TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY WILBERFORCE INITIATIVE
Programs
Program 1 [2018]
ADVOCACY: AS GLOBAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ADVOCATES, WE EQUIP AND ACTIVATE PARTNER NETWORKS TO ADVANCE FREEDOM OF BELIEF IN HOSTILE PLACES. INSPIRED BY OUR ORGANIZATION'S NAMESAKE, WILLIAM WILBERFORCE, WE EMBRACE A TOP-DOWN, BOTTOM-UP APPROACH TO SOCIAL CHANGE. LEVERAGING THE POWER OF NETWORKS, OUR VISION IS TO EQUIP PEOPLE OF FAITH TO COLLABORATIVELY ASSIST PERSECUTED COMMUNITIES, CHALLENGE RELIGIOUS REPRESSION, AND EXPAND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM GLOBALLY. IN 2017, 21WILBERFORCE HAS CONTINUED OUR ADVOCACY EFFORTS BY ENCOURAGING GOVERNMENT LEADERS TO PRIORITIZE INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. 21WILBERFORCE JOINED A TOP-LEVEL U.S. GOVERNMENT DELEGATION ON AN OFFICIAL TRIP TO IRAQ TO ASSESS THE SITUATION FACING RELIGIOUS MINORITIES IMPACTED BY THE GENOCIDE. THROUGH OUR ADVOCACY EFFORTS, WE ENCOURAGED THE REDISTRIBUTION OF FUNDING THROUGH USAID TO ASSIST YAZIDI AND CHRISTIAN IRAQIS. WE PROVIDED EXPERT TESTIMONY AT CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS ON THE SITUATION FACING RELIGIOUS MINORITIES. 21WILBERFORCE ALSO PARTICIPATED IN THE FIRST-EVER U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE'S MINISTERIAL ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, A KEY EVENT WHICH ELEVATED RELIGIOUS FREEDOM TO ONE OF THE TOP U.S. FOREIGN POLICY AGENDAS. 21WILBERFORCE PROVIDED A KEYNOTE ADDRESS TO HUNDREDS OF REPRESENTATIVE NGOS AND FAITH-BASED LEADERS ENCOURAGING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ACTIVISM. WE ALSO WERE ABLE TO HELP COORDINATE THE MINISTERIAL BY PROVIDING DIGITAL RESOURCES FOR LOGISTICAL SUPPORT. 21 WILBERFORCE HAS FOCUSED ON DEVELOPING STRATEGIC ADVOCACY GOALS WITH OUR NGO COALITION PARTNERS, CHAIRING THE CONGRESSIONAL WORKING GROUP FOR THE INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ROUNDTABLE (IRFR) AND PROVIDING LEADERSHIP ASSISTANCE AT THE IRFR AND ITS PROTECTION AND PREVENTION WORKING GROUP. THROUGH THIS BROAD AND DIVERSE APPROACH, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SECURE LARGE NUMBERS OF SIGNATURES ON LETTERS, INCLUDING AN NGO LETTER REQUESTING THE U.S. PRESIDENT APPOINT A SPECIAL ENVOY TO NIGERIA. WE ALSO LEAD THE COORDINATION OF A MULTI-NGO MEMO THAT RESULTED IN THE U.S. PRESIDENT RAISING THE ISSUES OF RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE IN NIGERIA TO THE NIGERIAN PRESIDENT DURING HIS VISIT TO THE WHITE HOUSE. THROUGH THESE PARTNERSHIPS, 21WILBERFORCE IS HELPING REVITALIZE THE NARRATIVE ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN THE UNITED STATES AND INCREASING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNS THROUGH OUR TOOLS AND RESOURCES THAT WE DEVELOPED BY COALITION MEMBERS. ONE OF OUR TOOLS, IDENTIFIED BY COALITION MEMBERS AS A KEY RESOURCE IN THEIR ADVOCACY, HAS BEEN THE USE OF 21WILBERFORCE INTERIM INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM (IRF) CONGRESSIONAL SCORECARD THAT INFORMS AND EDUCATES THE PUBLIC ABOUT ALL RELEVANT LEGISLATION. 21WILBERFORCE HAS ALSO USED THIS IRF SCORECARD TO BRIEF OVER 30 KEY CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP OFFICES SPECIFICALLY ON IRF RELATED ISSUES AND INFORM OVER 500 CONGRESSIONAL OFFICES ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM GENERALLY. OTHER ADVOCACY ACTIONS INCLUDED ORGANIZING A RALLY OUTSIDE THE US CAPITOL, WHERE TOP BIPARTISAN CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP HIGHLIGHTED A CALL TO ACTION FOR PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE IN CHINA. OVERALL, WE HAVE SUPPORTED RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ADVOCACY IN CHINA, IRAN, IRAQ, LEBANON, NIGERIA, TURKEY, SUDAN AND SYRIA.GeographiesNot indicatedDatesOct 1, 2017 – Sep 30, 2018Source990No causes providedNo populations provided–$627.7KProgram 2 [2018]
CAPACITY BUILDING: OUR CAPACITY BUILDING EMPOWERS GRASS-ROOTS ORGANIZING FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REFORMS. WE STRATEGICALLY TRAIN, EQUIP, AND PARTNER WITH MULTI-SECTOR NETWORKS, ORGANIZATIONS, ACTIVISTS, LEADERS, AND STUDENTS. IN THE UNITED STATES AND AROUND THE WORLD, WE HAVE EQUIPPED 19,556 PEOPLE AT 65 EVENTS FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND ACTIVISM. IN LEBANON, WE TRAINED 70 SYRIAN RELIGIOUS LEADERS ON LEADERSHIP AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, PROVIDING KEY OPPORTUNITIES FOR REFLECTION AND RELATIONSHIP BUILDGeographiesNot indicatedDatesOct 1, 2017 – Sep 30, 2018Source990No causes providedNo populations provided–$381.4KProgram 3 [2018]
TECHNOLOGY: PROMOTING INNOVATIVE IRF ADVOCACY, 21WILBERFORCE HAS USED TECHNOLOGY TO SCALE-UP PARTNER ACTIVISM VIA WEB-BASED TOOLS AND SOCIAL MEDIA. WE RAISED THE IMPORTANCE OF TECHNOLOGY IN THE INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM SECTOR AT DISCUSSIONS, WORKING GROUPS, AND POLICY INITIATIVES. THROUGH COALITION EFFORTS, WE HAVE HELPED SECURE A FASTER GRANT PROCESS THAT SUPPORTS RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY CAPACITY TO ACCESS RELIGIOUS INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET. WE HAVE USED INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY TO PROVIDE RGeographiesNot indicatedDatesOct 1, 2017 – Sep 30, 2018Source990No causes providedNo populations provided–$50.1K
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