Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund

Since 2016, Yolo County has attracted statewide attention for advancing innovative ideas for increasing voter engagement and participation in elections. Among the results is a voter turnout rate in the county that consistently tops the California average.    We recently sat down with Jesse Salinas, Chief Elections Official of Yolo County and newly elected President of the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials, to discuss promising innovations in the county, concerns leading up to November, and what funders can do to support local efforts to strengthen democracy.    Check out the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/gx2MfPAF 

We continue our series spotlighting what our grantee partners are doing to engage voters and get out the vote with Destiny Rodriguez, executive director of MOVE the Valley.     Read Destiny’s full feature here: https://lnkd.in/gqiEt2xv

Congrats to Dr. Daisy Gonzales on being named executive director of the California Student Aid Commission! We are excited to continue partnering together to advance an affordable and accessible higher education system for more California students.

Come join our team! The Haas, Jr. Fund is seeking a social justice minded data professional to oversee our grants management system, enhance the grantee experience, and help to advance our equity goals.    Learn more and share the opportunity with your networks!: https://lnkd.in/gwKJa_Qa 

Thanks to the generous support of the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, OneJustice was able to host our 2024 Immigrants Rights Leadership Retreat, bringing together executive directors of immigrants rights organizations that advocate for and offer legal representation to immigrants in California and nationwide. OneJustice invited these leaders from California and across the country to foster connections amongst immigrants rights organizations and engage in strategic scenario-planning during another high-stakes election year. Twenty-one incredible leaders joined us for a two-day retreat in Redondo Beach, California. Participating leaders developed connections, discussed shared challenges, and strategized how best to protect immigrants rights in the coming years. #ImmigrantsRights #LeadershipRetreat #OneJustice #CaliforniaImmigrants #LegalRepresentation #ImmigrationAdvocacy #NonprofitLeaders

“With immigration continually in the news, both as a hot-button political cause and as a long-term civic and demographic issue...we’ll be taking a look at some of the key philanthropies backing a set of causes that set the groundwork for so much else in this space: policy advocacy for immigration reform and immigrant rights.”     We’re proud to be named alongside many of our peers in Inside Philanthropy’s recent feature of funders supporting critical immigration-related causes. Read the full piece here: https://lnkd.in/gFujgRtE

Chrissie Castro, co-founder and executive director of the California Native Vote Project is up next in our series spotlighting what our grantee partners are doing to ensure their communities are informed and ready to vote in November’s election.     Read Chrissie’s full feature here: https://lnkd.in/gqiEt2xv 

ICYMI: Our recent newsletter takes a look at just some of the work we’re supporting as we focus on ramping up efforts to increase voter turnout, participation, and leadership among communities that are traditionally cast aside every election cycle.     “The 2024 election will be a test for American democracy. Our work with partners like these gives me hope that people and communities will come together to stand up for their collective interests—and democracy will endure.” – Haas, Jr. Fund President Cathy Cha    Read the full issue here: https://lnkd.in/dAxzbRtM 

With nearly 12% less FAFSA completions among the 2024 high school class compared to the last academic year, the California Student Aid Commission’s (CSAC) work to develop trusted and relatable messages to persuade students and families toward applying for financial aid is more important than ever.    Learn more about what CSAC is doing and what has worked so far in CalMatters: https://lnkd.in/gGv2sNin    (Photo Credit: Juliana Yamada/CalMatters)

In a recent poll conducted by the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley, voters express support for applying term limits to local elected offices. It also found that three-quarters of voters want local representatives to reflect the diversity of their communities.    “Evidently, Californians want county elections to be run in a way that will result in more representative electorates and representative elected.” – Jonathan Mehta Stein, California Common Cause    https://lnkd.in/gxKaiu2e