This spring, the RFC reached a new, incredible milestone: we have now awarded over $9 million in grant support since our first modest grants in the spring of 1991. As a small organization, we are amazed and humbled by this number. We are so happy to be able to support so many incredible families around the country who are doing the critical, world-changing work of fighting for social justice.
Numbers are impressive, but they can also be impersonal. At the RFC, our work is about far more than dollar amounts: it’s about the young people whose lives we’re honored to touch.
We reached out to our beneficiary community to learn more about the experiences behind the numbers. We asked, “What does being an RFC beneficiary family look and feel like for you? How has being an RFC beneficiary affected your child?”
In response, one parent shared how the Carry it Forward awards their son receives have paid for the school supplies necessary for him to pursue a major in engineering. “The Rosenberg Fund is so needed,” his father wrote.
Another parent shared that RFC grants have enabled their homeschooled children to take field trips to museums that sparked passions for nature and science. As those passions developed, RFC grants enabled them to attend in-person biology labs. Most recently, their RFC grant purchased highly technical model car kits, which the children built according to the instructions before breaking them down to build creative, detailed vehicle designs of their own.
The mother of three new RFC beneficiaries told us that becoming RFC grant recipients “has been a game changer” for their family. She wrote, “Our kids have been able to select camps they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to participate in and are enrolled in academic programs that are much needed to prepare for the upcoming school year. Given our advocacy and the current political climate, the RFC grant has given us an opportunity to give our kids some normalcy in their childhoods… we are so very grateful!”
For two children whose father has been denied employment for years because of his anti-racism work, RFC grants have meant the opportunity to attend dance classes and practice martial arts, activities the family could not otherwise afford. “The RFC has enhanced their lives so much,” the family shared.
One young woman whose parents have risked their safety to speak out against the broken immigration system shared that her first RFC grant was in the spring of 2020, when her high school shut down. She wrote, “The RFC helped me get a laptop in high school during the COVID-19 pandemic, which enabled me to do my coursework at home and to apply and get accepted into nursing school. Thanks to the RFC I was able to finish high school and now college. I am a Nurse Extern this summer because of the [doors] that RFC has opened for me.”
As we reflect on more than $9 million granted, we thank all of you for making it possible to support the children of targeted activists and grow our community.