On March 2^nd, Crossroads Fund is celebrating 30 years of seeding change, growing leaders and building movements with a night of food, music, awards and more! This week we’re offering our Facebook fans a chance to join the celebration and win a free ticket to our gala event!

In my work at Crossroads Fund, it is always a privilege to witness grassroots leaders giving voice to the social justice issues that directly affect them. One of my most memorable site visits from this past spring’s grantmaking cycle was facilitated entirely by volunteer leaders from the organization’s constituency – in this case, low-income seniors from Jane Addams Senior Caucus working for better, more affordable housing and healthcare.

Crossroads Fund mourns the loss of an amazing Chicago organizer and member of our community. On January 29^th, John Castillo-Pennycuff passed away. John was a beloved and respected activist in the LGBTQ community. He served on the Chicago Commission on Human Relations Mayor's Advisory Council on LGBT Issues, was a member of Queer Nation Chicago, Equal Marriage NOW, the Coalition against Bashing, and many other groups, but I knew him as a friend.

Over the last 30 years, Crossroads Fund has been the first foundation funder of countless groups in Chicago, including United African Organization, Centro de Trabajadores Unidos, ACT/UP Chicago and more. We’re willing to take a risk and help new and emerging organizations hire their first staff, move out of the garage and into an office or launch their first major campaign.

It took thousands of people camping out in parks around the country to convince the mainstream media to acknowledge that economic inequality is a major problem in our country.  One study found that use of the words “income inequality” in the media increased more than 500% in the weeks after the Occupy Wall Street Movement began.

Over the last month, people have been talking about wealth inequality like never before. Warren Buffet took to the pages of the New York Times to argue that it was immoral that as one of the country’s richest men, he should be taxed at a lower rate than his secretary. Not long after, the Occupy Wall Street movement and its offshoots took up his rallying cry, bringing unprecedented attention to the fact that 1% of Americans own 38% of the country’s wealth. But despite dire warnings from the right that class war is around the corner, these protests are not simply the poor and middle class attacking the rich. Many people with wealth have taken to the streets to express their solidarity with the 99% and to ask to pay their fair share to make the US a more just nation.

Crossroads Fund is looking for a consultant to help us implement a tool to measure our social change impact. See the RFP below for more information:

Crossroads Fund invites you to celebrate 30 years of seeding change, growing leaders and building movements with our Reading Change book series.

This year, Crossroads Fund is celebrating our 30^th anniversary. We’re taking this opportunity to think critically about some of the social justice movements that Crossroads Fund has supported over the last three decades. Over the next nine months, we will be reading books addressing some of the issues our grantees are organizing around, hosting public gatherings to discuss these books and movements, and publishing reflections and analysis on the Crossroads Fund blog about the series.

Great news! (OK, maybe not as exciting as the “Buffet Rule”)!

Crossroads Fund will be the featured cause for three days on Groupon!  I know - we are excited too!

The Crossroads Fund community is grief-stricken at learning about the passing of Henry T. Chandler, Jr. (Harry), who passed away on Tuesday, September 13, 2011.  Chicago has lost a great friend, community member, and leader.