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More than 200 philanthropic institutions from across the country have signed onto this joint GCIR statement in support of children and families seeking refuge in the United States.
Statement
In an effort to punish immigrants crossing the Southern border of the United States, the current administration adopted a so-called “zero-tolerance” policy against those seeking entry, resulting in the separation of children from their parents. This policy is the latest in a series of actions over the past year-and-a-half that have altered how we treat migrants seeking refuge at our borders and reversed our historical role as a beacon of hope and freedom for the world’s most vulnerable people.
In response to widespread public outcry, the administration recently issued an executive order that would allow it to detain family members together indefinitely. Detaining children indefinitely—either with or without their parents—not only violates existing law, but it also runs counter to long-established best practices and norms in the child welfare arena as well as basic tenets of morality and human decency.
As of this statement’s publication, more than 2,300 children have been taken from their parents, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s own statistics. These parents are still languishing in immigration detention without information about the whereabouts of their children, including many under the age of four, while others are at risk of permanently losing custody after being deported without their children against their will. The newly issued executive order on family detention does nothing to reunite these separated children with their parents.
Family separation is causing profound trauma for both children and parents rising to the level of a “crisis of sorrow.” Mothers have described hearing their children’s screams from the next room after being separated, and at least one parent has committed suicide after his child was taken away from him. The United Nations considers the practice “a serious violation of the rights of the child,” the American Bar Association calls it “inhumane,” and the American Psychological Association believes it is “needless and cruel.” The American Academy of Pediatrics condemns the practice, explaining that the resulting fear and stress can harm children’s developing brains as well as short- and long-term health.
We, the undersigned, stand united in our belief that separating families, as well as detaining them together indefinitely, is morally unacceptable and traumatic for parents and children. We have a collective responsibility to act with compassion when responding to the needs of those who come to our country seeking protection. We urge our grantmaking colleagues to join us in speaking out, shifting the public discourse locally and nationally, boldly taking action, and responding generously and swiftly to on-the-ground needs.
Together, we stand firm in shared values of fairness, compassion, and family integrity that underpin our work in philanthropy and our very identity as a nation.
Signatories
Eileen Coogan, President & CEO
Allegany Franciscan Ministries
Palm Harbor, FL
James D. McDonough, Executive Director
Alphawood Foundation Chicago
Chicago, IL
Amy Mandel, Founder & Chief Visionary Officer
The Amy Mandel and Katina Rodis Fund
Asheville, NC
Jason McGill and Annette Lanjouw, Co-Executive Directors
Arcus Foundation
New York, NY and Cambridge, UK
J. Bob Alotta, Executive Director
Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice
New York, NY
James E. Canales, President & Trustee
Barr Foundation
Boston, MA
Gary D. Bass, Executive Director
Bauman Foundation
Washington, DC
Peter Long, President & CEO
Blue Shield of California Foundation
San Francisco, CA
Paul Grogan, President & CEO
The Boston Foundation
Boston, MA
Nan Schwanfelder, President
Brindle Foundation
Santa Fe, NM
Cecilia Clarke, CEO
Kaberi Banerjee Murthy, VP of Programs
Brooklyn Community Foundation
