Emerging
Organizers
Fellowship
PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS
Below is a list of participating organizations in the Emerging Organizers Fellowship from past and present cohorts.
AFSC - Roots For Peace - Los Angeles, CA
https://www.afsc.org/programs/roots-peace
AFSC’s Roots for Peace program utilizes urban farming, leadership development, and community organizing to address health and economic inequities in Los Angeles. We support community members to organize towards a food system that improves access to healthy and cultural foods, rebuilds ancestral connection to the earth, and increases collective power and self-determination.
Alianza Coachella Valley - Coachella, CA
http://alianzacv.org/
Alianza’s mission is to transform the socio-economic conditions of the Coachella Valley so that people in all communities have opportunities to prosper. We envision one vibrant, healthy, and thriving Coachella Valley where people have a seat at the table for decisions that affect their daily lives.
Arab Resource and Organizing Center - San Francisco, CA
http://araborganizing.org/
The Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC) is a grassroots organization working to empower and organize our community towards justice and self-determination for all. AROC members build community power in the Bay Area by participating in leadership development, political education, and campaigns. Recognizing the diversity of experiences and interests within the Arab community, AROC devises a multi-pronged strategy to meet those needs while prioritizing the most marginalized sectors of our constituency to inform our work. AROC provides a centralized space for analysis, strategy, and formulation of concrete campaigns to organize for change.
AYPAL: Building API Community Power - Oakland, CA
www.aypal.org/
AYPAL is a leadership development, community organizing and coalition building organization that seeks to create healthy, safe, and thriving communities. AYPAL’s mission is to empower Oakland’s low-income Asian & Pacific Islander immigrant and refugee families to be leaders for school reform and neighborhood change.
Black Alliance for Just Immigration - Statewide CA & National
https://baji.org/
BAJI educates and engages African American and black immigrant communities to organize and advocate for racial, social and economic justice. Local BAJI Organizing Committees in New York, Georgia, California and Arizona build coalitions and initiate campaigns among communities to push for racial justice. At the local and regional level, BAJI provides training and technical assistance to partner organizations to develop leadership skills, works with faith communities to harness their prophetic voice, and initiates vibrant dialogues with African Americans and black immigrants to discover more about race, our diverse identities, racism, migration and globalization. BAJI’s flagship project is the Black Immigration Network (BIN), a national alliance that brings together black-led organizations and programs to advance just immigration policies and promote cultural shifts our communities need. The BIN kinship provides a safe, communal space for diverse black communities to connect, engage and advocate for equality and justice for all.
California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance - Statewide CA
https://ciyja.org/
CIYJA is a statewide immigrant youth-led alliance that focuses on placing immigrant youth in advocacy and policy delegations in order to ensure pro-immigrant policies go beyond legalization, and shed light on how the criminalization of immigrants varies based on identity.
California Native Vote Project - Statewide CA
https://canativevote.org/
The California Native Vote Project seeks to create historic advancements in Native American voter engagement and registration in California. We want to achieve equity for Native American peoples and increase our communities’ political participation throughout the state by registering thousands of voters for upcoming elections.
Californians for Justice - Oakland, San Jose, Fresno, Long Beach, CA
www.caljustice.org
Californians for Justice is a statewide grassroots organization working for racial justice by building the power of youth, communities of color, immigrants, low-income families, and LGBTQ communities. Led by students, we organize to advance educational justice and improve our social, economic, and political conditions.
CAUSE - Ventura County, CA
https://causenow.org
CAUSE is a base-building organization committed to social, economic, and environmental justice for working-class and immigrant communities in California’s Central Coast. We build grassroots power through community organizing, leadership development, coalition building, civic engagement, policy research, and advocacy. CAUSE's vision is that together we can create a global community where we all contribute to, and benefit from, a sustainable economy that is just, prosperous and environmentally healthy.
Central Valley BIPOC Coalition - Central Valley, CA
https://www.cvmb.org
Welcome to our Central Valley BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) Coalition created as a response for a need for BIPOC folx, activists, and organizers in the Central Valley (unceded Yokut Territory) to get together to dismantle oppressive systems in our communities
Central Valley Movement Builders - Central Valley, CA
https://www.cvmb.org
Central Valley Movement Building (CVMB) is a coalition of community-based organizations in the Central Valley working to expose and dismantle the school to prison pipeline in Kern, Kings, Fresno, Madera, Merced, South Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tulare County.
