Partners & Grantees
Check our list of both current and past Progressive Partners and Organizing Grantees to get some ideas on how you can start a groundbreaking campaign in your community with help from Campus Progress.
Current Organizing Grantees
New Jersey Dream Act Coalition
The New Jersey DREAM Act Coalition, are a statewide immigrant youth-led organization committed to organizing and empowering youth by providing social, political, and emotional support. Through leadership development we are devoted to providing a voice and a human face behind our struggles and challenges. In this capacity, we strive to offer the resources needed to ensure equal access to higher education while enabling youth to become advocates for social change in their communities.
Alabama Youth Collective
The Alabama Youth Collective is a project of the National Immigrant Youth Alliance - an undocumented youth-LED network of grassroots organizations, campus-based student groups and individuals committed to achieving equality for all immigrant youth, regardless of their legal status.
AYC seeks to shed light on the realities faced by undocumented immigrants in the state of Alabama by highlighting the experiences of the Martell Family. The Martell Family is a mixed-status family, like many others in the state of Alabama. Diane Martell, the oldest child, is a high school senior with aspirations to go to college, who is now faced with the harsh reality that in her home state she cannot seek an education because she is undocumented. Diane, Alexa, Mauricio, and their parents will each narrate their experiences living in Alabama after the passage of the most anti-immigrant law in recent years - HB57. The final product will be a multimedia narrative that will showcase their hopes, aspirations, and the everyday reality after HB57.
The Student Labor Action Project (SLAP) at the University of Pennsylvania
The Student Labor Action Project (SLAP) at the University of Pennsylvania is a student lead, non-hierarchical, consensus-based organization working towards social and economic equality on the UPenn campus. In spring 2011, SLAP achieved one of the three student-led victories in the national campaign against HEI Hotels and Resorts. SLAP's 2011-2012 project is a Living Wage Campaign which encompasses all employees working for and in affiliation with Penn. SLAP aims to get the University of Pennsylvania to sign a contract agreeing that all Penn workers will receive 1.) An income which can sustain their family, and 2.) The human right to a sense of security realized through benefits, the ability to unionize without persecution or dissuasion, a policy of justice extended to subcontracted employees, and a promise of transparency and full disclosure.
Current Progressive Partners
SSDP at VCU
Virginians for Medical Amnesty is a group of students, parents, and concerned citizens who are troubled by the number of overdoses in Virginia. In Virginia, overdose is now one of the leading causes of accidental death, second only to motor vehicle accidents. Almost 3,000 people died from drug overdoses in Virginia between 2005 and 2009. More than 550 people died from drug overdoses in Virginia in 2009 alone.
The Medical Amnesty campaign we are heading in Virginia calls for the implementation of a state-wide medical amnesty policy. A Medical Amnesty Policy, also known as a Good Samaritan Policy, is a life saving measure that would encourage people to make responsible decisions by offering them limited immunities if they call for medical help during an overdose emergency relating to alcohol or other drugs.
Commonly, overdose victims do not actually die until one to three hours after they have initially taken a drug. In addition to this, most of these deaths occur in the presence of others. Unfortunately, the fear of arrest and prosecution prevents many people from calling for medical assistance. A medical amnesty policy would help remove barriers to calling 911 in an overdose situation and encourage people to seek medical assistance. We hope that by implementing a state-wide medical amnesty policy the fear of calling for help will be eliminated and lives can be saved.
The New York State Youth Leadership Council (NYSYLC)
The New York State Youth Leadership Council advocates and promotes access to higher education and creating an equal opportunity for immigrant youth and children of immigrants regardless of immigration status through leadership development, organizing, and advocacy.
The NYSYLC is working on a campaign to continue educating our immigrant community through college clinics and town halls about access to higher education and informing the general public about the NY DREAM Act, a bill that would allow access to state financial aid to all students regardless of immigration status.
Open Housing Initiative at the University of Michigan
The Open Housing Initiative works to expand the gender-neutral housing option for all students. The Open Housing Initiative is a coalition with student leaders from organizations across campus. Our campaign is currently raising awareness about the changes in housing policy that allow transgender and gender non-conforming students to select a roommate of their choice regardless of gender.
Indiana Student Coalition for Immigrant Rights (ISCIR)
The Indiana Student Coalition for Immigrant Rights (ISCIR) is a statewide network of campus-based student groups committed to achieving equality for migrant communities across Indiana. We believe that student-led organizing and advocacy can call attention to immigrant injustice. Our current work focuses on the state law 1402 that effectively removes undocumented youth from access to higher education and the federal DREAM Act. The Coalition is composed of students and student groups from different college campuses.
