TOWARD AN INCLUSIVE, EQUITABLE, AND JUST SOCIETY
America is a land of diverse races and faiths, but not all communities have experienced equal protection or justice as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. In particular, Muslim, Arab and South Asian (MASA) communities frequently experience acts of anti-Muslim bigotry and xenophobia as well as structural and societal barriers designed to sideline these growing and influential communities. Nevertheless, MASA communities are rising together locally and nationally to build community power and resilience, to diversify the media coverage of MASA communities, and to advocate for the rights of their communities and all those impacted by racism and xenophobia.
As the only national donor collaborative dedicated to supporting MASA communities, the RISE Together Fund bolsters the critical work of Muslim, Arab, and South Asian individuals, organizations and communities to defend and uphold the Rights of their communities, leading to Inclusion in a just, multi-racial democracy. Our name reflects our understanding that we must build relationships and Solidarity within the MASA field and with allies across social and racial justice movements in order to realize Equity and justice in America. We will achieve Rights, Inclusion, Solidarity, and Equity (RISE) Together.
As we do this, our role goes beyond traditional grantmaking. We intentionally direct our grants toward building long-term, sustainable movements, and then also work alongside our grantees and others in the MASA field to help them grow, connect, and develop a collective voice.
The RISE Together Fund was known as the Security & Rights Collaborative (SRC) until January 2019. To read more about our name, and why we made the decision to change it, please read the following post:
What's new from the RISE Together Fund, our partners, and our grantees.
Throughout 2019, the RISE Together Fund (RTF) shared 10 lessons on what we've learned over the course of 10 years of grantmaking!
Hear directly from our grantees on their triumphs, challenges, and hopes for the future:
262
Total 501(c)(3) Grants To-Date
$12,974,167
21
501(c)(4) Grants To-Date
$1,590,036
500+
Organizations Reached
RTF was the first funder to support the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon’s (APANO) efforts to provide support to 123 mostly South Asian immigrant asylees detained at Oregon’s Federal Correctional Institute in Sheridan, OR, in June 2018. APANO coordinated a delegation of leaders who demanded that the detainees have access to counsel, organized local translators to support the immigrants, and raised awareness about the Sheridan asylees in local media. As of August 24, 2018, 79 of those detained had passed the credible fear interviews and APANO mobilized volunteers to make sure there were appropriate resources and groups to welcome and host the asylees once they were released.
Project South, an RTF grantee based in Georgia, has been part of a broader movement to protect and defend immigrant and refugee communities and has mobilized the public around policies that ensure limited collaboration of local law enforcement agencies with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In October 2017, Decatur became the seventh locality in the state to pass such a policy. In September 2018, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms signed an Executive Order to permanently stop receiving ICE detainees under the current agreement with the US Marshals Service. Read the city’s press release and the Executive Order.
After the Administration cancelled temporary protected status (TPS) for Nepali TPS-holders in 2018, the RTF gave a grant to Adhikaar to support nearly 15,000 impacted Nepalis living in the U.S. Adhikaar continues to work on educational efforts geared toward lawmakers, legal services, organizing, and community defense to protect U.S.-based Nepalis. Read more here.
In December 2019, the RTF funded CAIR Foundation for its “Love Knows No Border” protests. In collaboration with CAIR-San Diego, the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium, CAIR coordinated the participation of American Muslims in an interfaith mobilization on the southern border on International Human Rights Day (12/10/19). CAIR leveraged their national profile to bring well-known American Muslims to the southern border with the intention of increasing attention, including media coverage, of the humanitarian disaster at the San Diego/Tijuana border. The “Love Know No Borders” action was voted the most valuable protest of 2018 by The Nation magazine.
RTF was the first funder to support the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon’s (APANO) efforts to provide support to 123 mostly South Asian immigrant asylees detained at Oregon’s Federal Correctional Institute in Sheridan, OR, in June 2018. APANO coordinated a delegation of leaders who demanded that the detainees have access to counsel, organized local translators to support the immigrants, and raised awareness about the Sheridan asylees in local media. As of August 24, 2018, 79 of those detained had passed the credible fear interviews and APANO mobilized volunteers to make sure there were appropriate resources and groups to welcome and host the asylees once they were released.
Project South, an RTF grantee based in Georgia, has been part of a broader movement to protect and defend immigrant and refugee communities and has mobilized the public around policies that ensure limited collaboration of local law enforcement agencies with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In October 2017, Decatur became the seventh locality in the state to pass such a policy. In September 2018, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms signed an Executive Order to permanently stop receiving ICE detainees under the current agreement with the US Marshals Service. Read the city’s press release and the Executive Order.
After the Administration cancelled temporary protected status (TPS) for Nepali TPS-holders in 2018, the RTF gave a grant to Adhikaar to support nearly 15,000 impacted Nepalis living in the U.S. Adhikaar continues to work on educational efforts geared toward lawmakers, legal services, organizing, and community defense to protect U.S.-based Nepalis. Read more here.
In December 2019, the RTF funded CAIR Foundation for its “Love Knows No Border” protests. In collaboration with CAIR-San Diego, the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium, CAIR coordinated the participation of American Muslims in an interfaith mobilization on the southern border on International Human Rights Day (12/10/19). CAIR leveraged their national profile to bring well-known American Muslims to the southern border with the intention of increasing attention, including media coverage, of the humanitarian disaster at the San Diego/Tijuana border. The “Love Know No Borders” action was voted the most valuable protest of 2018 by The Nation magazine.
On June 27, 2018 the Supreme Court upheld the "Muslim Ban," siding with the Trump administration. The RTF played a central role in the national and regional mobilization efforts to oppose these Executive Orders. The #NoMuslimBanEver campaign has been a watershed in MASA leadership, putting the voices of the most impacted at the forefront of a truly intersectional national grassroots movement.
