RESULTS Weekly Update April 5, 2022

Quote of the Week

“No matter where you are on the journey to becoming an antiracist/anti-oppression ambassador, RESULTS’ Diversity & Inclusion 101 Training can help. Even if you have experienced Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) training in other environments (corporate, community, faith-based, non-profit, self-directed) as I have, it was valuable to participate with fellow volunteers with a common goal. Dr. Gunther, also a RESULTS advocate, facilitates a thoughtful dialogue in a safe space. It is a worthwhile investment of time for continuing personal and professional growth.”

– RESULTS North Carolina volunteer Ruth Thurmond Scott

Table of Contents

• FY23 appropriations roll along. Now is the time to act!
• Recovery bill could move soon – push for CTC to be in it
• Register for the RESULTS International Conference and Month of Action
• Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty
• Announcements
• Upcoming Events
• Grassroots Resources

FY23 appropriations roll along. Now is the time to act!

The appropriations process provides a unique opportunity to influence our global health, education, and economic priorities during congressional budgeting (watch the recording of our Appropriations 101 training).

Our appropriations memos – the funding levels we’re requesting – and a House letter supporting maternal and child health and nutrition are now all available for your action-taking. The process is speeding along, so don’t hesitate. Individual congressional offices are already setting internal deadlines for receiving these funding requests, so submit them today. As you do, ask those offices to weigh in with the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee (SFOPS) of Appropriations with those funding requests. And ask your representative to sign the House letter on maternal and child health and nutrition by April 18. Look for updates on various deadlines, letter signature lists, and more sign-on letters on the RESULTS blog. Then share this online action alert with others so they can take action on the House letter as well.

TAKE ACTION: Our FY23 appropriations funding memos are online, as is the bipartisan House letter for maternal and child health and nutrition led by Reps. Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Young Kim (R-CA). Read more about our funding asks and this House letter on the RESULTS blog, and check the blog regularly, as it will provide an on-going tracker of various deadlines, letter signature lists, and other letters available for signature. Submit funding requests to your members of Congress today, asking your legislators to weigh in with the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee of Appropriations. You can also click on the House letter to find the text and signing instructions. (Has your representative signed on already? Send a thank you!) Questions on this process? Contact Crickett at [email protected] or other RESULTS staff.

Recovery bill could move soon – push for CTC to be in it

Families struggling with rising prices could feel immediate relief if Congress would only extend the expanded Child Tax Credit. In 2021, low-income families spent the majority of their expanded CTC payments on basic needs. The math is simple. If you want to help families afford to pay the rent, put food on the table, and keep the lights on, extend the CTC now.

Rumors continue that Congress will take up a new economic recovery bill in the coming weeks. After this week, Congress will be on recess for two weeks. Work on a recovery bill, if it happens at all, will begin when they return. This is the best and likely last opportunity this year to get a CTC extension passed. It won’t be easy but let’s do all we can to keep pressure on lawmakers to get it done.

TAKE ACTION: As Congress plans a new recovery bill, pressure lawmakers to include an extension of the Child Tax Credit. Here’s what you can do.

1. Write letters. Use the April U.S. Poverty Action to write letters to your representatives and senators. Tell them they can help families with rising costs by passing a CTC extension now.
2. Invite others to write letters with you. The more letters you have, the more pressure Congress feels to act. Use our Action Workshop Agenda to host your own letter-writing meeting. Invite friends and family to attend and write letters with you. When done, send letters to the tax aides or deliver in lobby meetings you may have coming up.
3. Attend events during the April recess. With Congress on recess for two weeks, some lawmakers may hold in-person or town hall events.
4. Contact their local offices to see if they are and plan to attend. Use our CTC laser talk to urge them to support extending the CTC in legislation this year.
5. Continue to generate media. Imagine lawmakers home on recess reading your letter in the local paper urging them to extend the CTC. Use our online media alert to submit your letter today.

If you need help taking action, please contact RESULTS staff.