Brooklyn, NY
Jennifer Ford Reedy, President
Bush Foundation
St. Paul, MN
Christopher Punongbayan, Executive Director
California ChangeLawyers (formerly California Bar Foundation)
California
Antonia Hernandez, President & CEO
California Community Foundation
Los Angeles, CA
Robert K. Ross, MD, President & CEO
The California Endowment
California
Sandra R. Hernández, MD, President & CEO
California Health Care Foundation
Oakland, CA
Judy Belk, President & CEO
The California Wellness Foundation
California
Tom Chavez, President & CEO
Chavez Family Foundation
San Francisco, CA
Helene D. Gayle, President & CEO
The Chicago Community Trust
Chicago, IL
K. Sujata, President & CEO
Chicago Foundation for Women
Chicago, IL
Mailee Walker, Executive Director
Andrea Bretting, Senior Program Officer
Karen Race, Grants & Communications Manager
The Claneil Foundation
Plymouth Meeting, PA
Cynthia G. Addams, Chief Executive Officer
The Collins Foundation
Portland, OR
Karen McNeil-Miller, President & CEO
The Colorado Health Foundation
Denver, CO
Ned Calonge, MD, MPH, President & CEO
The Colorado Trust
Denver, CO
Jeff Hirota, CEO
Community Foundation Boulder County
Boulder, CO
J. Clinton Mabie, President & CEO
Jan Lesher, Board Chair
Community Foundation for Southern Arizona
Tucson, AZ
Ellen Friedman, Executive Director
Compton Foundation
San Francisco, CA
Monica George, President
Leslie Ramyk, Executive Director
Conant Family Foundation
Chicago, IL
Peter Laugharn, President & CEO
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
Agoura Hills, CA
Yanique Redwood, President & CEO
Consumer Health Foundation
Washington, DC
Rev. Mary K. "Kaki" Friskics-Warren, Executive Director
Dan and Margaret Maddox Charitable Fund
Nashville, TN
Carol S. Larson, President & CEO
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Los Altos, CA
Lukas Haynes, Executive Director
David Rockefeller Fund
New York, NY
Jennifer Leith, Executive Director
The Douty Foundation
Philadelphia, PA
Joe Goldman, President
Democracy Fund
Washington, DC
Wendy Durst Kreeger, Board President
The Durst Family Foundation
New York, NY
Cheryl L. Dorsey, President
Echoing Green
New York, NY
Esther Morales, Strategic Initiatives Consultant
The Emergent Fund*
San Francisco, CA
Antony Chiang, President and Sarah Lyman, Executive Vice President
Empire Health Foundation
Spokane, Washington
Damon Hewitt, Executive Director
Executives’ Alliance for Boys and Men of Color
Washington, DC
Nicky Goren, President & CEO
Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation
Washington, DC
Monique B. Jones, President & CEO
Evanston Community Foundation
Evanston, IL
Jennie Lehua Watson, President
Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund
San Francisco, CA
Sandor Straus, President
Firedoll Foundation
Walnut Creek, CA
Kim Belshé, Executive Director
First 5 LA
Los Angeles, CA
Tref Borden, Executive Director
Larry Fish, Chairman
The Fish Family Foundation
Boston, MA
Suzette Brooks Masters
Flower Hill Fund at the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation
Sheffield, MA
Darren Walker, President
Ford Foundation
New York, NY
Nicky McIntyre, CEO
Foundation for a Just Society
New York, NY
Jacqueline Jones, President & CEO
Foundation for Child Development
New York, NY
Flozell Daniels, Jr., President & CEO
Foundation for Louisiana
Baton Rouge, LA
Judith G. Salerno, Executive Director
Foundation for MetroWest
Natick, MA
Geoff Green, CEO
Foundation for Santa Barbara City College
Santa Barbara, CA
Anita Khashu, Director
Four Freedoms Fund
New York, NY
Ed Whitfield and Marnie Thompson, Co-Managing Directors
Fund for Democratic Communities
Greensboro, NC
Marcos Vargas, Executive Director
Fund for Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA
Dimple Abichandani, Executive Director
General Service Foundation
Berkeley, CA
Christopher J. Daggett, President & CEO
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
Morristown, New Jersey
Amy Goldman, CEO & Chair
GHR Foundation
Minneapolis, MN