Chinese Progressive Association - San Francisco, CA
https://cpasf.org/
Founded in 1972, the Chinese Progressive Association educates, organizes and empowers the low income and working class immigrant Chinese community in San Francisco to build collective power with other oppressed communities to demand better living and working conditions and justice for all people.
Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE) - Inland Empire, CA
https://copesite.org
COPE’s mission is to “train and develop the capacity of religious and lay leaders in congregations and across the Inland Empire to protect and revitalize the communities in which they live, work, and worship. The formation of the organization was an outgrowth of a listening campaign with African American clergy, lay, and community outreach ministries in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties who wanted to see meaningful change in their communities. Leadership training, community organizing, empowerment, innovative programs and faith are at the core of the values that guide COPE’s organizing work.
Dolores Huerta Foundation - Kern County, CA
http://doloreshuerta.org/
Our mission is to create a network of organized healthy communities pursuing social justice through systemic and structural transformation. DHF creates leadership opportunities for community organizing, leadership development, civic engagement, and policy advocacy in the following priority areas: Health & Environment, Education & Youth Development, Economic Development.
Eastyard Communities for Environmental Justice - Los Angeles, CA
http://eycej.org/
East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice (EYCEJ) is an environmental health and justice non-profit organization working towards a safe and healthy environment for communities that are disproportionately suffering the negative impacts of industrial pollution.
Filipino Advocates for Justice - Union City, CA
http://www.filipinos4justice.org
F4J's mission is to build a strong and empowered Filipino community by organizing constituents, developing leaders, providing services, and advocating for policies that promote social and economic justice and equity.
Gente Organizada - Pomona, CA
www.genteorganizada.org
Gente Organizada (Gente) is a community-led social action non-profit organization based in Pomona whose mission is to organize to build intergenerational power and wellness for youth and immigrant families in Pomona. We have three main components of our work: Empowering the youth of Pomona through the Pomona Students Union; Organizing parents through Padres Unidos de Pomona, and; Building coalitions through collaboration with our partners and social action groups to promote a community-led movement for change.
Gender & Sexualities Alliance Network - Statewide CA
https://gsanetwork.org/
GSA Network is a next-generation LGBTQ racial and gender justice organization that empowers and trains queer, trans and allied youth leaders to advocate, organize, and mobilize an intersectional movement for safer schools and healthier communities.
Hmong Innovating Politics - Fresno & Sacramento, CA
https://hipcalifornia.com/
HIP is a grassroots organization whose mission is to strengthen the political power of Hmong and disenfranchised communities through innovative Civic Engagement and strategic grassroots mobilization. We envision a California of empowered communities that thrive in a socially and economically just democracy.
Inland Empire Immigrant Youth Collective (IEIYC)
https://www.theieiyc.org/
We create a safe space for immigrant youth to express themselves and achieve their full potential, identity that intersects with being undocumented. Through grassroots organizing, our mission is to engage youth to gain equal access to higher education and professional development and to seek justice for the immigrant community by empowering those most impacted by unjust policies. Our approach to these objectives are grounded in: Community building, Youth Development, Creativity and Artistic Expression, Healing and Restorative Justice, Civic Participation and Political Education
InnerCity Struggle - Boyle Heights, CA
https://www.innercitystruggle.org/
We organize to build a safer, healthier and thriving Eastside for all. Our mission is to build a powerful and an influential movement of youth and families on the Eastside of Los Angeles to promote healthy, safe and nonviolent communities. The Eastside is comprised of the communities of Boyle Heights, unincorporated East Los Angeles, El Sereno and Lincoln Heights.
Khmer Girls in Action - Long Beach, CA
http://kgalb.org/
Khmer Girls in Action is a community-based organization whose mission is to build a progressive and sustainable Long Beach community that works for gender, racial and economic justice led by Southeast Asian young women. Our vision is a safe, healthy and just world where all people are free from oppression and are able to determine their lives and communities.
