The Kellogg Foundation has pledged to spend $80 million to “advance racial equity globally.”
The money was awarded to five organizations for the Kellogg Foundation’s “Racial Equity 2030 challenge.”
In a press release about the money, the foundation said that over the next eight years, it will contribute a total of $80 million “to help build and scale actionable ideas for transformative change in the systems and institutions that uphold racial inequities.”
In 2020, the foundation put out a call looking for “bold solutions to drive an equitable future for children, families, and communities around the world” and received 1,453 submissions from 72 countries.
In September 2021, the Kellogg Foundation announced its top 10 finalists — and gave each of them a $1 million planning grant and nine months of capacity-building support, including advising from the Dalberg Group.
Ultimately, the cash was awarded to “The SETA Project: Transformative Anti Racist Education Systems in Brazil,” “Healing Through Justice: A Community-Led Breakthrough Strategy for Healing-Centered Communities in Illinois, U.S.A.,” “Indigenous Lands Initiative: Securing Land Ownership Rights for Indigenous Communities in Mexico and Central and South America,” “Overcoming Environmental Racism by Knowing, Using and Shaping Law in Kenya, Sierra Leone and the U.S.,” and “Kawailoa: A Transformative Indigenous Model to End Youth Incarceration in Hawai’i and Beyond.”
“The bold work proposed by each of the awardees fills me with hope that together we can attack the roots of inequity in our communities and build a future in which all children can thrive,” said La June Montgomery Tabron, WKKF president and CEO. “But this change won’t happen unless we act, and I believe we must act now. I am excited to partner with these teams to address racism in their communities and support systemic change across the globe.”
The awards will fund a number of causes from “transforming education systems to healing communities” and “empowering historically marginalized Indigenous people.”
“We are uplifted by the ambition and creativity of the projects proposed by these teams,” said Cecilia Conrad, CEO of Lever for Change. “We invite others across the philanthropic, public and private sectors to join forces in funding the awardees and other outstanding organizations that participated in Racial Equity 2030, in order to challenge the systems and institutions that uphold inequity around the world. We have an opportunity now to create ripples of impact throughout our global community to be felt for years to come.”
Last October, production of Kellogg’s products was temporarily halted when workers went on strike.
Production of Kellogg’s Cereal Halted Amid Strikes at All of Their US Plants
The union representing the workers had been failing to obtain any concessions for more than a year — and claimed that the company was threatening to move production to Mexico instead of bargaining with them. The union has been at an impasse with Kellogg’s over the loss of premium health care, holiday and vacation pay and reduced retirement benefits.
