Nearly one week after the Supreme Court delivered its Johnson v. Grants Pass ruling, housing justice funders from around the country gathered in Washington, D.C., during the 2024 Funders Institute to discuss our next steps as a movement, explore how to advance Indigenous housing justice, and engage in peer learning alongside national housing justice partners.

To kick off our 2024 Funders Institute, Funders Together CEO Amanda Andere grounded the housing justice funders in attendance by acknowledging the challenging times that we find ourselves in. In the aftermath of the Grants Pass decision and the crises happening around the world, finding hope and joy amidst all this trauma can be incredibly difficult. However, it is especially during these difficult times that it is important for housing justice funders, and philanthropy as a whole, to help envision a new future.  

“We have a responsibility as funders, as folks in philanthropy, as leaders in the movement. In this moment, we have to create the spaciousness for us to dream about what a more liberated and just world would look like,” said Amanda.  

To model this, Amanda announced that Funders Together will donate part of the proceeds of the event to the local Piscataway Conway tribe. Since 2022, Funders Together has donated to a local Native organization to shift access, power, and resources back to Indigenous people. 

Housing Justice Funders Condemn the Criminalization of Homelessness

Back in April, the Supreme Court announced that it had decided to hear oral arguments for the case Johnson v. Grants Pass. At its core, the case would decide whether cities can punish people for things like sleeping outside, even when there are no safe shelter options. This was the most significant case about homelessness to come before the Supreme Court in several decades.

Panelists described how housing justice funders and advocates came together in coalition and intentional collaboration leading up to the Supreme Court decision. The National Coalition for Housing Justice was essential in bringing together more than 30 national organizations and coordinating a unified response among housing justice funders.

Read the full article about housing justice funders by Jack Zhang at Funders Together to End Homelessness.