Little Manila Rising - Stockton, CA
https://littlemanila.org/
Little Manila Rising (LMR) serves the South Stockton community, developing equitable solutions to the effects of historical marginalization, institutionalized racism, and harmful public policy. LMR offers a wide spectrum of programs that address education, environment, redevelopment, and public health. LMR values all people’s unique and diverse experiences and wishes to see the residents of South Stockton enjoy healthy, prosperous lives.
LOUD for Tomorrow - Delano, CA
https://loudfor.org/
LOUD For Tomorrow is a grassroots youth-led organization based in Delano, California building youth power to transform our schools and communities through civic engagement, advocacy, and community healing. We train young people of color to lead local issue campaigns with an environmental and electoral justice lens. Founded in 2018, LOUD organizes young people to organize people power, register young voters, and win campaigns for a brighter tomorrow!
Majdal Center - San Diego, CA
https://majdalcenter.org/
The Majdal Community Center seeks to empower all members of the Arab community in San Diego. Through campaigning, advocacy, and cultural programming, our mission is to uplift Arab youth, workers, families, and elders in their pursuits and to support them in overcoming whatever social, economic, and political challenges they may face. The Center works to cultivate a communal identity based on a deep understanding of the rich histories and cultures present among us. We aim to foster an environment rooted in trust and support that can help to realize the goals and pursuits of our community members while ensuring a continued right to both individual and collective self-determination.
Mid City CAAN - San Diego, CA
http://www.midcitycan.org/
Mid-City Community Advocacy Network is a community collaborative based in City Heights, a dense and diverse urban community of about 95,000 people living within a 6.5 square mile area of San Diego. Our mission is to create a safe, productive, and healthy community through collaboration, advocacy, and organizing.
MILPA - Salinas, CA
https://milpacollective.org
MILPA Collective (MILPA) is first and foremost a movement space designed for, and led by, formerly incarcerated and system-impacted individuals. We are committed to supporting next-generation infrastructure and leadership within communities, organizations, and systems. We center cultural healing, racial equity and LOVE in our practices and advocacy. Our goal is to Cultivate Change Makers for The Next Seven Generations by creating opportunities for cultural healing, intergenerational leadership, and empowerment through community-driven decision making for healthier communities.
Northern California Indian Development Council
https://ncidc.org/
The Northern California Indian Development Council, Inc. is a private nonprofit corporation that annually provides services to 14,000 to 15,000 clients statewide. NCIDC was established in 1976 to research, develop and administer social and economic development programs designed to meet the needs of Indian and Native American Communities; to provide support and technical assistance for the development of such programs, and the conservation and preservation of historic and archeological sites and resources.
Oakland Kids First - Oakland, CA
https://www.oaklandkidsfirst.org
The mission of Oakland Kids First is to increase youth voice, leadership and power to create engaging and equitable public schools where all students learn and lead. We believe students are the experts of their own experience and therefore equipped to evaluate, innovate, and govern the institutions that are supposed to serve them. OKF has supported youth leadership development and student organizing for over 25 years and is proud to stand with youth organizers and adult allies invested in justice for students in Oakland, CA.
Pacoima Beautiful - Pacoima, CA
https://pacoimabeautiful.org/
Pacoima Beautiful is a grassroots environmental justice organization that provides education, impacts local policy, and supports local arts and culture in order to promote a healthy and sustainable San Fernando Valley.
Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans - San Diego, CA
https://www.panasd.org/
The Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA) is a research, public policy, and community organizing hub dedicated to advancing the full economic, social, & civic inclusion of refugees.
Pukúu Cultural Community Services -San Fernando, CA
https://www.pukuu.org/
The mission of Pukúu Cultural Community Services is to invest in sustainable programs that bridge and improve opportunities for American Indians with culturally-based community services now and for future generations.With our heritage-enhanced knowledge we believe in every person achieving their fullest potential and improving their quality of life within our inter-tribal community. The word pukúu derives from the Fernandeño Tataviam language meaning "ONE.
San Francisco Rising - San Francisco, CA
www.sfrising.org
San Francisco Rising builds the political power of working-class communities and communities of color in San Francisco to lead the way for democratic governance that prioritizes racial, economic and environmental justice. We are an alliance of grassroots organizations led by people of color, and a political home for San Franciscans who care about justice and sustainability. We build power through deepening multiracial solidarity, educating and mobilizing voters, working closely with policymakers, organizing, and developing leaders of color.
