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TRANSFORMING POLICIES AND SYSTEMSFOR HEALTH AND RACIAL EQUITY

A REPORT FOR THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT

By Julia Coffman, Gigi Barsoum, PhD,Albertina Lopez, PhD, and Mariah Brothe Gantz

March 2021

ADVOCACY THATBUILDS POWER

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9 Introduction

11 BHC and Evaluation Background

14 Conceptual Frame: The Power Building Framework14 Power as a Social Determinant of Health15 AdvocacyandOrganizingDefined16 PowerDefined17 The Power Building Framework

19 Findings on Advocacy that Builds Power19 Powerexpandedasaresultofadvocacyeffortsattheindividual,organizational,

ecosystem,andgeographiclevels,andinvisible,hidden,andinvisibleways.25 Power expanded when communities and people impacted were centered

intheworkandactivatedtotransformtheirowncircumstances.29 Powerexpandedwhenadvocacywasgroundedintheproblemsand

solutionsgeneratedbyimpactedcommunities.31 Powerexpandedwhenadvocacywascyclicalandbuiltonandleveraged

incrementalgainstowardstransformationalgoals.35 Power expanded when advocacy was grounded in long-term narrative

change that centered the experiences of those impacted and challenged dominantframes.

39 Power expanded when funders gave up power over priority setting andstrategydirection.

40 Conclusions40 Advocacythatbuildspowerfeaturesfundamentaldistinctionsfrom

advocacydesignedsolelytoachieveawin.41 For advocacy that centers communities and is grounded in equity and an

organizingstrategy,successhastobemeasuredbywhetherpowerhasbeenbuilt.

42 Appendices43 Appendix A: The Eight Cases Documented for the Evaluation52 Appendix B: Methods and Evaluation Team53 Appendix C: Organizations Interviewed for the Evaluation54 AppendixD:RubricsUsedfortheCases

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Theauthorsthankthemanypeoplewhocontributedtothisreport.Weowespecialappreciationtothedozensoflocaland state leaders who shared their work and ideas with the research team in interviews during the winter and spring of2020.Inverydifficultcircumstances,theyweregenerousandinspiringin describingtheirworktoachieveequity,advancejustice,andbringaboutchangeintheworld.

WehavedrawnonpriorandcurrentstudiesandevaluativereportsaboutBuildingHealthyCommunities(BHC),aswellasextensiveresearchonpowerbuilding.Muchappreciationtotheauthorsofthoseworks.

Wethanktheresearchteamwhodocumentedtheeightpolicyandsystemschangecasesthatprovidethequalitativedataforthisevaluation.Theresearchwasconductedcollaboratively,andalloftheteammemberscontributedinsightsthatwereusefulforthisreport.ThanksparticularlytoMicheleDarling,PresidentofLPC,Inc.,whocoordinatedtheteam’swork.ThefullteamislistedinAppendixB.

WeappreciatethemanycontributionsofourevaluationpartnersattheCenterfortheStudyofSocialPolicy(CSSP).Their2020report,An Ecosystem to Build Power and Advance Health and Racial Equity,is acompaniontothisreport,drawingfromthesameeightcases.TheCSSPandCenterforEvaluationInnovation(CEI)teamssharedconceptualframeworks,data,andanalysis.WealsothankRoxaneChicoineforthecreativedesignofthereport.

Finally,weowespecialthankstoHanhCaoYu,ChiefLearningOfficeratTheCaliforniaEndowment(TCE),andJanineSaunders,TCE’sDirectorofLearningandEvaluation,whoenvisionedthearrayofresearchandevaluationproducts—ofwhichthisisone—throughwhichthefoundation’slearningfrom BHCisbeingsharedwiththebroaderfield.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ABOUT ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED BY THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT’S FUNDS

This report describes a range of strategies and tactics that were used by grassroots organizing groups, policy advocates, and other partners to secure policy changes, system improvements, and other tangible benefits for communities in California over the past decade. Organizations participating in TCE’s BHC initiative were involved in many of these strategies and activities. TCE conceived of the BHC approach and provided funding to support grantee partners in some of their activities, engaged other funders to support the initiative, and encouraged collaboration and action among local stakeholders using the BHC brand, though not necessarily with TCE funds, to advance health-promoting policies in the BHC locations. Participating stakeholders used non-TCE funds for lobbying and any other activities that could not be conducted with TCE funds.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

BuildingHealthyCommunities(BHC)isa10-year,$1billioninitiativelaunchedin2010tohelptransform14ofCalifornia’scommunitiesmostdevastatedbyhealthinequitiesintoplaceswhereallpeoplehaveanopportunitytothrive.BHC’snorthstaristheachievementofhealthequitythroughtheadvancementofhealthandjusticeforall.

Sincepowerisasocialdeterminantofhealth,oneofBHC’sfourgoals for reaching its aim is: “Historically excluded adults and youth residentshavevoice,agency,andpowerinpublicandprivatedecision-makingtocreateaninclusivedemocracyandclosehealthequitygaps.”ThisgoalrequiresthatBHC’ssuccessbemeasuredonwhetherithasbuiltthepowerofresidentstoachievepolicyandsystemschanges thatadvancehealthequityinthe14BHCcommunities.

BHC success ultimately depends on whether power has been built.

ChroniclingadecadeofBHClearningaboutitsimpact,TheCaliforniaEndowment(TCE)reportsthatBHC advocacy ultimately contributed to more than 1,200 policy changes, systems changes, and tangible benefitsforBHCcommunities.1Thesewinsobviouslyareandwillcontinuetobeimportanttohealthequityprogress.Butachievingwinsthat sustainandequitablymeettheneedsofimpactedcommunities—whoarebestpositionedtocontinueadvocatingforwinsaftertheyareachieved—requiresanorientationtoadvocacythatisfocusedonmorethanjustwhatittakestoachieveawin.Itrequiresadvocacythat builds power.

BHC communities used advocacy to achieve policy and systems wins.

TheCenterforEvaluationInnovation(CEI)andBarsoumPolicyConsultingusedamulti-case,qualitativestudydesigntoexamineindepthandincontexthowadvocacybuildspowerinadditiontoachievingwins.AcrosseightBHCcommunitiesandstatewide,welookedatadvocacyanchoredaroundspecificwinsthatcrossedfiveissueareas—schoolpolicyimplementation,climateandwaterjustice,youthjustice,immigration,andelections/integratedvoterengagement(thesamedesignanddatasourcesusedfortheCenterfortheStudyofSocialPolicy’s(CSSP)report,An Ecosystem to Build Power and Advance Health and Racial Equity).

This evaluation examined how BHC advocacy built power (not just wins).

OUR EVALUATION QUESTIONS WERE:

1 How is power built through advocacy over time?

2 What distinguishes advocacy that prioritizes building power from advocacy that prioritizes achieving a “win”?

3 How did power expand or grow as a result of these advocacy campaigns?

1 Byadvocacywemeanthesustainedactionstakentoachievewins.Weuseitsynonymouslywithcampaigns.

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Thepowerbuildingframework2describeshowpowerisbuiltwhenimpacted communities are centered in an ecosystem of actors that use advocacytoachievepolicy,systems,andelectoralwinsthatultimatelyaddress long-term structural inequities and transform systems of oppression.

Theframeworkholdsthatpowerbuildingiscyclical.Eachadvocacywin(orloss)isconceivedasacyclearoundtheframeworkthatultimately expands power if impacted communities are centered inthework.Actorsusethepowergainedthroughoutthecycletoadvocateforthenextwin.Overtime,theseactorsmay“cyclethrough”manytimesastheybuildtowardthekindoftransformationneededto achieveequityandjustice.

The power building framework guided our inquiry and analysis.

Reflection and Recalibration

Reflection andRecalibration

Reflection and Recalibration

Reflection andRecalibration

Having PowerOutcomes

Exercising PowerStrategies

Individual, Organizational,

Ecosystem, Geographic

Building PowerEcosystemCapacities

Expanding PowerGrowth

THE POWER BUILDING FRAMEWORK

2 Barsoum,G.(2019,May1).Prosecutorial campaigns: A strategy to mobilize and engage communities of color.BarsoumPolicyConsulting.https://www.atlanticphilanthropies.org/research-reports/prosecutorial-campaigns-a-strategy-to-mobilize-and-engage-communities-of-color

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WefoundthatpowerexpandedineachoftheBHCadvocacycases,anditexpandedatdifferentlevels—individual,organizational,ecosystem,andgeographic.Examiningthefactorsaboutadvocacythatrelatedtothispowerexpansion,wefound:

Our evaluation revealed six findings about advocacy that builds power.

Withcommunitiesandimpactedpeoplecentered,problemdefinitionismorelikelytolinkbacktorootcauses,andtransformationalgoalstoachievestructuralchangearemorelikelytobeprioritized.

Winscanbeachievedwhenorganizingisnotatthecenterofadvocacyefforts,buttheamountofpowerexpansionthatoccurscanbelimited.This“flipsthescript”oncommonlyheldperceptionsabouttherelationshipbetweenorganizingandadvocacy.Ratherthanviewingadvocacyasthestrategythatusesorganizingasatactictoachieveawin,itviewsorganizingastheoverarchingstrategy,andadvocacyasameansforbothachievingawinandbuildingthepowertosustainandleverageit.

Being centeredinadvocacydoesnotalwaysmeanorganizersarevisiblyleadingadvocacyefforts.Organizinggroupsineachcaseweexaminedplayeddifferentroles,sometimesleadingandsometimeslessvisible.Inallcases,organizinggroupsengagedinadvocacywithabroaderecosystemofpartnersthathadarangeoftacticalcapacities.

Thepowerbuildingframeworkpositsthat,witheachadvocacycycleorcampaigntoachieveawin,thereisanexpansionofpowerinsomeway.Ifcommunitiesarecenteredinthework—anessentialprerequisiteforpowerbuilding—powerexpands.Ineveryadvocacycase,wefoundevidenceofpowerexpansionateachofthefourlevels(individual,organizational,ecosystem,geographic)andalignedwiththethreewaysinwhichpowermanifests—invisible,invisible,andhiddenways.

Power expanded as a result of advocacy efforts at the individual, organizational, ecosystem, and geographic levels, and in visible, hidden, and invisible ways.

Power expanded when communities and people impacted were centered in the work and activated to transform their own circumstances.

Power expanded when advocacy was grounded in the problems and solutions generated by impacted communities.

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OurassumptionwasthatifTCEwaslessvisibleandinvolvedinanadvocacyeffort,thequalityofthewinwouldbehigherandpowerexpandedwouldbegreater.Thisassumptiondidnotholdup.Themoreimportantvariablewasthatcommunitiesbecentered, notthatTCEbelessinvolved.Itwasimportant,however,howTCEwasinvolved. Fundersareactorsinpowerecosystemsbeyondprovidingfinancialresources. Theycanplaystrategic roles in advocacystrategiesaslongastheycenter communities and do not make their own priorities thefocusiftheyarenotaligned.

Power expanded when advocacy was cyclical and built on and leveraged incremental gains toward transformational goals.

Asthepowerbuildingframeworkillustrates,becausetransformationsinpowerandsystemsrarelycomeinonebigpackagethateffectivelyaddressestherootcausesofinequities,organizingtypicallyfeaturesdistinctadvocacyeffortsthatactlikesteppingstonestowardtransformationandbuildononeanotherovertime.

Whenadvocacycenterscommunitiesandgrassrootsorganizing,thiskindofcyclicalpowerbuilding,learning,andconstantrecalibrationispossible.Whenadvocacyeffortsare disconnected from the work that occurred previously or do not center impacted communities,theyareunabletoleveragepreviousexperienceandrelationships,canlacka lineofsighttothegoal,andmaydisruptthepathtowardlong-termtransformation.

Power expanded when advocacy was grounded in long-term narrative change that centered the experiences of those impacted and challenged dominant frames.

Dominantnarrativesarehardtodisruptbecausetheyinvokedeeplyentrenchedmentalmodels,values,andbeliefs.Alternativenarrativescanhelpdefineandbringtolifeaproblemorsolutionsothatitismorethoroughlyseenandunderstoodinhumanterms.Narrativesareimportanttopolicyandsystemschangebecausewhenalternativenarrativestakehold,newactorscanenterthedebate.Narrativechangeisnecessarilylong-termwork,butwhenalternativenarrativestakeholdandreflecttheexperiencesanddesiresof communities,theconditionsforprofoundchangeareputinplace.

Power expanded when funders gave up power over priority setting and strategy direction.

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Atitsmidpoint,BHCmadea“pivot to power,” and people power wentfrombeinganimportantdriver of policy and systems change to beingthechangethatBHCsoughttoachieve.Ourevaluationhelpedilluminate the implications of that shift for funders that support advocacyandsystemschangeeffortstoadvanceequityandjustice.

Advocacy that builds power is distinct from advocacy focused solely on achieving wins.

A “win” is the goal. A “win” is a means.

Advocacy to Achieve a Win Advocacy That Builds Power

Advocacy is done on behalf of or for impacted communities.

Advocacy is done by and with impacted communities.

Others drive narratives that tell stories of impacted communities, often within the dominant frame.

Impacted communities drive narratives that tell their stories and challenge dominant frames.

Base building organizations and organizing may or may not be part of the strategy.

Base building organizations and organizing are centered in the strategy.

The advocacy campaign is the strategy, and organizing may be a tactic through which a win is achieved.

Organizing (a participant-centered power building approach to deal with upstream changes) is the strategy/approach, and advocacy is the tactic/method through which power is built.

The policy solution may or may not be informed by impacted communities.

The policy solution is developed or informed by impacted communities.

Strategy is based on a shared analysis driven by politics and the window of opportunity.

Strategy is based on a shared analysis grounded in root causes and inequity.

Advocacy mobilizes pundits, policy entrepreneurs, and other influentials as the drivers of change.

Advocacy based on organizing pays attention to the role of an authentic organized base as the primary driver of change.

Specific/time-bound capacity building is provided for the purpose of getting to the win.

Advocacy and campaigns are a leadership development opportunity to build power in a defined area.

The work is organized into a series of time-bound campaigns that may not relate or add up.

The work is continuous, and a series of campaigns expands the power and influence of participants within a field of action.

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I INTRODUCTION

Foundationsthatsupportadvocacyhistoricallyhavemeasuredsuccessbywhetherapolicyorsystemschange“win”hasbeenachieved.DidthecampaignsucceedinpassingMedicaidexpansion?Wereadvocatessuccessfulingettinghomevisitingprogramsfunded?

Theseareimportantgoalsforsure,butweseetimeandagainthatwinscanbevulnerableand,ontheirown,insufficient.Onceachieved,theyoftenfaceattacks.Whenpoliticalcontrolshifts,theycanbereversed.Inaddition,winsareonlyassuccessfulastheirimplementation.Iftheyarenotmonitoredandimplementedeffectively,theyarejustwordsonpaperoremptypromises.

Whilephilanthropygenerallyrecognizesthatthetimerequiredtogettoawincanbelongtermandthatthereareotherimportantmeasuresofprogressalongtheway,advocacystrategiesdesignedfor the sole purpose of winning can come up short when the goal is long-term change and systems transformation.3Winsareincrementalstepstowardalonger-termgoal.Nosinglepolicyorsystemschangewinwillsolvethecomplexandsystemicproblemswecurrentlyface.

Thispointhasadditionalsignificanceforfoundationsthataimtoadvanceracialequityandjusticethroughtheiradvocacyefforts.Ifadvancingequitythroughadvocacyisthegoal,measuresofsuccessmust include attention to what was won(thewinshouldhelpaddressracialdisparitiesandtheirrootcauses)andhow it was won(communitiesimpactedbytheproblemadvocacyisintendedtoaddressshouldbecenteredinthework).4

Achievingwinsthatsustainandequitablymeettheneedsofimpactedcommunities—whoalsoarebestpositionedtocontinueadvocatingforwinsaftertheyareachieved—requiresanorientationtofundingadvocacythatisfocusedonmorethanjustwhatittakestoachieveawin.Itrequiresadvocacythatbuildspower.

This report, and the evaluation that informed it, examines what it takes for advocacy to build power in addition to achieving wins.

