Communities Rise

TO PROMOTE SOCIAL WELFARE BY FOSTERING MOVEMENTS TO BUILD POWER IN COMMUNITIES IMPACTED BY SYSTEMIC OPPRESSION THROUGH COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS, CAPACITY BUILDING, AND LEGAL SERVICES FOR COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND MICROENTERPRISES.

CAPACITY BUILDING - COMMUNITIES RISE PROVIDES CAPACITY BUILDING SERVICES TO NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS SERVING COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. WE FOCUS ON BLACK, INDIGENOUS AND PEOPLE-OF-COLOR LED NONPROFITS WHO SERVE COMMUNITIES OF COLOR OR OTHER COMMUNITIES IMPACTED BY SYSTEMIC OPPRESSION. OUR CAPACITY BUILDING SERVICES INCLUDE A 9-MONTH NONPROFIT CAPACITY BUILDING COHORT, WHICH PROVIDES INDIVIDUAL COACHING, PEER-TO-PEER LEARNING, WORKSHOPS, ACCOMPLISHING CAPACITY BUILDING GOALS FOR 8-10 NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. IN 2021, CR HOSTED TWO COHORTS, ONE FOR ORGS LOCATED IN THE CITY OF SEATTLE AND ONE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH KING COUNTY'S COMMUNITIES OF OPPORTUNITY. WE ALSO PROVIDE FREE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ON NONPROFIT FUNDRAISING AND GRANT WRITING TO NONPROFITS THROUGH OUR REGULARLY HELD FUNDRAISING AND GRANT WRITING CLINICS. CR ALSO PROVIDES GRANT WRITING TA TO POTENTIAL GRANTEES, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GOVERNMENT FUNDERS. IN RESPONSE TO THE STRESSES OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, WE PROVIDED WELLNESS WORKSHOPS TO BIPOC LEADERS AND PARTICIPATED IN SEVERAL COMMUNITY COLLABORATIONS ADDRESSING THE INEQUITY OF THE NONPROFIT FUNDING SYSTEM.

EDUCATION-BASED PROGRAMS: COMMUNITIES RISE OFFERS TRAININGS AND CREATES LEGAL EDUCATION TOOLS ON ISSUES RELEVANT TO NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, SMALL BUSINESSES, AND ATTORNEYS WHO SERVE NONPROFITS ON NONPROFIT AND SMALL BUSINESS ISSUES. TRAINING TOPICS INCLUDE FORMATION OF NONPROFITS, APPLYING FOR TAX-EXEMPT STATUS AND CHOICE OF ENTITY FOR SMALL BUSINESSES. COMMUNITIES RISE DEVELOPS LEGAL TOOLS INCLUDING SHORT TRAINING VIDEOS, WRITTEN TOOLKITS AND TEMPLATE DOCUMENTS FOR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. COMMUNITIES RISE PUBLISHES THE WASHINGTON NONPROFIT HANDBOOK AND KEEPS IT CURRENT WITH NEW EDITIONS EVERY SEVERAL YEARS. IN 2021, COMMUNITIES RISE IS PREPARING TO UPDATE THE HANDBOOK AND PUBLISH AN UPDATED EDITION IN 2022, THAT WILL INCLUDE UPDATES ON THE NEW NONPROFIT CORPORATIONS ACT THAT WILL GO INTO EFFECT IN JANUARY 2022.

FOR SMALL BUSINESSES AND NONPROFIT LEGAL SERVICES: COMMUNITIES RISE SEEKS TO ADVANCE EQUITY BY PROVIDING PRO BONO LEGAL SERVICES TO NONPROFITS AND LOW-INCOME SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS WHO WOULD NOT OTHERWISE AFFORD OR HAVE ACCESS TO LEGAL SERVICES. COMMUNITIES RISE FOCUSES ON NONPROFITS AND SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS WHO SERVE COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AND ARE LED BY PEOPLE OF COLOR. WE CONNECT ELIGIBLE NONPROFITS AND SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS WITH BUSINESS, REAL ESTATE AND EMPLOYMENT ATTORNEYS WHO PROVIDE FREE LEGAL SERVICES TO ADDRESS THE CRITICAL LEGAL NEEDS FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS ELIGIBLE FOR OUR SERVICES. COMMUNITIES RISE PROVIDES LEGAL SERVICES THROUGH DIRECT REPRESENTATION AND IN MONTHLY LEGAL CLINICS. IN RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, WE CREATED A NEW COVID-19 NONPROFIT AND SMALL BUSINESS LEGAL CLINIC, DESIGNED TO ADDRESS URGENT NEEDS OF SMALL BUSINESSES AND NONPROFIT IN WA STATE. THE COVID-19 LEGAL CLINIC CONTINUED TO PROVIDE FREE LEGAL SERVICES THROUGHOUT 2021.