Self-Determined: Foundations Must Match the Far Right's Commitment to Systemic Change. Here's How.

[marmar]

Self-Determined: Foundations Must Match the Far Right’s Commitment to Systemic Change. Here’s How.

Kellian Staggers
6 MIN READ
Apr 17, 2025


(YES! Magazine) It’s common to hear statistics like the $40 billion it would take to end world hunger or the $30 billion to end homelessness in the United States. And yes, a billionaire like Jeff Bezos could single-handedly pay to make sure everyone in this country is fed and sheltered for the next 3½ years—even if he never made another penny. These statistics highlight how wealth redistribution could address major human rights crises, but they often overlook the collaborative, innovative work that could turn a one-time influx of cash into lasting systemic change.

With the current freeze on federal funding—and its severe impacts being felt across industries—philanthropists and grassroots organizers have a unique opportunity to join forces and shift the paradigm. In today’s hostile political climate, funders and organizers must defy fear-mongering, reject conformity, and shift strategies—and they must do so together.

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With Trump’s reelection, the far right has gained significant momentum and is rapidly advancing its radical vision built and supported by billionaires. From page one, Project 2025 makes clear that the conservative movement has been organizing against governmental power since the 1970s, with its predecessor, the “Mandate for Leadership,” released in 1981. Utilizing this framework, the far-right movement had a goal of establishing a conservative administration in 2025 that would enact policies to fulfill the mandate’s “conservative promise.” With Trump’s re-election, they are making tremendous headway toward actualizing their vision.

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Foundations too often bend to the winds of change, becoming tight-fisted in times of political uncertainty. But these are the very moments when it’s critical to release resources to those who can use them in the most effective and creative ways to resist and build something different. This is when funders should make meaningful investments in people who can and will weather all storms. ................(more)

https://www.yesmagazine.org/opinion/2025/04/17/self-determined-foundations-commitment