Whilegettingpolicywinsandsystemschangesremainsanecessaryandimportantobjective,whatdoesitmeantocenterimpactedcommunitiesasthedriversofchange?What doesitmeantomakebuildingtheirpowertheultimategoalofadvocacywork?Whatdoesitrequireofthebroaderecosystemofactors—funders,professionaladvocates,andotherallies—whoalso areinvolvedinthework?

During2019and2020,theCenterforEvaluationInnovation(CEI)partneredwithTheCaliforniaEndowment(TCE)toexaminethesequestionsthroughanevaluationoftheadvocacyandsystemschangeworkbeingconductedincommunitiessupportedthroughtheBuildingHealthyCommunities(BHC)initiative.

ThisreportbeginswithbackgroundonBHC,describesourevaluationapproach,anddefineskeyterms.Itthenofferstheconceptualframeworkweusedtoguidedatacollectionandanalysis,followedbyourfindingsaboutadvocacythatbuildspower.Thereportendswithimplicationsforfunderswhosupportadvocacy.

Thisreportisacompaniontothe2020reportproducedbytheCenterfortheStudyofSocialPolicy(CSSP),An Ecosystem to Build Power and Advance Health and Racial Equity.TheCSSPandCEIevaluationteamscollaboratedondatacollectionandsharedthesamedataandconceptualframework(thisisdetailedlaterinthereport).Seepage10forasummaryofCSSP’sfindings.

3 Downes,S.(2016).No more half measures: Five ways foundations can better support policy campaigns and build lasting advocacy capacity.CenterforEvaluationInnovation.4 Weuse“communities”throughoutthisreporttomeanagroupofpeoplelivinginthesameplaceorhavingaparticularcharacteristicoridentityincommon.

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An Ecosystem to Build Power and Advance Health and Racial Equity

TheresearchforthisreportwasconductedinclosecoordinationwithresearchbyCSSP.TheCEIandCSSPreportsbasetheiranalysisonacommonpowerbuildingframework;theydrawonthesamecasedocumentation(summarizedinAppendixA);andthetworeportshavecomplementaryfindings.Theresultingreportsarecompanionpieces,andreadersareurgedtoreviewandlearnfromboth.

Thisreportfocusesonadvocacythatbuildspowerandwhatdistinguishesitfromadvocacyfocusedonlyonapolicywin.TheCSSPreportfocusesonthepowerecosystem,itssixcoreelements,thecapacitiesneededtobuildpower,andhoworganizationsintheecosystemself-organize.Thereportalsoexplorestheroleofgrassrootsorganizinggroups,howtheecosystembuildspower,andtheroleofthefoundation.

Organizations in the ecosystem self-organized on sharedvaluesandanalysis,communitypriorities,politicalconditions,andwindowsofopportunity.Therelationshipsamongorganizationsweresustainedbyvaryingdegreesofalignment,trust,andpurpose.Manycollaborativeeffortswerebasedonshort-termpartnershipsandweretransactionalinnature,limitedtoanexchangeofresourcesorinformation.Transformationalrelationships—deeper,mutuallybeneficialalliances—helpedtosustainandstrengthentheecosystem.

Grassroots organizing groups are centered in the power ecosystembecauseoftheiruniquecharacteristicsandthemultiplerolestheyplay.Theyarehubswithrichcommunity-basednetworks.Theytendtobemulti-issueandmultiracial,basedonthecommunitiesinwhichtheywereorganizing.Someorganizinggroupsextendacrossregions,therebyexpandingandconnectingcommunities.Grassrootsorganizinggroupsalsodevelopleadersandactivists,whichpowertheecosystemin thelongterm.Finally,organizinggroupsbringuniquedepthtopolicy and systemschangework,asthepeoplemostimpactedarethe mostinformed advocatesonsystemsofoppression.

The power ecosystem translates wins and losses toward furtherprogressusingelectoral,governing,andadaptivecapacities.Adaptivecapacity—theecosystem’sabilitytoanticipate,absorb,andrespondto externalconditionsandexogenousshocks—wasparticularlycriticalto the ecosystem’sabilitytoleverageandbuildonlosses.

The foundation is a member in the ecosystem and can playaroleby:(1)actingasanecosystempartner,(2)usinganecosystemapproachto breakdownissuesilosandaddressrootcausesofinequities,(3)championinggrassrootspower,(4) buildinglong-termcapacity,and(5)acceleratinglearningfor strategy.

Organizing

Narrative

CivicEngagementand Electoral

Advocacy

Governing

Developmentaland Supportive

Adaptive

Relationships

Infrastructure

Capacities

Shared valuesand analysis

Communityand Grassroots

OrganizingCentered

Composition

POWER ECOSYSTEM ELEMENTS

POWER ECOSYSTEM CAPACITIES

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FIGURE 1: ADVOCACY THAT PRIORITIZES POWER VS. POLICY WINS

II BHC & EVALUATION BACKGROUND

5 TCEWorkgrouponNorthStarGoalsandIndicators.(2016,November).The North Star goals and indicators for Building Healthy Communities.TheCaliforniaEndowment.

6 Ito,J.,Pastor,M.,Lin,M.,&Lopez,M.(2018,March).A pivot to power: Lessons from The California Endowment’s Building Healthy Communities about place, health, and philanthropy.USCProgramforEnvironmentalandRegionalEquity.

BHCisa10-year,$1billioninitiativelaunchedin2010tohelptransform14ofCalifornia’scommunitiesmostdevastatedbyhealthinequitiesintoplaceswhereallpeoplehaveanopportunitytothrive.BHCnamedasitsnorthstartheachievementofhealthequitythroughtheadvancementofhealthandjusticeforall.OneofBHC’sfourgoalsforreachingthataimis:“Historicallyexcludedadultsandyouthresidentshavevoice,agency,andpowerinpublicandprivatedecision-makingtocreateaninclusivedemocracyandclosehealthequitygaps.” 5

ThisgoalrequiresthatBHC’ssuccessbemeasurednotjustonwhetherithasachievedpolicyandsystemschangewinsbutonwhether it has built the power of residents in the 14 BHC communitiestoachievethosewinsandensuretheyareimplemented.

TCE’semergentstrategyforBHCevolvedsignificantlyover10yearsasopportunitiesforlearningtookroot.Onesignificantlearningoccurredattheinitiative’smidpoint,whenBHCmadea“pivottopower”andtookamuchbolderstanceontheimportanceofpeoplepowerinthework.Whilepeoplepowerhadbeenconsideredanimportantdriver of policy and systemschangebefore,itbecamethechangethatBHCsoughttoachieve(seeFigure1).6

AdvocacyStrategy

Advocacy that prioritizes a win

Advocacy that prioritizes power building

Interim Outcomes(including people power) Policy Win

Does it lead to a win?

AdvocacyStrategy

Interim Outcomes Policy Win(or Loss)

Power

Does it center communities and ultimately increase power?

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7 Note:ThepolicychangesidentifiedherereflectaccomplishmentsthatinsomecaseswerechampionedbyBHCparticipantsduringtheinitiativebutnotnecessarilywithTCEfunds,asdescribedmorefullyintheintroductorymaterialtothisreport.AllTCEgrants to BHC participants were made in compliance with the requirements of federal taxlaw.

Evaluation Approach Our evaluation questions focused on understanding what it takes for advocacy tobuildpowerinadditiontoachievingwins:

We used a multi-case, qualitative study design to examine these questions in depth and in context.WithTCE’sinput,weselectedeightcasesthatrepresentedabroadrangeofBHCworkandalignedwithTCE’sfuturedirection(seeTable1;seealsoAppendixAfordetailedsummariesofthecasesandAppendixBformethods.).7 AcrossBHCcommunitiesandstatewide,welookedatadvocacyanchoredaroundeightwinsthatcrossedfiveissueareas—schoolpolicyimplementation,climateandwaterjustice,youthjustice,immigration,and elections/integratedvoterengagement.

IncollaborationwithCSSPevaluatorswhofocusedondifferentbutrelatedevaluationquestionsabouthowecosystemsoforganizationsandindividualsself-organizetobuildpower,weconductedin-depthinterviewswithecosystemactorswhoplayedkeyrolesinthework.TheyincludedTCEandBHCleaders,organizers,communitymembers,professionaladvocates,funders,anddecision-makers(seeAppendixCforalistofthe51organizationswhoparticipated).Additionally,wereviewedrelevantmediaanddocumentsforeachcasetotriangulateandexpandontheinterviewfindings.

We used a staged analysis process to create deep knowledge of each case and then assess themes across them.InourcollaborationwithCSSP,weassignedaleadtoeachcasetooverseeandimplementdatacollectionandanalysis.Eachleaddeveloped an analysis that documented key elements of the case and responded to theevaluationquestions.Inthesecondstep,weassessedthemesacrossthecasesto revealfindingsabouttherelationshipbetweenadvocacyandpowerbuilding.

Wealsodevelopedandusedasetoffiverubrics(seeAppendixD)toexplorethevariationincasesandplothowvariablesrelated.Forexample,weexaminedtherelationshipbetweengrassrootsorganizinggroupsbeingcenteredinachievingtheadvocacywinandtheextenttowhichpowerexpanded.Learningsfromthose explorationsarewoventhroughoutthefindings.

1 How is power built through advocacy over time?

2 What distinguishes advocacy that prioritizes building power from advocacy that prioritizes achieving a “win”?

3 How did power expand or grow as a result of these advocacy campaigns?

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Voter turnout and electoral wins increased over multiple cycles through the use of Integrated Voter Engagement (IVE) and other electoral strategies in City Heights/San Diego, the Central Valley, and a network of statewide organizations.

Issue BHC Place Policy or Systems Change Win

SCHOOL POLICY IMPLEMENTATION (LCFF AND LCAP)

CLIMATE AND WATER JUSTICE

YOUTH JUSTICE

IMMIGRATION

INTEGRATED VOTER ENGAGEMENT

Merced

Los Angeles

South Kern and Coachella

Long Beach

Richmond

Santa Ana

Statewide

Central Valley and San Diego

In 2019, a group of parents and education and legal advocacy organizations won a victory after filing a Uniform Complaint Procedure (UCP) under California’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) statute, forcing the Merced City School District to increase transparency in the creation of the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) and demonstrate how the district will expand and improve services for high-need students.

In 2017, advocacy organizations and parents reached a settlement with the Long Beach Unified School District, the result of a UCP filed under California’s LCFF statute. The settlement increased services to high-need students and required more intentional and effective community and parent engagement.

SB 200 created the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund in 2019. It authorizes $130 million per year (for a total of $1.3 billion over 10 years) and provides a legal structure and process for funding safe drinking water solutions for disadvantaged communities in California that currently do not have that access.

In late 2019 and early 2020, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed a series of critical motions to implement recommendations from the Probation Reform Implementation Team, a temporary blue-ribbon commission. This process resulted in the creation of a Probation Oversight Commission, a historic independent civilian oversight body, and a process for beginning the transition of LA County’s juvenile justice system into a rehabilitative, health-focused, and “care first” system.

In 2019, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s (DA) office launched its first Restorative Justice Diversion (RJD) pre-charge program for youth who face incarceration. The office is working with Richmond’s RYSE Youth Center and Impact Justice, an Oakland nonprofit, to build a five-year pilot that began in west Contra Costa County. Under the pilot, the DA’s office can send youth (up to 17½ years old) who are arrested for misdemeanors or felonies to RYSE staff instead of a county judge.

In January 2017, the City of Santa Ana enacted a Sanctuary City Ordinance declaring it a sanctuary for all residents, regardless of their immigration status—one of the most comprehensive ordinances in the state. The ordinance prohibits city officials, including law enforcement, from administering federal immigration law; protects the sensitive information of every resident; prevents bias-based policing; prevents the use of city funds for immigration enforcement; and directs law enforcement officials to exercise discretion in citing and releasing individuals instead of using a local detention facility or county jail.

AB 32, enacted in 2019, prevents the state from creating or renewing contracts with for-profit prison companies and immigration detention centers after January 1, 2020, and phases out existing contracts by 2028. The legislation builds on SB 29, the Dignity Not Detention Act passed in 2017, banning cities and counties from entering into new contracts with private prisons, and AB 103, banning cities and counties from new contracts with detention centers.

TABLE 1: THE EIGHT CASES EXAMINED FOR THIS EVALUATION

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III CONCEPTUAL FRAME: The Power Building Framework

8 Solar,O.,&Irwin,A.(2010).A conceptual framework for action on the social determinants of health: Social determinants of health discussion paper 2 (policy and practice). WorldHealthOrganization.https://www.who.int/sdhconference/resources/ConceptualframeworkforactiononSDH_eng.pdf

9 NationalAcademiesofSciences,Engineering,andMedicine.(2017).Communities in action: Pathways to health equity.TheNationalAcademiesPress. https://doi.org/10.17226/24624

10Givens,M.,Kindig,D.,Inzeo,P.T.,&Faust,V.(2018,February1).Power: The most fundamental cause of health inequity?HealthAffairs. https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20180129.731387/full/

11 Schrantz,D.(2016,Spring).Building power, building health.StanfordSocialInnovationReview,14(2),9.https://ssir.org/articles/entry/building_power_building_health12 Schrantz,D.(2016,Spring).Building power, building health.StanfordSocialInnovationReview,14(2),9.https://ssir.org/articles/entry/building_power_building_health

Power as a Social Determinant of HealthThemultipleandinteractingsocialdeterminantsofhealtharewelldocumented—race,class,gender,andtheirrootednessinunequalcommunityconditionsandsystems.Powerhasalsobecomerecognizedasanimportantandunderlyingsocialdeterminantofhealth.AWorldHealthOrganizationreportemphasizedthecentralroleofpower,stating,“Anyseriousefforttoreducehealthinequitieswillinvolvechangingthedistributionofpowerwithinsocietytothebenefitofdisadvantagedgroups.”8 TheNationalAcademiesofSciences(NAS)reportedthatinterventionstargetingrootcausesholdthegreatestpromiseforpromotinghealthequity.NASidentifiedpowerascentraltotherootcausesofhealth inequities through: 9

The unequal allocation of power and resources—includinggoods,services,andsocietalattention—whichmanifestsitselfinunequalsocial,economic,andenvironmentalconditions, also calledthedeterminantsofhealth.

Structural inequities that organize the distribution of power and resourcesdifferentiallyacross lines ofrace,gender,class,sexualorientation,genderexpression,andotherdimensionsof individualandgroupidentity.

Power,however,isdistinctfromtheothersocialdeterminantsofhealth.Itismoreamorphous, lessvisibleandofteninsidious,anddifficulttomeasure.Ithasbeendescribedas“upstreamoftheupstreamfactorsthatinfluencehealthanddrivehealthinequity.”10

DoranSchrantz,theExecutiveDirectorofISAIAH,afaith-basedcommunityorganizinggroupin Minnesota,wrote:

“Many of our communities suffer from ill health not just because they lack economic resources but also because they lack political power. Powerlessness, in and of itself, is bad for your health. Community organizing has a unique role to play—not just in winning policy changes— but in building the power, voice, and leadership of people themselves to change systems and policies.”11

Schrantzsuggeststhatthesolutiontothelackofpoweristobuildpowerandthewaytobuildcommunitypoweristhroughgrassrootsorganizingtotransformarrangementsofpower.“If powerlessnessiscontributingtowhatmakesussick,thenbuilding community power can help make us well.”12

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Advocacy and Organizing DefinedAdvocacyforpolicyandsystemswinsmatters;thesechangesarethebuildingblocksofsystemstransformationtoaddresstherootcausesofinequities.Thattransformationcanfeatureasharpand majordisruption,butmoreoftenitfeatureslong-term,incrementalchange.

Our use of “advocacy” throughout this report refers to the sustained actions taken to achieve policy wins or systems change.13 Weuseitsynonymouslywithcampaigns.Itisthesetoftacticsused toachievethewin;theeffortitself.

This is different from what we mean by “organizing,” which has at its central purpose the building of power. Organizing is a “transformational process in which constituencies develop individualandcollectivecapacitiestoexercisevoiceoversociopoliticaloutcomesthatmattertothem.”14 One-to-one relationships are central to this transformational process and to engaging individuals inparticipatoryanddemocraticcivicpractices.“The heartofdemocraticorganizingisitsabilitytobuildsocialrelationshipsbetweenpeople,andthentransformthoserelationshipsintocollectivepower.Powerinthecontextoforganizingisabouttheabilityoforganizinggroupstoinfluencesocial change outcomes.”15

Organizingisdistinctfromadvocacy,butorganizersalsouseadvocacytoachievesocialchangegoals andbuildpower.Organizingworkincludesbasebuilding,healing,leadershipdevelopment,advocacy/campaigns,andstorytelling.