Barbara and Tom Sargent, Advisors
The Global Whole Being Fund - Caring for Humanity on the Move
San Rafael, CA
Ramón Murguía, Board Chair
The Greater Kansas City Hispanic Development Fund
Kansas City, MO
Vanessa Daniel, Executive Director
Groundswell Fund
Oakland, CA
Leslie Dorosin and Rebekah Saul Butler, Co-Executive Directors
The Grove Foundation
Los Altos, CA
Jay Williams, President
The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
Hartord, CT
David Nicholson, Executive Director
Headwaters Foundation for Justice
Minneapolis, MN
Kristen Keely-Dinger, President & CEO
The Healing Trust
Nashville, TN
Bridget McCandless, MD, President & CEO
Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City
Kansas City, MO
Grant Oliphant, President
The Heinz Endowments
Pittsburgh, PA
Deanna Gomby, President & CEO
Heising-Simons Foundation
Los Altos, CA
Nat Chioke Williams, Ph.D., Executive Director
Hill-Snowdon Foundation
Washington, DC
Ron Gonzales, President & CEO
Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley
San Jose, CA
Ana Marie Argilagos, President & CEO
Hispanics In Philanthropy
United States & Americas
Roger Doughty, President
Horizons Foundation
San Francisco, CA
Ann B. Stern, President & CEO
Houston Endowment
Houston, TX
Kate Vickery, MPA, MSCRP, Executive Director
Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative
Houston, TX
Randy Newcomb, President & CEO
Humanity United
San Francisco, CA
Jocelyn Sargent, Executive Director
The Hyams Foundation
Boston, MA
Phyllis Glink, Executive Director
Irving Harris Foundation
Chicago, IL
Don Howard, President & CEO
The James Irvine Foundation
California
Michael Lerner, President
Jennifer Altman Foundation
San Francisco, CA
Christine James, Executive Director
The John Merck Fund
Boston, MA
Melanie Havelin, Executive Director
John M. Lloyd Foundation
Los Angeles, CA
Jonathan C. Logan, CEO & Board President
Jonathan Logan Family Foundation
Berkeley, CA
Carrie Pickett-Erway, President & CEO
Kalamazoo Community Foundation
Kalamazoo, MI
Rip Rapson, President & CEO
The Kresge Foundation
Troy, MI
Jacqueline Martinez Garcel, CEO
Latino Community Foundation
San Francisco, CA
Carlos Martinez, Executive Director
Latino Community Foundation of Colorado
Denver, CO
Gilda "Gigi" Pedraza, Executive Director
Latino Community Fund Georgia
Atlanta, GA
Meg Coward, President
Hez Norton, Interim Executive Director
Laughing Gull Foundation
Durham, NC
Caitlin Davis, Executive Director
Legal Foundation of Washington
Seattle, Washington
James S. Farley, President & CEO
Leichtag Foundation
Encinitas, CA
Shane Goldsmith, President & CEO
Liberty Hill Foundation
Los Angeles, CA
Crystal Hayling, Executive Director
The Libra Foundation
San Francisco, CA
Luz Vega-Marquis, President & CEO
Marguerite Casey Foundation
Seattle, WA
Justin Maxson, Executive Director
Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation
Winston Salem, NC
Wendy Lewis, Executive Director
McCune Charitable Foundation
Santa Fe, NM
Amber French, Executive Director
amalia deloney, Program Director
Media Democracy Fund
Washington, DC
Gayla Brockman, President and CEO
The Michael Reese Health Trust
Chicago, IL
R.T. Rybak, President & CEO
The Minneapolis Foundation
Minneapolis, MN
Jeannie Blaustein, Ph.D., D. Ministry, President
Morton K. and Jane Blaustein Foundation
Baltimore, MD
Sharon Alpert, President & CEO
The Nathan Cummings Foundation
New York, NY
Nick Donohue, President & CEO
Nellie Mae Education Foundation
Quincy, MA
Michele Lord, President
NEO Philanthropy
New York, NY
Maria Mottola, Executive Director
New York Foundation
New York, NY
Molly de Aguiar, Managing Director
Jenny Choi, Associate Director
News Integrity Initiative
New York, NY
Kevin F. Walker, President & CEO
Northwest Area Foundation
St. Paul, MN
Nichole Maher, President & CEO
Northwest Health Foundation
Portland, OR
Pamela Shifman, Executive Director
NoVo Foundation
New York, NY
Victoria Peattie Helm, Executive Director
NW Children’s Foundation
Seattle, WA
