Grantees: 1999 Strategic Initiative awards

Indigenous Environmental Network, Bemidji, Minnesota, $25,000
IEN is an alliance of grassroots Indigenous Peoples working for cultural, environmental and economic justice. For developing a technology needs assessment and planning process to enhance the organizing efforts of key member groups and individuals by using information technology to enhance their communications, research and analysis and mobilization efforts.

National Alliance for Fair Employment, Boston, Massachusetts, $25,000
NAFFE is a new collaboration of local grassroots groups working to organize around economic justice and fair employment practices. To build on an existing technology assessment of member groups and develop a plan to use information technology to facilitate and strengthen a new national network of grassroots organizing groups.

Southern Echo, Jackson, Mississippi, $50,000
Southern Echo is a leadership development, education and training organization working to develop grassroots leadership across Mississippi and the Southern region. To enable community-based organizations to use Geographic Information Systems to develop an effective understanding of the redistricting process and an organizing strategy to enable low-income people to impact the outcome of redistricting work, as a step toward the empowerment of their communities.

Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice, Albuquerque, New Mexico, $25,000
SNEEJ is a network that organizes communities of color, youth and other grassroots peoples around economic and environmental justice issues. For the development and implementation of a technology assessment and planning process to identify ways to build organizational capacity and empower members through the use of information technologies.

Western Organization of Resource Councils, Billings, Montana, $25,000
WORC is a six-state association of grassroots organizations working for economic and environmental justice. To organize a "technology summit" to discuss and develop new applications of technology to support organizing efforts and develop an innovative technology plan.