CHISPAS at the University of Florida
CHISPAS is a youth-led organization at the University of Florida comprised of students and community members who are truly invested in the immigrant community and feel passionate about "sparking" change. In an effort to make the University of Florida a campus that promotes equal rights, fair treatment and the empowerment of the immigrant community, CHISPAS asks the University Board of Trustees to create a new policy change that would give all students, regardless of gender, race or immigration status, an equal opportunity to attend this university. Our campaign would allow undocumented students to apply to the University of Florida and give them a chance to become productive members of the country they call home.
Gender JUST
Gender JUST is a member-led, multi-generational and multi-racial grassroots organization of LGBTQA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & allied) young people, people of color, and grassroots activists developing leadership and building power through organizing. They are currently working to build support for a grievance policy in the Chicago Public Schools system that would promote fair and just solutions to harassment in schools.
Students United for Immigrant Equality at UNC Chapel Hill
Students United for Immigrant Equality is a student-led organization at UNC-Chapel Hill working with other local organizations to advocate for immigrant rights as human rights issues, including promoting ideals that stress the equality of all people, regardless of national origin or documentation status.
Past Organizing Grantees
Looking for a new project for you organization? See past organizing grants to see the great work they are doing with Campus Progress funding.
Divest Nebraska at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Divest Nebraska advocates targeted divestment as a strategy to help end the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. Divest Nebraska is demanding that the state of Nebraska remove its investments from companies that are providing revenue for genocide while providing little or no assistance to Sudanese civilians.
Dream Green Campaign at Howard University
The Dream Green Campaign works toward environmental and economic justice. It raises awareness within communities of color about the need for and benefits of sustainable living practices and develops within those communities the skills, tools, and resources necessary to play active entrepreneurial and leadership roles in a just green economy.
enVeg at the University of Florida
enVeg encourages students to reduce their meat consumption in order to help the environment. Because animal agriculture causes more climate change than cars, students can make a difference by going meatless on Mondays, or by eating a low-carbon, vegetarian diet whenever possible.
Environmental Futurists at the Southern Connecticut State University
The Environmental Futurists promote renewable energy among students and New Haven residents. They have worked on a campaign to convince the university administration to adopt a resolution committing the school to carbon neutrality.
www.facebook.com/environmentalfuturists
Eta Sigma Gamma at Kent State University
Eta Sigma Gamma advocates for reproductive rights. It works to increase awareness of susceptibility to HPV and the inequality of healthcare coverage; extend coverage of student health insurance at the university to include the HPV vaccine and gain support among state policy makers for an HPV vaccine mandate.
www.facebook.com/etasigmagamma
Fair Local Organic Food (FLO) at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
FLO commits itself to making food on campus more sustainable because of the effects food has on animal welfare and health, human rights, poverty, and the environment. It works closely with Carolina Dining Services, develops community relationships off campus, and educates students on issues surrounding fair, local, and organic food.
Free the Planet (FTP) at Grinnell College
FTP is spearheading a campaign to have Grinnell College construct utility grade wind turbines on or near campus that provide enough energy to meet at least the majority of the campus' electricity needs.
GLBTA Student Union at Wayne State University
GLBTA Student Union is actively committed to establishing a welcoming and safe campus environment that embodies the basic principles of justice and equality for all.
Green Coalition at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
The Green Coalition is dedicated to promoting sustainability in the university and surrounding community. It distributes free compact fluorescent lightbulbs within the community and hosts a climate justice conference focused on environmental justice.
Intellectual Decisions on Environmental Awareness Solutions (I.D.E.A.S.)
I.D.E.A.S. works to inspire and promote environmental sustainability on college campuses through service learning opportunities and interactive strategies through off-campus community recycle initiatives, ecosystem facilitation, plastic bag reduction campaigns. I.D.E.A.S. also advocates and performs scientific research and experimentation in advanced biofuels, energy efficiency, and renewable sources of energy.
Living Income for Vanderbilt Employees (LIVE) at Vanderbilt University
LIVE works to secure a commitment from Vanderbilt University to pay all of its employees a living wage; implement the Ten Points for Just Employment, a comprehensive employment policy that protects the integrity of worker's wages and discusses anti-union intimidation, benefits, subcontracted labor, and transparency of labor policy.
www.studentorgs.vanderbilt.edu
New Brunswick Ward Campaign
The New Brunswick Ward Campaign is a student and community campaign to reform the New Brunswick City Council, which uses an at-large system of representation that tends to favor well-funded candidates. The campaign works for a ward-based system, which would allow for more genuine representation of the city's diverse communities.
Politically Aware Titans at California Statue University-Fullerton
Politically Aware Titans is dedicated to political science students who wish to take an active interest in current politics. They have teamed up with Tuition Relief Now to help pass a state ballot initiative that will ensure tuition for state schools in California never gets raised by more than the cost of living each year.
www.facebook.com/politically-aware-titans
Power Network
Power Network focuses on education, environment,health care, and election reform in the state of Ohio through a campaign campaign called YOUTH MATTER, a student-led campaign utilizing peer-to-peer education and engagement for young adults.
