
Protester in Minneapolis
Photo: KEREM YUCEL/AFP via Getty Images
Want To Support Protesters And Black Lives Matter Groups? Here’s How
In the past two weeks, protests have been staged across the nation in response to the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, David McAtee and many other Black people at the hands of police. Due to increased police presence and the deployment of the National Guard to several major cities, thousands of protesters have been arrested.
As protests continue amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Recording Academy has compiled a list of causes and organizations from across the nation that are on a mission to eradicate police brutality and systemic racism. Learn how you can help out and get involved by donating, volunteering and supporting.
CALIFORNIA
Action Bail Fund
Organized by Black Lives Matter LA (BLM LA), and supported by White People 4 Black Lives, this fund directs 100 percent of donations to directly support bail, fees and medical costs associated with actions.
Black Lives Matter – Los Angeles Chapter
BLM LA is currently supporting organizers endeavoring to adopt a "People's Budget" that reallocates police funding to communities that need it.
People's Breakfast Oakland
The Black grassroots organization is raising money to bail out protesters in their city. All leftover proceeds will be redistributed or will go to the organization itself.
People's City Council Freedom Fund
PCCFF is currently raising money to support those who have taken to the streets to "protest the funding of state-sanctioned murder," according to the organization's GoFundMe page. The fundraiser page also notes that, in addition to bail relief, donations will go toward supplies and transportation.
COLORADO
Colorado Freedom Fund
This fund has been working since 2018 to pay cash bail for those who cannot afford to do so.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
East Of The River Mutual Aid Fund
This mutual aid fund, organized by Black Lives Matter DC, provides material support during COVID-19, including hygiene kits and sack lunches.
FLORIDA
(F)EMPOWER
The organization is raising money for a community bail fund to support protesters on the ground in case of arrest.
GEORGIA
Atlanta Solidarity Fund
ASF is an organization providing support for people arrested at protests.
ILLINOIS
Chicago Community Bond Fund
This organization is committed to posting bail for individuals in Cook County, Ill., who are unable to post bail themselves.
KENTUCKY
Louisville Community Bail Fund
This fund exists not only to provide bail for people in need, but also to provide post-release support. Protests in Louisville have been about Floyd, as well as Breonna Taylor.
LOUISIANA
New Orleans Safety And Freedom Fund
This community fund was established for bail, jail fees, fines and drug-testing fees in New Orleans.
MASSACHUSETTS
The Massachusetts Bail Fund
This group has committed to paying up to $2,000 bail on behalf of low-income individuals so that they can remain free while awaiting a trial.
MINNESOTA
Black Visions Collective
This organization is dedicated to Black liberation and expanding the power of Black people throughout the Twin Cities metro area.
Gas Mask Fund
Black youth activists in Minneapolis are raising money to buy gas masks for demonstrators who've faced tear gas during protests.
The Legal Rights Center
This Minneapolis-based nonprofit law firm offers legal defense and educational and advocacy services.
Minnesota Freedom Fund
Receiving an outpouring of support, MFF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending mass incarceration while investing in restorative justice.
Minnesota Youth Collective
This organization supports and finances young people from underrepresented communities; services include registration efforts and advocacy training.
Mobile Outreach And Outdoor Drop-In
MOODI is an initiative of the Cultural Wellness Center in Minneapolis, providing immediate response and resources for people currently without shelter.
Neighbors United Funding Collaborative
This fund is focused on raising money for businesses in Midway and Union Park.
Reclaim The Block
This collective seeks to transfer funds from the police department to other community-focused areas of Minneapolis' budget.
We Love Lake Street
This collective is gathering donations for small businesses and nonprofits on Lake Street in Minneapolis to help with the clean-up efforts.
West Broadway Area Coalition in partnership with Northside Funders Group
The collective is raising money to support businesses on Minneapolis' Northside that have been affected by recent protests and COVID-19.
Women For Political Change Mutual Aid Fund
This mutual aid project from a Minneapolis-based organization provides support to women, trans and nonbinary people under 30 who live in Minnesota, with priority for people who are Black, Indigenous and People Of Color (BIPOC), queer, sick or disabled, undocumented, unemployed and/or a parent or caretaker.
NEW YORK
No New Jails NYC
This organization aims to keep the city from constructing new jails and instead divert funds that currently go toward the police and incarceration toward housing, ending homelessness, mental health and other community support systems.
