Litigation: an under-funded strategy to achieve lasting change
posted on: Monday, June 20, 2011
By Aaron Dorfman
Foundations seeking systemic change have many options. They can fund policy advocacy, grassroots community organizing and other strategies.
One approach that few foundations have historically embraced is litigation even though litigation can be a powerful way to achieve lasting change on important social issues.
The Rosenberg Foundation, based in San Francisco, has been funding two nonprofits – Equal Rights Advocates and the Impact Fund – as they seek to challenge Wal-Mart’s practice of discriminating against women. The case, Dukes v. Wal-Mart, now is before the Supreme Court. Check out this five-minute video about the case, and the role philanthropy is playing:
Do you agree with my assessment that too few foundations are supporting litigation? Which other foundations do you know of that are supporting litigation as part of a campaign to bring lasting change? Which nonprofits are using litigation effectively and need more support from foundations?Aaron Dorfman is executive director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP).Labels: advocacy and organizing, Foundations supporting advocacy and organizing, wal-mart, women and girls
By Aaron Dorfman
Foundations seeking systemic change have many options. They can fund policy advocacy, grassroots community organizing and other strategies.
One approach that few foundations have historically embraced is litigation even though litigation can be a powerful way to achieve lasting change on important social issues.
The Rosenberg Foundation, based in San Francisco, has been funding two nonprofits – Equal Rights Advocates and the Impact Fund – as they seek to challenge Wal-Mart’s practice of discriminating against women. The case, Dukes v. Wal-Mart, now is before the Supreme Court. Check out this five-minute video about the case, and the role philanthropy is playing:
Do you agree with my assessment that too few foundations are supporting litigation? Which other foundations do you know of that are supporting litigation as part of a campaign to bring lasting change? Which nonprofits are using litigation effectively and need more support from foundations?
Aaron Dorfman is executive director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP).
Labels: advocacy and organizing, Foundations supporting advocacy and organizing, wal-mart, women and girls
posted by National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy at
10:30 AM
2 Comments:
Workers' centers and day laborer organizing projects have been using litigation alongside worker organizing as part of their set of strategies for some time. The Working Hands Legal Clinic in Chicago was formed by a group of workers' organizations and continues to support the work of all of them. -Tim Jones-Yelvington, Crossroads Fund, Chicago
By
Tim Jones-Yelvington, at 3:06 PM
For reader of NCRP's blog who are following this issue, Tim Silard wrote recently:
"Her courageous stand against the world's largest private employer suffered a major setback last week when the U.S. Supreme Court, in an ill-reasoned ruling, reversed decisions by both the District Court and Court of Appeals to certify the Wal-Mart women as a class. In doing so, the Roberts Court -- the best Court majority money can buy -- once again came down on the side of powerful corporations, as it did in Citizen's United and other recent decisions. This time the Court made it much harder for workers like Betty Dukes to band together to fight injustice.
"While the Supreme Court's ruling will have ramifications for how class actions can be used to challenge big companies that act badly, there is one thing this decision won't do, and that is stop the women of Wal-Mart. "The fight will continue," says Arcelia Hurtado, executive director of Equal Rights Advocates. "Regardless of the hurdles the Court has placed before us, the struggle for equal pay and promotions will continue at Wal-Mart."
"Hurtado is right. The question now is, who will join Betty Dukes and tens of thousands of women in this struggle? Who will stand up on behalf of people everywhere who are facing much more powerful corporate interests? Victory in this fight for fairness and justice will require action from all of us. Here is what we can do:"
Read Tim's full post at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-p-silard/stand-with-the-women-of-w_b_886961.html
By
Aaron Dorfman, at 10:02 AM
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