15 Sustainability and Wellness Grants for Power Building Awarded
A pilot partnership is inspired by the voices of leaders calling out what sustains a movement
Facilitator Nicole Vallestero Soper prepares to lead a sound bath during the COO Community Partners Community of Practice at Highline Heritage Museum, summer 2024.
Community Power already exists; as funders, it’s our job to lift it up and resource it. And, we’ve learned that to sustain community power-building movements, we must resource their people too.
A new pilot partnership between Communities of Opportunity (COO) and BIPOC ED Coalition of Washington State is bringing those resources to 15 local organizations.
It all started with a series of conversations hosted by our Learning Community.
The new Wellness and Sustainability Fund is a partnership between COO and the BIPOC ED Coalition of Washington State.
COO’s Learning Community Strategy convenes and resources activities where partners have meaningful conversations about building capacity. At our gatherings, we share learning, engage in new connections, and test innovative models that catalyze and sustain momentum toward greater equity.
“A clear call from these conversations was that to sustain community power-building movements, we must resource their people too, with beauty, joy, healing in community, love, and softness,” said Elsa Batres-Boni, COO Director.
Inspired by those voices, COO reached out to local experts at BIPOC ED Coalition to create a pilot partnership and develop the Wellness and Sustainability Grant.
Softness and Love as a Force: Winter All-Partner Convening
Elsa said the conversations at COO’s All-Partner Convening in December 2023 helped inspire and shape this new grant. Here are some of the memorable remarks from that day that influenced the development of the grant.
This graphic recording made by Mari Shibuya at the 2023 Winter All-Partner convening reflects the powerful conversations that shaped our approach to wellness and sustainability.
“Organizers bring hope to communities; we see solutions where others don’t, we see beauty where others don’t. And so much of the work that we are doing is being able to hold steady within ourselves, grounded, that we can provide that space for our community to come together and think expansively of what’s possible.” – Yomara Velez
“I think for us, [what is important] is thinking about the kind of infrastructure and having the boldness. But most importantly, I think having people in places with that kind of resources who are willing to invest in this kind of long-term infrastructure and infra-culture to last this kind of cycle.” – Aurora Martin
“There is something about softness and love as a force that can create change in the world.“ – adrienne maree brown
“What Is Power Building?” Continues the Conversation
The June 2024 Learning Community event, "What Is Power Building?”, was also influential in shaping this grant, especially when speakers responded to a final question from moderator Roxana Pardo Garcia. The conversation explored the ways that community is implementing healing-centered approaches to build collective power for greater justice and transformation.
In closing, Roxana asked, “What will indicate to you that your community has transformed?”
“The first thing that I would notice is joy, unspeakable joy,” said Kathei McCoy. “Healing would be the norm. Healing practices will be integrated into our culture, and we will rest more, and we will really dream.... In my survivorship of losing my only child, I feel like I had nothing to give. But even in my journey to become whole, I’m worthy to give something, I have something to still offer somebody.”
“When you are creating programs or policies or strategic plans,” Roxana advised, “bring in your healers. That is definitely one of the pillars of healing justice, is to have people who have that lens at the table when something is being created. And I hope that we can move to a place where we don’t sacrifice our time to community, but where we gift our time to community.”
From Inspiration to Partnership: Grants Awarded
These conversations had a lasting impact on how we’re approaching community wellness and sustainability, Elsa said. They led to the partnership with BIPOC ED Coalition and the creation of the Wellness and Sustainability Grant.
The grants are intended to build capacity for wellness or sustainability, and work toward the organization’s larger dream of a thriving organizational culture of wellness and sustainability.
These 15 COO current and former funded partners are the recipients of $5,000 grants from the new Wellness and Sustainability Fund.
· A Supportive Community For All
· Alimentando al Pueblo
· Cham Refugees Community
· Eastside For All
· Entre Hermanos
· FEEST
· Lake Burien Presbyterian Church
· Massage Parlor Organizing Project
· Mother Africa
· Open Doors for Multicultural Families
· SeaTac Airport Community Coalition for Justice (STACC4J)
· YES! Foundation of White Center
· Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network
· We Are Comunidad
· White Center Community Development Association
“We were seeking requests that demonstrate meaningful approaches to creating or enhancing a culture of wellness and sustainability,” said Jodi Nishioka, Co-Executive Director, BIPOC ED Coalition of Washington State. “The intention is to help awardee organizations grow capacity, support staff with wellness initiatives, or explore approaches that sustain healthy organizational cultures in which people can flourish while advancing the organization’s work.”
Jodi said they received over 30 applications. “There is clearly a need and desire for wellness and sustainability efforts and funding in the sector," she said.
"What we saw in the applications was a recognition of the fatigue and stress that nonprofit workers are experiencing and a desire to care for their staff, so they can continue serving the community. For most of the applicant organizations, their workers come from the communities they are serving. So those workers and their families are struggling with the same or similar issues alongside their clients. These nonprofit workers are serving community with low pay and often working long hours, dedicating their lives to supporting their community. They deserve to be cared for and we need them to continue the work!”
“Listening to partners and reading these applications, I know that when we lead with compassion and maintain a focus on our shared vision, we can create a lasting impact and inspire others to join us,” Elsa said.
How Awardees Will Use the Funds
Communities closest to the work, in this case the community organizations themselves, know what is best for them. It’s no surprise that when we offered financial support for wellness and sustainability initiatives, they responded with creative and inspiring ideas. Here are some of the wellness and sustainability initiatives we will be funding:
Staff activity like a picnic for staff and families to come together and enjoy time together outside of the office.
Wellness retreats for staff -- Time away from the office with wellness activities and practitioners.
Provide support for staff to create "personal resilience plans" for themselves.
Seed a wellness fund to reimburse staff for wellness activities.
Monthly self-enrichment days. Staff will be able to partake in a self-enrichment class such as flower arranging, painting, woodworking, candle making, and so on. Their family members can take the class with them, if they choose.
The organization is matching the $5,000 to create a $10,000 fund to pay for participating in community activities/festivals, and also group activities like group walks, shared meals, and interactive workshops.
The impact of this program was expressed in a recent email from one of the awardees:
“Thank you so much! … Just coming together to plan our proposal gave us such a boost. We're thrilled to have this incredible gift to get us started on our wellness goals.”
- Debbie Lacy, Executive Director, Eastside for All, Awardee
To see more of the original grant application information, visit the grant application page.
For more information about these grants or other opportunities through the BIPOC ED Coalition, please visit the BIPOC ED Coalition website or email Jodi Nishioka.