Nearly 50 years into its existence, the Southern Center for Human Rights (SCHR) continues to evolve and expand its work to meet the needs of the community in its home state of Georgia and beyond – while always maintaining its focus on fighting for equality, dignity, and justice for people impacted by the criminal legal system in the Deep South. When #StopCopCity protestors in Georgia were charged with RICO and domestic terrorism last year, SCHR was well positioned to help connect them with legal representation to protect and defend their right to protest. With support from Piper Fund and others, SCHR successfully built the First Amendment Lawyer Bridge, a formalized lawyer pairing program. They hired a fellow to help manage the program, make sure lawyers were paired, and provide them with training. The program expanded this year to cover Emory University students who participated in campus protests related to the ongoing crisis in Gaza. SCHR also monitored anti-protest legislation that moved through the Georgia legislature this year, doing critical public education. Hear more about this vital work from SCHR staff members Terrica Ganzy, Tiffany Roberts, and Devin Franklin.
About us
Proteus Fund connects philanthropy to the frontlines of social justice. We strive to advance the interconnected goals of racial, gender, queer and disability justice and an inclusive, fully representative democracy. Our work lifts up opportunities, gaps, and challenges facing movement organizations, especially at the state and local level, and then mobilizes support for these efforts. Our donor collaboratives are best-in-class models for bridging responsive philanthropy with cutting-edge social justice movements to create long-lasting impact. Through fiscal sponsorship, Proteus Fund partners with dynamic social justice initiatives which play a powerful role in the larger ecosystem for social change. To date, Proteus Fund, and its affiliated 501c4 organization, the Proteus Action League, have distributed $250 million in grants. Proteus Fund has offices in New York City and metro Boston. Our staff is based across the entire United States.
- Website
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http://www.proteusfund.org
External link for Proteus Fund
- Industry
- Philanthropy
- Company size
- 51-200 employees
- Type
- Nonprofit
- Specialties
- Grantmaking, Philanthropy, Non-Profits, Donor Collaboratives, Fiscal Sponsorship, and Foundation Management
Locations
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Primary
Employees at Proteus Fund
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Amardeep Singh
Vice President of Programs at Proteus Fund
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Kenyetta Chinwe
Owner of PhemSoul Arts, Creative Consultant, Spiritual Facilitator, Faith Advocacy Coordinator
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Paul Di Donato (he/him/his)
President & CEO - Proteus Fund
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Beery Adams Jimenez
Chief Operating Officer at Proteus Fund
Updates
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In response to #communityadvocacy and protests of the ongoing siege, bombardment, and humanitarian crises in Gaza and the West Bank, Black, African, Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (BAMEMSA) communities are facing an escalating environment of threats and risks. For many, the current atmosphere of fear, surveillance, and suspicion is reminiscent of the aftermath of 9/11. To support the safety, security, and rights of BAMEMSA movements, RTF began offering rapid response grants ranging from $5,000 - $25,000 to U.S.-based community organizations in November. By the end of 2023, just two months later, RTF had granted more than $225,500 to organizations working on domestic policy issues and mobilizations. Ceasefire-related mobilizations that were supported by RTF grantees, the growing list of cities that have passed ceasefire resolutions, the no tech for apartheid campaign, and the growing number of legislators who have supported ceasefire show the progress that our field has made. Learn more and view the full digital report here: https://lnkd.in/eRvg65P5
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"We're trying to create these stories about ourselves and on our own terms." Thanks to the MacArthur Foundation for spotlighting our newest fiscally sponsored initiative, Disability Culture Lab. Proteus Fund is proud to be supporting the important work of this nonprofit media lab created by and for the #disability community.
All identities intersect with disability, and ableism is a barrier to achieving diversity, equity, and inclusion. We recently spoke with Meier Galblum Haigh, Executive Director of Disability Culture Lab, about shifting the narrative on disability from fear and pity to solidarity and liberation. Listen to learn more about Disability Culture Lab’s work, and read about our progress on efforts to bring a disability lens to our grantmaking on our website! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/geY5-wnm ___ #DisabilityPride #DisabilityPrideMonth
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For the Disability & Philanthropy Forum, 2023 was a year of immense growth. The Forum, which was launched in 2019 by foundation leaders who committed to elevating #disabilityinclusion throughout the philanthropic sector, formalized its strategic plan and doubled its team in 2023. The Disability & Philanthropy Forum also published the first-ever report on disability grantmaking, which found that only 1 penny for every 10 foundation dollars goes to disability rights and #socialjustice, a funding amount which the Forum has set a goal of seeing triple by 2028. Hear what Executive Director Emily Harris and Gail Fuller, Senior Director of Programs and Communications had to say about the Forum’s work and partnership with Proteus Fund, and view the digital report here: https://lnkd.in/eRvg65P5
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This week, Piper Fund Senior Program Officer Kathy Bonnifield served as a panelist at the #WorldJusticeChallenge meeting hosted by the World Justice Project. The panel discussion focused on threats to the judiciary and the rising pressures on #justice sector actors, including security concerns, harassment, censorship, and politicization. We're proud to have been represented at this event which brings together an engaged group of democracy and rule of law advocates to support discussion and collaboration on key governance and justice topics.
