London's Burning: Who's Responsible?

"Basically we nearly died!" was my niece Roxana’s Facebook status. It was accompanied by a few seconds of video she’d taken with her phone, showing a group of young men hurling objects and up-ending a car. Initially a response to the fatal police shooting of Londoner Mark Duggan, the riots in London spread throughout the capital and then throughout the country.  During this wave of riots, I’ve observed that those with liberal or center-left views seem more likely than before to see this as individual rather than a societal problem. We had laughed when Margaret Thatcher first told us that there was "no such thing as society," but maybe her words took root.

Melissa Bradley Talks Gender Equity at the Aspen Ideas Festival

As part of Tides’ 2011 focus on Gender Equity, CEO Melissa Bradley recently spoke at the Aspen Ideas Festival on a panel entitled, “Why Invest in America's Women?” The panel focused on women’s roles in the economy and workforce, and how changes in policy and culture are needed to improve the lives of diverse women and their families.  The panelists addressed a range of questions from both Martin and the audience, and Melissa herself discussed topics ranging from Title IX to female CEOs, capital investment in women-led initiatives, welfare reform, pay disparities, and innovative workplace solutions and systems of care.

Support the Social Safety Net, Preserve Charitable Deductions

Tides CEO Melissa Bradley recently signed on to a letter initiated by our colleagues at Independent Sector, and signed by leaders from the nation's leading foundations and non-profit organizations, urging President Obama and Congress to preserve the tax incentives for charitable giving.  As our elected officials in Washington discuss reductions in spending to lower the national debt, the signatories argue against sacrificing our nation's social safety net and entitlement programs, and caution against jeopardizing the non-profit sector's workforce and programs by capping tax incentives for charitable contributions.

Today: Tides Community Member on NPR's Fresh Air

Today's edition of NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross will feature Jose Antonio Vargas, a founder of Define American, a Tides project, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who courageously shared the story of his life as an undocumented immigrant. You can find when it airs in your local NPR station here.

Last chance to register for the Games for Change Festival 2011

Tides is proud to partner with Games for Change to promote this innovative conference focusing on games and play in education and social change movements.  We invite everyone to check out the Games for Change Festival website and explore the content that will make an impact on you. As a special offer to the Tides community, register with the discount code "tides" to save 10% on registration. All Access passes are extremely limited as we are less than a week away from closing ticket sales.

Redeeming the Dream

This week,  I joined at least 2,000 workers, who descended upon Oakland’s City Hall to stand in solidarity with workers’ rights/labor struggles in Wisconsin and Ohio.  Yesterday was also the anniversary of the assassination of our beloved, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  King was in Memphis to support striking African American sanitation workers. The night before he was shot, in his famous “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech, King explained that the issue that brought him there was, “the refusal of Memphis to be fair...

What's Next from Melissa Bradley, Tides New CEO

In the long term my goal is to make Tides a world-class leader in social change. While this may initially seem like a huge statement, it is quite possible. With over 20% of our grant making being international, coupled with our over 200 fiscal sponsor projects across the country doing amazing work, this reality is around the corner. With a continued focus on client service, an investment in our infrastructure, and an analysis of new markets and service offerings, we are poised to scale our work and deepen its impact.

One Nation Working Together

On Saturday, October 2, One Nation Working Together, a nonprofit project of Tides, held a rally on the National Mall. The group was led by a coalition of civil rights organizations and organized labor including the NAACP, SEIU, AFL-CIO, Center for Community Change, National Council of La Raza, US Action, Intergenerational Alliance, Green for All, and many more. Over 400 endorsing organizations brought 200,000 people from across the country to rally and give witness to A Refocusing of America's Priorities.

One Nation Working Together: March With Us

On October 2, something special is going to happen. Everyday Americans from all walks of life will come together to take a step past the divisiveness that has plagued our country and towards a tomorrow built on a shared vision of prosperity. It is the One Nation Working Together march, and I hope you will be a part of it. Tides is the fiscal sponsor for One Nation Working Together providing it with operational infrastructure services.

The List Project Invites You

The List Project invites you to attend a U.S. Helsinki Commission hearing focusing on the current status of Iraqi refugees and the dangers faced by our Iraqi allies. Panelists include: Assistant Secretary Eric Schwartz (Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration); Michael Newton, Professor of Law (Vanderbilt University) and former Brigade Judge Advocate (U.S. Army Special Forces); Craig Johnstone of Refugees International; and our founder, Kirk Johnson. Johnson will discuss the need for contingency planning as the U.S. withdraws from Iraq and will put forth recommendations from our recent advocacy report, Tragedy on the Horizon.

Please join us in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, July 22nd for this important step in calling for immediate action on behalf of our Iraqi allies.