The Creative Solutions Fund provides grants to organizations and movements that are catalyzing viable alternatives to current systems of inequality, violence and environmental degradation. We emphasize support for cross-issue, cross-sector strategies and organizations led by young people, people of color, people with disabilities and others who have less access to mainstream sources of funding.

Creative Solutions Fund - Current Grantees

Dreaming New Mexico, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Grants to support the Dreaming New Mexico Project, a localization initiative focused on Food Systems and Climate Change/Renewable Energy. Focusing on both practical and visionary solutions, the Dreaming New Mexico project seeks to identify systemic, collaborative approaches toward a common vision of restoration at the local and regional level. Fiscal Sponsor: Collective Heritage Institute www.dreamingnewmexico.org

Earth Activist Training (EAT) San Francisco, California

EAT's mission is to provide education, training and resources that integrate regenerative design, eco-literacy, activism and social justice to the public. EAT offers programs on various aspects of urban sustainability, permaculture, and organizing skills, as well as two-week Permaculture design courses in a rural setting. This training includes topics such as rainwater catchment, bioremediation, and community farming. Aepoch provides general support for the trainings as well as for urban gardening work in the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood of San Francisco. www.earthactivisttraining.org

Movement Generation, Oakland, California

The purpose of Movement Generation (MG) is to develop the strategic movement capacity of young organizational leaders 35-years old and under in the Bay Area social justice community, especially young women, LGBT people and people of color. In its first two years MG convened more than 70 young movement leaders from more than 30 organizations into two cycles of ten-month movement strategy discussions. Aepoch supports MG's Crossroads Project, which links environmental issues and activists with economic and racial justice movements. Fiscal Sponsor: Movement Strategy Center www.movementgeneration.org

Native Movement, Flagstaff, Arizona

Native Movement supports culturally-based leadership development and sustainability programs in Alaska (Indigenous Leadership Institute) and the Southwest, while inspiring and supporting young Indigenous leaders across North America. Native Movement also provides sponsorship and technical support for a range of Indigenous-led organizations and initiatives. Aepoch Fund has provided grants to support programs on peace, sustainability, youth leadership development, healing, community building, and movement building and to support the development of programs in Alaska. www.nativemovement.org

Other Worlds Are Possible, Albuquerque, New Mexico

The Other Worlds Are Possible Collective is a multi-national, multi-media, multi-lingual education and organizing collaborative generating awareness of political, economic, cultural, social and gender alternatives throughout the world. Other Worlds is: documenting six major areas of thriving, large-scale, just economies; creating a book and a photo book; organizing national speaking tours and photo exhibits; producing a documentary series, a magazine series, a radio series, and a popular education curriculum. All of these are for broad dissemination to popular audiences throughout the Americas, in English and Spanish. Working in partnership with movements and citizens' groups Other Worlds plans to help viewers/readers/listeners become active in their own communities and sectors and to work for more just national and international policy. Aepoch has provided early stage general support. Fiscal sponsor: Institute for Policy Studies www.otherworldsarepossible.org

Otros Mundos San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico

Otros Mundos’ mission is to build environmental, political, economic, and social alternatives to current models of capitalism and domination. Otros Mundos works on a wide variety of issues ranging from education, environmental protection, access to water, and domestic violence. The organization’s mental health program “Corazonando – With Our Hearts” facilitates community mental health groups involving art-therapy, therapeutic theater, and other healing modalities. Otros Mundos also creates and disseminates popular education materials and curriculum dealing with domestic violence, human rights, and other issues. Aepoch provided support for the Corazonando program in 2008, as well as additional general support in 2010.

