This fall the RFC made 83 grants totaling $196,216; 6 are new awards and 77 are renewals. Thanks to our supporters’ generosity, in 2007 the RFC awarded almost $410,000, exceeding $400,000 for the second year running. The RFC Board’s commitment to help these children in the face of ongoing repression is unwavering.
New Grants
1–2. Two Anti-War Muslims Targeted. $14,000 for school tuition for the seven children, aged six to 13, from two families, whose fathers were convicted after an FBI sting targeting them for their public anti-war activities and support for a local Mosque. NY.
3. Son of Political Prisoner. $8000 for educational support for the three daughters, aged ten to 17, and the eight-year-old son whose father, himself the son of a political prisoner, was fired for supporting political prisoners. GA
4. Program for Torture Survivors’ Children. $3000 for a support group for 20 youth, aged three to 18, whose activist parents survived torture in their home countries. PA
5. Former Black Panther. $1500 for dance lessons and a computer for the 11-year old daughter whose father was accused of killing a police officer in 1971, tortured into confessing to the crime in 1973, and recently re-arrested for the murder based on the coerced confession. FL
6. Anti-War Soldier Threatened. A $600 Carry It Forward (CIF)* award to the 23-year-old who was threatened with a dishonorable discharge for his anti-war activism. MA
(*CIF awards of $600 are given to 18 to 24-year-olds to help pay for the cost associated with college or similar programs designed to prepare them for adult life.)
Renewals
7. Clinton E. Jencks Memorial Fund Award*. $1000 for educational support for the seven-year-old daughter of a labor activist who was fired and harassed for her organizing efforts. GA
(*Go to “Named Funds” to find out more about the Jencks Fund and other named funds.)
8. Herman Warsh Memorial Fund Award**. $4000 for school tuition for the five-year-old-daughter and seven-year-old son whose father was harassed and forced to leave school for his activism, including protests against the first President Bush. GA
(**Go to “Named Funds” to find out more about the Warsh Fund and other named funds.)
9-16. Generations Working Together for Peace. $14,708 for a variety of cultural and educational programs for 12 children, aged five to 18, who are members of several pacifist communtities. Parents and teenaged children have engaged in peaceful anti-war protests and many of the parents have been imprisoned for civil disobedience. ME, NY, NJ, VA
17-20. Parents Attacked for Environmental, Anti-Racist Work. $14,000 for a range of programs for 9 children, aged three to 10, from four families. Three mothers and a father were beaten and arrested while marching against environmental racism, others were attacked and/or imprisoned for their community organizing work. GA, LA, NY
21-25. Children of Political Prisoners. $10,394 for school tuition, tutoring, music lessons, sports programs and childcare for 13 children and grandchildren, aged three to 14, of an African American community, whose parents and grandparents are political prisoners. PA
26. Family Threatened by KKK. $9000 for school tuition, music lessons, gymnastics classes and childcare for six children, aged three to 14, of an activist who received death threats from the Klan for her efforts to desegregate a public housing complex. OR
27. Activist Mother Fired. $6000 for school tuition for the four children, aged two to 12, whose mother’s support for an arrested Muslim caused her boss to pressure her to find employment where she’d “feel more at home.” GA
28. Children’s Home Destroyed. $5500 for cultural programs for four children, aged nine to 18, from two Native American families. The parents have had their nation standing stripped or jeopardized, homes destroyed and jobs threatened because of their work against the Bureau of Indian Affairs-appointed leader of their nation. NY
29. Sons Flee with Mother. $5300 for educational support, childcare and sports programs for four sons, aged four to 16, whose mother was threatened with prison in her home state for addressing the needs of low income families. TX
30. Circus Program, CIF for Daughters. $4600 for circus school for the 15 and 18-year-old daughters and a CIF award for the 22-year-old daughter whose father, an independent journalist, was fired and blacklisted for progressive coverage of controversial topics. MN
31. Cultural Programs for Children of Pacifist. $4500 for recreational and cultural programs for the 11-year-old son and nine and 15-year-old daughters whose father faced fines and jail time for his anti-missile shield action. OK
32. Iraq War Resister. $4000 for swim, dance and art programs for the 12-year-old twin daughters of a formerly incarcerated conscientious objector. CA
33. Daughters Assaulted. $4000 for school tuition for the four daughters, aged five to 15, whose mother, an anti-female genital mutilation activist, was forced to flee Guinea with her daughters after two were attacked in retaliation for her work. NY
34. Teenagers Whose Mother Took on the Courts. $3500 for educational travel and support for the 15-year-old son and 17-year-old daughter whose mother was targeted for organizing against the revictimization of domestic violence survivors by the court system. MA
35. GLBT Leader Attacked. $3498 for school tuition and a Special Travel award*** for the 16-year-old granddaughter and 24-year-old son of the founder of a grassroots organization who has been attacked for advocating for civil rights for the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender (GLBT) community. OR
(*** Special Travel awards are one-time awards that serve an important developmental or educational purpose for young people entering adulthood.)