Today I had the incredible experience of attending the World Justice Project World Justice Challenge meeting, where finalists from countries including Taiwan, Venezuela, Albania, Azerbaijan, Ghana, Ukraine, Zimbabwe, Nepal, Mexico, Poland and others shared the work they are doing to advance rule of law. While there, I was part of a workshop with Adam Bodnar, Poland's Minister of Justice; High Court Judge Jiyong Jang, Republic of Korea, Judge Margaret McKeown of the US Court of Appeals--9th Circuit. It was expertly led by Lauren Stiller Rikleen, the Executive Director of Lawyers Defending Democracy. It's exciting to not just attend and learn, but to leave with hope.
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In 2023, anti-protest bills continued to target Black organizers fighting police violence, as well as Indigenous and #environmentaljustice activists. Piper Fund grantees responded by building coalitions to both block troubling policy proposals and advance new strategies, while also protecting their organizations and communities engaged in protests. Though the efforts to repress dissent have been relentless, the organizers have built crucial relationships among communities and organizations in their broad coalition. The Piper Fund is proud to work with funder partners, including CSFund, Democratizing Justice Initiative, Communities Transforming Policing Fund, and Funders for Justice as well as to support grantees including PROJECT SAY SOMETHING (PSS), Disability Law United and The Equity Alliance (TEA) in Tennessee. View the new digital report here: https://lnkd.in/eRvg65P5
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For Rights, Faith and Democracy Collaborative (RFDC)’s Minnesota cohort, which includes Gender Justice, OutFront Minnesota, TakeAction Minnesota, and Jewish Community Action, 2023 was a banner year. With a pro-reproductive freedom governor and majority in the state legislature, they succeeded in creating the conditions to get their entire legislative agenda passed, securing significant wins for #reproductivejustice and #genderaffirmingcare that had been years in the making. Hear how cohort leaders say they were able to work in coalition to take advantage of favorable conditions in the government to create powerful, lasting change for Minnesotans, and view the full annual report here: https://lnkd.in/eRvg65P5
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In June, the RISE Together Fund (RTF) hosted its first in-person funder convening in New York City since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Funders came together from across the country to learn more about RTF's priorities directly from their grantees, field partners, and staff, as well as confront and grapple with the threats facing the communities RTF works with and their allies, heightened by the local impact of the ongoing crisis in Gaza. Together, the group recognized challenges, identified opportunities, and reaffirmed its commitment to RTF's vision of a just, inclusive, multiracial hashtag #democracy where Black, African, Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (BAMEMSA)communities can live freely, lead fully, and participate joyously. Learn more about RTF's work: https://lnkd.in/dS4-_Xz6
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Piper Fund’s Judicial Independence program was officially renamed as the Judicial Integrity program in 2023. The renaming was in recognition of grantees working not just for an independent judicial system that honors the separation of powers, but also one that moves ethically and with integrity—centering justice and fairness. We are proud to support North Carolina For The People, The New Pennsylvania Project Education Fund (NPPEF), the Ohio Fair Courts Alliance (OFCA), and other grantees fighting to protect judicial integrity in their states. View the full annual here: https://lnkd.in/eRvg65P5
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Proteus Fund is a proud fiscal sponsor of Puentes, a non-profit working to strengthen the narrative power of social justice movements in Latin America. In 2023, Puentes cohosted Confluence, the first global convening on narrative work, solidifying its reputation as a global expert in narrative change and connecting social movements in Latin America with other regions around the world. Hear Puentes Founder and Director Mónica Roa López speak about the conference and how the support of Proteus Fund has helped to bolster this work, and read the new digital Annual Report here: https://lnkd.in/eRvg65P5