In the last year, Equity Agenda has assisted several direct service nonprofits (see the list on our partners page!) with gender equity missions to create new relationships with city government. We are very proud to announce that over $320,000 in brand new funds have been secured for partner nonprofits through Equity Agenda’s expertise and technical assistance. During the pandemic, we also provided necessary and unique assistance to our partner nonprofits to ensure the effective, equitable disbursement of a million dollars in pandemic related funds directly within the Austin community. These nonprofits are all led by women of color, serve those who are most marginalized in our communities, and are the communities city governments struggle most to reach and support.
City social services partnerships are challenging. While cities must ensure that taxpayer dollars are being spent responsibly, overly bureaucratic and complicated processes present a considerable barrier to smaller direct services groups, who are often led by people of color and women. These groups create tremendous impact within communities, often with no paid staff and little resources. If the language and process barriers can be overcome, they can become dollar for dollar some of the best partners for city government in expanding equitable services for residents. In the coming months, we’ll be talking to city leaders about what we have learned, and our recommendations for improving and streamlining these partnerships.