History
In 1956, Duane and Virginia Secor Stranahan created The Needmor Fund for Social Justice to facilitate their family’s charitable giving. The work of Needmor continues to be informed by the energy, vision, and generosity of these forebears.
Why Organizing?
“We found that when we were funding community organizing, we empowered a group of people, that whether they won or lost the issue, they’d continue to be a voice for change.” — Molly Stranahan
Needmor first encountered community organizing as it responded to grant requests from across the country. Groups of determined men and women had banded together to assert and reclaim their rights in the face of blatant and sometimes brutal systemic injustice. Board and family members visited these groups and discovered a fiercely democratic process called community organizing. We met its scrappy, brave, resilient leaders. We heard its David and Goliath stories.
Each of us was powerfully moved, no matter where we were on the political spectrum. As our awareness and understanding of organizing grew, we also discovered that it was a field very few foundations supported. Hence, Needmor found its mission.
We also learned that organizing can respond to many different issues, yet it is always a story of tenacity, intelligence, and courage — a testament to human potential.
“...If you want to make change, the most powerful way to make change is to engage the people who are affected by the problem.”
— Molly
Today
To this day, we continue to fund grassroots community organizing. We have, however, also committed ourselves to the goal of widening our small circle of philanthropic colleagues who fund organizing. We want to share the good news: it is possible to bring about profound differences in the life of a community just by giving its members a voice. It is possible for even modest grants to help accomplish significant victories in the ongoing struggle for a more democratic society.
Working in relationships with gifted community organizers has imparted a unique energy, honesty, and clarity of purpose to our enterprise. We are supremely grateful that they have allowed us, the funders, to become trusted friends.
Family quotes were originally featured in The Needmor Fund: 50 Years, 50 Stories.
Download the book to learn more about our history of funding community organizing.