More than 40 leading California foundations have signed onto this statement in support of DACA following the program's cancellation.
Statement
The Trump Administration announced the termination of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), thereby rescinding work authorization and protection from deportation for nearly 800,000 undocumented young people. This action will have a devastating impact on almost 223,000 DACAmented Californians.
As philanthropic institutions committed to building a prosperous, vibrant, and inclusive California, we denounce the termination of DACA as antithetical to fundamental American values, and detrimental to the well-being of all communities. DACA beneficiaries have secured better jobs, purchased cars and homes, launched new businesses, supported their families, and invigorated their communities. They have become an integral part of our social, economic, and civic fabric.
By repealing DACA, the Trump administration deprives DACAmented immigrants of the opportunity to strive for the American Dream, contribute to our collective vitality, and live a life without fear of being deported from the only home many of them have ever known. The administration’s decision pushes these young people out of the workforce, disrupts businesses, erodes our tax base, and undercuts our economic growth. Consequently, over the next decade, our nation stands to lose $460.3 billion in gross domestic product and $24.6 billion in Medicare and Social Security contributions.
DACA’s repeal will have a reverberating impact on all facets of life in communities across California, and philanthropy must mount a vigorous response. We urge our grantmaking colleagues to join us in speaking out, taking action, and increasing grantmaking at this critical moment. Ending the DACA program threatens the health and mental well-being of our neighborhoods, our families and our very humanity. We urge you to stand with immigrant communities and reaffirm your belief in fairness, justice, and the American Dream.
Signatories
Akonadi Foundation
Lateefah Simon, President
Asian Pacific Fund
Audrey Yamamoto, President & Executive Director
California Bar Foundation
Sonia Gonzales, Executive Director
California Community Foundation
Antonia Hernández, President & CEO
The California Endowment
Dr. Robert K. Ross, President & CEO
The California Wellness Foundation
Judy Belk, President & CEO
Chavez Family Foundation
Tom Chavez, Founder & CEO
Common Counsel Foundation
Laura Livoti, CEO
Community Foundation Santa Cruz County
Susan True, CEO
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
Peter Laugharn, President & CEO
East Bay Community Foundation
James W. Head, President & CEO
Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund
Jennie Lehua Watson, Interim President
Firedoll Foundation
Sandor Straus, President
Faye Straus, Vice President
Groundswell Fund
Vanessa Daniel, Executive Director
The Grove Foundation
Leslie Dorosin, Executive Director
Heising-Simons Foundation
Deanna Gomby, President & CEO
Hellman Foundation
Susan Mayer Hirsch, Executive Director
The James Irvine Foundation
Don Howard, President & CEO
Latino Community Foundation
Jacqueline Martinez Garcel, CEO
Leichtag Foundation
James S. Farley, Esquire, President & CEO
The Penney Family Fund
Sarah Malachowsky, President
Rappaport Family Foundation
Deborah Rappaport, President
The Reis Foundation
Pamela Reis, President
Rosenberg Foundation
Tim Silard, President
S.H. Cowell Foundation
Ann Alpers, President
Sierra Health Foundation
Chet P. Hewitt, President & CEO
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Emmett D. Carson, Ph.D., President & CEO
The San Francisco Foundation
Fred Blackwell, CEO
Thomas J. Long Foundation
Mark Friedman, CEO
Thousand Currents
Rajasvini Bhansali, Executive Director
Urgent Action Fund
Kate Kroeger, Executive Director
United Way Bay Area
Anne Wilson, CEO
van Löben Sels/RembeRock Foundation
Nancy Wiltsek, Executive Director
The Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation
Stacie Ma'a, President
The Walter & Elise Haas Fund
Pamela H David, Executive Director
Weingart Foundation
Fred Ali, President & CEO
Werner-Kohnstamm Family Fund
Edward Kissam, Trustee
Westly Foundation
Catherine Crystal Foster, Executive Director
Women's Foundation of California
Surina Khan, CEO
Y & H Soda Foundation
Bob Uyeki, CEO
The Zellerbach Family Foundation
Allison Magee, Executive Director
Resources
Individual Statements from Philanthropy
A special thanks to GCIR members and funders for their support in making this statement possible.