End of the year update...
We have been inspired by the incredible engagement of our beloved community. Together, here's what we've been able to do:
$140,000+
distributed to 117 organizers!
$10,200+
per month from 280 sustainers
$90,000+
one-time contributions from ~500 people
But, despite all the amazing support we've seen, the need is ongoing and will soon surpass what we've been able to gather.
Please do what you can to spread the word to a wider circle. Read on for details of our original ask or ways to contribute.
In this moment of pandemic...
We have been horrified by the lack of a unified governmental response to care for the needs of DMV residents.
This reality will only magnify the inequity in which we live every day, doing the most harm to people who already live at the margins of our social fabric: hourly and contract workers, people working in informal and gig economies, single parents, folks experiencing homelessness, poor and working class communities, immigrants with varying documentation statuses, people without access to health insurance, folks with disabilities or mental health struggles, queer and trans people, and Black, Brown and Indigenous communities.
Here in the DMV, organizers from these communities are coming together to create systems of mutual aid for the survival and safety of their loved ones and neighbors...
In the past week, mutual aid efforts have made sure hundreds of people who are confined to their homes get groceries, that there is a hotline in every ward for people to call who are in need of aid, and that there is a coordinated effort to hold the DC city government accountable to care for our neighbors.
Support the organizers!
As with most community organizing work, setting up and implementing these systems is a labor of love. It is difficult, heavy, unpaid work being taken up by individuals who already carry so much. We are asking you to pour into and support the work of folks leading mutual aid projects by giving generously now and for the future.
If you happen to be hit less hard in this moment, will continue to receive income during this time, have access to wealth, have access to paid sick leave, or have fewer familial responsibilities, please contribute financially.
How to contribute:
As the pandemic drags out and highlights prevailing injustices, it is becoming clearer that sustaining organizers is long-term work. As such, the most meaningful way to contribute is by becoming a monthly contributor via Patreon.
If you'd prefer to make a one-time contribution instead, you can Venmo us @m4bl-money-pot . Venmo may ask for the last 4 digits of our phone number as confirmation: they are 1771. If you don't have a Venmo account, you can sign up for one here.
We do also accept contributions via PayPal and credit cards, but prefer Venmo because it will allow us to distribute funds quickly, and with minimal fees. Contribute via PayPal or credit card
How much should I contribute?
We believe our collective immunity comes not from hoarding our resources, but supporting each other. As you are deciding how much to contribute, use this checklist to explore ways you may be financially and systematically supported to keep healthy during this time.
Here are some numbers significant to mutual aid efforts happening right now:
- Give $12 for the dozens of organizers supported by the money pot in 2019.
- Give $50 for the 50+ mutual aid projects that have already come together in response to COVID-19.
- Give $100 for the hundreds of generations of resource and money sharing this work builds on.
- Give $1,400 for the 1,400+ people who joined the DC mutual aid network in just the first week.
- Give $4,000 for the 4+ years that M4BL groups have been organizing in the city.
And of course, any amount helps!
What is this 'money pot'?
Since mid-2019, members of the DC Movement for Black Lives Coalition have been growing a local, no strings attached fund. People with resources put in what they can each month and organizers can draw from the pot to meet their needs. In 2019, the money pot moved $37,000 to local DMV organizers. Now, in this critical moment of pandemic and uprising, we have expanded the money pot to any local organizers connected to the following campaigns:
Other amazing fundraising efforts
This is one fundraising effort among many, focused on generating money to support organizers themselves. If you'd like to contribute to mutual aid efforts more generally, here are some amazing projects that could use your support:
Spreadsheet of mutual aid efforts (check out the other tabs while you're there!)
Beyond this crisis...
Even when not in crisis, organizers are not paid for much of the work they do toward liberation. Many have to work multiple precarious jobs, rely on unstable grant funding, or waste time and energy staying afloat in other ways. They also tend to be incredibly generous people, sharing whatever resources they do have with their families and communities.
We believe that sustaining the livelihood and work of local organizers is absolutely vital in our struggles for liberation. Please consider sustaining this work into the future by signing up to contribute monthly.
Questions?
#WeKeepUsSafe
Contribute