13 Coffman,J.,&Beer,T.(2015).The advocacy strategy framework.CenterforEvaluationInnovation.14 Speer,P.,&Han,H.(2018).Re-engaging social relationships and collective dimensions of organizing to revive democratic practice. JournalofSocialandPoliticalPsychology,6(2),745–758.https://doi.org/10.5964/jspp.v6i2.929

15 Speer,P.,&Han,H.(2018).Re-engaging social relationships and collective dimensions of organizing to revive democratic practice. JournalofSocialandPoliticalPsychology,6(2),745–758.https://doi.org/10.5964/jspp.v6i2.929

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Power DefinedPower operates in visible, hidden, and invisible ways. Visiblepoweristheobservableaspectsofthepoliticalprocessandthewieldingorwithholdingofresources.Hiddenpoweristheshapingofissuesontheagendaandcontrollingthetermsofthedebate.Invisiblepoweristheshapingofperceptions,norms,andideologies.1617RichardHealeyandSandraHinsonbuildonthistheoryofpower andgroundtheexpressions,orfacesofpower,inthepracticeoforganizing:18

Visible:Organizingpeopleandresourcesfordirectpoliticalinvolvementinvisible decision-makingarenas.

Hidden:Buildingdurable,long-termpoliticalinfrastructurethatincludesnetworks oforganizationsthatarealignedaroundsharedgoalsandcanshapepoliticalagendas.

Invisible:Makingmeaningontheterrainofideologyandworldview.

TheEquityResearchInstitute(ERI)summarizestheseconceptsintheirdefinitionofcommunitypoweras“theabilityofcommunitiesmostimpactedbystructuralinequitytodevelop,sustain,andgrowanorganizedbaseofpeoplewhoacttogetherthroughdemocraticstructurestosetagendas,shiftpublicdiscourse,influencewhomakesdecisions,andcultivateongoingrelationshipsofmutualaccountabilitywithdecision-makersthatchangesystemsandadvancehealthequity.”19

Theseconceptualizationsofpowerareoperationalizedinourevaluationthroughthepowerbuildingframework,whichisalsoinformedbygrassrootsorganizingandtheorganizers’useofpower analysis.20

16 Lukes,S.(1974).Power: A radical view.PalgraveMacmillan.http://voidnetwork.gr/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Power-A-Radical-View-Steven-Lukes.pdf17 Gaventa,J.(2006,November).Finding the spaces for change: A power analysis.IDSBulletin,37(6),23–33.

http://www.powercube.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/finding_spaces_for_change.pdf 18 Healey,R.,&Hinson,S.(2017).The four faces of power.GrassrootsPolicyProject.

http://grassrootspolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/GPP_4FacesOfPower.pdf19 Pastor,M.,Ito,J.,&Wander,M.(2020,September).Story of place: Community power and healthy communities. USCDornsifeEquityResearchInstitute.https://dornsife.usc.edu/eri/lead-local/

20Pateriya,D.,&Castellanos,P.(Eds.).(2003).Power tools: A manual for organizations fighting for justice.StrategicConceptsinOrganizingandPolicyEducation.

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The Power Building FrameworkThepowerbuildingframework(SeeFigure2)wasdevelopedempiricallythroughcasestudiesdocumentingelectoralcampaigns,themonitoringandaccountabilityofthenewlyelectedofficial,andtheadvancementofcriminaljusticereforms.Thecasesdocumentedworkintwodifferentjurisdictionsasledbygrassrootsorganizinggroupsincoalitionandcollaborationwithotherorganizations.21

Theframeworkthatemergedfromthesecasesdescribeshowpowerisbuiltwhenimpactedcommunitiesarecenteredinanecosystemofgroupsandorganizationsthatusepolicy,systemschange,andelectoraladvocacytoachievewinsthatultimatelyaddresslong-termstructuralinequitiesandtransformsystemsofoppression.

Power building is represented as cyclical and dynamic. Each advocacy or electoral campaign and relatedwin(orloss)isconceivedasafullcyclearoundtheframeworkthatultimatelyexpandspowerif impactedcommunitiesarecenteredinanddrivethework.Aswins(orlosses)areexperienced,powerbuildingactorsusethepowergainedthroughoutthecycletoadvocateforthenextwin.Overtime,theseactorsmay“cyclethrough”manytimesastheybuildtowardthekindoftransformationneededtoachieveequityandjustice,eachtimebuildingtheirpowerandgettingclosertoachievingtheirvision.

Reflection and Recalibration

Reflection andRecalibration

Reflection and Recalibration

Reflection andRecalibration

Having PowerOutcomes

Exercising PowerStrategies

Individual, Organizational,

Ecosystem, Geographic

Building PowerEcosystemCapacities

Expanding PowerGrowth

FIGURE 2: THE POWER BUILDING FRAMEWORK

21 Barsoum,G.(2019,May1).Prosecutorial campaigns: A strategy to mobilize and engage communities of color.BarsoumPolicyConsulting. https://www.atlanticphilanthropies.org/research-reports/prosecutorial-campaigns-a-strategy-to-mobilize-and-engage-communities-of-color

The process of building, exercising, and expanding power does not occur in a vacuum butinadynamicpolitical,economic,social,andculturalenvironmentthatimpactstheecosystemand theopeningandclosingofwindowsofopportunity.

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Power building relies on the hidden, visible, and invisible expression of power.Hidden power is the ecosystem as a network of organizations that centers impacted communities andalignsonsharedgoals.Visiblepowerisexpressedintheecosystem’sexerciseofpowerthroughstrategiesandcampaignstoshapeagendas,bringaboutpolicyandelectoralchanges,andtransformsystems.Invisiblepoweristheecosystem’suseofnarrativechangestrategiestoinformandchangeperceptionsandideologies.Fundamentaltotheefficacyofthepowerecosystemanditsabilitytoexercisebothvisibleandinvisiblepowerareitscapacities(advocacy,organizing,electoral,narrative,governing,and adaptive).

The power building framework was used to guide our evaluation inquiry and analysis. Foreachcaseweexamined,ouraimwastounderstandasmuchaspossibleabouttheseframework elements(explainedinorderclockwise).

Building power (capacities): This element focuses on the composition of organizations inthepowerecosystemandhowtheyrelationallyreflectthecentralroleofgrassrootsorganizingandimpactedcommunities.Itexaminestheecosystem’sorganizationalrelationships,goalsandvalues,infrastructure,andcapacities.Welookedat:

• The types of organizations and capacities present in the ecosystem•Areasinwhichcapacitywasbuilt•Alignmentandpowerdynamicsamongecosystemactorsonvalues,goals,problemdefinition,solutionsproposed,andprioritypopulations/communities

Exercising power (strategies): This is the advocacy approach or campaign to achieve aparticularwin.Itincludesthetacticsandstrategiesdirectedattargets(legislative,administrative,judicial,electoral,cultural,andeconomic)andhowcommunityengagement isintegrated.Welookedat:

•Strategiesandtacticsdeployed,includingtheirscaleandquality• How communities were engaged in the advocacy•Whowastargetedwithadvocacy•Whatwasachievedalongthewaytosetthestageforthepolicywin

Having power (outcomes):Thisiswhathappensasaresultofadvocacy.Itrepresentsthe resultsintermsofwinsandlossesonpolicychange,systems/practicechange,electoraloutcomes,politicalshifts,narrativechanges,andultimatelytheimpactoncommunities.We lookedat:

•Whatresultedfromtheadvocacyefforts• The quality of the result or extent to which it advanced equity or responded to the

community’s articulated need

Expanding power (growth): Thisistheimpactofwinsandlossesonpower,whichcan expandonmultiplelevels—individual,organizational,ecosystem,andgeographic(see moreontheselevelsinthefindings).Welookedforchangesateachoftheselevels.

While our selection of cases was based on a specific win that represented a single cycle around the framework, we looked at what happened before and after the win to see how previous advocacy cycles built on one another over time to make that win possible. Weexaminedwhatcommunitieslearnedandhowtheyrecalibratedbetweencycles.

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IV FINDINGS ON ADVOCACY THAT BUILDS POWER

Using the eight cases and our analysis within and across them, we explored if and how advocacy expanded power, how it looks when it does, and the factors that appear to affect the extent to which power expands. Our work further pressure-tested the power buildingframeworktolearnmoreabout whatittakesforadvocacytobuildpower.Ouranalysisresultedinsix keyfindings.

Power expanded as a result of advocacy efforts at the individual, organizational, ecosystem, and geographic levels, and in visible, hidden, and invisible ways.

Thepowerbuildingframeworkpositsthat,witheachadvocacycycleorcampaigntoachieveawin,thereisanexpansionofpowerinsomeway.If communities are centered in the work—an essential prerequisite for power building—power expands.Thatexpansionofpowerismanifestinvisible,hidden, andinvisibleways.

Beyondthepolicy,systems,andelectoralwins(andlosses),thereareotherimportantoutcomesthataccrueandserveasasourceofpowertobewieldedtowardthenextcampaign.Thoseoutcomesoccurateachofthefourlevelsofpowerexpansion—individual,organizational,ecosystem,andgeographic(seeFigure3)—andarealignedwiththethreeformsofpower:

Visiblepertainstoincreasedinfluence,credibility,andlegitimacy,whichincreaseaccesstoand involvementindecision-making,andenablethewieldingandwithholdingofresources.Hiddenpertainstoincreasesincapacitythatfurtherstrengthenindividualagency,organizational efficacy,andecosystempower.Invisiblereferstonarrativechangesasreflectedintheincreasedvoiceofimpacted communitiesandshiftsincommonlyheldbeliefsthatpropagateinequities.

Table2offersanoverviewofhowpowerexpandedacrossthecasesinbothhiddenandvisibleways.Whatfollowsisadeeperdiscussionofhowpowerexpandedateachlevel.Narrative,asaninvisibleaspectofpower,isdiscussedseparatelylaterinthe report.

FIGURE 3: LEVELS AT WHICH POWER SHIFTS

1

Ecosystem

Organizational Geographic

Individual

Individual, Organizational, Ecosystem, Geographic

Expanding PowerGrowth

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Hidden Power Visible Power

ORGANIZATIONAL

INDIVIDUAL

ECOSYSTEM

GEOGRAPHIC

Individual capacity (e.g., knowledge, skills, or personal agency)

Sanctuary City: Youth organizers gain ability to propose and implement solutionsAB 32: Individuals in detention can tell their stories; formerly detained youth and adults build capacity to advocate on their own behalf and for those still detainedSB 200: Impacted individuals build capacity to advocate locally and in SacramentoProbation: System-impacted youth build understanding of PRIT and tell their stories at public PRIT hearingsLCFF: Parents build capacity on Merced school district budget process and use of data to inform legal strategy

Organizational capacity (e.g., skills, operations, resources, base, or membership)

SB 200: Community Water Center added a 501(c)(4) entity and acquired funding for it from the Water Foundation; CWC, Leadership Council for Justice and Accountability, and Pueblo Unido each built electoral capacity

Restorative Justice: Created an Education and Justice Department within RYSE. Built and strengthened relation-ships with advocates and community groups to hold the DA accountable to her commitment made prior to her election.

IVE: Mid-City CAN, Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA), and VietVets built civic engagement and IVE, which has enabled them to expand their base; PANA has expanded and hired new staff

Ecosystem capacities, relationships, composition, values and analysis, infrastructure, and collective base

Sanctuary City: Creation of multi-issue, multi-constituency coalition with new relationships between immigrant and LGBTQ rights organizationsAB 32: Expansion of the Dignity Not Detention coalition; building relationships between immigrant rights and criminal justice organizations; addition of legal technical capacities; working on AB 32 implementationSB 200: Expansion of the coalition to reach into new regions and building of their communications and lobbying capacity; working on SB 200 implementationProbation: Establishing and expanding of Los Angeles Youth Uprising (LAYUP) coalition; building staff and communication capacity; and strengthened relationships with organizations working on criminal justice, adult probation, and gang preventionIVE: Relationships developed and strengthened through capacity building support provided by statewide networks (e.g., CA Calls and MVP) to local organizing groups and increased collaboration at regional civic engagement tables

New communities, populations, and regions organized

Sanctuary City: Coalition developed relationships with organizing groups in other regions and ethnic constituencies to expand baseSB 200: Coalition expands to include organizing groups and communities across the state that are dealing with access to safe, and affordable water

The transformation and continued engagement of individuals into leaders

Sanctuary City and IVE: New youth leaders establish new organizationsAB 32: Stories of detention conditions and the hunger strikes are amplified in the media and catalyzed legislative reformsSB 200: Community members elected to district water boardProbation: Probation Reform Implementation Team (PRIT) members report that youth testimony influenced them and countered the probation officers’ narrativeLCFF: Parents are taken seriously by Merced school District out of concerns they file another Uniform Complaint

The influence, credibility, and legitimacy of an organization (e.g., expertise, threat, go-to, access to decision-making tables, visibility)

SB 200: CWC’s Co-Executive Director appointed to State Water Resources Control BoardRestorative Justice: DA implemented youth diversion programProbation: Advocacy and organizing groups appointed to key governing bodies that oversee probation issues and resourcesIVE: Increased electoral turnout; elevated profile of PANA and its Executive Director; issues the community has prioritized are being placed on the decision-makers agenda; PANA’s endorsement is sought, and elected officials seek their input on informing their agenda

The influence, credibility, and legitimacy of the ecosystem (e.g., expertise, threat, go-to, access to decision-making tables, visibility)

Sanctuary City: Drafted the ordinance language; an advisory committee created through the ordinance included community members and advocates; police union invested $500,000 in City Council elections to limit the coalition’s influenceAB 32: Legislative staff recognized the invaluable role of coalition in inside-outside strategy; informed bill language; opposition invested $160 million against themSB 200: Governor Gavin Newsom prioritized the issue and met with community members in the Central ValleyProbation: Coalition and its members seen as “go-to” and appointed to governing bodies; informed the PRIT agenda and meetings; attracted funder supportIVE: Increased voter turnout and electoral victories

The scale and influence of the ecosystem

Sanctuary City: The expanded reach and voice of communities of color in Orange CountySB 200: Legislators recognized the statewide scope of the water problem

TABLE 2: DOCUMENTED EVIDENCE OF HOW POWER EXPANDED

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At the individual level,thecasesreflectedindividualcommunitymembersengagedtovaryingdegreesandindifferentways.Indicatorsofpowerexpansionreflecttransformativechange,whichoccurswhenindividualsareengaged,notonlymobilized,onanissuethatisofpersonalinterest.Thisisaprocessthathappensthroughtheone-to-onerelationshipsformedbyorganizingthatturnindividualsintoagentsofdemocracyratherthan“props”incampaigns.22 The ecosystems and campaigns that centered grassroots organizing and impacted communities through deeper engagement and leadership reflectedgreaterpowerbuiltontheindividuallevel.Ineachcase,clearexamplesemergedofhowindividualsgrewovertimetorecognizetheiragencyandabilitytohaveinfluenceandimpactwithsomestartingorganizations,othersbeingappointedtoleadershippositionsandrunningforelectedoffice.Theinfluenceoftheseindividualswasalsoreflectedinthereactionandresponseofdecision-makersandtheamplificationoftheirvoicesinthemedia.

