Faith In/And Democracy: Notable Submissions from Year 2

Selecting the 2020-2021 Faith In/And Democracy cohort was an extremely rewarding– albeit difficult and humbling– process. We received 149 Letters of Interest, invited 30 proposals, and awarded 6 grants. 

The size and quality of the application pools, both this year and in our pilot, confirm the great volume of important work happening at the intersection of faith and democracy. They also demonstrate the need for more resources to support it. In our commitment to our principles, including responsible philanthropy, PACE takes to heart our opportunity to expand interest and advocate for more investment to meet that need.

That is why we’re proud to introduce you not only to our Year 2 projects, but also to the 23 organizations that  were invited to submit proposals in our 2020 program. These organizations gave us permission to share more about their work, in hopes it might be a fit for other funders and organizations. They are listed alphabetically by organization name; their contact information can be made available upon request, as can copies of the full proposals they submitted.

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CAIR-Ohio

Project Name: Islamic Justice: A Vision for Ohio Muslim Engagement in 2020 and Beyond

• The strategic vision of this work is to empower American Muslim communities and institutions to become viable sites for civic engagement activities and discussions concerning anti-racist work and justice in society. 
• The work proposed toward this vision is to partner with mosques and Muslim student groups across Ohio to increase voter turnout and participation in anti-racism initiatives.

Convención Bautista Hispana de Texas

Project Name: LIBERTAD: Young Latino Faith and Democracy

• The strategic vision of this work is to strengthen Texas Hispanic Baptist leaders by allowing them to explore the nexus between their faith and civic engagement, and empowering them to translate their learning into action in the cultural context of their church and community.
• The work proposed toward this vision is to provide the opportunity for up to 52 young Hispanic Baptist leaders to participate in two programs, Libertad Exploration Retreat and Libertad Project.

Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)

Project Name: A Path to Progress: CAIR’s Commitment to Ending Anti-Black Racism

• The strategic vision of this work is to educate the entire CAIR network, including senior leadership and board members at grassroots offices across the country, on the ways that Islam demands racial justice be embedded into CAIR’s overall mission.
• The work proposed toward this vision is to develop a 12-month pilot project that will result in a toolkit for CAIR chapters to build racial justice into every facet of their work. The tools created will be easily localizable to address issues of racism within the many diverse communities in which there are CAIR chapters.

Emmanuel Gospel Center

Project Name: Race and Christian Community Initiative

• The strategic vision of this work, the Race and Christian Community Initiative (RCCI), is that Christians actively help to dismantle racism as an outward expression of their faith. 
• The work proposed toward this vision is to train cohorts of White evangelicals and people of color from different backgrounds using a curriculum that incorporates spiritual practices and frames justice as continuing God’s redemptive work.

enfleshed

• The strategic vision of this work is to provide spiritual resources that focus on the needs, experiences, and wisdom of various marginalized communities who share a collective vision of flourishing and liberation.
• The work proposed toward this vision is to continue to publish “Liturgy that Matters,” a weekly subscription that supports over 300 clergy in justice-oriented worship services, as well as launching a print magazine offering spiritual nourishment for collective liberation to Christian-adjacent individuals and communities.

Faith Organizing Alliance

• The strategic vision of this work is to strengthen and expand existing clergy organizing in Northern and Southern Nevada by establishing a statewide multiracial, multi-denominational, and multi-faith clergy cohort that serves as a sacred space for deep relationship building and leads clergy to reimagine their role in public life.
• The work proposed toward this vision is to build deep relationships by holding monthly digital clergy gatherings focused on justice and faith formation that incorporates a shared curriculum. 

Georgetown University, Campus Ministry

Project Name: Walk With Me

• The strategic vision of this work is to provide participants from diverse backgrounds innovative tools to engage authentically and deeply across difference, and together investigate how faith informs their view and practice of democratic citizenship.
• The work proposed toward this vision is to develop a multi-disciplinary approach centered on faith in/and democracy that intensifies focus on faith, citizenship, and racial justice. 

Interfaith Philadelphia

Project Name: Race and religion: Exploring social identity, cohesion, and shared destiny among emerging and established religious leadership and the academy.

• The strategic vision of this work is to produce people who are reestablishing what it means to coexist, to be partners in community, and to reclaim polarized othering spaces into something restorative.
• The work proposed toward this vision is to unify two initiatives, the Religious Leaders Council (RLC) and the Inter-Seminary Initiative (ISI), as well as their teachers and institutional leaders, in a year of work focused on the intersections of religion and race.

Interfaith Youth Core

Project Name: Interfaith Innovation Fellowship

• The strategic vision of this work is to tap into the tremendous potential of IFYC alumni to serve and grow as interfaith leaders.
• The work proposed toward this vision is to award fellowships to five additional young leaders to participate in the Interfaith Innovation Fellowship, which will allow them to explore the intersection of racial equity and interfaith cooperation.

Islamic Civic Society of America

Project Name: Development of the Cedar Riverside Hope Center

• The strategic vision of this work is to develop their community’s best lives together, determining what it means to be Muslim in this time and place.
• The work proposed toward this vision is to organize opportunities to promote interfaith dialogue, global understanding, civic engagement, and shared action in the Twin Cities region, throughout the State of Minnesota, and the world.