Register for the RESULTS International Conference

The weekend of June 4, RESULTS will gather for the 2022 RESULTS International Conference. At this virtual event, we’re thrilled to welcome author and professor Jelani Cobb of The New Yorker as a keynote speaker. We’ll also have top-notch issue briefings and advocacy trainings as part of the agenda. It promises to be a great event.

This event falls early in our Advocacy Month (May 30 and July 8), where we’ll focus on getting lobby meetings with members of Congress and their staff. Most meetings will be local, either in-person or virtual. With Advocacy Month bookended by the Memorial Day and Fourth of July congressional recesses, we will have more opportunities to meet face-to-face with lawmakers. This will be the busiest legislative period before the November election, making it a crucial time to meet with them. In addition, we will also host a limited, in-person lobbying event in Washington, DC, June 12-14.

We will welcome 1-2 delegates from each RESULTS group across the country, with a focus on newer leaders within RESULTS (more details to come). Between lobby meetings at home and in DC, for face-to-face meetings in one month, we aim to set a record for lobby meetings in one month.

Make sure you are a part of these exciting events!

TAKE ACTION: Register TODAY for the International Conference and stay tuned for more support as we prepare for our exciting Advocacy Month.

Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty

Media hooks of the week. To help you in your media advocacy, here are suggested media “hooks” this week to use in letters to the editor:

• U.S. Poverty: Because the CTC payments stopped, in February 3.4 million more children were living in poverty compared to December 2021. It is unconscionable that some lawmakers refuse to stop this injustice. Extend the CTC now.
• Global Poverty: The $10 billion COVID-19 supplemental just passed by the Senate unfortunately did not include a requested $5 billion for global COVID-19 aid. Consider writing a letter to the editor voicing your disappointment to Congress and calling on them to boldly fund global aid for COVID-19.

Housing discrimination and segregation persist. The Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley has launched their Roots of Structural Racism Project. It includes a powerful interactive mapping tool showing the levels of residential segregation and how patterns of housing segregation have changed over time.

Creating a “women-centered” recovery. In their Resilient But Not Recovered report, the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) explains that despite COVID-19 relief legislation that mitigates the pandemic’s damage, structural barriers to women’s economic security remain. The report highlights that many women, particularly women of color, are still struggling to make ends meet. The report concludes with data showing popular support for a “women-centered” recovery that benefits us all.

COVID-10 supplemental news. The $10 billion COVID-19 supplemental just passed by the Senate unfortunately did not include a requested $5 billion for global COVID-19 aid. While certainly a setback, our work to get global COVID-19 funding passed continues this spring. Consider writing your own letter to the editor voicing your disappointment to Congress, telling them you are disappointed in the lack of support for global COVID-19 funding in this supplemental and that they should reconsider. To quote USAID Administrator Samantha Power, “To tackle COVID-19 and end this pandemic once and for all, Congress must do what it has done before: come together and commit the additional resources we desperately need to continue the fight.” Write your letter today!

Encouraging Global Fund news. Upon release of its budget, the White House gave an indication of support for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by signaling that it wants $2 billion in funding for FY23 as part of a three-year replenishment pledge ($6 billion) later this year. Read more on our blog.

Announcements

RESULTS Grassroots Board Member nominations are open. Ever thought of serving on the RESULTS Board? We have one Grassroots Board Member opening this year and now is the time to submit your name or the name of someone you know to fill it. Please send nominee’s full name, along with email address and phone number, to Jesse Marsden at [email protected]. If you have questions, please contact Lindsay K. Saunders at [email protected]. Nominations close May 2, with the Board election later this spring.

Register for April 9 Diversity and Inclusion 101 training. Join our work to dismantle systems of oppression and help reach the goal of having all RESULTS volunteers attend our “Diversity and Inclusion 101” training this year. The next open session is Saturday, April 9 at 10:30 am ET, with additional offerings over the next few months. Seating is limited for each session so register for an upcoming session today. If you’re unable to attend a session you registered for, please cancel your registration to allow others to participate (see instructions in your confirmation e-mail).

