Strengthening the movement challenging corporate abuse
Transformative change happens when all of us come together, each bringing our unique expertise and power, toward a shared vision of a more vibrant world. But we can only be effective when all of us have what we need to do our best work.
That is why we have created the Movement Solidarity Fund: a program centered on abundance, that raises and redistributes financial resources to our collaborators and leaders on the front lines of corporate abuse. Thanks to the gifts of our members and funders, we are adding momentum to the movement and taking critical steps forward toward justice—from challenging water privatization to making Big Polluters pay.
From scarcity to abundance: Resetting the values of philanthropy through shared resources
We live in a world that prioritizes individual growth over the collective good. This belief has been carefully constructed and fueled by corporations–and the governments and institutions that do their bidding–in order to pit us against each other and distract us from their abuses so they can hold onto their profits—at the expense of our health and the planet.
This pattern carries over into the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors too. Social justice organizations often vie for the same funding sources, perpetuating a culture of scarcity and competition that undermines collaboration. Meanwhile, large organizations based in the Global North tend to have easier access to power and resources than those based in the Global South and on the front lines of corporate abuse and are still struggling due to the aftermath of centuries of Western colonization.
We reflected on these power dynamics and Corporate Accountability’s positional advantage within the larger ecosystem, and we knew we had to create a concrete pathway to counter these imbalances. We see the Movement Solidarity Fund as a channel of accountability between Corporate Accountability and our peers in social movements confronting the worst forms of corporate abuse, extraction, and exploitation. And by ensuring our allies and partners have what they need to challenge some of the largest corporations on the planet and advance justice, we’re helping to build and sustain people power.
Building relationships of mutual trust, benefit, and support: Organizations and activities we fund
Since Corporate Accountability’s inception, we’ve organized closely with allies from across the globe that share our vision for a more vibrant and peaceful world. The Movement Solidarity Fund is a vital strategy to win our campaigns as it makes the joint work that we do with front-line organizations more possible.
Below are our core campaign partners, who we’ve been in the movement with for years and, in some cases, decades. With your generous support, we continue to make annual grants to and organize closely with them to challenge corporate power in the U.S. and around the world.
Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA)
This powerhouse team based in Lagos, Nigeria is advancing human rights and challenging corporate abuse on the African continent and beyond. Together, we’ve shifted the narrative to ensure people see the risks and dangers of water privatization and helped pressure the World Bank to divest from Veolia, one of the most abusive corporate actors. We’ve also brought together organizations and water justice activists across the continent to join the Our Water Our Right Africa Coalition (OWORAC). With members across eight countries in Africa, OWORAC carries out actions on the local and regional level to oppose water privatization and demand public solutions. But CAPPA isn’t only campaigning to stop water privatization: It also plays a key role within Africa as part of the movement to Make Big Polluters Pay for the damage they cause and advancing democracy in Nigeria and beyond, and much more. Learn more about CAPPA.
The Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice (DCJ)
Corporate Accountability first met members of DCJ when we launched our climate campaign in 2014. We have since partnered closely with this movement coalition to advance climate justice, including Big Polluter accountability and liability at the climate treaty meetings, where the fossil fuel industry exerts its toxic influence. As a coalition, DCJ brings the vision, expertise, and the people power of hundreds of organizations, with the majority based in the Global South, to strengthen the fight for climate justice. The funds we’ve raised and redistributed to the coalition have supported DCJ’s operational cost, helped expand its campaign activities, and led to its ability to hire staff dedicated to campaign coordination. It has also helped DCJ members to show up in force to international policy spaces and ensured that the peoples’ collective voices, especially those most affected by the climate crisis, are heard loud and clear. Learn more about DCJ.
Flint Rising
As the city of Flint, Michigan started to grapple with the fallout from the ongoing water crisis, residents came together to distribute water, testing kits, and information packets to their neighbors. They also translated communications from the city about the state of Flint’s water into Spanish when the city failed to do so. The group grew into a coalition of grassroots and community organizers, working together to ensure that Flint residents led the process for repairing the city’s water system and the harm done to them. We have been lucky to partner with this group for years, as we organize for accountability from the government decision-makers and corporate actors who took part in creating and exacerbating the crisis. Learn more about Flint Rising.
Institute for the Black World 21st century (IBW21)
Founded in 2001, IBW21 is an organization committed to enhancing the capacity of Black communities in the U.S. and around the world to achieve cultural, social, economic, and political equality. The organization works to create greater unity among people of African descent to acquire and maintain power. Founder and president Dr. Ron Daniels partners with us to foster solidarity between Black communities in the U.S. and Africa that are targeted and impacted by the private water industry. Our Black Collective team is grateful to partner with IBW21, driven by our shared commitment to uplifting the experiences of Black communities and supporting Black-led organizations. Learn more about IBW21.
In addition to annual grants to our close partners, we support organizations that we campaign with whose values we share through one-time grants. Through this funding, we’ve supported the following activities:
- Website development for grassroots organizations.
- Social media campaigns calling out and exposing corporate abuse.
- Movement artwork to build visibility for real, just solutions to the climate crisis.
- Shareholder meeting advocacy.
- Media work to shift the public climate around corporate abuse, including press conferences, journalist training, and research.
- Community gatherings for training and public education on corporate abuse.
Give now and power the movement challenging corporate abuse
Year after year and across industries, corporations leverage the same tactics, while exploiting Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color to hold on to their power. Challenging these forces will require us to work in partnership with each other across organizations, generations, and borders.
By supporting the Movement Solidarity Fund, you are powering a global movement toward a world rooted in cooperation, care, and the sacredness of all life.
Donate to the Movement Solidarity Fund and contact us to learn more about how you can get involved.