John Leland Center for Theological Studies

Project Name: Justice Formation, Faith and Democracy (JFFaD)

• This work’s strategic vision is to embody authentic truth and promote the transformational character of Biblical Justice for leaders and communities.
• The work proposed toward this vision is to develop academic curricula to facilitate their search for Biblical Justice, establish a diverse academic cohort to engage in a critique of secular justice, and to develop strategies for community wellness.

Live Free Chicago DBA Live Free Illinois

Project Name: Congregational Organizer

• The strategic vision of this work is to be the prophetic voice that helps disrupt anti-black systems, and equips congregations with strategic organizing principles rooted in a black liberation framework and seen through the lens of a womanist.
• The work proposed toward this vision is to develop local leaders by hosting cohort trainings, virtual conversations, and engaging congregations throughout Illinois and East St. Louis. 

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania

Project Name: Discipleship in a Democracy

• The strategic vision of this work is to help Lutherans bring their faith and their neighbors to the table in support of a wise and just government that promotes the common good.
• The work proposed toward this vision is to create learning communities that address areas that ELCA has expertise in such as hunger, poverty, homelessness, and climate change. 

Michigan Faith in Action

• The strategic vision of this work is to help bridge the gap that exists between black and brown communities and engage in dismantling the systems that divide us.
• The work proposed toward this vision is to develop the capacity of clergy, lay leaders, and community members by providing them with training in listening, issue development, advocacy, research, direct action, media interaction, civic engagement, and community building.

Missoula Interfaith Collaborative- Common Good Missoula

Project Name: Dismantling White Supremacy and Wrestling with Colonization as a Broad Based Community and Interfaith Collective

• The strategic vision of this work is to support a healthy local democracy with a strong, diverse, informed and effective citizenry that elevates BIPOC and other marginalized voices across political, social, economic, and ideological divides.
• The work proposed toward this vision is to address structural racism in the Missoula community through conversations and trainings of their member congregations, local elected officials, and the community at large.

Parity

Project Name: Blessed by Difference

• The strategic vision for this work is to erase the difference felt by people of opposing political and ideological views.
• The work proposed toward this vision is to produce and promote a series of videos, workshops, public convenings, and a website that encourage bridging difference. 

Peace Catalyst International

Project Name: Community Transformation in the DMV: Building Bridges with Muslims and Christians

• The strategic vision of this work is to foster sustainable communities of reconciliation with Muslims, Christians, and others in the Greater Washington DC area.
• The work proposed toward this vision is to develop and implement a peacemaking manual for local mosques and churches.

Shalom Hartman Institute of North America

Project Name: Courageous Leadership

• The strategic vision of this work is to build a strong culture of pluralism and dignity in the Jewish community and a resilient community of faith leaders who can lead courageously across political divides.
• The work proposed toward this vision is to publish white papers, essays, and op-eds that spread critical frameworks and key ideas as well as establish a new Courageous Leadership faculty seminar.

The Sikh Coalition

• The strategic vision of this work is to further develop a civic engagement model with the gurdwara (Sikh house of worship) at the epicenter of engagement.
• The work proposed toward this vision is to amplify GOTV efforts and annual civic engagement plan in order to identify local leaders to empower and increase the number of Sikhs who participate in elections.

Tzedek Lab

• The strategic vision of this work is to empower and support Jews and allies with the tools, analysis, and support they need to effectively politicize, transform, and inspire the Jewish community towards collective, accountable action to dismantle racism, antisemitism, and white supremacy.
• The work proposed toward this vision is to hold gatherings and support calls, along with virtual platforms for resource sharing, that provide members with the opportunities to learn, experiment, heal, meet and organize with people from different geographic places, generations, spiritual and religious backgrounds, racial and ethnic identities, socio-economic backgrounds, and more.

United Religions Initiative

• The strategic vision of this work is to provide a powerful vehicle for collective transformation, and a model for faith communities around the country to advocate for and participate in a diverse democracy.
• The work proposed toward this vision is to provide URI’s local self-governed and self-organized groups (Cooperation Circles) with the strategies and tools to bridge differences and address implicit bias.

University of Arizona Foundation f/b/o National Institute for Civil Discourse

Project Name: Golden Rule – A Call for Dignity and Respect in Politics

• The strategic vision of this work is to use the Golden Rule as a way to mobilize people of faith to work for civility and respect in public life.
• The work proposed toward this vision is to use the Golden Rule principle to demonstrate how it positively changes our human interactions and understanding across difference to build bridges of empathy and heal our divisions.

Young Evangelicals for Climate Action

Project Name: Organizing Young Evangelicals for Action

• The strategic vision of this work is to equip a new generation of Evangelicals to be change-makers within their communities by engaging their churches, pastors, and political leaders on climate action.
• The work proposed toward this vision is to continue to build a new program, YECA Field Organizers, that will support three young people to engage their local communities in climate action.

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To learn more about the projects that are part of this initiative, please visit:

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