Dear Grantee Partners,

The Nelson Foundation’s Board of Directors and Staff grieve for the many black lives cut short by police violence in this country, the most recent of which was the horrific murder of George Floyd. His murder and the subsequent outpouring of sadness and outrage that erupted around the country, once again highlights centuries of social injustice. It is past time to dismantle the systemic racism that enables and supports police violence against black Americans as well as inequities in the justice and healthcare systems, housing, education and economic opportunity.

In this time of deep societal anguish, something MUST be done and action MUST be taken – we MUST disrupt the status quo. And, we recognize that the Foundation needs to do better in the long term. As a result, The Foundation’s Board of Directors and staff have decided to commit time following George Floyd’s murder to engage in self-reflective work so as to understand how historically the Foundation has approached and carried out its mission, and to identify improvements the Foundation can make in pursuit of ending America’s structural racism.

As we self-reflect and take corrective action, we invite you to partner with us in ongoing conversation and in examination of what needs to be done at the Foundation and how the Foundation can help effect change. We also are aware that the last couple of weeks likely have affected you, your staff, and the communities you serve deeply. To that end, let us know of any ideas that you have about actions that the Foundation can take right away.

Please also know that the Foundation pledges to sustain the emotion and energy of the movement to end racial injustice that we have seen these past two weeks. So, be assured that this letter will be one of a series of letters that you will receive from the Foundation about how we can best address social injustice and the structural racism that persists in our country.

Standing Together,

Mindy Aldridge, President and Director
Beth Coyne, Director
Carolina DiGiorgio, Director
Donna Lindner, Director
Jenny Snyder, Program Manager
Sonya Weigle, Director
Antonio Williams, Director