Color Congress

Are we an organization that is an agent of change, or an impediment? This simple, and profound question was raised by Francis Cullado, Executive Director of Visual Communications, in a piece written in 2022. It has remained a touchstone for many Color Congress member organizations, and feels particularly prescient today. Give it a read.

"More and more funders are recognizing that trust-based, equity-centered, solidarity-driven philanthropy is not a crisis response, but rather a long haul strategy for justice and equity." Thank you to our friend Pia Infante and board member Shaady Salehi for this clear-eyed call to action.

Since our inception, our members have benefitted from a partnership with Lumos Transforms. Every month, two trainers attend our monthly member meetings to help strengthen their capacity to collaborate, navigate differences, and sustain its collective vision. It's been game-changer for our community-building efforts. Learn more about our partnership with Lumos in this case study, "Embedding eTIRO for Visionary Change in the Documentary Film Community of Color." https://lnkd.in/g5bVGkSY

Heading to Sundance? Check out the exciting conversation led by our friends and colleagues at Firelight Media & Firelight Films.

Grateful to know our co-authored piece for Stanford Social Innovation Review,"How Movement-Accountable Intermediaries Can Change Philanthropy" was one of the 10 Most Popular SSIR Articles of 2024.

"Increase collaboration and championing across Indigenous organizations, supporting and uplifting each other. Indigenous nonprots should resist falling into the colonizer mindset of competing for a “slice of the pie, ” and instead band together and recognize that more can be accomplished from collaboration than competition. Organizations can share networking opportunities, recommend each other for funding, and share data that will benefit other organizations outside of their own as well as the eld as a whole." 🖕 We love this recommendation from NDN Collective's latest report, and can see the power of collectives to shift orgs from competitors to collaborators.

Reflecting on the life and legacy of Lorraine O’Grady.

As Color Congress gets ready to step into 2025 as a newly minted 501c3, we remain committed to defending the rights of our 113 member organizations to engage with, and elevate, nonfiction film. For the communities represented in our membership, the ability to narrate one’s own story and to center our humanity is an act of essential resistance and survival. Learn more about our most recent impact in our 2024 Annual Impact Report.

Color Congress is first and foremost a solidarity project that is building community with people across various identities and interlocking oppressions; solidarity is our north star and targeting one another is a fundamental line that we will never concede. This is our commitment as we step into 2025.

"As nonprofits face unprecedented challenges, collective solidarity and community resilience are more crucial than ever. The report highlights a call to action for nonprofits, funders, and community leaders to form coalitions, share resources, and push back against the hostile narratives that seek to stifle progress."