22Speer,P.,&Han,H.(2018,December21).Re-engagingsocialrelationshipsandcollectivedimensionsoforganizingtorevivedemocraticpractice.JournalofSocialandPoliticalPsychology,6(2),745–758,https://doi.org/10.5964/jspp.v6i2.929

In the LCFF case, theroleoforganizingandcapacitybuildingofindividualparentstotakecollectiveactioncomesthroughclearly.Parentsofschool-agechildrenintheMercedCitySchoolDistrict(MCSD)expressed feeling validated and empowered as a result of their advocacy to hold the school district accountable.ThedatatheAdvancementProjectprovidedparentsgavethem“knowledgetofight”againstthedistrictandcatalyzedtheirengagementaroundtheuseoftheUCPtoholdthedistrictaccountable.Thissenseofempowermenttranslatedtofurtherengagement,withparentsreportingtheyfeltreadytotakeonthenextissueandto“thinkbigger”asaresultoftheirvictory.ThevictoryalsochangedhowMCSDinteractedwithparentsandcommunitymembers.ParentsreportedtheMCSDwasmorewillingtomeetandwasreachingoutand“checkingback”withparentsandresidents.The willingnessandabilityofparentstofiletheUCPdemonstratedthattheycoulddoitagainandtheywerealegitimatethreattobetakenseriously.AsaresultofthesuccessfulcampaignusingtheUCP,MCSDfoundarenewedinterestinpartneringwithparents.“Whatwesawwasthatwereceivedmorerespect,notless,”oneoftheorganizerssaid.

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The organizational levelfocusesonhoworganizationsinthepowerecosystemaredirectlyaffectedbythework.Fortheorganizationsleadingorhighlyinvolvedinadvocacy,theexperiencebuilttheirleadership,technical,management,andadaptiveadvocacycapacities.23Forexample,organizinggroupsoftenexpandedtheirbase.Inonecase,aneworganizationformed.Severalorganizationsdevelopeda501(c)(4)legalentitytostrengthentheiradvocacyandabilitytoholdelectedofficialsaccountable.Organizations’growthininfluencewasevidentintheirincreasedvisibilityandelevatedprofileinmediareports,andintheirrecognitionaspowerbrokersbydecision-makersandpartners.Organizationswerealsoseenascrediblego-tosourcesofinformationthatdecision-makersreliedonforcontentinformationoraccesstothecommunity.Grassrootsorganizations,inparticular,were valuedbyecosystempartnersanddecision-makersalikefortheirabilitytoauthenticallyengage communitymembersandconstituenciesin theprocessofpolicyandsystemschanges.

RYSEYouthCenterwastheleadcommunityorganizationinContraCostaCounty’spre-chargeiRJDi program.Afterwitnessingandseeingdataonyouthofcolorinteractingwiththejuvenilejusticesystematdisproportionatelyhighrates,theorganizationbuiltitscapacitytoaddressit.RYSE createdadepartmenttofocusonthenexusofeducationandjustice,builtrelationshipswithotheradvocatesandcommunitymemberstopressurethecounty’scriminaljusticesystem,andcreatedseatsatdecision-makingtablestoshapesolutionsthatendtheschool-to-prisonpipeline.

Several of the organizations working on water justice expanded their capacity to include electoral organizingtoelectandholdaccountabledecision-makerswhowilladvanceeffectivewaterpolicy.The CommunityWaterCenterwentastepfurtherandcreateda501(c)4legalentitytosupportlobbyingandelectoralactivities.WhilethesuccessfuladvocacyonSB200wasaccomplishedthroughacoalitionoforganizations,CWC’sCofounderandCo-ExecutiveDirectorwasappointedto theStateWaterResourcesControlBoard,wheresheisoneoffivestaffmakingdecisionsonwaterqualityregulationandenforcement,waterrights,adjudications,andfunding,andischargedwithimplementationofSB200.

23Raynor,J.,York,P.,&Sim,S-C.(2009,January).What makes an effective advocacy organization? A framework for determining advocacy capacity.TCCGroup.

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Ecosystem-levelpowerexpansionwasobservedacrossallthecasesasevidencedbynewandstrengthenedrelationshipsandtheadditionofneworganizationswithtacticalcapacities,suchaslegaladvocacyandresearch.Thegreatestpowerexpansionwasobservedinthecasesthatusedcoalitionbuildingstrategiesthatbroughttogetheradiversityofpartnerswithdifferentskills,capacities,andresources.Coalitionsbridgedcommunitiesandconnectedconstituencies(e.g.,immigrants,youth,incarceratedindividuals,LGBTQ)basedonsharedgoalsandoppression.Thesecoalitionsincludedandcenteredgrassrootsorganizinggroupsthatfacilitatedtheinvolvementofimpactedcommunitiesinvaryingways.Theimplementationofeffectiveinside-outsidestrategiesasdocumentedintheProbationOversightCommission,waterjustice,sanctuarycity,anddetentioncases,wasmadepossiblebytheserelationshipsbetweenorganizingandadvocacygroups.Therelationshipsformedthroughcoalitionswereoftenstrengthenedbytheircollectiveadvocacyandsustainedbeyondthecampaign.Moreover,thecollectionofabroadanddiversegroupoforganizationscomingtogetherasacoalitionhadaninfluenceonfunders,decision-makers,andtheopposition.

The Dignity Not Detention Coalition demonstrates how ecosystems develop over time and over the arcofapolicyissue.ThecoalitionoriginallyformedaroundthepassageoftheDignityNotDetentionbill,continuedtoworkonthesuccessfulpassageofAB32,andisnowworkingontheimplementationofAB32whileadvancingotherstatepolicies.Withover20members,thecoalitionincludesstateandnationalimmigrantrightsandlegaladvocacyorganizations,criminaljusticeorganizations,andlocalaswellasstatewidegrassrootsorganizinggroupsandnetworks,manyofwhichareyouth-led.Thecoalitioncapitalizedonvariousmembercapacities,abilities,andrelationships.Despitehavingnofunding,thecoalitionhadreachandrangeandwasviewedasanallybythebill’ssponsorbecauseofitstechnicalandlegalexpertiseandabilitytobringinadditionallegalsupportfromtheDeanoftheUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley,SchoolofLaw.Thecoalitionwasalsoviewedasathreatbytheopposition,whichinvested$160milliontodefeatthebill.

In the Sanctuary City case,organizersdevelopedrelationshipsandchampionsontheSantaAnaCityCouncilthatultimatelyhelpedtopassthesanctuarycityordinance.ThepowerthatorganizersobtainedovertimewasevidencedintheNovember2016election,whenthemayorandthreeCouncilseatswerebeingcontested.TheSantaAnaPoliceOfficersAssociationinvested$500,000intotheelectionandendorsedthreeofthefourcandidateswhowon.Thesignificantinvestmentbypoliceintheelectionwasinreactiontotheeffectiveadvocacyoforganizersandtheirallies.WhilethenewCityCouncilwasmuchlessalignedwithorganizers’interests,theannualallocationtowardtheimmigrantlegaldefensefundhascontinuedtoincreaseannually,anothertestamentofthecoalition’sabilitytoachieveandsustainsupport.

A NOTE ON COALITIONS: Coalitions are formalized relationships between organizations aligned on shared goals to take collective action. Within an ecosystem, coalitions reflect stronger relationships and alliances among organizations.

Coalitions are a type of infrastructure within the power ecosystem. Infrastructure creates important structures and processes that facilitate communications, information sharing, collaboration, and coordination among ecosystem organizations.

For more information on the power ecosystem, see CSSP’s companion report.

At the start of the advocacy for the Probation Oversight Commission inLosAngelesCounty,theLosAngelesYouthUprising(LAYUP)coalitionwasjustformalizingasacoalition.Theydevelopedtheirstructureandgovernancewhiledevelopingandimplementingtheirstrategy.TCE,recognizingtheiraccomplishmentsandpotentialforgreaterimpact,helpedstrengthenthecoalition’sinfrastructurewithsupportforacoordinatorandcommunicationscapacitybuilding.Thecoalition’sabilitytoimplementaninside-outsidestrategyhelpedtheminformtheProbationReformandImplementationTeam’s(PRIT)agendaandrecommendationsaswellaselevatetheawarenessoftheneedforprobationreforminthecommunityandmedia.CoalitionmemberswereregularlyconsultedbyPRITmembersandtheLosAngelesCountyBoardofSupervisors(BOS)andtheirstaff.Becauseoftheirknowledge,understandingofthesystem,andbaseofsystem-impactedyouth,coalitionmemberswerealsoappointedtotheYouthJusticeWorkGroup,abodytheyhadadvocatedforthecreationof,to studytheremovalofyouthfromprobation.

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The geographic levelreflectstheexpansionoforganizingacrossregionsintonewcommunities. Thislevelofpowerisveryspecifictograssrootsorganizingandtheabilityoforganizerstoexpandtheirreachandbase,andthereforepower.Geographicexpansioniskeytoscaleandwasonlyseenincasesthat wereledordeeplyrootedinimpactedcommunitiesandorganizing.

The Sanctuary City casewasledbyyouthorganizerswhobuiltamultiethnicyouthorganizinghubacrossOrangeCountythatwassustainedbeyondtheirwins.ResilienceOC,24basedinSantaAna,partneredwithVietRISE,25basedinGardenGrove,andKoreanResourceCenter,26basedinFullerton, toexpandtheirbaseandinfluenceacrossethniccommunitiesandcitesinOrangeCounty.Asonekeyinformantweinterviewedstated,“Weknowthereareissuesthatresultfromtheongoinggenerationaloppressionourdifferentcommunitiesface.So,howcanwedo thisbettertogether,withasharedunderstandingofhistoryinOrangeCounty?”

In the water justice case,organizingbeganmorethanadecadeagointheSan JoaquinValleyandexpandedtotheEasternCoachellaValley.AstheadvocacyforSB200proceeded,organizingexpandedandconnectedtootherruralandurbanregionstoreflecttherangeofcommunitiesstatewideaffectedbythelackofaffordable,cleanwater.Thecoalitionwasdeliberateineducatinglegislatorsonthescopeoftheproblemandimplicationsfortheirdistricts.Bythetimethebillpassed,“itwasanacceptedtruth[bylegislators]thatthiswasacrisisthatneedstobeactedoninabigandimmediateway,”accordingtoalegislativestaffpersonwhoattributedthis outcometothecoalition’sadvocacyandhighlightingoftheissue as happening across California.

24Trainsyouthleadersofcolortobuildamovementforsocial-systemictransformation.25 StrengthensandsupportscivicengagementandorganizingwithintheVietnamesecommunityinOrangeCounty.26Empowerslow-income,immigrant,AsianAmericanandPacificIslander,andcommunitiesofcolorinSouthernCalifornia.

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27 Han,H.(2014).Howorganizationsdevelopactivists:Civicassociationsandleadershipinthe21stcentury.OxfordUniversityPress.

Power expanded when communities and people impacted were centered in the work and activated to transform their own circumstances.

As evidenced by the cases we examined, advocacy that builds power centers impacted communities through grassroots organizing.Organizersdonotalwaysleadthesetoftacticsapplied,but organizingshouldbecenteredintheoverarchingstrategyandnotusedsimplyasatactic.Whenthegoalisbuildingpower,organizingisanecessaryandcriticalpartofthestrategy.Thisframe“flipsthescript”onhowsomeadvocatesandadvocacyfundersthinkabouttherelationshipbetweenorganizingand advocacy.Welookedatwhatitmeansforpeoplepowertobecentered.

Being centered in advocacy does not always mean organizers are out front, visibly leading advocacy efforts.Advocacytacticsarebasedoncontext,politics,tactical needs,andcapacity. Grassrootsorganizinggroupsandimpactedcommunitiescanbecenteredinacampaignwhilenotleadingthestrategy.Advocacythatbuildspowerseekstobuildcommunityengagementthroughactionsthecommunitycantake.27Communityengagementisintegratedintoacomprehensivestrategy.Advocacythatdoesnotcenterorganizingcanresultintacticsthatmobilizecommunitiesto“turnthemout”asashowofsupportandalsotohumanizetheissue.Powerisbuiltthroughthetransformationalengagementofpeoplebywhichpersonalinterestsandprioritiesarealignedwithaction.

Coalitionbuildingwasacommonlyusedstrategyinthecases,inparticularwaterjustice,probationreform,anddetention.Thecoalitionsreflectedarangeofnational,state,andlocaladvocacyorganizationsandorganizinggroups.Thecoalitionswerealsodiverseintheirmembers’priorityissues,tacticalcapacities,andconstituencies.Coalitionbuildingischallenging,andorganizationsmustnavigaterelationships,organizationalagendas,turfissues,andleadership.Centeringgrassrootsorganizationsinthismixoforganizationscanbeparticularlychallenging.Thecasesofferedlessonsonhowcommunitieswerecenteredandengagedincoalitionstoachievewinsandbuildpower.

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For the water justice coalition (SB 200), communitiesaffectedbylackofaccesstosafe,affordablewaterwerecentraltotheadvocacy.Theissueemergedfromandwassustainedbycommunitydemand.WhilegrasstopsorganizationsledthelegislativestrategytopassSB200andthenegotiationofafundingmechanism,communitieseducatedpolicymakersandprovidedtestimonyinSacramento.Communitieswerealsothedrivingforcebehindadvancinglocalwaterprojectsandpolicy,andservingonwaterdecision-makingboards.ThegrasstopsorganizationshadlocalorganizersandstrongconnectionstocommunitiesandlocalcommunitycoalitionsacrosstheSanJoaquinandCoachellavalleys,whichensuredongoingengagementofimpactedcommunitiesoverthis10-yeareffortandnowontheimplementationofthelaw.

The LAYUP coalition wasfoundedbyasmallcollaborativeofadvocacyandorganizinggroups.As theyformalizedtheirrelationshipintoacoalition,theyensuredthattwoofthefoundingmemberswhoorganizesystem-impactedyouthandtheirfamilieswerepartoftheleadershipofthecoalition.Thisstructurallycenteredtheroleandinfluenceofyouthandorganizersintheworkofthecoalition,playingoutasthecoalitionbeganitsadvocacyforthecreationofaProbationOversightCommission.LAYUPbeganbydevelopingtrainingsandwebinarsonthehistoryoftheissue,thecountybodiesthathavejurisdictionovertheissue,andthecounty-createdprocessthatwouldbeusedtoinformprobationreforms.Thiscreatedalevelplayingfieldintermsofknowledgeandunderstandingtoensuresystem-impactedyouthcouldparticipateinthecoalition’sstrategydevelopmentandimplementation.Thisapproachfacilitatedtheirabilitytoimplementaneffectiveinside-outsidestrategy.

The Dignity Not Detention Coalition wasoriginallyformedaroundtheadvocacyforSB29,the2017Dignity NotDetentionAct.Thebillwassparkedbydetainedpeopleandtheirongoinghungerstrikes,which drewattentiontoconditionsinthedetentionfacilities.Youth-ledorganizinggroupsengagedformerlydetainedyouthandadultsintheadvocacy,andprovidedspaceandresourcesforyouthtocreatenewideasforactivismtosupportthosewhoweredetained.Youthactivismdrewlegislators’attentiontothedetaineehungerstrikesandhelpedpassSB29.ThecoalitionbuiltonthissuccessandwentontoadvocateforAB32.Thisadvocacywasmorenuanced,multipronged,andstagedwithlegaladvocatesplayingacentralandleadingrolewhilecapitalizingonthevariouscoalitionmembers’skills.LegaladvocatesledaquietinsidestrategytoinformthedevelopmentoflegallysoundlegislativelanguagewithoutalertingU.S.ImmigrationandCustomsEnforcement(ICE)ortheprivateprisoncompanies.Later,tobuildsupportforthebill,organizinggroupsliftedupanddisseminatedstoriesofthosedetainedthroughsocialmediaandSpanishlanguagetelevision.Communitymembersandyouthwerealsoengagedincontactinglegislators’officesandGovernorNewsom.Organizinggroupsdidnotleadthiscampaign;however,theywerecentraltothedevelopmentandimplementationofthesuccessfulstrategyandarenowworkingonthemonitoringandimplementationofAB32.

