2022 Budget and Tax Briefing Series — Part Two: State Policy, Budget, and Revenue Outlook: A Focus on the South

Southern communities have been navigating some of the most challenging political and economic climates for decades. Too often, the South is a laboratory for regressive policies that are exported to other places. But the South is also a springboard for visionary thinking, the birthplace of national movements with a rich history of innovative organizing. Home to more than one-third of the country’s population, including many of the fastest growing cities and regions, what happens in the South will have a profound impact on the entire country and our collective future. During this webinar panelists explored key battles and opportunities in the South and lessons learned and insights from campaigns in Alabama and Florida.

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Ethan Frey, Program Officer, Civic Engagement & Government, Ford Foundation (Moderator)

John Simpkins, President, MDC

Robyn Hyden, Executive Director, Alabama Arise

Zelalem Adefris, Vice President of Policy & Advocacy, Catalyst Miami

Video Recording:

Webinar Recap:

On April 13, 2022, Economic Opportunity Funders hosted the second program in their 2022 Budget and Tax Briefing Series to discuss the visionary organizing and advocacy work happening in the South. The event featured Zelalem Adefris, vice president, policy & advocacy at Catalyst Miami; Robyn Hyden, executive director of Alabama Arise; and John Simpkins, president of MDC. The discussion was moderated by Ethan Frey, program officer, civic engagement & government at the Ford Foundation.

The South is growing quickly, which brings both increased electoral power as well as challenges such as an accelerated affordability crisis and concerted efforts to keep people of color from the ballot. But exciting work has been under way for decades now to rebuild the systems that haven’t been working for the people in the South, and those efforts have the potential to ripple out to other parts of the country. What does it take to bring about these changes? Collaboration, communication, capacity-building and trust are key – and so is imagining what’s possible.

American Rescue Plan Act funding can be transformational for states in the South if leaders listen to the voices of the public telling them what they need. Local organizations are driving the efforts to elevate these voices, which include participatory budgeting, testifying at the state capitol, unionizing and striking, and cultivating local leaders to advocate on behalf of their own communities. Virtual engagement opportunities and an increase in young people and people of color in positions of power have helped increase engagement and move progressive policies forward.

In recent years, these organizing groups have seen the philanthropic community invest significantly more in the South. General operating funding that trusts organizations to do what’s best for their communities has resulted in more member-led organizing and increased capacity for advocacy work. By supporting pilots and data collection, as well as funding what works, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit, and filling in funding gaps when needed, funders can play a critical role in developing fiscal policies in the South that work for all people – and influence organizing and policy work across the country.

Related Resources:

• The State of the South, MDC.
• Implementing a Working Floridians Tax Rebate Campaign, Catalyst Miami.
• As the South Grows is an initiative of Grantmakers for Southern Progress (GSP) and the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) to give philanthropists the tools they need to partner effectively with visionary leaders across the South.
• Funding in the South Map, Grantmakers for Southern Progress.
• State Rundown 1/20: Governors Eyeing Tax Cuts in Yearly Addresses, ITEP, January 20, 2022.
• Alabama Arise toolkit on the American Rescue Plan Act, Alabama Arise, November 18, 2021.
• Anti-Racist State Budgets: The Social Safety Net, Six, October 8, 2021.
• The Story of the South is the Story of America, Ford Foundation, Jun 24, 2021.

Cosponsors: Children, Youth & Family Funders Roundtable, EITC Funders Network, and Workforce Matters

EOF hosts an Annual Budget and Tax Briefing to provide funders and philanthropic advisors with a unique opportunity to learn about and discuss why federal and state budget and tax work matters to national, state and local philanthropy. This year’s Budget Briefing was a high engagement virtual series of events that included four funder learning webinars on Wednesdays in April.