Community Change, formerly the Center for Community Change (CCC), is a
progressive community organizing group active in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
. It was founded in 1968 in response to civil rights concerns of the 1960s and to honor
Robert F. Kennedy.
The organization's stated mission is "to build the power and capacity of low-income people, especially low-income people of color, to change their communities and public policies for the better."
Activities
Community Change generally works in low-income areas, especially within communities of color, and attempts to create resident-based groups to work on local issues of concern. The organization sponsors internships and training programs in several areas, including
community organizing,
service learning
Service-learning is an educational approach that combines learning objectives with community service in order to provide a pragmatic, progressive learning experience while meeting societal needs.
Service-learning involves students in service proje ...
,
union organizing, electoral engagement, and youth/student organizing. The organization provides resources for grassroots groups including campaign strategy, funding and social media strategy. In 2004, through the collaboration with immigrant groups, Community Change organized the Fair Immigration Reform Movement that "empowered immigrants to speak out". Community Change has helped to create government programs like the
Community Reinvestment Act
The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA, P.L. 95-128, 91 Stat. 1147, title VIII of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1977, ''et seq.'') is a United States federal law designed to encourage commercial banks and savings associations to help ...
and the
food stamps program.
The organization seeks to create workplace environments that value family, to guarantee minimum wage, "unlock opportunities in the poorest communities, and increase income taxes for the wealthy.
The Center for Community Change launched the
Fair Immigration Reform Movement The Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) is a grassroots movement that supports comprehensive immigration reform and the civil rights of immigrants in the United States. It was started in 2004 by the Community Change, formerly The Center for C ...
(FIRM), an immigration reform movement working for comprehensive immigration reform. FIRM received funding from the
Open Society Foundations and the
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the dea ...
.
Funding
Community Change has received funding from a range of progressive organizations including the
Alliance for Early Success,
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it w ...
,
Carnegie Corporation of New York
The Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic fund established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to support education programs across the United States, and later the world. Carnegie Corporation has endowed or otherwise helped to establis ...
,
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) is a progressive American think tank that analyzes the impact of federal and state government budget policies. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Center's stated mission is to "conduct resear ...
,
Democracy Alliance
The Democracy Alliance is a network of progressive donors who coordinate their political donations to groups that the Alliance has endorsed. It has been described by ''Politico'' as "the country's most powerful liberal donor club".
Members of the ...
,
Every Citizen Counts,
Human Rights Campaign
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for LGB ...
,
MoveOn
MoveOn (formerly known as MoveOn.org) is a progressive public policy advocacy group and political action committee. Formed in 1998 around one of the first massively viral email petitions, MoveOn has since grown into one of the largest grassroots ...
,
New America (organization)
New America, formerly the New America Foundation, is a think tank in the United States founded in 1999. It focuses on a range of public policy issues, including national security studies, technology, asset building, health, gender, energy, educa ...
,
Planned Parenthood
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the United States and globally. It is a tax-exempt corporation under Internal Reve ...
, the
Tides Advocacy Fund, and
The Voter Participation Center.
See also
*
Stephanie Land
Stephanie Land (born September 1978) is an American author and public speaker. She is best known for writing ''Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay and a Mother's Will to Survive'' (2019), which was adapted to television miniseries ''Maid'' (2021) for Netfl ...
, a writing fellow for Community Change
References
External links
Community Change websiteFIRM website
{{authority control
Community building
Immigrant rights organizations in the United States
Civil rights organizations in the United States
Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C.
Organizations established in 1968
Political advocacy groups in the United States
Internship programs
Progressive organizations in the United States