2017 was a painful, exhausting year. Wide-spread resistance beat back some of the more egregious assaults on human and civil rights—challenging the Muslim ban, stopping attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and showing up in massive demonstrations across the country and around the world. But we all know that the Trump administration has done enormous damage to the environment, undermined civil and human rights, and exacerbated an already unsustainable distribution of wealth at the expense of those struggling to make ends meet.

(guest blog by RFC Communications Director, Amber Black)

For people who have been gone for almost 65 years, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg turn up in the news and pop culture a lot…and in some surprising ways.

Guest blog  by Robert Meeropol, Rosenberg Fund for Children Founder & son of Ethel & Julius Rosenberg

It is no secret that Trump’s election spurred more people to donate to progressive organizations like the RFC during the first nine months of this year. And, as expected, we needed every extra penny because requests for our aid have surged. But it isn’t as well known that the RFC and other groups have seen a reduction of support in the last couple of months. I think this reflects a combination of donor fatigue and a focus on giving to local progressive candidates even in this off-year election.

We’re in the midst of awarding our fall 2017 grants. To date, six new grantees have joined the RFC community and additional new applications are pending. So far, the new grantees include:

The RFC is a proud sponsor of the first-ever Abel Meeropol Social Justice Writing Award, which will be presented by Straw Dog Writers Guild to poet Patricia Smith on Sunday, November 12 at Gateway City Arts in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Guild co-founder and Board President Ellen Meeropol (also a member of the RFC’s Advisory Board) shares the story behind the award.