Learn how to effectively research your members of Congress. Join us for one of our most popular trainings, Researching Your Members of Congress, on Wednesday, April 13 at 8:00 pm ET. Join RESULTS Regional Coordinator Allison Gallaher as she walks through tips and tools for background on your members of Congress, which will make your lobbying efforts much more effective. Register today for this training.

Plan to hear our exciting April Policy Forum guests. On Thursday, April 21, we have a terrific Policy Forum line-up. For the U.S. Poverty Policy Forum at 8:00 pm ET, we’ll focus on housing and welcome Barbara Duffield, Executive Director of SchoolHouse Connection. Register here for the U.S. Poverty Policy Forum. Then for the Global Poverty Policy Forum at 9:00 pm ET, we will focus on nutrition and welcome guest David McNair, Executive Director for Global Policy of the ONE Campaign. Register here for the Global Poverty Policy Forum.

Join racial healing webinar on April 30. Our RESULTS DC volunteers are hosting an exciting event at the end of this month. The “Race Literacy and Healing 101: A Foundation for Change” webinar with Milagros Phillips introduces vital information that helps participants understand the context of racial biases, how racial trauma gets passed on, and how racial conditioning affects all areas of life, recruiting, retention, mentoring, and much more. This event Saturday, April 30, 2:00-3:30 pm ET and is open to all RESULTS volunteers. However, space is limited, so register today to reserve your spot.

Remember to report your action-taking! As we launch into April, , catch up on the first quarter of the year. Have you recorded all of your action-taking for the first three months of 2022? Click through to our reporting forms – quick and easy!

Upcoming Events

Congressional schedule. The House and Senate are in session this week.

Unless otherwise noted, registration ends one hour prior to the start of all webinars and trainings.

Saturday, April 9: Diversity and Inclusion 101 training, 10:30 am ET. Register here.

Wednesday, April 13: Researching Your Member of Congress for Influence, 8:00 pm ET. Register here.

Thursday, April 14: Global Allies Program (for RPCVs): Ending Poverty with RESULTS, 8:30 pm ET. Register here.

Tuesday, April 19: U.S. Poverty Free Agents, 1:00 pm and 9:00 pm ET. If you are interested in joining, contact Jos Linn for more information.

Tuesday, April 19: Together Women Rise partnership webinar, 8:30 pm ET. Register here.

Thursday, April 21: U.S. Poverty Monthly Policy Forum, 8:00 pm ET. Guest: Barbara Duffield of SchoolHouse Connection. Register here.

Thursday, April 21: Global Poverty Monthly Policy Forum, 9:00 pm ET. Guest: David McNair of the ONE Campaign. Register here.

Monday, April 25: Global Poverty Free Agents, 7:00 pm ET. If you are interested in joining, contact Lisa Marchal for more information.

Saturday, April 30: Race Literacy and Healing 101: A Foundation for Change webinar with Milagros Phillips, 2:00 pm ET. Register today.

Saturday, May 7: National Webinar, 1:00 pm ET. Register here.

Thursday, May 12: Quarterly Call-in with Grassroots Board Members, 9:00 pm ET. Join via Zoom or by phone at (301) 715-8592, Meeting ID 922 0921 5298, passcode 985046.

Saturday, June 4-Sunday, June 5. RESULTS International Conference. Keynote speaker: Jelani Cobb of The New Yorker. Registration is open! Also check out our resources for the companion Advocacy Month.

Grassroots Resources

Learn about the RESULTS Experts on Poverty.

Find actions and volunteer resources on our Volunteers Hub, including our anti-oppression resources. To join the RESULTS listserv for more RESULTS conversation, send an email to [email protected].

Remember to please report your recent advocacy successes in lobby meetings, media, and outreach activities. Also, use our Volunteer Information Form to add or edit volunteer info and to sign up for updates and alerts.

If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for the RESULTS/REF Board, please e-mail Lindsay Saunders at [email protected]. View Board minutes and Annual Reports.

RESULTS Staff directory and job postings.