A Moment of Gratitude
To our GSP community –
Every day, we are in awe of the work you all are doing to ensure that our communities are thriving, safe, and whole. The list of daily harms and systemic barriers we are navigating is as daunting as it is long. And yet, each of you continue to show up day after day, to offer your hopes, your fervor, and your strategies that continue to build a more inclusive South, where our people are loved and our needs are met. We want to take a moment to share our gratitude for all the people who make our work possible.
To our practitioners and community members who are willing to continue educating funders on how we can be more responsive and equitable in our grantmaking — you are shaping a reality in which racial, gender, and economic justice are the standard. You are creating the conditions for hope, the importance of which cannot be understated. Thank you.
To our new and renewing members – your commitment to transforming your funder institutions, the field of philanthropy, and the South takes effort and courage. You are refusing to accept the status quo, and we are all better for it. Thank you.
To our PSO partners and all the folks who have invested your time and energy by participating in insightful panel discussions to guide our programmatic work this past year – you are proof that we are stronger when we work together. Your spirit of collaboration across focus areas is a reminder to us that communities are always made better by diversity and the intentional inclusion of all of us – not in spite of our differences, but because of them. Thank you.
To our Steering Committee, Sprint Team and Advisory members, and Fiscal Sponsor who help to guide the work of the organization and always step up and support our staff – your leadership and experience continues to give us the tools and insight we need to meet the moment and do our part of the work. Thank you.
To you, reading this. For being committed to justice and believing in our mission. For seeking out reasons to remain hopeful for the future by making demands in the present. For joining us in the effort to show people that the South, with all her people and all her gifts, continues to be the blueprint for change and progress in this country. Thank you.
-Grantmakers for Southern Progress