“Every single victory, from the beginning of people becoming aware of their drinking water quality, understanding their water quality reports, understanding their governance structure, who is the local water board, how is that governed—all of that knowledge is a huge victory. And you do that one-on-one, community by community.” – Community Water Center

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When organizing is not at the center of the work, wins can be achieved, but the amount of power expansion that occurs might be limited.ThiswasmostclearlyseenintheLCFFcasesandthedifferingexperiencesofMercedandLongBeach.BothBHCsitesstruggledwithholdingtheirschooldistrictsaccountableandensuringresourceswereappropriatelyandequitablyallocated.LCFFrequiredparentinvolvementintheschooldistrict’sdecision-makingprocess,yetbothdistricts’engagementwithparentswasinauthenticandsuperficial.BothMercedandLongBeachdecidedtousetheUCPtoholdtheirschooldistrictsaccountable.Thisiswheretheirexperiencesdiverge.Merced usedtheUCPasatacticandorganizingtool,andasaresult,wasabletobuildpowerthroughtheprocess.LongBeach,incomparison,hadatop-downlegalstrategyfocusedontheUCP,withparentsservingascomplainantsthroughanorganizinggroup.WhilebothUCPsettlementsweresuccessful,inLong Beachtheprocessdidnotengageorbuildthecapacityofparentsandresidents,resultinginless powerbuiltthroughthecampaign.

iMercedihadsomeearlysuccessthroughitsplacementofapproximately18residentsonschooldistrictcommittees.However,afteryearsofworkingwiththeschooldistrict,communitymembersfelttheyhadachievedincrementalwinsbutmadenorealprogress.AnalysisprovidedbytheAdvancementProjectidentifiedcontinuedinequalityinLCAPspending;thiswastheimpetusforthecommunity’sdecisiontofiletheUCPoncetheoptionwaspresentedtothembyCaliforniaRuralLegalAssistance(CRLA).WithguidanceandsupportfromlocalorganizinggroupswhoprovidedtrainingandeducationontheLCFF,parentstooktheleadintheUCPfilingandwon.The BHCSchoolActionTeamcreatedspaceforcoordinationandplanningthatcatalyzedthecreationofMercedResidentsforImprovingEducation,a coalitionthatledthestrategyaroundtheUCPandengagedparentsandresidents.Withthisnewfoundcapacitytoholdthedistrictaccountable,parentscontinuedtocreatetransformationalchangetowardabetterschooldistrictthroughsubsequentadvocacy.Asoneintervieweesaid,“Residentsandparentsfeelempoweredthattheycancontinuetoholdthedistrictaccountable.”

“So now we have parents that not only are the presidents of the ELAC [English Learner Advisory Committee], the school site councils, and now they are at the district level, the DELAC. They go to Sacramento to the LCFF meetings in front of the board members—they can talk. They [are] not afraid anymore. They are in power. They are empowering themselves and each other. They are doing wonderful things. It is amazing.” – Merced Organizer

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iLong Beachi hasahistoryofsuccessfulyouth-ledschoolclimateadvocacy.Youth-ledschool-basedcampaignsadvancedrestorativejusticethroughtheLCAP,resultingintheallocationofabout$300,000forrestorativejusticepracticesovertwoyears,mostofwhichwentlargelyunspent.Incomparison,$8millionwasallocatedforpoliceinschools.TheuseoftheUCPwasawaytoholdtheschooldistrictaccountableforlackoftransparencyandmisappropriationofresourcesintendedforhigh-needstudents.However,thestrategyhadlittlesupportfromthecommunity.YouthorganizinggroupsalongwithBHCshiftedfocustothecitybudgetandyouthdevelopment.TheUCPstrategywasimplementedbythreeorganizations:Public Advocatesleadingthelegalstrategy,theChildren’sDefenseFund,andLatinosInAction,withtwoofLIA’smemberssigningonascomplainants.Thelackofbroadercommunityparticipationledtoatop-downstrategydrivenbytheUCPandlegaladvocates.Advocatesgatheredparents’thoughtsandopinions,thenactedtoimplementasolutionwithlittleparentinvolvement.ThelackofparentorganizingcapacityinLongBeachmadeitdifficulttomorefullyengageparentsintheprocessandtodevelopalong-termstrategytoholdtheschooldistrictaccountablebeyondtheUCP.Whiletherewasawin—thesuccessfulsettlementincreasedservicestohigh-needstudentsandrequiredmoreintentionalandeffectivecommunityandparentengagement—therewaslessevidenceofpowerexpansionbecauseofthelackofcommunityinvolvement.

Organizing is necessary but not sufficient. Regardless of the role organizing groups played across the cases,theyengagedintheadvocacywithanecosystemofpartnersthathadarangeoftacticalcapacities.Organizinggroupsarethemeansbywhichcommunitiesareengagedandarethereforenecessarytobuildpower.Evenincaseswheretheorganizinggroupsledeveryaspectofthestrategy,suchasinthesanctuarycityordinance,theydidsoincollaborationwithabroadcoalitionoflocal,state,andnationalorganizations.Conversely,advocacyorganizationsworkingalonemayhavebeenabletoachieveawinbutwouldnothavebuiltpower.

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Power expanded when advocacy was grounded in the problems and solutions generated by impacted communities.

Advocacy campaigns that prioritize organizing ground their advocacy in the problems and solutions that are identified by communities who experience them firsthand. With communitiesandimpactedpeoplecentered,problemdefinitionismorelikelytolinkbacktorootcauses,andtransformationalgoalstoachievestructuralchangearemorelikelyto beprioritized.

BHCsupportedcommunitiesingeneratingandprioritizingtheirownproblemsandsolutionsbycreatingspace,buildingcapacity,providingtraining,supportingorganizing,andfundingresearchand datatoinformdecisions.Table3summarizestheproblemandsolutionforeach case.

Case Problem Solution in the Case Longer-Term Transformative Solution

Lack of access to safe and affordable drinking water

Disparities in student outcomes

Disparities in student outcomes

Probation Department with enormous budget based in part on keeping youth under its supervision; a record of abusive behavior and practices toward youth in its custody

Youth of color have disproportionate contact with probation and law enforcement

Immigrant detention and inhumane treatment and conditions

Carceral systems that have inhumane conditions for Black and Brown populations

Lack of political influence and voice for communities of color

SB 200

LCFF Merced

LCFF Long Beach

Probation Reform Implementation Team

Restorative Justice Diversion

Sanctuary City

AB 32

Integrated Voter Engagement

Achieve equitable access to safe and affordable water through sustainable water infrastructure

Achieve equity in education; equitably distribute resources; and improve school district accountability to parents and communities

Achieve equity in education; equitably distribute resources; and improve school district accountability to parents and communities

Abolish youth prisons and increase community-based youth development

Keep youth out of the juvenile justice system and promote youth and community healing

End immigrant detention and abolishing prisons

Abolish all carceral systems28

Change who is in power to hold elected officials accountable to communities of color and to facilitate success of the community’s policy goals

Provide for a legal structure and process for funding safe drinking water solutions for disadvantaged communities in California

Use the UCP to hold the school district accountable; expand services to high-need students; and increase intentional community and parent engagement

Use the UCP to hold the school district accountable; expand services to high-need students; and increase intentional community and parent engagement

Set up an accountable oversight body for the Probation Department with authority (subpoena power) that includes system-impacted youth, adults, and community stakeholders

Adopt a pre-charge RJD program

Protect Santa Ana as a sanctuary city

Prevent the state from creating or renewing contracts with for-profit, private prison companies

Increase voter registration and turnout in communities of color

28Notallecosystemparticipantsagreedwith“abolishmentofcarceralsystems”asthelong-termsolution.Someadvocatesweredrawntoreformationsolutions,whileothersweremorefocusedontheabolishmentofICEratherthanontheabolishmentofallcarceralsystems.

TABLE 3: CASE PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

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In the Sanctuary City case,communitiesidentifiedandworkedonanissuearea:immigration.Immigrantsanddetaineesnamedtheproblemtobeaddressedastheinhumanetreatmentofimmigrantsindetentionfacilities,particularlyfortransgenderdetaineessubjectedtodegradingstripsearchpolicies.Youth-ledorganizingcenteredonimmigrantexperiences,includingthoseofjailedtransgenderwomen,toeliminateabuseinthecityjailandstopthecagingofundocumentedpeopletobringinincomeforthecity.FreedomforImmigrants,anonprofitdevotedtoabolishingimmigrationdetention,useditsvisitationprogramtomonitorthesystem,uncoveringabusesinICE’streatmentoftransgenderimmigrants.Asaresult,FreedomforImmigrantsfiledafederalcivilrightscomplaintwiththeDepartmentofHomelandSecuritydocumentingSantaAnaJail’sillegalstripsearchesoftransgenderwomenonbehalfof31transgenderandcisgenderwomeninICEcustody.

Immigrant organizers named solutions rooted in the experiences of detainees and with a transformational goalinmind—ultimatelyendingimmigrantdetention.Organizersrejectedthenotionthatchangecouldonlybeachievedinsmallincrements.Thestrategy’sgoalwasgroundedinpossibility,linkedtotheleadingroleoftheyouthinvolved.ManysaiditwouldbeimpossibleforacitylikeSantaAna,whichdidbusinesswithICEanddependedonthatrevenue,tobecomeasanctuarycityinseveralyears.Theorganizersrejectedthenotionthat changewasboundedorcouldonlybeachievedinsmallincrements.

The two LCFF cases demonstratetheimportanceofproblemsandsolutionsbeinggeneratedbycommunities.InMerced,dataandanalysisprovidedbytheAdvancementProjectdescribedthecontinuedinequityinLCAPspendingandbecametheimpetusforthecommunity’sactionanddecisiontofiletheUCPcomplaint.InLongBeach,astatewidelegaladvocacyorganizationhadbeenmonitoringthedistrict’sallocationofresourcesandsoughttopartnerwiththecommunitytofiletheUCPcomplaint.Thelegalprocesswasnotalignedwiththesolutionpreferenceoflocaladvocatesandorganizers,whowereconcernedabouttheeffortdamagingrelationshipswiththeschooldistrict,which wouldhavetheknock-oneffectoflosinginfluencewithdecision-makers.

“The conversation we were having with residents and with the media wasn’t even a conversation of, ‘Hey, you should provide protection to immigrants.’ It was really a conversation around ending immigrant detention and a conversation around prison abolition. That was an abolitionist campaign through and through.” – Youth Organizer

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Power expanded when advocacy was cyclical and built on and leveraged incremental gains toward transformational goals.

Efforts to achieve racial equity and justice are necessarily long term, occurring over years and more likely decades, as they typically require fundamental transformations in both power and systems.Thekindsofsystemsfeaturedinourcases thatproduceinequities—criminaljustice,education,immigration,environmental—canbehardtobendtowardjustice.

Asthepowerbuildingframeworkillustrates,becausetransformationsinpowerandsystemsrarelycomeinonebigpackagethateffectivelyaddresstherootcausesofinequities,organizingtypicallyfeaturesdistinctadvocacyeffortsthatactlikesteppingstonestowardtransformationandbuildononeanotherovertime.Forexample,theimmigrationcasesaddressedtheissueofdetentioncentersbutdidnotyetaddresstherootcausesofdetentionandincarceration.Still, theywereimportantwins.Similarly,PRIT advocacyhelpedtocreatea probationoversightbodybutdidnotaddressthedisparitiesinyouthbeingdetained.This winhelpedtoadvancetheirgoalofremovingyouth fromprobation,whichtheylaterachievedin2020.Ourcasesfocusedononepartof a longerstoryoftransformationthatwillcontinuetoplayoutinyearstocome.

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The AB 32 case, which resulted in a law that prevents the state of California from creating or renewing contractswithfor-profitprisoncompaniesandimmigrationdetentioncenters,showshowahistoricallymarginalizedcommunity’spowertotransformpoliciesandsystemsbecomesclearerwhenlookingatseveralcyclesofcampaigning,asillustratedinFigure4.Fourcampaigncyclesincrementallyexpandedpowerthatledtosubstantialpolicyandsystemschange.

Thefirstcycleoccurredin2016,whenFreedomforImmigrants(formerlyCIVIC)andtheImmigrantLegalResourceCentersubmittedtheDignityNotDetentionAct(SB1289)toendprivatecivildetentioncontractsinlocalgovernments.Tobuildcapacityforthiscampaign,advocatesandorganizerscreatedtheDignityNotDetentionCoalition,thenfocusedtheiradvocacyonthelegislature.AlthoughtheCaliforniaStateAssemblypassedthebill,thenGovernorJerryBrownvetoedit.

The second cycle occurred in 2017.Armedwiththepowerofnewknowledgeandstrategicrelationshipsamidamorefavorablepoliticalcontext,thesamecosponsorsandauthorofSB1289reintroducedtheDignity NotDetentionActunderGovernorNewsom,whomadeimmigrationreformaprominentmessageasagubernatorialcandidate.Thiscycleincludedapairofbillsaimedatregulatingthegrowthof immigrationdetention:SB29andanamendmenttothestatebudget,AB103.Bothpassed.

The third cycle in 2019istheonethatpassedAB32.Throughthepreviouscycles,theDignityNotDetentionCoalitionhadbuiltsignificantcapacitytoworkbothinsideandoutsideadvocacystrategies.ImmigrantDefenseAdvocates(IDA),acoalitionmember,hadstrengtheneditsrelationshipandinfluencewithAssemblymemberRobBontaandhisstaff,whichhelpedtoexpandthecoalition’spowerinthelegislature.Bonta’sofficeconsideredIDAtheirgo-toonallimmigrationmatters.WhenBontaintroducedAB32itwaslimitedtocriminaldetention,butacoalitionmemberworkedwithitsmembersandBonta’sofficetoaddthe civildetentioncomponent.InOctober2019,GovernorNewsomsignedAB32intolaw.

The fourth cycle started in 2020.Coalitionmembersbeganorganizingtofightthebill’sopposition(e.g., lawsuitsquestioningthelegalityofAB32),championingtheimplementationofAB32,andworkingwithBonta’sofficeonanewbill(AB3228)addressingdetentionconditions,whichgainedthegovernor’sapprovalinSeptember2020.

AB 3228(win)

2020

2019

2017

2016

AB 32(win)

AB 29 & AB 103(wins)

SB 1289(loss)

FIGURE 4. AB 32 CYCLES OF ADVOCACY THAT BUILT POWER

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Organizers, community members, and advocates learn from and use their experiences in each campaign to shape the next one.Inonecampaign,theymayrealizewhichrelationshipsarekeytounlockingasuccessfulinside-advocacystrategy,thatcreatingaloudcommunicationscampaignwillgarner moreoppositionratherthansupport,orthatanotheridentitygroupsharesthesameconcerns. The opportunity lies in learning from past experiences and applying that knowledge to the next advocacy effortorcontext.

29Therootsofadvocacyaroundthecityjailstartedin2012,whenacoalitionofcommunity-basedorganizationsadvocatedforaSunshineOrdinancerequiringthecitytodevelopastrategicplanonpublicspending.Thisledtofindingsaboutjailmismanagementandtheallocationofoverhalfofgeneralcityfundsforthepoliceandfiredepartments.Twoyearslater,thestrategicplanidentifiedtheneedtomodifythejailbusinessmodel.

In the Sanctuary City case,advocacyforthesanctuarycityordinancewasaseveral-monthendeavorthatisbestunderstoodaspartofabroaderandlonger-termarc,from2015to2017,ofintersectionalorganizingagainstimmigrantdetention—specificallyagainsttheuseoftheSantaAnacityjailasanICEimmigrantdetentionfacility,includingfortransgenderwomen.29 Advocacy on the ICE contract with thecityoccurredwhenparticipantsintwodistinctecosystems—immigrantrightsandLGBTQrights—joinedtogetherwheretheirissuesoverlapped.Thiseffortthenseguedintoaseriesofadvocacyeffortswithinabroadercampaignintendedtoultimatelyclosethecityjail.TheseriesofrelatedadvocacygoalsandeffortsaredetailedasmultiplecyclesofthepowerbuildingframeworkinFigure5andTable4.

Bythetimeyouth-ledorganizersworkedonthesanctuarycitypolicy,theyhad“cycledthrough”thepowerframeworkseveraltimesonrelatedissues,gainingpowerandmomentumalongtheway.They thencontinuedtoworkonanothercycleafterthewin.

