Orange County Grantmakers (OCG) Unveils 2021 Agenda for Effective Philanthropy

Share This Post


OCG announces 2021 public policy statement and priorities

ORANGE COUNTY, CALIF. (May 13, 2021)— Orange County Grantmakers is pleased to announce an unwavering commitment to public policies and initiatives that lead Orange County to a more equitable future. Through a focus on four key issue areas: health, housing & homelessness, immigration and education & workforce readiness, OCG will leverage its leadership on these critical issues in 2021. OCG is also committed to advancing public policies that support effective philanthropy along with a high performing nonprofit sector, and advocating on behalf of a vibrant, equitable and inclusive economy.

Through their newly released 2021 public policy priorities statement, OCG takes a stance against hate and incendiary speech and commits to uplifting advocacy and community engagement activities across communities historically divided by race and/or culture. Through their statement, OCG also acknowledges the impact racism has had on our community at large, as a public health issue, and as an issue tied to systemic inequities. OCG is committed to supporting the advocacy of viable solutions that will address root causes of racial inequity and the social determinants of health in Orange County as well as ensure an equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As a health-focused grantmaker and OCG member, the St. Joseph Community Partnership Fund understands the critical importance of taking on the social determinants of health—issues like housing, education, and income—to achieve better health for low-income communities, people of color, and other historically marginalized groups. Our OCG initiatives build on the strengths and resilience of the communities to pursue fundamental changes to systems and institutions, which is why I’m excited to announce our 2021 public policy priorities,” said OCG Chair and St. Joseph CP Fund’s Director Jason Lacsamana.

The 2021 public policy priorities are as follows:
• Health
o Support practices and policies that recognize the role of racism in health inequities
o Support practices and policies that address racism and social determinants of health, including but not limited to conditions such as socioeconomic status, education, neighborhood and physical environment, employment, social support network, access to care, etc.
o Support evidence-based health practices and policies that help strengthen community health and wellness
• Housing & Homelessness
o Seek the elimination of homelessness in Orange County, working towards viable and accessible options for every Orange County community member experiencing housing insecurity
o Support proactive policies geared toward preventing homelessness
o Support equitable policies that ensure vulnerable communities are provided with adequate resources and affordable housing opportunities
• Immigration
o Support policies that recognize that the integration of immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers and migrants into the economic and civic life of local communities is essential to the county’s prosperity
o Support immigration policies that provide fair and humane treatment of all residents
o Recognize the need for multiracial advocacy work within the regional immigration ecosystem
• Education & Workforce Readiness
o Support practices and policies that provide equitable access to post-secondary and workforce readiness opportunities for all Orange County students while recognizing the vital connection education has to future earnings and social mobility
o Advocate for investments in high-quality and equitable early childhood education, recognizing the long-term benefits of ensuring early intervention and its connection to future success
o Support investments in education that ensure a diverse, inclusive and well-prepared workforce to support Orange County’s economic vitality

“The OC Opportunity Initiative (OCOI) supports policies that honor the vital role that immigrants play in our community” shared Shelley Hoss, president and CEO of the Orange County Community Foundation which launched the Opportunity Initiative in 2015 with regional funders and community leaders. “As an affiliate group of OCG, OCOI looks forward to collaborating on OCG’s public policy strategies, utilizing our commitment and energy to drive vital, inclusive advocacy work in Orange County.”

“In close alignment with OCG’s housing and homelessness public policy priorities, the Orange County United Way believes every person deserves a safe place to call home. We also believe it is our collective responsibility to do everything in our power to ensure it happens. Together, we can use our voices to advocate for more affordable and permanent supportive housing to be built so we can end homelessness in Orange County,” said Susan B. Parks, president and CEO of Orange County United Way.

To read more about OCG’s 2021 public policy priorities and statement, please visit www.ocgrantmakers.org.

If you are interested in becoming an OCG member, funders, philanthropists and grantmaking organizations must fund a minimum of $250,000 in Orange County, CA. Membership is $1,000 for first year members. To join, please visit www.ocgrantmakers.org and email OCG Executive Director Taryn Palumbo at [email protected].

About Orange County Grantmakers
The Orange County Grantmakers (OCG) is a funder collaborative committed to advancing social impact by supporting, strengthening and building adaptive leadership across our nonprofit and philanthropic community. To learn more about Orange County Grantmakers, visit www.orangecountymakers.org, like them on Facebook or follow on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

# # #

MEDIA CONTACT:
Adriana Galdamez
Public Affairs Manager
Cox Communications
[email protected]
949-403-1925

Download PDF Version

More To Explore

How do we build a compassionate and inclusive America in an age of distrust? WAJAHAT ALI knows from personal experience that when we come together to be the superheroes of our own stories, we can create honest social change. The beloved TED speaker has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and The Atlantic about our urgent issues—immigration, politics, parenthood—with boldness, hope, and humor. His memoir Go Back to Where You Came From, one of Amazon’s Best Books of the Year, follows his life as a Muslim Pakistani-American on a surprising, emotional, and challenging quest for the good life. Iconic journalist Katie Couric says that “we are all so fortunate to be on the receiving end of his intellect, his humanity, and his heart.”

Wajahat Ali

“With wit and charm, Ali delivers a masterful meditation on growing up brown in America...he gives us a clear-eyed affirmation of the country America could be.” — Mara Gay, New York Times

Wajahat Ali uses his platform to fight tirelessly for the social change we need in our country—and he isn’t afraid to get personal while doing it. The Daily Beast columnist and former New York Times writer, TED speaker, award-winning playwright, and Peabody-nominated producer of the documentary series The Secret Life of Muslims offers us his experiences of triumph over hardship as a beacon of hope and resilience in the face of life’s impossible situations. From his experiences of Islamophobia growing up as a Muslim Pakistani-American to his two-year-old daughter’s liver cancer diagnosis, Wajahat is living proof that when we share our authentic stories, we build the America we wish to live in.”

In his memoir Go Back to Where You Came From: And Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become American, Wajahat teaches us how to create our own superhero origin story, invest in hope for the future of America, and enact real social change. The book was called “biting and funny and full of heart” by NPR. Representative Ilhan Omar called Wajahat’s work “hilarious” and “deeply moving”, and legendary writer Dave Eggers said it was the book he’d “been hoping Wajahat Ali would write for ten years—hilarious, stylistically fearless, deeply humane.”

Wajahat is also the author of The Domestic Crusaders—the first major play about Muslim-Americans in a post-9/11 world. He was the lead researcher and author for the Center for American Progress’s seminal report “Fear Inc., Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America,” and served as a national correspondent for Al Jazeera America, where he told stories about communities and individuals often marginalized or under-reported in mainstream media.

As Creative Director of Affinis Wajahat Labs, he worked to create social entrepreneurship initiatives to support and uplift marginalized communities. He also worked with the US State Department to design and implement the “Generation Change” leadership program to empower young social entrepreneurs. Wajahat initiated chapters in eight countries, including Pakistan and Singapore. For his work, he was honored as a “Generation Change Leader” by Sec. of State Clinton and recognized as an “Emerging Muslim American Artist” by the Muslim Public Affairs Council. 

He has given keynote speeches around the world such as TED, The Aspen Ideas Festival, Google, the United Nations, and The New Yorker Festival. His writing appears regularly in the New York TimesThe Atlantic, the Washington Post, and The Guardian. He’s a Senior Fellow at The Western States Center and Auburn Seminary and co-host of Al Jazeera’s The Stream.