizinggroups in order to solidify disparate efforts, leveragepower in numbers, and create a vehicle wheredisenfranchised communities claim their rights ascitizens in a more just and democratic society. Thisprofile demonstrates the significant impact offunders’ investments when channeled into faithbasednetworks that work at a regional scale and havethe capacity to unite their members and create votingblocks that demand both a voice in policymakingand accountability from public officials.Project ProfileThe empowerment and the expansion of democracyare the twin concerns of the Gamaliel Foundation. 4More importantly, Gamaliel’s efforts to serve the poorhave now led to the vocal advocacy of many beyondthe geographic confines of urban barrios and ghettos.Middle class residents, suburban congregations, andworking class unions have all become an integral partof a cross-coalition building movement over the pastdecade. Together, they champion metropolitan equityparticularly in the areas of transportation, housing, andcommunity development.“Rolling Thunder,” the idea of having large,community-based meetings in rapid sequence, is amajor thrust in Gamaliel’s cross-coalition buildingefforts. In communities across the country, the citiesand people may change but the agenda for change andthe dynamics of activism are the same. Before crowdsthat range in size from 1,000 to more than 5,000,“Rolling Thunder” defines its agenda, summonselected officials to the microphone, and extracts publicpromises in front of their constituents. Moreover, thosesame elected officials are asked to return in the futureand update affiliates on their earlier promises.In 2004, Rolling Thunder meetings were convenedin 26 communities across the United States,engaging more than 60,000 people. 5 Two such“Rolling Thunder” meetings occurred in Chicagoand Detroit. The Chicago meeting was organized bythe Metropolitan Alliance of Congregations (MAC)and the Detroit gathering was led by theMetropolitan Organizing Strategy for EnablingStrength (MOSES).Among the attendees at the Detroit “Rolling Thunder” meeting onSeptember 26, 2004, was Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm.(Source: Detroit MOSES).Between 1998 and 2000, the Catholic Campaign forHuman Development (CCHD) supported MAC.Representing 132 institutional members in Illinois’Cook and Will Counties, MAC has sponsored twocampaigns for equity in public and private4Publisher’s Note: The Gamaliel Foundation is a network of grassroots,interfaith, interracial, and multi-issue organizations working together tocreate a more just and more democratic society. The GamalielFoundation is not a grantmaker. The Gamaliel network of affiliates totals41 in the United States and an additional four in South Africa. For moreinformation, visit www.gamaliel.org.5The 26 “Rolling Thunder” rallies were held in the followingcommunities: Oakland, Calif.; Gary, Ind.; Milwaukee, Wis.;Youngstown, Ohio; Buffalo, N.Y.; Detroit; Hartford, Conn.; Davenport,Iowa; Jersey City, N.J.; San Diego; Albany, N.Y.; Cincinnati; HamptonRoads, Va.; Saginaw, Mich.; Minneapolis; Syracuse, N.Y.; Erie, Pa.;Chicago; Baltimore; St. Louis; Wheeling, W.Va.; Madison, Ill.;Kalamazoo, Mich.; Cleveland; Pittsburgh; and Sharon, Pa.EQUITABLE PUBLIC INVESTMENTPart III: Section 1: Promoting Equitable Public Investment 24