Close/repurpose jail(TBD)

2018

2017

2016

2016

Sanctuary City(win)

End ICE contract(win)

Preventexpansion

of ICE contract(win)

FIGURE 5. SANCTUARY CITY CYCLES OF ADVOCACY THAT BUILT POWER

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Building Power

Exercising Power

Having Power

Expanding Power

Cycle 1 Cycle 2 Cycle 3 Cycle 4

Prevent expansion of city’s contract with ICE for use of jail

Immigrant and LGBTQ rights organizations led by youth organizers

Advocacy to City Council through one-on-one meetings, public comments, and protests

Unanimous vote to not expand ICE contract

$50,000 allocated to study repurposing of jail

City Manager starts meeting with organizers to understand demands

End city’s contract with ICE for use of jail

Informal coalition of local, state, and national organizations

Public education, coalition building, and hunger strike

ICE contract not renewed but not ended

A cap on the number of detainees established

Stronger relationships among the organizations; multi-constituency base forms

Declare Santa Ana a sanctuary city

Hub of multi-issue, multi-region, multi-constituency organizations

Inside-outside strategy, crafting legislative language, and organizing

Sanctuary city ordinance passes

ICE ends contract with city jail

New youth leaders and organizations; increased legal capacity; credibility with City Council members

Close and repurpose city jail

Hub of multi-issue, multi-region, multi-constituency organizations

Advocacy to City Council, public testimony, research, and policy development

Jail still open

Deportation defense fund created

Expansion of organizing groups; new youth leaders and new regions organized

TABLE 4: SANCTUARY CITY CYCLES OF POWER

When advocacy centers communities and grassroots organizing, this kind of cyclical power building, learning, and constant recalibration is possible because the focus of grassroots organizing, in comparison to advocacy, is building power. Whenadvocacyeffortsaredisconnectedfromtheworkthatoccurredpreviouslyordonotcenterimpactedcommunities,they areunabletoleveragepreviousexperienceandrelationships,canlackalineofsighttothegoal, andmaymakethepathtowardtransformationbothlongerandharder.

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30McBeth,M.K.,Jones,M.D.,&Shanahan,E.A.(2014).Thenarrativepolicyframework.InC.M.Weible&P.A.Sabatier(Eds.), Theories of the policy process(225-266).

31 Lynn,J.,&Kathlene,L.(2020).Narrative change for health and racial equity: Exploring capacity and alignment.PolicySolve. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.29767.93607

Power expanded when advocacy was grounded in long-term narrative change that centered the experiences of those impacted and challenged dominant frames.

Storytellinghasalwaysbeenacorefeatureofadvocacy.Individualswithstoriesabouttheirexperienceswithaparticularproblem—receivingunjustorinhumanetreatmentduringdetentionorhavingunsafewatertodrink,forexample—canhelptodefineandbringtolifea problemsothatitismorethoroughlyseenandunderstoodinhumanterms.

Advocacy that builds power, particularly across multiple advocacy cycles, pays attention to the deeper narratives that stories help to illustrate.Storiesbringnarrativestolifebymakingthemrelatableandaccessible,whilenarrativesinfusestorieswith deepermeaning.

Narrativesarecentraltothementalmodelsthatguideourdecision-makingandbehavior. Theyshapehowweseepeople,places,communities,andcultures.Theyareimportanttopolicyandsystemschangebecausewhenissuesaredefineddifferently,theirperceivedimportanceorsaliencechangesinthepolicyarenaandnewactorscanenterthedebate.Narrativesbecometrulypowerfulwhentheybecomepartofourculture,embeddedandsharedinoureverydayexistence.30

Narrative change plays an integral role in power building. To inform future TCE narrative work,evaluatorsJewlyaLynnandLynKathleneconductedresearchonBHCnarrativechangeefforts.Their framingandfindingsinformedouranalysisofnarrativechangeeffortsintheeightcases.31

Theydefinenarrativechangeas“theprocessofdisruptingdominantnarrativesthatnormalizeinequityandupholdoppression,andadvancingnewnarrativesfromourcommunitiesandindividualsinhistoricallymarginalizedgroups.”Narrativeshelptodismantleinequitiesandimagineadifferentfuture.“Narrativechangedoesnotequalpower, butnarrativechangecanhelpbuildpower,”theresearchersnoted.

Forexample,adominantnarrativeisthatincarceration supports the need for law and order and public safety.Narrativechangemightfocusonchallengingthatdominantnarrativewiththecounter-narrativethat alternatives to incarceration—community-based processes for preventing, intervening in, transforming, and repairing—will work.Thisnarrativefocusesonpossibilityandthatvastlydecreasingthenumberofpeopleincarceratedwillnotdecreasepublicsafety.Anotherdominantnarrativeisthatthose who are incarcerated deserve it.The counter-narrativemightfocusonthemajordisparitiesinwhoisincarceratedand that incarceration is rooted in slavery and racism.Thishighlightsthatincarcerationisfueledby,and contributesto,systemicoppressionbyrace.Successfullychallengingthedominantnarrativewouldhelptoopenupopportunitiesfortransformationalreformsorchangesin the criminaljusticesystem.

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LynnandKathleneofferatypologyoffourcomplementaryapproachestoachievingnarrativechangethatisbasedontheirresearchinBHCcommunities(seeTable5).Oneapproachisnotconsidered“best practice”foradvancingnarrativechange,andapproachescanbeusedinconcert.Buttheydodiffer inhowimpactedvoicesarecenteredandwhattheirimpactmightbe.

Approach A Approach B Approach C Approach D

Narrative change as embedded in a larger power building and organizing approach that centers the voices of their community members

Begins first and foremost with the voices of people in their communities; audiences are often the community members

Deeply focused on the needs of one or a couple communities

Centers the voice of community members while also actively working across many communities and building networks working on aligned narratives

Often begins with a central narrative focus, but centers the voices of each community within that focus; may seek to reach larger audiences than just the communities

Works across communities, seeking alignment on central narratives

Research-driven process that may include many organizations at the table; engages communities to deploy messages, frames, and narratives

Begins with research using strategic communications tools like polling, focus groups, and message testing; explicitly focuses on larger audiences and significant reach

Explicit, central goal of reaching many people and broadly shifting narratives

Mix of research and community-driven processes, all oriented around policy change processes (narrative as a tool to change policy)

Centers policymakers as the audience to reach, often with community members as the storytellers

Prioritizes policy change as the primary outcome

Summary

Voices Centered

Reach/ Scale/ Desired Impact

In the cases, we documented how narrative change efforts helped to create the conditions for change.Welookedathowadvocacycenteredimpactedvoicesandwhenecosystemslinkednarrativechangeacrossmultipleadvocacyefforts(ApproachA).Wealsolookedattheuseofstoriesand narratives inoutreachtodecision-makers(ApproachD).

TABLE 5. FOUR COMPLEMENTARY APPROACHES TO NARRATIVE CHANGE 32

In the water justice (SB 200) case, the dominant narrative was that only agricultural communities experiencedcleanwateraccessissues.NarrativechangeeffortsfocusedonthealternativenarrativethatwaterisahumanrightandthatallCaliforniansareaffectedbycleanwaterissues,particularlymarginalizedcommunitiessufferingfromotherequityissueslikehousingandfoodaccess.Communityvoicesandexperienceswerecentered,andnarrativechangeworkstartedwithstoriesfromimpactedcommunities(ApproachA).IndividualsfromSanJoaquinValleyandEasternCoachellasharedtheirexperienceswithstatelegislators(ApproachD)topowerfuleffect.OnelegislatorultimatelylinkedSB 200directlytothiswork,noting,“...thischangeisattributabletothedirectinvolvementofpeoplefromtheseimpactedcommunities.”

32 Lynn,J.,&Kathlene,L.(2020).Narrative change for health and racial equity: Exploring capacity and alignment.PolicySolve.https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.29767.93607

“By the time the bill passed, it was like an accepted truth that this is a crisis, and it needs to be acted on in a big and immediate way. That change is directly attributable to the communication strategy of the coalition in creating this ‘narrative’ and highlighting that this issue was happening across California. This change is attributable to the direct involvement of people from these impacted communities.” – Decision-maker’s staff member

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In the AB 32 case, thecounter-narrativewasthesameasthenameoftheadvocacycoalition—dignity not detention.Advocateschallengedthedominantnarrativethatdetaineesarecriminals.Thislong-termnarrativechangeworkbeganwithdetaineessharingthehorrifictreatmentandconditionstheywereexperiencingwithorganizersandjournalistswhohelpedtoamplifytheirstories(ApproachA).Organizersandadvocatesuseddetaineestoriestosupporttheirbasebuildinginothercommunities,especiallyimmigrantcommunities.Theyalsousedstoriesintheiroutreachtolegislators(ApproachD).

In the Sanctuary City case, youth organizers chose a human rights narrative to undergird their advocacyefforts.Organizersmovedawayfromanimmigrationreformframeandnarrativethat“leftothersbehind”andfocusedonlyon“deservingimmigrants.”33 They used a human rights frame that ensureddueprocessforall,includingundocumentedpeople,inanequitableandintersectionalway.Thisshowedupinthesanctuaryordinance,whichintegratedinclusivelanguagethatalsomadeitclearthiswasnotjustaLatinx issue.

Thegroupstiedtheiradvocacytoshiftingthecity’snarrativeaboutitsroleinkeepingthecommunitysafeandsupportingitinthriving.Theyquestionedthecity’sframeworkandprioritiesanditslackofabettereconomicdevelopmentstrategythanbalancingthebudgetonthebacksofimmigrants.“Targeting thejailrequiredreenvisioningsafetyasacorecityfunctionthatprioritizedthehumanityof thosedeemed‘criminal’overpublicprofits.”34

Finally,inthe PRIT case, theprobationofficersframedyouthascriminals,violentthugs,andgangmemberstojustifytheirincarcerationandtheuseofextrememeasuressuchaspeppersprayinjuvenilehallsandprobationcamps.Tocounterthisnarrative,system-impactedyouthwereorganizedbytheLAYUPcoalitiontoprovidefirsthandtestimonyabouttheirexperiencesintheprobationsystem.ThesetestimoniesmaderealthefailuresofthecountyProbationDepartmentandremindedPRITmembersthatthesearechildren.Their storiesstoodinstarkcontrasttotheoftenhostileandangrypresenceofprobationofficers.TheirstorieswerefrequentlypickedupinthemediaandalsoheavilyinfluencedPRITmembers.AsonePRITmembernoted,“Theysharedtheirownlivedexperienceinsuchvividandstarkdetail.Therewaspowerinwhattheysaid.”(ApproachD).

33 Sarmiento,C.(2019,December17).From jails to sanctuary planning: Spatial justice in Santa Ana, California. JournalofPlanning,Education,andResearch,40(2),203. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X19893743

34 Sarmiento,C.(2019,December17).From jails to sanctuary planning: Spatial justice in Santa Ana, California. JournalofPlanning,Education,andResearch,40(2),203. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X19893743

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Long-term narrative change efforts can help create the conditions for transformational systems change.Dominantnarrativesareextremelyhardtodisruptbecausetheyinvokedeeplyentrenchedmentalmodels,values,andbeliefs.Theyareevenhardertoreplacewithanalternativenarrative.Thisisnecessarilylong-termwork,butwhenthenarrativereflectstheexperiencesofcommunitymembers,aswellastheirneedsanddesires,itcreatestheconditionsforprofoundchange.

Weknowthatnarrativechangeislong-term,complexwork.Itinvolvesmuchmorethanthekindsof short-term,strategiccommunicationsinvestmentswetypicallyseeadvocacyfunderssupport (e.g.,formessagingresearch,advertising,orpromotionalcampaigns).

Narrative change requires a sustained and broader cultural strategy that includes advocacy efforts and storytelling to challenge deeply entrenched, oppressive, dominant frames. Thoseeffortsshouldfeatureabroadersetofactorsandactions,includingorganizersandactivists,butalsoartistsandothertypesofcultureleaders.WhilenotalwaysvisibleatthesurfaceofoureightBHCcases,organizingandadvocacyplayedoutagainstabackdropofmuchbroaderBHCinvestmentsincommunitiesthatfocusedonnarrativesandcreatingthenecessaryculturalconditionsforchange.Insomecases,culturalinvestmentsbecamecatalystsfororganizingandadvocacy.

In the Sanctuary City case, BHCfundedElCentroCulturaldeMexicoinSantaAna,anonprofitartistscollectivethatsupportsartanddance,fromhip-hoptotraditional,andinvitespeopletoparticipateinculturalarts.Theaimistoconnectimmigrantstotheirculture.Manyoftheyouthorganizerskneweachotherthroughthisspaceandfirstdevelopedrelationshipsthattheythentookintotheirlaterorganizingwork.Thespacebecameanaturalincubatorfortheorganizingthatemerged.

ArtistFaviannaRodriguez,afeaturedBHCeventspeaker,saysthatweshouldimagineawavewhenwethinkaboutpoliticalchange.Shewrites,“Inthepoliticalworld,weexperiencethewave’speakmomentsthrougheventslikeelectionsorpolicywins,butwedon’talwaysrecognizetheundercurrentsandconditionsthatleadusthere.Intheworldofartandculture,manyofushelpconstructtheconditionsthatleadtothisclimax.Cultureisaspacewherewecanintroduceideas,attachemotionstoconcretechange,andwinenthusiasmforourvalues.Artiswherewecanchangethenarrativebecauseit’swherepeoplecanimaginewhatchangelooksandfeelslike.” 35

Justlikeorganizingisnotashort-termadvocacytactic,narrativechangeisnotashort-termadvocacytactic.Itrepresentsaconsistentthroughlineforongoingsystemschangeeffortsandmultifacetedeffortsthatarecoordinatedacrossinvestmentsandtime.

35 Rodriguez,F.(2013,April1).Change the culture, change the world.CreativeTimeReports.https://creativetimereports.org/2013/04/01/change-the-culture-change-the-world/

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Power expanded when funders gave up power over priority setting and strategy direction.

OurassumptionwasthatifTCEwaslessvisibleandlessinvolvedintheadvocacyeffort,thequalityofthewinwouldbehigherandpowerexpandedwouldbegreater.Thisassumptiondidnotholdup.Themoreimportantvariablewasthatcommunitiesbecentered,notthatTCEbelessinvolved.Itwasimportant,however,howTCEwasinvolved.

Fundersareanactorintheecosystem.Thismeansthattheycanplayanimportantandvisibleroleinadvocacyefforts.Inthecasesfeaturedinthisreport,thisplayedoutindifferentways.

In the LCFF Merced case, forexample,TCE/BHChelpedputschoolpolicyimplementation(LCFF)onMerced’sagenda.TheyalsobuiltparentandstudentcapacitytoengageandusedoneoftheBHCtablestocoordinatethestrategy.TheBHCHubManagerplayedaroleincraftingthestrategy,buttheprocesswasled byparents.

Inboththe Santa Ana Sanctuary City and the Los Angeles County Probation cases,TCEhelpedstrengthentheecosystemcapacitybysupportinghyper-localmediaoutlets:VoiceofOCandWitnessLA.Theseoutletsplayedanimportantroleinelevatingthestoriesofcommunities,thelocalactivists,andtheirdemands.WitnessLAdescribesitselfas“criminaljusticejournalisminthepublicinterest.”The outletregularlyhighlightstheadvocacyoforganizersandadvocates,andhasbecomeacentralsourceofinformationonLosAngelesCounty’scriminaljusticeandjuvenilejusticesystems.Itiswidelyreadbysystemleaders,electedofficials,othermediaoutlets,activists,andthecommunity.TheEditordescribesWitnessLAasa“smallbutdangerous”sourceofcriminaljusticenewsthatis“manically”readbytheBOS.TCEnotonlyprovidedsupporttotheoutlet;ithelpedthemstrategicallyfocustheirworkbydefiningtheirtargetaudiences.Thesemediaoutletsareanimportantpartofthepowerecosystem.

CSSP’scompanionreportonthepowerecosystemdescribeshowthefoundationplayedvariablerolesdependingonthecircumstances,ecosystemcapacities,andwindowsofopportunity.Thisplayedoutindifferentwaysacrossthecases.Itinvolvednurturingnewleaders,buildingorganizations’capacity,supportingnewexpertiseatthetable(e.g.,legal,research),andsupportingthealliances,networks,andcoalitionsthatmakeuptheecosystem’sinfrastructureandthatallowittobuildandsustainpower.

Funders also can play more strategic roles in advocacy strategies as long as they center communities and do not make their own priorities the focus if they are not aligned.Whenfundershaveprioritiesthattheywanttoadvancethroughadvocacy,itiscriticaltostartbyunderstandingthepowerbuildinglandscapeandwhetherthefunder’spriorityisalignedtowhatimpactedcommunitieswantandneed.Thephilanthropiclandscapeislitteredwithexamplesofwhenthisalignmenthasnotbeeninplaceandhowtheunevenpowerdynamicsbetweenfundersandcommunitiesplayedoutwithunintendedandharmfulconsequences.

