NEW

Mother Attacked In Home $4159 for music and sports activities and summer camp for the three siblings, ages 11 to 17, whose mother organized against government corruption in her home nation. She fled the country after the military harassed her and her fellow activists and eventually assaulted her. IL

Father Tortured for Organizing for Democracy $1230 for summer camp for the 14-year-old daughter whose father, a student organizer for an opposition party in his home country, was tortured and held by the military in a detention center before seeking refuge in the U.S. IL

Mothers Lose Jobs for Protesting Two $600 Carry It Forward (CIF)* awards for the 21-year-old daughter and 24-year-old son from two families whose mothers were active with OUR Walmart and participated in strikes and store-level delegations to protest their working conditions. Both women lost their jobs and were unable to get rehired despite years of working for the company. CA

(*CIF awards of $600 are given to 18 to 24-year-olds to help pay for the costs associated with college or similar programs designed to prepare them for adult life.)

Jailed for Flag Burning $1000 Development grant* for the 23-year-old targeted activist youth (TAY) who was charged with arson and sentenced to three months in jail and two years of probation for torching a flag to protest the wars in the Middle East. OH

(*Development grants of up to $1000 are given to TAY to further their education, support their emotional needs or develop their organizing skills.)

Black Lives Matter Activist Targeted by Police $1000 Development grant for the 24-year-old founder of a Black Lives Matter chapter and a decolonial arts collective who faced ongoing harassment and profiling from police due to her visible leadership role. MA

CIVIL LIBERTIES

Father Disabled by Police Beating $6000 for summer camp for the three siblings, ages five and six, whose father, a whistleblower for worker and consumer safety, was laid off and harassed. While seeking support from government officials he was arrested, attacked by a police officer, seriously injured and denied treatment. Despite multiple surgeries, he is incapacitated and partially paralyzed. MA

Activism Costs Family $5700 for cultural programs for the four children, ages five to 11, whose mother was dismissed from her graduate program for advocating for students’ rights. She lost her job teaching at the university and cannot find full-time employment in her field. CO

Mother Forced From Job $4500 for sports programs and school tuition for the three children, ages 10 to 14, whose mother’s support for an arrested Muslim caused her boss to pressure her to find a job where she’d “feel more at home.” GA

Community Resists Oppression $2000 for a group grant for educational and cultural activities for several dozen indigenous youth ages six to 18 living in a community that has experienced generations of targeting because of their resistance to oppression. The program helps these children “reclaim the identity and pride that has been unjustly stripped away from [their people].” SD

Teacher Fired for Advocating for her Students $1500 for educational support for the eight-year-old daughter whose mother, a public school teacher, lost her job because of her efforts on behalf of her special needs students. GA

Dad Loses Job for Reporting the Truth $1100 for sports activities for the 16-year-old son whose father, an independent journalist, lost his job and was blacklisted for expressing progressive views and covering controversial topics. MN

Young Activist Evades Subpoena $1000 Development grant for the 24-year-old TAY who was part of a support group for grand jury resisters. She was then subpoenaed herself and spent two years hiding to avoid arrest. She was unable to work under her own name, denied a passport and could not communicate with her family. AZ

CIVIL RIGHTS & RACIAL JUSTICE

Parents Fight for Better Environment, Racial Equality $26,900 for a broad range of programs for 19 children, ages four to 19, from six families. Several parents were beaten and arrested while marching against environmental racism; others were attacked and/or imprisoned for their community organizing work. CA, GA, NY

Grandmother Stripped of Nation Standing $7426 for a computer, educational expenses and summer camp for the five children, ages eight to 15, whose grandmother (with whom they live), organized for reform of their Nation’s tribal leadership. She was eventually forced from her job and had her Nation services and benefits revoked. IN

Civil Rights Organizer Serving 28 Years $4650 for sports, summer camp and an Attica Fund Prison Visit grant* for the two daughters, ages 13 and 17, whose father was a leader of an organization committed to black and brown unity, and human and civil rights. He was convicted of racketeering and sentenced to decades in prison despite maintaining his innocence. NC

(*Attica Fund Prison Visit grants enable the children and grandchildren of political prisoners to visit their jailed loved ones.)

