Latest news with #826Boston
CBS News
29-04-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Roxbury nonprofit chooses DEI policies over federal grant
A Boston-based nonprofit is refusing a $250,000 federal grant to maintain its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in its hiring practices. DEI is not negotiable, 826 says 826 Boston, an education-focused nonprofit offering tutoring, creative writing, and publishing programs for students, announced its decision in light of President Donald Trump's executive order banning the practice. The organization, headquartered in Roxbury, said that prioritizing DEI is non-negotiable, even at the cost of significant federal support. "It wasn't a difficult decision because we have to stand by our students and we have to also model standing up for what you believe in," said Jenna Leschuk, 826 Boston's Senior Director of Program Development. "We can't do this work without DEI." 826 Boston's stance comes amid growing political and legal pressures on organizations to scale back or abandon race-conscious hiring and program practices. Yet, the nonprofit's leadership says DEI remains critical to its ability to serve students effectively, and tutors must reflect the diversity of the community in which they live. Community support for DEI Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has expressed strong support for 826 Boston's choice. "Non-profits, businesses, law firms, universities are all going through that choice," Wu said. "Do we speak out and stand up for what's right in this moment, or do we stay silent and capitulate and let the bullies have their way? I know what the answer is for the residents of Boston and what they want to see out of their city government," she said. While the move will make operations more financially challenging in the short term, 826 Boston has already seen signs of community support. The nonprofit received a $75,000 donation from the New Commonwealth Fund, a philanthropic group led by Black and Latino leaders in Roxbury. "I think people want to support a place they believe in with their contributions, and so, we're giving them a chance to do that," said Leschuk. Since going public with their decision, 826 Boston has gained 500 new donors, with the average donation around $25. Still, Leschuk says the organization needs more community support to bridge the funding gap.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Boston nonprofit rejects federal funding so it doesn't have to comply with Trump's anti-DEI demands
A nonprofit organization in Boston has rejected a federal grant to avoid President Donald Trump's tirade against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The non-profit 826 Boston, which offers free tutoring and writing programs to more than 3,000 students, turned down a $250,000 federal grant earlier this year, The Boston Globe reports. The grant was offered by Americorps, an independent agency that helps provide stipend volunteer work to nonprofits. The decision was made after 826 Boston's application was flagged for containing the words 'diversity, equity and inclusion,' a phrase which Trump mandated his first day in office be removed from any organization hoping to get federal funding. 826 Boston's board of directors voted unanimously to forgo the funding, the Globe reports. 'I was really proud of our board because in that circumstance, and in withdrawing the grant, it wasn't a question of whether we should do it, it was how we should do it,' 826 Boston President Janet Tiampo told the Globe. But now, the nonprofit is facing a massive hole in its budget — and can only afford to hire five tutors for the upcoming year. 'I'm not going to tell you it's not scary. It is super scary,' Tiampo told the Globe adding that '$250,000 for our organization is a lot money.' Americorps itself could be in trouble, too. Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency placed the agency's leadership on leave last week, and put most staff members on administrative leave with pay. AmeriCorps' National Civilian Community Corps also told volunteers Tuesday that they would exit the program early 'due to programmatic circumstances beyond your control.' The agency employs more than 200,00 volunteers across the country. Corey Yarbrough, 826 Boston's executive director, told the Globe that his organization couldn't walk on eggshells and put its funding at risk if, for example, a student wanted to write an essay on historical oppression. 'We couldn't live in that uncertainty,' Yarbrough told the Globe. 'We wanted to take a bold stand, but we also wanted to be proactive and restructure on our own terms.' As 826 Boston rejects Trump's mandate against DEI programs, other institutions are falling in line — particularly dozens of colleges across the country. Trump's administration has frozen $2.2 billion in funding for Harvard University, which has taken a stand against control by the president. Federal officials have made several demands of the private school, including ordering leaders to immediately end all DEI programs. The school has sued in response, saying the order threatens its free speech rights. The University of Michigan, once a flagship of DEI efforts, closed its Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the Office for Health Equity and Inclusion last month. The public school cited 'recent federal executive orders.' Case Western Reserve University, a private school in Cleveland, similarly shuttered its DEI office in late March. University President Eric Kaler also cited Trump's executive orders in his announcement.