Wearenotadvocatingfor“decisionparalysis”throughendlessresearchingorlandscapeanalysisbeforegrantmakingbegins.Funderscanlearnaboutthepowerecosystembytrustingcommunitiesandorganizationsandfundingwhattheywanttodo,andbylisteningandlearningduringresearch,evaluation,andtheentiregrantmakingprocess.

In sum, the funder’s role in a power ecosystem is to give up power over impacted communities and embrace the funder’s role in building, sharing, and wielding power.36 This means supporting and partneringwiththepowerecosystembyfundingcivicengagementandorganizing,nurturingtrustworthyrelationshipsandcocreatingstrategies,andexercisingleadershipwithinthefieldandpublicsectortocreatetransformationalchange.

36NationalCommitteeforResponsivePhilanthropy.(2018).Power moves: Your essential philanthropy assessment guide for equity and justice.

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V CONCLUSIONS

WhenBHCmadea“pivottopower”atitsmidpoint,peoplepowerwentfrombeinganimportant driverofpolicyandsystemschangetobeingthechangethatBHCsoughttoachieve.37 Our evaluationhelpedto illuminatetheimplicationsofthatshiftforfunderswhosupportadvocacyandsystemschangeeffortstoadvanceequityandjustice.

Advocacy that builds power has fundamental distinctions from advocacy designed solely to achieve a win.

AsTCEpreparedforitsfocusafterBHC’s10yearsconcluded,thefoundationcloselystudiedpowerandwhatittakestobuildit.Thisworkandthisevaluation,groundedinbothscholarshipanddeepstudyofBHCcommunityexperiencesincontext,makethekeydistinctionsinthetablebelowbetweenadvocacyfocusedprimarilyonachievingawinandadvocacythatbuildspower.

37 Ito,J.,Pastor,M.,Lin,M.,&Lopez,M.(2018,March).A pivot to power: Lessons from The California Endowment’s Building Healthy Communities about place, health, and philanthro-py.USCDornsifeProgramforEnvironmentalandRegionalEquity.https://dornsife.usc.edu/assets/sites/242/docs/TCE_Pivot_to_Power_FULL_REPORT_FINAL.pdf

A “win” is the goal. A “win” is a means.

Advocacy to Achieve a Win Advocacy That Builds Power

Advocacy is done on behalf of or for impacted communities.

Advocacy is done by and with impacted communities.

Others drive narratives that tell stories of impacted communities, often within the dominant frame.

Impacted communities drive narratives that tell their stories and challenge dominant frames.

Base building organizations and organizing may or may not be part of the strategy.

Base building organizations and organizing are centered in the strategy.

The advocacy campaign is the strategy, and organizing may be a tactic through which a win is achieved.

Organizing (a participant-centered power building approach to deal with upstream changes) is the strategy/approach, and advocacy is the tactic/method through which power is built.

The policy solution may or may not be informed by impacted communities.

The policy solution is developed or informed by impacted communities.

Strategy is based on a shared analysis driven by politics and the window of opportunity.

Strategy is based on a shared analysis grounded in root causes and inequity.

Advocacy mobilizes pundits, policy entrepreneurs, and other influentials as the drivers of change.

Advocacy based on organizing pays attention to the role of an authentic organized base as the primary driver of change.

Specific/time-bound capacity building is provided for the purpose of getting to the win.

Advocacy and campaigns are a leadership development opportunity to build power in a defined area.

The work is organized into a series of time-bound campaigns that may not relate or add up.

The work is continuous, and a series of campaigns expands the power and influence of participants within a field of action.

TABLE 6. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ADVOCACY TO ACHIEVE WINS AND ADVOCACY TO BUILD POWER

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38ThistableintegratesinformationfromTCE’sinternalstrategydocument,Power goal paper.39TheCaliforniaEndowment.(2020).A decade of learning.

https://www.calendow.org/peoplepowerhealth/impact/

We offer these as a summary of key findings in this report38 and as a guide for funders who want to achieve wins but want to approach the work equitably and ultimately to build power in communities.Akeydistinctionbetweentheseapproachesistheelementoftime:Tomovecloserto equityandjustice,fundersneedtotakethelongviewthatseesadvocacyascyclicalandrecognizesthatpowerbuildsovertime.

For advocacy that centers communities and is grounded in equity and an organizing strategy, success has to be measured by whether power has been built.

Foragreatdealofadvocacyfundedbyphilanthropy,evenwhenitisbasedinorganizing,thefocushas beenonwinsasthemainmeasureofsuccess.EveninasummaryofitsBHCpeoplepowerimpact,TCEledwithafocusonwins.SummarizingA Decade of Learning,TCEwrote:“Thepastdecadewasajourneyfilledwithmanyvictoriesbyourpartners.Thisworkexceededeveryexpectation—ultimatelycontributingtomore than 1,200 policy changes, system changes, and tangible benefits for our communities.Brokendownintocampaigns,ourpartnersearned552winsforourneighborhoods,343 winsforourschools,and125winsforpreventionacrossour14chosensites.”39

Winsobviouslyareimportanttoadvocacyandwillcontinuetobe.Buttheprimaryfocusmustbeonwhetheradvocacybuiltpowerforcommunitymemberswhoaredirectlyimpactedbypoliciesandmustensurethosewinsaresustainedandleveraged.Thisisalessonforbothadvocacyfundersandevaluators,whohavenotpaidasmuchattentiontoevaluatingpowerexpansion.

A focus on wins alone can lead advocacy efforts to be inequitable in how they are approached, who is funded, the tactics used, and the policy or systems change solution advanced. Advocacy shouldfurtherthemarchtowardequityandjustice,notderailorwaylayitforthesakeofawinthatmightmeetthefunder’sprioritiesbutnotadvanceprogresstowardthecommunity’slong-termgoals.

Asdemonstratedthroughoutthisreportandthesecases,aswellasinCSSP’scompanionreportonpowerecosystems,BHCadvocacyoffersmanyexamplesofwhatitlookslikeforadvocacytobuildpower.

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VI APPENDICES

Appendix A: The Eight Cases Documented for the Evaluation

Appendix B: Methods and Evaluation Team

Appendix C: Organizations Interviewed for the Evaluation

AppendixD: RubricsUsedfortheCases

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Appendix A: The Eight Cases Documented for the Evaluation

1 LocalControlFundingFormula:Merced

2 LocalControlFundingFormula:LongBeach

3 CaliforniaStatuteSB200:TheSafeandAffordableDrinkingWaterFund

4 ProbationOversightCommission:LosAngelesCounty

5 Pre-ChargeRestorativeJusticeDiversionProgramforYouth:Richmond

6 Sanctuary City Ordinance: Santa Ana

7 California Statute AB 32: Detention Facilities

8 IntegratedVoterEngagement(IVE):SanDiegoandtheCentralValley

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Local Control Funding Formula: Merced

POLICY AND/OR SYSTEMS CHANGE

In2019,agroupofparentsandeducationadvocacyandlegaladvocacyorganizationswonavictoryafterfilingaUniformComplaintunderCalifornia’sLocalControlFundingFormula(LCFF)statute,forcingtheMercedCitySchoolDistrict(MCSD)toincreasetransparencyinthecreationoftheLocal ControlandAccountabilityPlan(LCAP)andtodemonstratehowthedistrictwouldexpandand improveservicesforhigh-needstudents.

TheuseoftheUniformComplaintProcess(UCP),alegalstrategy,followedyearsoffrustrationbyparentsandadvocacygroups,whohadtriedtogetapositiveresponsefromMCSDthroughtheusual processesofinputandparentandcommunityengagement.

POWER ECOSYSTEM

A coalition of organizations came together in Merced to push for greater responsiveness to communityandparentconcernsbyMCSDandimprovedoutcomesforstudents.TheprimaryorganizationsinvolvedintheUCPcomplaintareshownbelow,andtheywerepartofabroadernetworkofconcernedparentsandnonprofitorganizationsmeetingastheSchoolAssistanceTeam(SAT),astandingworkgroupofMercedBuildingHealthyCommunities(BHC).

• The Advancement Project•CaliforniaRuralLegalAssistance,Inc.(CRLA)• Cultiva de Salud•ParentInstituteforQualityEducation• The Health Equity Project• The Center at the Sierra Health Foundation•MercedBHCHub

STRATEGY

ThedecisiontofileaUniformComplaintunderLCFFgrewoutofyearsofadvocacybynonprofitorganizationsandparentsmeetingaspartoftheMercedBHC’sSAT,pushingforimprovedschoolingandpressuringtheschooldistricttocomplywithprovisionsofLCFF.WhiletheseeffortswonsomeminorimprovementsinMCSD’sprocessforparentandcommunityengagementintheLCAPbetween2015and2017,thesewereunsatisfactory.MercedBHChelpedparentseducatethemselvesaboutlegalstrategiestoseekchange.TheAdvancementProjectconductedananalysisofMCSD’sbudgetingprocessfortheSAT,andCRLAexplainedtheoptionsavailabletothemthroughLCFF’sUCP.Withthisadditionalknowledge,asmallgroupofpartnersproceededtofilesuchacomplaintin2018.Eventually,theCaliforniaDepartmentofEducationruledinthecomplainants’favor,securingchangesinMCSD’scommunityengagementprocessandrequiringthatservicesbeexpandedforhigh-needstudents.ThisvictoryisseenasonemilestoneinanongoingorganizingandadvocacyeffortinMercedthroughwhichparentsandadvocatespushforbetterstudentoutcomes.

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Local Control Funding Formula: Long Beach

POLICY AND/OR SYSTEMS CHANGE

In2017,advocacyorganizationsandparentsreachedasettlementwiththeLongBeachUnifiedSchoolDistrict(LBUSD)astheresultofaUniformComplaintfiledunderCalifornia’sLCFFstatute,which was intended to improve student results through greater equity in resources for high-need schoolsandstudents,localflexibilityinfundingdecisions,andgreateraccountabilityforstudentoutcomes.

ThesettlementreachedwithLBUSDincreasedservicestohigh-needstudentsandrequiredmoreintentionalandeffectivecommunityandparentengagement.Thiswinhadsymbolicvalueaswell,as itdemonstratedthatLBUSDcouldbeforcedtomakemeaningfulchangebyparentsandadvocates.Parentsandadvocateshadsoughtthesesamechangesunsuccessfullyforyears,usingtheprocessesestablishedbyLBUSDforcommunityinputtotheLCAPrequiredbyLCFF.

POWER ECOSYSTEM

Acoalitionofparents,statewideadvocacyorganizations,andalocalbasebuildingorganizationcametogethertospearheadtheactivitythatledtotheUniformComplaintandthesettlement.Theleadorganizationswereconnectedto,andworkedcloselywith,alargernumberofeducationaladvocacyorganizations.Organizations playingcentralrolesinthecomplaintactivitiesandthebroaderadvocacyforbetterstudentresults inLongBeachincluded:

•PublicAdvocates•Children’sDefenseFund(CDF)•LatinosinAction•LongBeachBHC

STRATEGY

Thestrategycombinedlong-standingpowerbuildingandorganizingaroundtheeducationalneedsof themostimpactedstudents,parents,andfamiliesinLongBeachwithaspecificlegalstrategyusingtheaccountabilitytools—primarilytheUCP—builtintoLCFF.AsmallcoalitionoforganizationsandparentsspearheadedtheUCPefforts.TheCDF,alongtimeadvocacyandpolicypresenceinLongBeach,contributedfirsthandknowledgeoftheschoolsystem.PublicAdvocateswastheout-frontlegalandresearchorganization,arolethatcamenaturallyastheyhadbeenpartofCaliforniansforQualityEducation,thecoalitionthatoriginallycampaignedforLCFFpassage.Twoparentsjoinedthecomplaint.Thelegalstrategyemanatedfromabroaderpowerecosystemaroundschoolequityissues.Forexample,theCDFreportonLBUSD’sshortcomingswastheculminationofacommunity-drivenprocess,andCDFworkedalongsideyouth,parents,teachers,andpolicyadvocatestoexploreschoolclimatetrends,analyzebudgetspending,andcapturepersonalstoriesattownhall–likeevents.

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California Statute SB 200: The Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund

POLICY AND/OR SYSTEMS CHANGE

SB200isastatestatutepassedin2019creatingtheSafeandAffordableDrinkingWaterFund.It authorizes$130 millionperyear(foratotalof$1.3billionover10years)andprovidesforalegalstructure and process for funding safe drinking water solutions for disadvantaged communities in Californiathatcurrentlydonothavethataccess.Thebillwasbothasymbolicandhistoricsuccessthatwasachievedthroughmorethanadecadeof advocacyandvictoriesandlossesatthelocalandstatelevels.

POWER ECOSYSTEM

Acoalitionrepresentingorganizing,advocacy,andlegaladvocacyorganizationsfromboththeSan JoaquinandCoachellavalleyscametogether.Thegroupsincludedorganizationsfocusedonwaterjustice,broaderenvironmentaljusticeissues,andracialequityandimmigrantrightsgroups,with primary leadership from:

•LeadershipCounselforJusticeandAccountability•CleanWaterAction•CommunityWaterCenter(CWC)•PuebloUnido•TheCenteronRace,Poverty&theEnvironment•AGUACoalition

STRATEGY

Thestrategywasledbyacoregroupoffiveorganizations:LeadershipCouncilforJusticeandAccountability,CommunityWaterCenter,CleanWaterAction,CenteronRacePolicyandtheEnvironment,andPuebloUnido.Thecoalitionexpandedthebaseofsupportforthelegislationbyengagingcommunitiesacrossthestateonthesharedproblemofaccesstoaffordableandsafewater.Tobuildpoliticalwill,decisionmakerswereeducatedonthestatewidescopeoftheproblemanditsimplicationsfortheirdistricts.Advocatesworkedwithlegislativestafftocraftthelegislationandnegotiateafundingmechanism.CommunitiesweremobilizedtotestifyinSacramentotodescribethehumanimpactoflackofaccesstosafeandaffordablewater.

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Probation Oversight Commission: Los Angeles County

POLICY AND/OR SYSTEMS CHANGE

Inlate2019andearly2020,theLosAngelesCountyBoardofSupervisors(BOS)passedaseriesofcriticalmotionstoimplementrecommendationsfromtheProbationReformImplementationTeam(PRIT),atemporaryblue-ribboncommission.ThisprocessresultedinthecreationoftwobodiesthatwillbringchangetotheLosAngelesCountyprobationsystem.

YouthJusticeWorkGroup:TheWorkGroupischargedwithexploringtransitioningLosAngelesCounty’sjuvenilejusticesystemoutofthecounty’sProbationDepartmentintoanotheragency,with thegoalofcreatingarehabilitative,health-focused,and“carefirst”system.ThedivisionofYouthDiversionandDevelopment(YDD)andthecounty’sChiefExecutiveOfficeweretaskedtobringtogetheraconsultantteamtocreatetheWorkGroup.The consultantteamincludesmanyof theorganizationsthatadvocatedfortheremovalofyouthfromtheProbationDepartment:CDF, YouthJusticeCoalition,Anti-RecidivismCoalition,HaywoodBurnsInstitute,Million DollarHoods,andtheUCLABlackPolicyProject.

ProbationOversightCommission:Thisisahistoric,independent,civilianoversightbodyforthecounty’sProbationDepartment,withsubpoenapower,funding,andastaffingstructure.The Commissionwillconsistof ninemembers,includingpositionsreservedforsystem-impactedyouth andadults,familymembersofsystems-impactedindividuals,andalegaldefenseexpert.