36. Family Reunited. $3480 for a special grant to reunite the three children, aged three to 10, of a human rights activist who fled Africa. VA
37. War Resister Imprisoned. $3372 for educational support for the four and five-year-old daughters and 10 and 13-year-old sons whose father served a four-month sentence for refusing to return to Iraq. CO
38. Vieques Activist. $3240 for educational support for the 11-year-old son and 12 and 16-year-old daughters of a formerly incarcerated Vieques activist. PR
39. Anti-War Activist Youth. $3100 for Special Travel and CIF awards for a 21-year-old targeted by her school and community for speaking out against the war in Afghanistan. IL
40. Prisoners’ Rights Activist Targeted. $3013 for sports and cultural programs for the eight and 10-year-old sons of a formerly incarcerated prisoners’ rights activist. VT
41. Children, Mother Fled War Horrors. $2840 for educational and cultural programs for the 13-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son, and a CIF award for the 18-year-old daughter whose mother fled after receiving death threats for organizing against mass rape in Congolese warfare. IL
42. Father Fought for Independence. $2750 for school tuition for the 12-year-old daughter and 17-year-old son whose father is a former political prisoner. PR
43. Young Children’s Home Raided. $2500 for a circus program and educational support for the nine and 11-year-old daughters whose father was harassed by the police for his role in organizing demonstrations against corporations that produce genetically modified foods. MN
44. Special Travel for Student Organizer. $2500 Special Travel award for a 21-year-old student activist targeted for organizing groups including Students for a Democratic Society and Campus Anti-War Network. NY
45. Grandfather Imprisoned for Decades. $2440 for educational support and an Attica travel grant**** for the 18-year-old grandson of an African American political prisoner. PA
(****Attica Fund Prison Visit awards enable the children and grandchildren of political prisoners to visit their jailed loved ones.)
46. Peace Activist Father. $2225 for music lessons for the 16-year-old son and CIF awards for the 19 and 21-year-old daughters whose father is unable to work due to his anti-war activities. MO
47. Girls’ Father on Death List. $2100 for child care and a CIF award for the eight and 20-year-old daughters whose father, a Liberian human rights activist, was slated for assassination. MN
48. Educational Support for Daughter. $2000 for math, science and SAT-prep tutoring for the 16-year-old daughter of a former political prisoner. CA
49. Activist Mother Targeted for Human Rights Work. $2000 for educational support and cultural programs for the four-year-old granddaughter and seven-year-old grandson of a targeted poor people’s rights activist. OR
50. Son of Exiled Activist. $2000 for tutoring for the 14-year-old son whose father, a COINTELPRO target, was forced to flee the country. AL
51. Mother Beaten, Pepper-Sprayed and Harassed. $2000 for school tuition for the six-year-old son and nine-year-old daughter whose mother, an African American community organizer, was targeted by the local police. GA
52. Young Child’s Iraq Refusenik Father Released. $2000 for school tuition for the daughter, now seven, whose father was jailed for a year for refusing to fight in Iraq. FL
53. Parents Forced Underground. $2000 for educational support for the 17-year-old daughter of former anti-imperialist political prisoners. CA
54. Son of COINTELPRO Target Harassed for his Activism. $2000 for the twin nine-year-old daughters of a community activist targeted for his organizing efforts on behalf of students, the homeless and low-income communities. GA
55. Puerto Rican Environmental Hero Attacked. $1912 for school tuition and art classes for the 13-year-old son and 17-year-old daughter of an activist repeatedly incarcerated and fined for his non-violent actions to force the Navy out of Vieques. PR
56. Father Opposed Police Brutality. $1900 for music lessons and educational support for the 11-year-old son and 17-year-old daughter whose father organized against police brutality and served two years on trumped-up charges. AZ
57. Children of Imprisoned Native American Environmental Activist. $1750 for dance classes and counseling for the five-year-old daughter and six-year-old son whose father served an eight-month sentence for destroying traps set for mountain lions. AZ
58. Targeted Bosnian Refugee. $1720 for educational support and a CIF award for the 15 and 23-year-old daughters of a human rights activist. IL
59. Jailers Threaten to Burn Children. $1600 for educational programs and daycare for the eight-year-old son and 15-year old daughter of a refugee women’s rights activist who was brutally tortured and whose children were threatened by her Iranian jailers. VA
60. Father Fought for Indigenous Rights. $1500 for a computer and educational software for the 10-year-old son of a deceased Native American prisoners' rights activist. NM
61. Anti-ROTC Activist. $1410 for school tuition for the 12-year-old daughter whose father was targeted for successfully opposing military presence on his campus. PR
62. Anti-Globalization Political Prisoner. $1280 for educational support and music lessons for the 11-year-old daughter whose father spent over seven years in prison. OR
63. Educational Support for Granddaughter. $1132 for school tuition for a 16-year-old whose grandmother is a former Puerto Rican political prisoner. PR
64. Pacifist Father Fired. $1100 for art classes and a CIF award for the 17 and 20-year-old daughters of a peace activist who lost his high school teaching job. CT
65. Infant’s Mother Disabled after Beating. $1000 for school tuition for the nine-year-old daughter who was a baby when her mother was beaten during the 2000 Republican National Convention. WA
66. Repeatedly Imprisoned Activist. $1000 for educational support for the 12-year-old son of a leader of the struggle to free Vieques. PR
67. Father Disappeared, Mother and Daughter Flee. $1000 for gymnastics classes for the 15-year-old daughter of an activist father "disappeared" during the Guatemalan civil war for his anti-military, pro-student efforts. IL
68. Five Years for Demonstrating. $1000 for school tuition for the eight-year-old daughter whose father was sentenced to five years in jail for protesting the Navy’s use of Vieques as a bombing range. PR
69. Daughter of Political Prisoner. $1000 for counseling for the 16-year-old daughter of an imprisoned and then exonerated Black Panther. CA
70. Communication with Imprisoned Mother. $850 for a special grant for telephone communication for the 24-year-old son of targeted activists, both of whom are serving lengthy prison terms after an FBI entrapment operation. NY
CIF AWARDS
71-82. CIF Awards. $7200 for 12 beneficiaries, aged 18 to 22. AL, GA, MA, NY, OH, PR
ATTICA PRISON VISIT PROGRAM GRANTS
83. Attica Award. $800 for a 22-year-old daughter to visit incarcerated loved ones. NY