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Press Release

LI Unitarian Universalist Fund Awards $158,000 to Agencies Promoting Social Change

A young participant at the Butterfly Effect Project

Advisors of the Long Island Unitarian Universalist Fund (LIUUF) have selected six local non-profits to receive grants totaling $158,000. These grants support initiatives to advance progressive social change. The projects revolve around engaging our youth in activism, seeking racial equity, protecting LGBTQ+ rights, and creative approaches to help justice-involved individuals improve their lives. For more than 30 years and often taking bold leadership, LIUUF has supported projects that build power among marginalized groups, advocate for policies and practices that level the playing field, and make Long Island a more equitable and peaceful place for all of its residents.

Recent grants:

ERASE RACISM -$35,000: Advance racial equity through youth empowerment programs.

THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT PROJECT -$23,000: Leadership initiative creating opportunities for youth of color to advocate for change in their communities.

HERSTORY WRITERS NETWORK -$25,000: Empowerment and leadership development for court-involved young people.

SOUND JUSTICE INITIATIVE -$20,000: Creating an infrastructure for justice-involved individuals to gain access to information and services to help them navigate reentry.

LGBT NETWORK -$25,000: Effort to increase LGBT representation on local Boards as well as at Board meetings to advocate and protect LGBT rights.

OLA OF EASTERN LONG ISLAND -$30,000: Advocate for State and Local policies that protect the rights of Latino immigrants on Long Island’s East End.

The impact of LIUUF is profound. It enables us to initiate new programs, improve services and expand access to educational and vocational training for justice-involved individuals. This effort is crucial for transforming lives – benefiting not only individuals but also their families and communities.

Dr. Kerry Spooner , Sound Justice Initiative

The LIUUF gives spaces and opportunities to organizations that are doing the work on a grassroots level, and beyond which makes the grants equitable for so many.

Tijuana Fulford, The Butterfly Effect Project

LIUUF is proud to support and partner with amazing and dedicated institutions.

The Long Island Unitarian Universalist Fund is a field-of-interest fund in the Long Island Community Foundation (LICF) with three grant cycles per year. The goals of grantmaking include social justice, advocacy, and education. There is a connection to Unitarian Universalism which has at its core a belief in people’s worth and dignity, democratic principles, justice, a search for truth and our interconnectedness. This unique combination is a powerful force working to help all Long Islanders.