As we ring in the new year at the RFC, we are taking time to reflect on our most recent granting period. Our fall 2025 granting season was busy, urgent and emotional. For me, each new application period feels like a window into the current state of activism in the United States. As new applicants come to us and existing beneficiaries send in updates, a picture of the activist landscape is revealed. This fall, that picture was a grim one.

Five new families came to the RFC this fall. Some are students facing severe government repression for engaging in acts of civil disobedience or peaceful protest. Some are progressive activist parents whose children’s safety and stability has been profoundly affected by the targeting they have faced. Some are public figures whose movement leadership has been well-known for years. Some are in hiding, the threat of repression so severe that maintaining a public life is no longer an option. Some are racial equity leaders, some outspoken advocates for the rights of prisoners, some transgender Americans fighting to be treated as equal human beings under the law. All of them, without exception, brought stories of bravery and determination that blew me away. It is an honor to have each and every one of these parents, children and young adults join our community.

The 82 renewal grants we awarded came with updates both good and bad. Some activists shared major court case wins and advancements in their fields of activism. Many parents shared their children’s personal medical, scholastic, athletic and artistic victories with me. Some of our young adult beneficiaries graduated from college and are setting their sights on law and medical school. Younger beneficiaries have won track meets, joined youth symphony orchestras, and made major advancements in their speech, mobility, mental health and academic skills, thanks to RFC funding and their own incredible strength.

At the same time, there was a strong undercurrent of worry in the communications I received from applicants this fall. The increased presence of ICE agents on streets across the country left many fearful for themselves or their community members. The fear of government surveillance and repression was pushing many activists into isolation. And the SNAP funding freeze left parents panicked about how to feed their children and keep their heat on as the fall grew colder.

As a result, at our fall granting meeting, the Board and staff of the RFC decided to significantly expand our Grocery Gift Card program. We made a $9000 grant, about $7000 more than usual, to provide emergency grocery gift cards to families in imminent danger of going hungry. We awarded a total of $228,807 to support 89 families during the fall granting period, and we began discussing ways for the RFC to facilitate activists in our community gathering together safely in the future to deepen feelings of connection and solidarity.

I won’t say this fall and winter hasn't been frightening - it certainly has. Knowing how many RFC community members are here to support our activist families brings me a huge amount of comfort. That community support feels like a beacon in such an overwhelming and intense time, and as I often do when I reflect on our granting sessions, I feel enormous gratitude for the chance to be part of it.

Onward towards the spring,

Cleo Rohn, RFC Granting Coordinator