People's Grocery, Oakland, California

People's Grocery develops solutions to the health problems in the low-income community of West Oakland that stem from a lack of access to, and knowledge about, healthy, fresh foods. They work to increase the community's capacity to achieve self-reliance in meeting its food and nutrition needs, as well as provide meaningful employment and training opportunities for residents. Aepoch has supported the development of a business plan and real estate acquisition strategy to increase access to healthy food and food justice in West Oakland. www.peoplesgrocery.org

Ruckus Society, Berkeley, California

The Ruckus Society provides environmental, human rights, and social justice organizers with tools and training in nonviolent direction action and other skills needed for successful campaigns. Ruckus also supports coalition-building efforts and educates constituents about media outreach and effective use of technology. Aepoch has provided general support grants to Ruckus. www.ruckus.org

Transition Whidbey, Whidbey Island, Washington

Transition Whidbey is a community-based organization of Whidbey Island, Washington that works together toward greater food, energy and economic self-reliance in response to predicted energy and resource constraints. With a membership of Whidbey Island residents totaling 235 people, current action groups include an island-wide food system asset-mapping project, a local currency and economy project and other re-localization efforts. With start-up support from Aepoch, Transition Whidbey is building an island community with less stress, better food, deeper community ties, more generous sharing of resources, and more local production of art, conviviality and joy. Fiscal sponsor: Youth for a New World. www.relocalize.net/groups/transition_whidbey

Examples of Past Grants

Center for Food Safety San Francisco, California

The Center for Food Safety houses the project Navdanya; an organization founded by Dr. Vandana Shiva in India over 20 years ago. Navdanya works to build locally based, ecological food models as a key solution to alleviating poverty and hunger, mitigating and adapting to climate chaos, and protecting natural resources—all of which ensures social justice and equity. Aepoch provides general support to Navdanya for their seed conservation centers, organic farming programs, research and technical assistance, awareness and mobilization campaigns, and much more as they work to reinvigorate rural communities and enable hundreds of thousands of farmers to de-link from a chemical- and energy-intensive industrial food paradigm. www.navdanya.org

Engage Network, Albany, California

The Engage Network is working to create a world where people are part of strong and vibrant communities, have a personal sense of purpose, and are having fun while making a difference. It operates through small purpose-driven groups of people taking action together in their communities and plans to link these small groups. Aepoch has supported the "What's Your Tree" program to develop and build small groups that inspire individual and community action. www.engagenet.org

Miami Workers Center, Miami, Florida

The Miami Workers Center helps working class people build grassroots organizations and develop their leadership capacity through community organizing campaigns and education programs. The Center also actively builds coalitions and enters alliances to amplify progressive power and win racial, community, social, and economic justice. Aepoch supported the launch of the Liberty City Green Dream, a project to bring community controlled and environmentally sustainable economic development to the Miami neighborhood of Liberty City. www.miamiworkerscenter.org

Movement Strategy Center, Oakland, California

The Movement Strategy Center (MSC) works to support emerging social justice organizations to be more strategic, collaborative and sustainable. Work is focused on organizations led by young women, people of color and low-income people in the Bay Area, state-wide organizations, and national organizations. Aepoch has provided general support for MSC's work in leadership development and capacity building with social justice organizations. www.movementstrategy.org

United States Social Forum, Atlanta, Georgia

The first United States Social Forum, held in Atlanta, GA in 2007 is the US-based counterpart to the annual World Social Forum. Under the banner of 'Another World is Possible,' tens of thousands of community organizers, trade unionists, students/youth, NGO representatives, elected officials and social movements gather for a weeklong conference filled with dialogues, workshops, debates, marches, rallies, and cultural events. The US Social Forum creates a space for social change agents to build relationships, learn from each other's experiences, share analysis of the problems their communities face, and bring renewed insight and inspiration. It helps develop leadership and develop consciousness, vision, and strategy needed to realize another world. Aepoch Fund provided organizational sponsorship of the US Social Forum to fund participation of low-income, young and displaced people from across the country. Fiscal sponsor: Project South www.projectsouth.org

White Earth Land Recovery Project, Callaway, Minnesota

The mission of the White Earth Land Recovery Project (WELRP) is to facilitate recovery of the original land base of the White Earth Indian Reservation in Minnesota. WELRP also works on preserving and restoring traditional practices of land stewardship, language fluency, community development, and strengthening spiritual and cultural heritage. Founded in 1989 by tribal member Winona La Duke, WELRP strengthens local Ojibwe culture and economy through a wide range of programs including Ojibwe language classes, a Farm to School program, alternative energy programs, a Wild Rice Campaign, and various others. Aepoch Fund provided general operating support to White Earth Land Recovery Project in 2008 and 2009. nativeharvest.com

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