POWER ECOSYSTEM

LosAngelesYouthUprising(LAYUP)isacoalitionofabout20members.Thefourcorefoundingmembersanda coordinatingentitycentraltothisadvocacyinclude:

•CDF–California•UrbanPeaceInstitute(UPI)•Anti-RecidivismCoalition(ARC)•YouthJusticeCoalition(YJC)•ArtsforIncarceratedYouthNetwork(AIYN)(addedasacoordinatingorganization)

STRATEGY

TheLAYUPcoalitioncoordinatedandimplementedaninside-outsidestrategybasedonacomplicatedwebofrelationshipsbetweenLAYUPmembers,PRITmembers,andBOSstaff.The outsidestrategybuiltpublicwill,engagedcommunitymembers,andcreatedspaceforsystem-impactedyouthtoprovidetheirtestimonies.The insidestrategyfocusedoninfluencingthe PRITrecommendationsandresultingBOSmotions.ThisadvocacybuiltonpriorandsimultaneoussystemschangeeffortsandultimatelyledtotherecentBOSmotiontoendtheProbationDepartment’ssupervisionofjuveniles,passingcontroltotheDepartmentofYouthDevelopmentand transitioningtoa“carefirst”modelby2025.

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Pre-Charge Restorative Justice Diversion Program for Youth: Richmond

POLICY AND/OR SYSTEMS CHANGE

In2019,theDistrictAttorney(DA)ofContraCostaCountysignedaMemorandumofUnderstanding(MOU)withRYSEYouthCentertolaunchaRestorativeJusticeDiversionProgram(RJDP)intendedtokeepyouthoutofthejuvenilejusticesystem.Theauthorizationoftheprogramwasimportantinitsownright,butitwasevenmoreimportantasamilestoneinabroaderadvocacyefforttodecriminalizeyouthinRichmondandContraCostaCounty,andtoreduceracialdisparitiesinthe county’scriminaljusticeprogram.

POWER ECOSYSTEM

Twoorganizationsledadvocacyforthepre-chargeprogramandnegotiatingtheMOU.However,theywereabletomovethisworkforwardthroughengagementandrelationshipswiththegroupslistedbelowandthehistoryof theiralignedagendasandcollaborativeaction:

•RYSECenter• ImpactJustice•ContraCostaCountyRacialJusticeCoalition•ContraCostaCountyRacialJusticeTaskForce(time-limitedbodyestablishedbythecountyto researchracial disparitiesinthecounty’scriminal/juvenilejusticesystems)

•ContraCostaCountyRacialJusticeOversightBody(time-limitedentitytooverseeimplementationoftheTask Force’srecommendations)

•ReentrySolutionsGroup

STRATEGY

SecuringauthorizationfromtheContraCostaDAforthepre-chargeRJDPwaspartofalonger-termadvocacystrategytodecriminalizeyouthinContraCostaCounty.Advocatingforanevidence-basedpre-chargediversionprogram—basedonaprovenmodel,RestorativeCommunityConferencing(RCC),usedinotherCaliforniaCounties—wasseenasasteptowardbroadersystemreform.

RYSE,anonprofit,hadworkedwithcriminaljusticesystempartners,schools,RichmondBHC,andgroupsliketheContraCostaRacialJusticeCoalitionforyearstoestablishdiversionprogramsatvariousstagesofthelegalprocess.RYSEandImpactJusticerealizedthatthepre-chargeprogramwouldbeonemoresignificantmilestoneindivertingyoungpeoplefromdeeperinvolvementinthejuvenilejusticesystem.Theybuiltsupportamongtheecosystemofpartners,joiningeffortsbytheRacialJusticeCoalitiontoestablishtheRacialJusticeTaskForcetodocumentsystemdisparitiesandrecommendreforms.

ThisconsistentadvocacypaidoffwhenanewCountyDistrictAttorney(DA)waselected.TheRacialJusticeTaskForcepresentedtheirfindingstotheBOS,includingrecommendationsforyouthdiversion.TheBOSacceptedmostoftheTaskForce’srecommendations,andthenewDAsignedanMOUauthorizingthepre-chargediversionprogramforafive-yearpilotprojectintendedtoshowhowtheprogramcouldbetakentoscale.

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Sanctuary City Ordinance: Santa Ana

POLICY AND/OR SYSTEMS CHANGE

InJanuary2017,theCityofSantaAnaenactedanordinancedeclaringthecityasanctuaryforallresidents,regardlessoftheirimmigrationstatus.Theordinance:

•Prohibitscityofficials,includinglawenforcement,fromadministeringfederalimmigrationlaw• Protects the sensitive information of every resident•Preventsbias-basedpolicingandpreventstheuseofcityfundsforimmigrationenforcement•Directslawenforcementofficialstoexercisediscretionincitingandreleasingindividualsinsteadofusinga local detentionfacilityorcountyjail

POWER ECOSYSTEM

Acoalitionoflocalgrassrootsorganizinggroups,immigrantrightsgroups,andlocalLGBTQadvocacyorganizations,inpartnershipwithanationalorganizationforimmigrantrights,mobilizedtopassthesanctuarycityordinance.ManyofthesesameorganizationshadbeenworkingtogetherforseveralyearstoadvocateagainsttheCityofSantaAna’scooperationwithU.S.ImmigrationandCustomsEnforcement(ICE)—andspecificallytopushforclosureofthecityjail.Organizationsparticularly active in supporting passage of the sanctuary city ordinance included:

•OrangeCountImmigrantYouthUnited(OCIYU)• Resilience OC •LatinosinAction•LGBTQCenterOrangeCounty•ACLUofSouthernCalifornia•UniversityofCalifornia,Irvine(UCI)LawImmigrantRightsClinic•VoiceofOC(OrangeCountynonprofitnewsagency)

STRATEGY

Thespecificadvocacythatledtothesanctuarycityordinanceoveraseveral-monthperiodin2016-17waspossiblebecauseofyearsofprioradvocacyagainstimmigrantdetention—andspecificallyagainsttheuseoftheSantaAnaCityJailasanICEdetentionfacilityfortransgenderwomen.AstrongintersectionalcoalitionofimmigrantrightsgroupsandLGBTQadvocateswasinplacewhenthe2016U.S.presidentialelectionheightenedfearsaboutthefuturewell-beingofSantaAna’simmigrantpopulation.Giventheseconcerns,advocatingforasanctuarycityordinancebecameahighpriority,andadvocates’strategytohavetheordinanceadoptedbytheSantaAnaCityCouncilwasverytargeted.Advocateshelpedtodrafttheordinance;theytookittoCityCouncilandofferedtechnicalassistancethroughtheUCILawImmigrantRightsClinic;residentsandadvocatespackedCouncilhearingsinsupportoftheordinance;andthismomentumandthebreadthoftheadvocacycoalitioninsupportof theordinanceledtounanimouspassageofthesanctuarycityordinanceinJanuary2017.

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California Statute AB 32: Detention Facilities

POLICY AND/OR SYSTEMS CHANGE

Astatelawpassedin2019preventsthestatefromcreatingorrenewingcontractswithfor-profitprisoncompaniesandimmigrationdetentioncentersafterJanuary1,2020.Thebillalsophasesoutexistingcontractsby2028.This legislationbuildsonSB29,theDignityNotDetentionActpassedin2017,whichbanscitiesandcountiesfromenteringintonewcontractswithprivateprisons,andAB 103,whichbanscitiesandcountiesfromnewcontractswithdetentioncenters.

POWER ECOSYSTEM

A coalition of criminal justice and immigrant rights advocates that included state and national advocacy,legaladvocacy,legalresearch,andgrassrootsorganizingcametogethertoadvanceAB32.ThiscoalitionwasbuiltontheDignityNotDetentionCoalitionthatworkedonthepassageofSB29andAB103,resultinginthecreationofthe 2017DignityNotDetentionAct,thefirstlawinthecountrytohaltimmigrationdetentiongrowthandcreatemoretransparencyandaccountabilityintheU.S.immigrationdetentionsystem.

Keymembersinclude:

• Freedom for Immigrants •ACLU• ImmigrantDefenseAdvocates(IDA)• Immigrant Defense Project• ImmigrantLegalResourceCenter• InlandCoalitionforImmigrantJustice•PangeaLegalServicesHumanRightsWatch•CaliforniaImmigrantYouthJusticeAlliance•KernYouthAbolitionists• Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity• PICO California• Resilience OC •LGBTQCenterOrangeCounty

STRATEGY

Legaladvocatesworkedwiththebill’ssponsortocraftthelegislativelanguageandworkedwithlegalscholarstoensureitsconstitutionality.Meanwhile,youthledgrassrootsorganizinggroupselevatedthe stories of those detained and incarcerated through social media along with on-the- ground organizing.By leveragingtherangeofskillsofitsmembers,thecoalitiondeftlyimplementedasuccessfulinside-outsidestrategy.

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Integrated Voter Engagement (IVE): San Diego and the Central Valley

POLICY AND/OR SYSTEMS CHANGE

ThiscaseexaminestheinfrastructureinCityHeights/SanDiego,theCentralValley,andstatewideto supportcivicengagementandtheuseofIVE.Theworkoftheseorganizationswith501(c)(3)and501(c)(4)tableshasresultedinincreasedvoterturnoutandimportantelectoralwins.

POWER ECOSYSTEM

Statewide• California Calls•MillionVoterProject,anallianceofsevenstatewideandregionalcommunity-basedIVEnetworks: AllianceofCaliforniansforCommunityEmpowerment(ACCE),AsianAmericansandPacificIslandersforCivic Empowerment(AAPICE),CaliforniaCalls,CoalitionforHumaneImmigrantRights(CHIRLA),Orange CountyCivicEngagementTable(OCCET),PowerCalifornia,andPICO California

City Heights•Mid-CityCommunityAdvocacyNetwork(CAN)• Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans • Alliance San Diego•AllianceSanDiegoMobilizationFund• Engage San Diego• Engage San Diego Action Fund

Central Valley•TheCenteronRace,Poverty&theEnvironment• Communities for a New California Education Fund • Communities for a New California Action Fund •CWC•CWCActionFund• Dolores Huerta •FaithintheValley• Hmong Innovating Politics • JakaraMovement•LeadershipCounselforJusticeandAccountability•99Rootz

STRATEGY

Grassrootsorganizinggroupsintegratedelectoralworkintotheirorganizingtobuildthepoliticalinfluenceofcommunitiesandadvancepolicyagendasbyelectingdecision-makersandholdingthemaccountable.Each regionuseddifferenttablesandstructurestocoordinatetheirstrategies.

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Appendix B: Methods and Evaluation Team

ThisevaluationonadvocacythatbuildspowerandthecompanionreportfromtheCenterfortheStudyofSocial Policy(CSSP),AnEcosystemtoBuildPowerandAdvanceHealthandRacialEquity,usedaqualitative multi-casedesign.Eightcasesweredeveloped,coveringfivedifferentissueareasandrepresentingavarietyof policy,systems change,andelectoral“wins”withavarietyoftargetsofchange(e.g.,citycouncil,county,school board,statelegislature,andthepolls),asshowninFigure6.

FIGURE 6. METHODS OVERVIEW

The“win”servedasananchorineachcasetodocumentpriorwinsandlosses—the“arc”ofthepolicyorsystemschangegoal—aswellashowtheecosystemoforganizationscollaboratedonasharedgoal.

ThecaseswereselectedwithinputfromTheCaliforniaEndowment(TCE)andvariedintheroleandlevelofdirectivenessofthefoundationinsupportingtheworkoftheecosystemoforganizations.Insomecases,wewere abletoalsodescribehowthefoundationsupportedtheworkoverthedurationofthepolicyarc.

Thecasesalsovariedintermsoftheroleofdirectlyimpactedindividualsandgrassrootsorganizinggroups.This variabilityallowedustoexplorehowgrassrootsorganizationswerecenteredintheecosystemaswellasinthe campaignstrategyandthedevelopmentofthesolution.Weexploredtherelationshipbetweentheextenttowhichorganizinggroupswerecentered,thequalityofthewin,andtheextenttowhichpowerwasbuilt.

Thepowerbuildingframeworkgroundedthedevelopmentofdatacollectiontoolsandcoding.

Anevaluationteamdrawnfrommultipleorganizationsdevelopedthedatacollectiontools,interviewedindividuals/organizationsinvolvedineachofthecases,codedtheinterviewsforanalysis,andsummarizedeachofthecasesforpurposesofinternalanalysis.Theanalysisidentifiedandfocusedonthemesthatemergedacrossthecases,andthesearepresentedanddiscussedinthisreportandtheCenterforEvaluationInnovation’s(CEI)complementaryreport.Theevaluationteamincludedthefollowingorganizationsandindividuals:

LCFF-UCPMerced

Long Beach

5 issues, 8 cases*, 10 BHC sites

2 studies

Youth JusticeLos AngelesRichmond

ImmigrationSanta AnaStatewide

Water Justice*South KernCoachella

PowerEcosystem

Study

Policy Advocacythat Builds Power

Study

IVE*Central Valley

San Diego

*Water Justice and IVE wereeach developed as a single case.

Barsoum Policy Consulting•GigiBarsoum

CEI• JuliaCoffman•AlbertinaLopez•MariahBrotheGantz

Center for Outcomes Research and Education (CORE)•MargaretteWeller

CSSP• Sarah Morrison• Anand Sharma• Frank Farrow• Selena Chavez

LPC, Inc.• Michele Darling

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Appendix C: Organizations Interviewed for the Evaluation

99RootzAlianzaCoachellaValleyAlliance San DiegoAnti-RecidivismCoalition(ARC)California CallsCaliforniaDonorTableCaliforniaRuralLegalAssistance(CRLA)CaliforniaStateWaterResourcesControlBoardCaliforniaYouthImmigrantJusticeCoalitionCatholicCharities,EastBayChildren’sDefenseFund(CDF)ChispaCommunities for a New California Education FundCommunityWaterCenter(CWC)ContraCostaCountyPublicDefender’sOfficeCultiva la SaludDolores Huerta FoundationFreedom for ImmigrantsHealth Equity ProjectImmigrantDefenseAdvocates(IDA)ImmigrantLegalResourceCenterImpactJusticeInterfaith Movement for Human IntegrityJakaraMovementLosAngelesCountySupervisorJusticeDeputyLosAngelesTimesLatinosinAction

LeadershipCounselforJusticeandAccountabilityMid-CityCommunityAdvocacyNetwork(CAN)MillionVotersProjectPartnership for the Advancement of New Americans ParentInstituteforQualityEducationPower CaliforniaPICOCalifornia/FaithinActionProbationReformImplementationTeam(PRIT)ChairandseveralmembersPublicAdvocatesPuebloUnidoCDCRacialJusticeCoalitionResilience OCRYSEYouthCenterSanta Ana City CouncilSierra Health FoundationTheCaliforniaEndowment(TCE)ProgramManagersandDirectors(various)TheCenteronRace,Poverty&theEnvironmentTheOfficeofAssemblymanRobBontaTheOfficeofSenatorWilliamMonningTheWaterFoundationTransLatin@CoalitionUrbanPeaceInstitute(UPI)WitnessLAYouthJusticeCoalition

(inalphabeticalorder)

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Appendix D: Rubrics Used for the Cases

1 2 3 4

Grantee led and TCE funded with no direct TCE role

Mobilized: Base building groups and communities played a transactional role and were turned out to support an issue but played no role in the development of the effort

Mobilized: Community played a transactional role; mobilized on an issue of related importance and strategic value but did not play a role in its development

Getting on the radar of decision- makers with authority over the policy or in system

Grantee led with TCE played supporting background role, such as helping to build capacity and creating tables for collaboration

Supported: Base building groups and communities played a supporting role in the development of an effort that was led by other partners

Supported: Community supported with incremental progress toward equity

Informing the agenda or decisions related to the issue or systems of interest

TCE engaged and playing a more directive role in collaboration with grantees

Engaged: Base building groups and communities co-led the effort and helped inform

Engaged: Community informed and equity centered

Being seen as a go-to source and being taken into consideration when making decisions

TCE led with TCE directing the strategy and funding the organizations to implement it

Led: Base building groups and communities led the effort, from problem definition, to development of policy solution, to development of strategy and role in strategy

Led: Community developed and equity centered

Getting a seat at the table—institutionalizing their perspective

TCE Role The extent to which the foundation (HCAL/HCOM/BHC) was directing the work and grantmaking

Nature of the Advocacy The extent to which communities and base building organizations were centered in collaborative advocacy efforts with other ecosystem partners

Quality of the Win The extent to which the policy or systems change win was developed by communities, reflected community priorities, and addressed root causes and inequities

Expansion of Power (Influence) The extent to which community members have political influence and are recognized for it