Save California Salmon - Northern California
https://www.californiasalmon.org/
California Salmon (SCS) is dedicated to policy change and community advocacy for Northern California’s salmon and fish dependent people. The goal of the organization is to support the fisheries and water protection work of the local communities, and to advocate to effective policy change for clean water, fisheries and communities. SCS also supports youth and cultural action that overlap with watershed action.
South Bay Youth Changemakers - San Jose, CA
www.youthchangemakers.org
SBYC builds Asian American youth power by developing young leaders who organize for a more just and sustainable society. We strive to transform economic and social institutions to prioritize people over profit and shape our communities according to our collective needs and values.
Students Deserve - Los Angeles, CA
https://www.studentsdeserve.org/
Students Deserve is a youth-led organization working towards making Black Lives Matter in schools. With over 30 chapters across the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest school district in the United States, Students Deserve has shaped policies for police-free schools, community schools, and investment in Black students.
We want schools to divest from criminalization and policing. We want schools to invest in us as Black, Muslim, undocumented, indigenous, and queer youth in poor and working class communities of color. We follow the lead of Black Lives Matter in demanding that our schools defund the police and defend Black life.
Young Women’s Freedom Center - San Francisco, CA
www.youngwomenfree.org
The Young Women’s Freedom Center was founded in 1993 to empower and inspire cis and trans young women, trans young men, and gender-expansive young people who have been disproportionately impacted by incarceration, racist and sexist policies, the juvenile and criminal justice systems, and/or the underground street economy, to create positive change in their lives and communities. YWFC meets people where they are at: on the streets, in jails and detention centers, and in the neighborhoods and communities where we/ they live. We create economic and leadership opportunities through internships, employment, and engagement in advocacy and organizing. Together, we build our personal and collective power, heal from trauma, advocate on behalf of ourselves and each other, and gain access to education and work to transform the conditions, systems, and policies that lead to intergenerational cycles of violence, incarceration, and poverty.
Youth Alliance - Hollister, CA
http://site.youthall.org
Our Mission is to provide innovative and culturally relevant services that strengthen and enrich youth, families and the community. Our vision is to empower youth as leaders who contribute to the social and economic betterment of their community
Youth Justice Coalition - Los Angeles, CA
https://youthjusticela.org/
The Youth Justice Coalition (YJC) is working to build a youth, family, and formerly and currently incarcerated people’s movement to challenge America’s addiction to incarceration and race, gender and class discrimination in Los Angeles County’s, California’s and the nation’s juvenile and criminal injustice systems. The YJC’s goal is to dismantle policies and institutions that have ensured the massive lock-up of people of color, widespread law enforcement violence and corruption, consistent violation of youth and communities’ Constitutional and human rights, the construction of a vicious school-to-jail track, and the build-up of the world’s largest network of jails and prisons. We use transformative justice and community intervention/peacebuilding, FREE LA High School, know your rights, legal defense, and police and court monitoring to “starve the beast” – promoting safety in our schools, homes and neighborhoods without relying on law enforcement and lock-ups, preventing system contact, and pulling people out of the system. We use direct action organizing, advocacy, political education, and activist arts to agitate, expose, and pressure the people in charge in order to upset power and bring about change.
Youth Outreach & Learning Institute (YOALI)
https://www.yoalicalifornia.com/
YAOLI’s mission is to keep the well-being of youth a priority. To assist them to find and understand normalcy when they encounter stressful situations. To teach them a healthy way of life. Utilizing our Native traditions by example; how to preserve these traditions- so they may be the caretakers for the next 7 generations.
To assist them to embrace the balance of contemporary education, and a traditional way of life. Provide our youth the clarity needed to live a productive life.
Youth Together - Oakland, CA
http://www.youthtogether.net/
Grounded in our commitment to peace, unity and justice, the mission of Youth Together is to address the root causes of educational inequities by developing multiracial youth leaders and engaging school community allies to promote positive school change.
Youth Will - San Diego, CA
https://youthwill.org/
Youth Will’s vision is fighting for every young person to have everything they need to be happy, healthy and prepared to reach their full potential. Youth WIll builds youth power, improved youth development, and demands youth prioritization.