Heads up. ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Michael Garcia &lt;michael.ryan.garcia(a)gmail.com&gt; Date: Fri, Aug 28, 2020, 11:23 PM Subject: [Friends of Awe] $10k grants for creative action against voter suppression To: &lt;SF-awesome-friends(a)googlegroups.com&gt; Hi folks, There are grants available (up to $10k) for creative projects to fight voter suppression. From an associate: *“Please tell people and orgs you work with who are in the creative activism game. *Or anyone who could come up with a creative, effective project to address the crazy voter problems that are happening all over the country. *We’re having an info session online at noon EST on Monday, Aug 31. *Zoom link <https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83821567961?pwd=L2JaWFE4MGg4b1lIWEtoZkcydVVQdz09> . If you’re interested but don’t have a solid idea yet, do come. We’re looking to share and brainstorm together. Here’s a page with more info, and how to apply. We’re asking for *short letters of interest by Sept 2*. Quick turnaround time, but, we want to get these projects funded asap! https://c4aa.org/2020/08/were-funding-creative-u-s-election-projects We’re looking for creative projects that address the biggest voter suppression problems, like: - Lack of poll workers. - Barriers to voting by mail - lack of voter education on the logistics of voting during COVID, misinformation, disinformation. - Voting safely in a pandemic - how can we help people assess the real risk, minimize it, and/or quell uneeded fears that may stop them from voting - Outright voter suppression tactics, especially in Black and Indigenous communities and in communities of other underrepresented groups. - Preparing people for what happens *after*voting - polling indicates half the country may not trust the outcome for various reasons. Lawsuits, challenges, contested elections, and lots of tension are expected. *To combat them, we need artistic and creative projects that aim to:* - Keep polling places staffed. - Ensure that people understand how to effectively vote by mail, drop-off, or in person. - Empower people to confidently vote down-ballot in local elections - Ensure that people know that voting is relevant to the issues that motivated so many people on the streets in the past months (and years) - Monitor election boards and hold them accountable, so they can’t, for example, quietly close polls in communities of color. - Cultivate engagement, fun, humor, joy, and community around voting and elections. - Prepare people for the unknowns that will come after November. The focus is on states with a history of voter suppression and of special interest in this election: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, but others as well. If you know of projects or people who might be a good fit, please let them know. We’re excited to be able to fund great projects at this critical time.” -- Discuss things you feel awesome about. Not just here. =:|:= This discussion group is connected with the SF chapter of the Awesome Foundation ( sf.awesomefoundation.org) --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Friends of Awesome (SF)" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to SF-awesome-friends+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/SF-awesome-friends/A2AB2875-6B69-4988-B04… <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/SF-awesome-friends/A2AB2875-6B69-4988-B04D-590E5091C4BF%40gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> .