Sunrise Movement Chicago Fellowship 2021
Donation protected
Hi! My name is Jack and I’m the fundraising and finance team lead for the amazing Chicago hub of the Sunrise Movement. (visit the Chicago hub website here). We are fundraising to enable ourselves to bring on at least two full-time fellows and a part-time fellowship manager in 2021. This is our hub's second annual fellowship program, and will enable the Chicago hub to increase its organizing capacity going into the first 100 days of a Biden presidency. The first $5,000 in donations will be matched.
The Sunrise Movement is a youth-led movement to stop the climate crisis and create millions of good jobs in the process. Locally, the Chicago Sunrise Movement is ready to take on the challenge of doing all that we can to organize and push through a Green New Deal.
Since its founding in January 2019, the Sunrise Chicago hub has:
-Hosted local actions pressuring our two Illinois Senators to co-sponsor the Green New Deal
-Endorsed 4 candidates across the Chicago who embodied what it means to be a Green New Deal Champion. With our movement's support in canvassing and phone banking, we were a part of Marie Newman’s (IL 3rd congressional) progressive upset of a long-time incumbent and the reelection of Robert Peters (IL 13th State Senate)
-Organized a sold-out Green New Deal Town Hall, where guests such as Naomi Davis of Blacks in Green, Demond Drummer from the New Consensus and Representatives Chuy Garcia and Jan Schakowsky, spoke about the Green New Deal and what such visionary policy might look like in Chicago
-Successfully adapted to the COVID-19 crisis while continuing to grow our hub membership, fundraising to provide mutual aid to our partner organizations, and mobilizing our supporters to show up in solidarity with the Movement for Black Lives and the movement to Defund the Chicago Police Department and CPAC Now.
Why a fellowship?
This will be our hub's 2nd fellowship! Our original fellowship in the first half of 2020 was transformational for our movement here in Chicago, and we want to continue building on the success of this program. Our 2020 fellows published a reflection on their contributions and experience you can read here .
Over the last 2 years, we’ve seen our movement and our hub grow and build capacity as we take on the crisis of our generation. In Chicago, we have pulled off amazing actions and events and built strong leadership and community, and it’s all been done by volunteers dedicating their time and resources after work and school, meeting up in libraries and community spaces. We have even bigger plans to build the kind of power needed to win and implement a Green New Deal. We know the only way we’re going to build the kind of capacity needed to win is if we have folks who are going all-in for a GND.
So, we want to cover the living expenses for young people fighting to win a livable future to enable them to go all-in for a Green New Deal. We want to pay folks to do the deep and important work of laying the groundwork for a local GND in one of the most segregated cities in America. Sunrise Chicago is also committed to including folks who might have been alienated from the climate movement in the past.
We've built a lot of power over the past 2 years, but we want to do so much more! And as time runs out we want to be able to fund a fellowship that allows people to go full time in addressing the climate crisis at the level it demands.
What kinds of projects will people in the fellowship be working on?
Organize the Unorganized
Build a mass movement of people ready to participate in mass non-cooperation. Reaching 3.5% of Chicago’s population through presentations, tabling, canvassing, and support emerging high school and college hubs.
Build a Hub as Diverse as Our City
Build a more diverse hub, one more representative of the demographics of the City, which includes showing up in solidarity with other movements for justice and investing in the leadership capacity of BIPOC organizers.
Build Local Power
Build and grow Chicago’s People’s Alignment and our partnerships with racial justice, labor, and environmental justice organizations. Support efforts to legislate Green New Deal Style policy on the city and state level. Unite social, economic, racial, and more groups to fight for a just and equitable future
What the funds will be used for?
All funds raised will go towards covering living expenses for 2+ Chicago organizers, starting in early 2021. These organizers will be working on many of the projects listed above.
We are incredibly grateful for all of your support and contributions in helping us stop the climate crisis!
The Sunrise Movement is a youth-led movement to stop the climate crisis and create millions of good jobs in the process. Locally, the Chicago Sunrise Movement is ready to take on the challenge of doing all that we can to organize and push through a Green New Deal.
Since its founding in January 2019, the Sunrise Chicago hub has:
-Hosted local actions pressuring our two Illinois Senators to co-sponsor the Green New Deal
-Endorsed 4 candidates across the Chicago who embodied what it means to be a Green New Deal Champion. With our movement's support in canvassing and phone banking, we were a part of Marie Newman’s (IL 3rd congressional) progressive upset of a long-time incumbent and the reelection of Robert Peters (IL 13th State Senate)
-Organized a sold-out Green New Deal Town Hall, where guests such as Naomi Davis of Blacks in Green, Demond Drummer from the New Consensus and Representatives Chuy Garcia and Jan Schakowsky, spoke about the Green New Deal and what such visionary policy might look like in Chicago
-Successfully adapted to the COVID-19 crisis while continuing to grow our hub membership, fundraising to provide mutual aid to our partner organizations, and mobilizing our supporters to show up in solidarity with the Movement for Black Lives and the movement to Defund the Chicago Police Department and CPAC Now.
Why a fellowship?
This will be our hub's 2nd fellowship! Our original fellowship in the first half of 2020 was transformational for our movement here in Chicago, and we want to continue building on the success of this program. Our 2020 fellows published a reflection on their contributions and experience you can read here .
Over the last 2 years, we’ve seen our movement and our hub grow and build capacity as we take on the crisis of our generation. In Chicago, we have pulled off amazing actions and events and built strong leadership and community, and it’s all been done by volunteers dedicating their time and resources after work and school, meeting up in libraries and community spaces. We have even bigger plans to build the kind of power needed to win and implement a Green New Deal. We know the only way we’re going to build the kind of capacity needed to win is if we have folks who are going all-in for a GND.
So, we want to cover the living expenses for young people fighting to win a livable future to enable them to go all-in for a Green New Deal. We want to pay folks to do the deep and important work of laying the groundwork for a local GND in one of the most segregated cities in America. Sunrise Chicago is also committed to including folks who might have been alienated from the climate movement in the past.
We've built a lot of power over the past 2 years, but we want to do so much more! And as time runs out we want to be able to fund a fellowship that allows people to go full time in addressing the climate crisis at the level it demands.
What kinds of projects will people in the fellowship be working on?
Organize the Unorganized
Build a mass movement of people ready to participate in mass non-cooperation. Reaching 3.5% of Chicago’s population through presentations, tabling, canvassing, and support emerging high school and college hubs.
Build a Hub as Diverse as Our City
Build a more diverse hub, one more representative of the demographics of the City, which includes showing up in solidarity with other movements for justice and investing in the leadership capacity of BIPOC organizers.
Build Local Power
Build and grow Chicago’s People’s Alignment and our partnerships with racial justice, labor, and environmental justice organizations. Support efforts to legislate Green New Deal Style policy on the city and state level. Unite social, economic, racial, and more groups to fight for a just and equitable future
What the funds will be used for?
All funds raised will go towards covering living expenses for 2+ Chicago organizers, starting in early 2021. These organizers will be working on many of the projects listed above.
We are incredibly grateful for all of your support and contributions in helping us stop the climate crisis!
Co-organizers (2)
Jack McCarthy
Organizer
Chicago, IL
Emily McKinnon
Beneficiary
Emily McKinnon
Co-organizer