Mayor Targets Mother $4400 for music and dance lessons for three children, ages eight to 16, whose mother, an anti-environmental racism activist, was harassed for requesting to know a city council member’s position on locating a soil processing plant in her low-income, predominantly minority community. PA

Family Threatened by KKK $4105 for orthodontia, educational support, music lessons, and a CIF award for five children, ages 11 to 22, whose mother received death threats from the Klan for her efforts to desegregate a public housing complex. OR

Family Loses Home $3000 for music lessons for the two children, ages nine and 13, whose mother is fighting for fair representation for their tribe and all Native people. She has been threatened, stalked, and fired from her government job, which caused the loss of their associated housing. AZ

Father Fired for Organizing $2025 for summer camp for the twin siblings, age eight, whose father lost his job for recruiting his co-workers to participate in a racial justice program. GA

Mother Beaten, Pepper-Sprayed and Harassed $1500 for summer camp for the 15-year-old son and 18-year-old daughter whose mother, a community organizer for racial and economic justice, was targeted by the local police. GA

Father Dies After Lengthy Imprisonment. $1500 for tuition at a progressive school for the 13-year-old son whose father was a black revolutionary leader wrongly jailed for 27 years. GA

Family’s Home Bulldozed $1469 for skateboard camp for the 18-year-old son whose mother had her Nation standing stripped, home destroyed and job threatened because of her work against the Bureau of Indian Affairs-appointed leader of her Nation. NY

Youth Imprisoned for Fighting Racism $600 CIF award for the 23-year-old TAY who was recently released after serving more than two years in prison. He was one of 18 members of an anti-racist organization that confronted a white supremacist group meeting at a local restaurant. A brawl ensued, but only the anti-racists were charged despite numerous prior violent convictions of many of the white supremacists. IL

ENVIRONMENTAL & ANIMAL RIGHTS

Twice-Imprisoned Father $2696 for music lessons and cultural activities for the 13-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son whose father served time for destroying traps set for mountain lions, and was re-incarcerated for accepting a Facebook friend request. MI

Family’s Home Raided  $2600 for music and scuba lessons and a CIF award for the 18 and 19-year-old daughters whose father organized demonstrations against corporations that produce genetically modified foods. His apartment was raided and he and other activists were held for hours, searched and interrogated. MN  

Dog Killed, Family Terrorized $2000 for educational support for the six-year-old son whose parents work to protect and restore a local river basin. The family has been harassed and faced death threats, and their dog was poisoned because of the parents’ work monitoring and confronting illegal pollution and development activities. LA

Family Fears Physical Harm $2000 for childcare for the two-year-old son whose parents faced threats for their environmental activism. OR

Young Activist Endures Gunfire and Arson $1600 for a CIF award and a Development grant for the 21-year-old TAY working for environmental, animal and educational rights, whose family faced attacks at their home. CA

GENDER EQUALITY, LGBTQ & REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

Mother Threatened with Loss of Son $3000 for educational support for the eight-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son whose mother was threatened by the state with the removal of her son because of her organizing on behalf of LGBTQ rights. OR

Jailers Threaten to Burn Children $2100 for a computer and a CIF award for the 16-year-old son and 23-year-old daughter of a refugee women’s rights activist who was tortured and warned that her children could be attacked. OK

Daughters Assaulted $2000 for educational support for the nine-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter whose mother, an anti-female genital mutilation activist, was forced to flee her home country after two of her daughters were attacked in retaliation for her work. NY

Mother Disabled by Beating $2000 for summer camp and music lessons for the 17-year-old daughter whose mother was assaulted by a cop at the RNC and has faced ongoing harassment for her LGBTQ activism. WA

Mother Fights to End Torture $1000 for summer camp for the 11-year-old daughter whose mother advocated for women whose rights had been violated in her home country. She was detained and arrested before seeking refuge in the U.S. IL

HUMAN RIGHTS

Family Targeted for Decades $3000 for cultural activities for the two sons, ages four and eight, whose father has been followed and targeted his entire life for his and his family’s organizing. GA

Father Refuses to be Silenced $2000 for tennis lessons for the 15-year-old daughter whose father survived a year in a concentration camp in Bosnia. He testified against his captors despite receiving numerous death threats. IL

Mother Forced to Flee Country $1424 for summer camp for the eight-year-old son whose mother was forced to flee their home country after she witnessed the assassination of a doctor. She supported his efforts for patients’ rights to health care; after the murder, soldiers killed the other witness and assaulted the mother. IL

Two Generations Fight for Activists $1000 for a computer for the 16-year-old daughter whose mother and grandmother were detained and tortured for protesting students’ human rights violations in their home country, and fled to the U.S. IL

