The Marguerite Casey Foundation (MCF) has announced the launch of its Public Dollars for Public Goods (PDPG) initiative with an investment of more than $5 million.

The initiative aims to ensure that public dollars are in the hands of traditionally marginalized communities by providing operating grants to organizations that advocate for equitable budgeting and increased access to public options. To that end, MCF will distribute grants to 10 organizations that leverage community organizing to shift power by helping underserved communities access federal and local funding and control how those funds are spent, including Native Americans in Philanthropy, Southern Economic Advancement Project, Addition Collective, and Rural Democracy Initiative.

“We all pay taxes, and that money—our money—should work for everyday people to make our collective lives better,” said MCF president and CEO Carmen Rojas. “Public Dollars for Public Good funds organizations and leaders that are creating evidence of what our world would be like if our dollars ensured everyone had a home to sleep in, had access to free public transportation, lived in communities with clean air and water, and had a robust and racially integrated public education system. This future is possible if we organize to win it.”

For a complete list of recipients, see the Marguerite Casey Foundation website. 

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Gabriel Trujillo)