#abolition#BlackMastodon#BlackTwiiter#NonProfits#Capitalism
Yesterday @majorlinux made an observation after years of raising money for charities through gaming: "The fact that charities exist because Capitalists horde all the wealth leaving the working class to pick up the slack by begging one another to donate while simultaneously providing the Capitalists to make themselves look good isn't great." Today I will talk about the nonprofit industrial compelx (NPIC). 1/8
#abolition#BlackMastodon#BlackTwiiter#NonProfits#Capitalism Usually abolition work is focusing on dismantling the prison industrial complex (PIC). But as groups start trying to rethink how to create safety, the question always comes up as to how to fund the work. In the US the thinking is you have to create a 501(c)(3) in order to raise money and then apply for grant funding. But capitalists create foundations (the source of grant funding) to shield their wealth from taxation. 2/ 8
#abolition#BlackMastodon#BlackTwiiter#NonProfits#Capitalism So rather than pay taxes so that communities can be properly supported by their own local governments, foundations put the money into charitable entities, thereby shielding it and then get a tax credit for giving it away! The question becomes if a grassroots group is really trying to radically change how their communities will be treated, will foundations be willing to fund such ideas? 3/8
@fulanigirl SO much this. they could be saving money by purchasing homes and turning it into cooperative housing, land trust, or rent geared to income for low income people. Ive heard the mortgage lenders won’t finance coop housing mostly but governments could support it and work it through coop banks I’m sure. All that charity money could pay cash for many homes to securely house those they already support & are precarious. Charities should be working themselves out of a job or purpose.
#abolition#BlackMastodon#BlackTwiiter#NonProfits#Capitalism In a book that’s been out for a while, but I’m just getting to : THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE FUNDED, edited by INCITE! A collection of grassroots organizers wrote about how foundations co-opt and otherwise use their grants as a way to restrict the real work grassroots organizations do. The organizational leaders discussed how they ended up wasting time and resources “professionalizing” their work as demanded by the foundations. 4/8
#abolition#BlackMastodon#BlackTwiiter#NonProfits#Capitalism Examples: asking them to get office space and permanent staff they didn’t need. The “professionalization” push of the corporate foundations has created a category of nonprofit workers who are “professional managers.” Their whole effort revolves around keeping a high paying CEO or ED job in the sector as opposed to actually focusing on delivering services. I’ve seen good programs destroyed by nonprofit professionals EDs. 5/8
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