Father Jailed, Tortured $600 for educational support and music lessons for the 14-year-old daughter whose father was a leader in the fight against human rights violations in his home country. He was imprisoned and tortured before escaping with his daughters to the U.S. IL

LABOR & ECONOMIC JUSTICE

Edith  and George Ziefert Fund*: Family Threatened with Loss of Home $1470 for summer camp for the 13-year-old daughter whose mother was active with Occupy Wall Street. After a magazine named her as a key member of the group, she struggled to find work and eventually had to relinquish full-time custody of her daughter for six months while facing eviction. NY 

(*See www.rfc.org/namedfunds to learn more.)

Mother Organized Post-Katrina $3000 for orthodontia for the son and daughter, ages nine and 13, whose mother was a leader in the movement demanding the right for residents to return to their public housing units after Katrina. In retaliation, she was harassed and imprisoned on false assault charges. LA

Family Forced to Relocate $2860 for summer camp for two sons, ages 12 and 15, whose mother was threatened with prison for trying to address the needs of low-income families. TX

Union Dad Imprisoned $2000 for sports and after-school programs for the 12-year-old son whose father, a labor organizer and co-founder of an immigrants’ rights collective, was arrested on politically motivated charges. FL

PEACE

Muslim Peace Activists Targeted $9400 for educational support, two CIF awards, and two Attica Fund grants for seven children, ages 10 to 20, from two families. Their fathers were convicted of terrorist-related money laundering after an FBI sting targeted them for their public anti-war activities and support for a local Mosque. NY

Parents Working Together for Peace $8625 for summer camp, educational support and music and yoga lessons for six children, ages five to 19, from three families whose parents are members of pacifist communities. The parents have engaged in peaceful anti-war protests and some have been imprisoned for civil disobedience. ME, NJ, NY

Mother Gives Birth Behind Bars $7500 for extracurricular activities and childcare for the five siblings, ages two to 14, whose war resister mother fled to Canada. After five years she was deported to the U.S. where she served eight months in the brig while pregnant. TX

Father Charged for Protesting with His Children $3523 for improv classes, sports programs and a CIF award for five siblings, ages 11 to 19, whose father was arrested at a peaceful demonstration. He faced additional charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor for bringing his children to the event. NC

Music Program for Children of Torture Survivors $3500 for a group grant for 11 children, ages five to 17, from five families, as part of a child and family strengthening program. The fathers in each family were pro-democracy activists in African countries who were detained and tortured before seeking asylum in the U.S. IL

Support for Children of Pacifist $3000 for educational support and gymnastics for the two children, ages six and 17, whose father was arrested during an anti-missile shield action. OK

Family’s Home Raided $2000 for sports programs and summer camp for the 11-year-old daughter whose father faced harassment after refusing to testify before a grand jury investigating peace and international solidarity activists. IL

Outspoken Teen Jailed $1648 for gym membership for the 18-year-old TAY involved with Occupy and Witness Against Torture, who has been arrested numerous times for protesting against war funding and in support of single payer healthcare. IA

Five Years for Demonstrating $1125 for school tuition for the 17-year-old daughter whose father was imprisoned for protesting the Navy’s use of Vieques as a bombing range. PR

PRISONERS’ RIGHTS/U.S. POLITICAL PRISONERS

Son of Political Prisoner Targeted for his Activism $7500 for school tuition for the five children, ages five to 17, whose father, himself the son of a political prisoner, was fired for giving a lecture supporting political prisoners. GA

Former Political Prisoner Faces Ongoing Harassment $4000 for educational support for the eight-year-old twins whose father was incarcerated for years for anti-apartheid efforts. Since his release he continues to work for freedom for political prisoners despite ongoing targeting which has cost him several jobs. MA

Father Fought for the Incarcerated $1500 for educational and therapeutic support for the 18-year-old son whose father advocated for Native American prisoners’ rights. NM

Mother Targeted for Helping Prisoners $1500 for cultural programs for the five-year-old son whose mother, a human rights activist, created an alternative program for inmates at a federal penitentiary. She was accused of conspiring with a political prisoner and threatened with prosecution. NY

CIF AWARDS
$4800 for seven beneficiaries, ages 19 through 24, from six families, to purchase books and other educational materials. Their parents fought for peace and human rights. PR, IL, TX, OH