Real Food Challenge at the University of California-Irvine
The Real Food Challenge advocates for a more sustainable food system in college eateries. It works to create and implement clear guidelines that prioritize community-based, ecologically-sound, fair, and humane food purchasing.
www.ucirealfoodchallenge.weebly.com
Show Me Democracy
Show Me Democracy has organized sustained senate field office visits in order to pressure senators to pass an effective climate bill in 2010. It has worked to connect local allies with their senate offices in order to pass climate legislation that cuts carbon dramatically and immediately.
Springfield Citizens Against the War (SCAW)
SCAW worked to get a troop withdrawal question added to the November ballot in Springfield, Illinois.
Students for Economic and Social Justice (SESJ) at the University of Montana
SESJ acts to ensure ethical university purchasing policies. It has succeeded in affiliating the university with the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC). The campaign is working towards an affiliation with the WRC's Designated Suppliers Program, which enhances the enforcement of university codes of conduct regarding labor rights.
Students for Sensible Drug Policy at the University of Maryland
The Students for Sensible Drug Policy works on a Good Samaritan policy campaign, aiming to implement a policy that sheilds callers in a drug-related emergency from university punishment.
Students for Staff (SFS) at Miami University
SFS believes that valuable work demands valuable compensation. It has been meeting with members of the administration, staff, and student bodies, in an effort to raise awareness of the wage issue and disparities on campus and to generate support for the living wage campaign.
Students Supporting Affirmative Action (SSAA) at the University of Michigan
SSAA created and launched a visibility campaign opposing Proposal 2, an amendment to the Michigan Constitution that passed in November 2006 to prohibit all state and local government entities, including public schools, from using affirmative action programs during the 2006 election.
Students United for a Responsible Global Environment (SURGE) at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
SURGE is dedicated to achieving social, economic, political, and environmental justice through collective education and action. It works to ensure that isolated campus activists have a unified impact. It serves as North Carolina's anchor of the nation-wide Campus Climate Challenge campaign and hosted a state-wide summit for students to learn ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Sudan Divestment Task Force (SDTF)
SDTF is an effort to unite on-campus divestment efforts from across the country. It played a critical role in the decision by university boards to divest from companies that do business with Sudan at Brown, Amherst, and Yale universities. The campaign has also targeted state pension funds in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Texas Students Against the Death Penalty (TSADP) at the University of Texas-Austin
TSADP is a student-led campaign working to get students involved in opposing the death penalty in Texas.
Towson Energy Activists at Towson University
The Towson Energy Activists work for individual, campus, and statewide changes to promote sustainability and fight climate change. They have established fair trade coffee in dining halls, movie screenings, and a residence hall conservation challenge.
Past Progressive Partners
Looking for ideas for your own activism campaign? See past progressive partnerships to see the great work they are doing.
Activist Resource Center (ARC) at Brandeis University
The ARC promotes positive social, cultural, political, and economic change by providing resources to student activists. They facilitate communication and cooperation between activist organizations, work to give student activists the information and tools they need to be effective organizers, and offer information about the broad range of activist opportunities both on and off campus.
www.brandeisarc.wikispaces.com
Campus and Community United at the University of Southern California
Campus and Community United is committed to uniting and empowering the University Park community to create a just and vibrant neighborhood. It advocates for preservation and creation of affordable housing while engaging enduring stereotypes about the neighborhood.
www.campusandcommunity.wordpress.com
Coalition of Alabama Students for the Environment (CASE)
CASE brings students from across Alabama together to share tactics, resources, and campaigns. Alabama joins many other states in having its very own network of passionate climate leaders demanding a sane energy policy.
Gender Sexuality Alliance at the University of Michigan-Dearborn
The Gender Sexuality Alliance promotes awareness of all things LGBTQ on campus. It organizes social events, provides literature and educational materials, and provides a safe haven for all LGBTQ students.
Ignite Greensboro
Ignite Greensboro raises awareness of the International Civil Rights Museum and Center. The group has raised over $50,000 for scholarships, community-building projects, and for bringing scivil rights movement speakers to schools around the country.
www.ignitegreensboro.wordpress.com
Our Earth at the University of Oklahoma
Our Earth strives to educate peers and encourage them to take action on environmental issues affecting the University of Oklahoma community.
Progressive Student Alliance at Northeastern University
The Progressive Student Alliance works to promote social justice through education, negotiation, and direct action for free trade. It has succeeded in replacing over 75% of the school's coffee with fairly traded blends and organizing a march in support of fair wages for the university's janitorial staff.
Students Active for Ending Rape (SAFER) at Tufts University
SAFER challenges rape culture on campus by working with administration to improve the school's sexual assault policy through educational campaigns to raise awareness about issues around consent, healthy relationships, sex positivity, and sexual violence.
www.sites.google.com/site/safertufts
Ready to Apply?
Are you ready to apply for your own Progressive Partnership or Organizing Grant? Head over to our application to submit one today.