Kathleen Cravero-Kristoffersson, President
Oak Foundation
Geneva, Switzerland
Judy Wright, Executive Director
Ohio Transformation Fund
Cleveland, OH
Stephen King, Partner; Global Lead, Governance & Citizen Engagement
Omidyar Network
Redwood City, CA
Patrick Gaspard, President
Open Society Foundations
New York, NY
Valerie Kind-Rubin, Managing Trustee
The Patricia Kind Family Foundation
Philadelphia, PA
Ada Sanchez, Executive Director
Peppercorn Foundation
Tampa, FL
Aly Richards, CEO
The Permanent Fund for Vermont's Children
Burlington, VT
Laura McCargar, President
Perrin Family Foundation
New Haven, CT
Pedro A. Ramos, President & CEO
The Philadelphia Foundation
Philadelphia, PA
Ann Marie Healy, Executive Director
Philadelphia Health Partnership
Philadelphia, PA
Bill Somerville, President
Philanthropic Ventures Foundation
Oakland, CA
Hanna Mahon, President
Pink House Foundation
Washington, DC
Michael Kollins, Lisa Kollins, and Judy Wright, Trustees
Pinnacle Gardens Foundation
Seattle, WA
Gillian Darlow, Chief Executive Officer
Polk Bros. Foundation
Chicago, IL
Kris A. Hermanns, Chief Executive Officer
Pride Foundation
Seattle, WA
Paul Di Donato, President & CEO
Proteus Fund
Amherst, MA
Brenda R. Sharpe, President & CEO
REACH Healthcare Foundation
Merriam, KS
Pamela Petre Reis, President
The Reis Foundation
Rolling Hills, CA
Jennifer Sousae, Executive Director
RHE Charitable Foundation
San Francisco, CA
Peter and Healther Mithoefer, Trustees
Robert T. Keeler Foundation
Cincinnati, OH
Wes Moore, CEO
Robin Hood
New York, NY
Timothy Silard, President
Rosenberg Foundation
San Francisco, CA
Dale Mitchell, Executive Director
Rosenlund Family Foundation
Haverford, PA
Alfred L. Castle, CEO & Treasurer
The Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation
Honolulu, HI
Sarah Martinez-Helfman, President
Samuel S. Fels Fund
Philadelphia, PA
Fred Blackwell, CEO
The San Francisco Foundation
San Francisco, CA
Joe Pyle, President
Scattergood Foundation
Philadelphia, PA
John H. Jackson, President & CEO
Schott Foundation for Public Education
Cambridge, MA
Ann Alpers, President
S. H. Cowell Foundation
San Francisco, CA
Chet P. Hewitt, President & CEO
Sierra Health Foundation and The Center
Sacramento, CA
Erica Wood, Chief Impact Officer
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Mountain View, CA
Arthur Sills, President
Deborah Iarussi, Trustee
Peter Sills, Trustee
Sills Family Foundation
New York, NY
Amanda Cloud, President & CEO
The Simmons Foundation
Houston, TX
Thomas Keith, President
Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina
Columbia, SC
Mijo Lee, Executive Director
Social Justice Fund NW
Seattle, WA
Priscilla Kersten, President
Square One Foundation
Chicago, IL
Molly Gochman, Founder
Stardust Fund
Houston, TX
Cavin P. Leeman, MD, President
Stephen & May Cavin Leeman Foundation
New York, NY
Alexis Sant, President
The Summit Foundation
Washington, DC
Fo-Ching Lu, President
SYL Foundation
Redmond, WA
Kriss Deiglmeier, CEO
Tides Foundation
San Francisco, CA
Rye Young, Executive Director
Third Wave Fund
Brooklyn, NY & Chicago, IL
Allan Oliver, Executive Director
Thornburg Foundation
Santa Fe, NM
Kristin Rothballer, Trustee
Tyler Rigg Foundation
San Francisco, CA & National
Taryn Higashi, Executive Director
Unbound Philanthropy
New York, NY
Sigrid Lundby, President
Union Benevolent Association
Philadelphia, PA
Nancy Wiltsek, Executive Director
van Löben Sels/RembeRock Foundation
San Francisco, CA
Jan Vilcek, Chairman & CEO
The Vilcek Foundation
New York, NY
Robert N. DiLeonardi, Executive Director
VNA Foundation
Chicago, IL
Stacie Ma'a, President
Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation
Berkeley, CA
Ellen Dorsey, Executive Director
Wallace Global Fund
Washington, DC
Fred Ali, President & CEO
Weingart Foundation
Los Angeles, CA
Catherine Crystal Foster, Executive Director
Westly Foundation
Menlo Park, CA
John Esterle and Pia Infante, Co-Executive Directors
The Whitman Institute
San Francisco, CA
Regina McGraw, Executive Director
