Guest blog by Cleo Rohn, RFC Granting Coordinator

The RFC has had a busy spring: in the last month, we granted over $230,000 in funds to support the children of targeted activists. After two whirlwind granting meetings, we are closing our spring granting season with 88 total grants awarded to RFC beneficiary families, including four amazing families who are new to our community.

New RFC beneficiary families include a group of devoted parent advocates for transgender children. For years, these families have testified, lobbied, spoken to the media and pressured their communities to acknowledge the incredible danger trans children face. In the face of hate speech, physical attacks, bad faith CPS reports and more, these families have committed to not giving up until trans children can thrive and grow without fear or oppression. Funds from the RFC will cover therapy, summer camps and school tuition that will allow these children to maintain a sense of safety and stability as they fight for a better future.

In addition, we find it incredibly meaningful to support the teenage son of a man who was killed by police in a live-streamed shooting. His mother has fought tirelessly for police accountability, not just for her partner but for thousands of other families who have lost loved ones at the hands of police. As mother and son face harassment and verbal attacks on top of the weight of their grief, a grant from the RFC will help provide art classes and art supplies for self-expression and healing.

As they often do, our grantmaking meetings this spring brought up a multitude of questions, reflections, and discussions: are we supporting families in the best way we can? Are our grants continuing to make meaningful differences in the lives of these children? How do we prepare ourselves for what we can only imagine will be a sizable increase in potential beneficiaries as the year goes on?

Most of this is ongoing reflection, and as a guest in these Board meetings, I feel continually appreciative that RFC staff and Board members take the time to reflect, elicit feedback, evaluate and recommit to doing the best we can for our beneficiary community. But it also warms my heart to receive letters from beneficiary families that assure me that we are continuing to make a difference. Recently, we’ve heard the following from RFC beneficiary parents:

• A boy’s love for learning is flourishing and growing in the culturally-responsive school he attends with support from the RFC
• The music lessons and recording software we purchased for a young girl years ago have led to a budding career as a DJ and music producer
• RFC grants have allowed a student activist who was beaten by campus police to receive ongoing trauma therapy and attend conferences to continue their passion for progressive organizing.

There is no better feedback to receive. When things feel bleak, I read updates like these and remember that all of us, together, are making a tangible difference in the lives of incredible young people all over the country.

As the leaves unfurl and the sun comes out in Massachusetts, we are grateful for the perseverance of the RFC community and the ways we help each other survive the darkness. Thank you for being part of the fabric of this network of support; it takes each and every one of us to create the world we want to see.