Wieboldt Foundation
Chicago, IL
Lisa Graustein, Chair
R. David Addams, Executive Director
William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund
Hamden, CT
Adam Gamoran, President
Vivian Tseng, Senior Vice President, Program
William T. Grant Foundation
New York, NY
La June Montgomery Tabron, President & CEO
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Battle Creek, MI
Jo Ann Intili and Edward Kissam, Trustees
WKF Giving Fund
Oakland, CA
Surina Khan, CEO
Women's Foundation of California
Oakland, CA
Lee Roper-Batker, President & CEO
Women’s Foundation of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN
Grace Hou, President
Woods Fund Chicago
Chicago, IL
Robert Uyeki, CEO
Y&H Soda Foundation
Moraga, CA
Merryl Snow Zegar and Charles Zegar, Trustees
Zegar Family Foundation
New York, NY
Allison Magee, Executive Director
Zellerbach Family Foundation
San Francisco, CA
Philanthropy-Supporting Organizations, Consultants, & Other Groups
Cora Mirikitani, President & CEO
AAPIP - Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy
Oakland, CA
Janet Gumbs, Acting President & CEO
ABFE: A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities
New York, NY
Niamani Mutima, Executive Director
Africa Grantmakers' Affinity Group
Warrenton, VA
Phil Buchanan, President
The Center for Effective Philanthropy
Cambridge, MA & San Francisco, CA
Carly Hare, National Director/Coalition Catalyst
CHANGE Philanthropy
Oakland, CA
Marcela Davison Avilés, Benjamím Juarez Echenique and Marisa Canales, Co-Founders
The Chapultepec Group & Camino Arts
Alamo, CA
Dana Lanza, CEO
Confluence Philanthropy
Oakland, CA and New York, NY
Karla Fortunato, President
Connecticut Council for Philanthropy
Hartford, CT
Linda Franciscovich & Sue Murphy, Co-Chairs
Carol P. O’Donnell, Executive Director
Connecticut Early Childhood Funder Collaborative, a project of Connecticut Council for Philanthropy
Hartford, CT
Corrie Wallace, Founder/Lead Consultant
Corrie LLC
Evanston, IL
Tory Dietel Hopps, Managing Partner
Dietel & Partners
Yarmouth, ME
Shannon L. Rudisill, Executive Director
Early Childhood Funders Collaborative
Washington, DC
Eric Marshall, Executive Director
Funders' Committee for Civic Participation
Austin, TX
Kristina Wertz, Acting President
Funders for LGBTQ Issues
New York, NY
Denise Shannon, Executive Director
Funders for Reproductive Equity
International
Patricia Smith, President & CEO
Tom Woiwode, Board of Directors Chair
Funders' Network for Smarth Growth and Livable Communities
Miami, FL
Claudia Jasso, Founder & Managing Partner
Jasso Development & Planning, LLC
Tucson, AZ
Steering Committee and Staff
Justice Funders
Oakland, CA
Aaron Dorfman, President & CEO
National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy
Washington, DC
Dennis Quirin, President
Neighborhood Funders Group
Oakland, CA
Annmarie McLaughlin, Board Chair
Cathy Frey, Executive Director
New Mexico Association of Grantmakers
Santa Fe, NM
Michelle Greanias, Executive Director
PEAK Grantmaking
Washington, DC
Lori Villarosa, Executive Director
Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity
National
Christine Essel, President & CEO (SCG)
Nancy Jamison, President & CEO (SDG)
Ellen LaPointe, President & CEO (NCG)
Philanthropy CA
California
Sidney R. Hargro, Executive Director
Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA
Kiran Ahuja, Chief Executive Officer
Philanthropy Northwest
Seattle, WA
Iimay Ho, Executive Director
Resource Generation
New York, NY
Susan Eaton, Director
Sillerman Center for the Advancement of Philanthropy
Waltham, MA
David Biemesderfer, President & CEO
United Philanthropy Forum
Washington, DC
Richard Marker, Founder/Co-Principal
Wise Philanthropy Institute
Donna Hall, President & CEO
Women Donors Network
San Francisco, CA
Cynthia Nimmo, President & CEO
Women's Funding Network
San Francisco, CA
*The Emergent Fund is a partnership between the Solidaire Network, the Threshold Foundation, the Democracy Alliance, and the Women Donors Network.