The Brooklyn Bail Fund
The fund is "committed to challenging the racism, inequality, and injustice of a criminal legal system and immigration and deportation regime that disproportionately target and harm low-income communities of color."
Free Them All For Public Health
This organization is raising money for protesters who have been arrested in New York. Venmo: @BailOutNYCMay
Communities United For Police Reform
This initiative was created to work toward ending discriminatory policing in New York, helping to educate people on their rights and documenting police abuse.
PENNSYLVANIA
Bukit Bail Fund Of Pittsburgh
Founded after the preventable death of Frank "Bukit" Smart Jr. in Allegheny County Jail (ACJ), this fund is working to bail out individuals currently incarcerated in ACJ.
Great People Helping Great People
This Pittsburgh mutual aid fund supports local Black and POC residents. Created initially to fund basic needs like groceries and utilities, the fund is now putting an emphasis on helping local activists and protesters.
Philadelphia Community Bail Fund
This fund's mission is to end cash bail in the city of Philadelphia.
TENNESSEE
Nashville Bail Fund
This nonprofit is committed to freeing low-income individuals from jail in the city of Nashville.
TEXAS
400+1 Bail Fund
Originally created to assist a Black man arrested in Austin who feared he could catch COVID-19 in jail, this bail fund is now being directed toward protesters in the city.
Luke 4:18 Bail Fund
Overseen by Faith In Texas, this bail fund is committed to posting bail for individuals in Dallas.
This community fund is dedicated to providing resources and outreach programs to Texas' rural areas. They've expanded their services to include emergency bail.
Restoring Justice Community Bail Fund
Established as a partnership between Restoring Justice, the Bail Project and Pure Justice, this fund was initially set up as a response to COVID-19, but it now provides bail relief in Houston.
WASHINGTON
Northwest Community Bail Fund
This bail fund provides cash bail to arrested individuals in the Seattle metropolitan area. It is specifically "for marginalized people charged with crimes who are unable to afford bail and find themselves incarcerated while awaiting routine court appearances in King and Snohomish Counties in Washington State."
GENERAL RESOURCES
The Bail Project
This organization is dedicated to combating mass incarceration and reshaping the pretrial system in the United States.
The Black Trans Protestors Emergency Fund
This fund is raising money for physical resources, bail and medical care for Black transgender protesters; it will be redistributed to Black, trans-led organizations "in the event these funds don't need to be used."
Communities United Against Police Brutality
This collective operates a crisis hotline where people can report abuse; offers legal, medical and psychological resource referrals; and engages in political action against police brutality.
Fair Fight
Founded by Stacey Abrams, this organization aims to end voter suppression and equalize voting rights and access for fairer elections.
Know Your Rights Camp
Founded by Colin Kaepernick, this organization provides education and training in Black and Brown communities. It has also set up a legal defense fund for Minneapolis protestors.
The LGBTQ Freedom Fund
This fund is working "to build a critical mass against the mass detention of LGBTQ individuals"; it has successfully freed people from around the country.
NAACP Legal Defense Fund
The National Association For The Advancement Of Colored People (NAACP) supports racial justice through advocacy, litigation and education.
National Bail Fund Network
The Community Justice Exchange operates this fund, which has a directory of bail funds in cities and states across the country. You can locate your local bail fund supporting protesters through this network.
The National Bail Out
This is "a Black-led and Black-centered collective of abolitionist organizers, lawyers and activists building a community-based movement to support our folks and end systems of pretrial detention and ultimately mass incarceration."
Mass Defense Program
Operated by The National Lawyers Guild (NLG), this program provides legal support to protesters, activists and movements. If you see people in lime green hats at protests, they may be the NLG acting as legal observers.
Nina Pop Mental Health Recovery Fund
This fund was set up for Trans women to help cover the costs of mental health therapy sessions with licensed Black therapists.
Showing Up For Racial Justice
This organization works to educate white people about anti-racism and organizes actions to support the fight for racial justice and undermine white supremacy.
Tony McDade Mental Health Recovery Fund
This fund was set up for Trans men to help cover the costs of mental health therapy sessions with licensed Black therapists.
Unicorn Riot
This nonprofit media organization is dedicated to fair, on-the-ground reporting on civil disobedience, police brutality and white supremacy.
DIRECT AID FOR VICTIMS' FAMILIES
George Floyd's family started a GoFundMe to cover funeral and burial costs, counseling services, legal fees and continued care for his children. There's also a GoFundMe to provide for his 6-year-old daughter, Gianna Floyd, and a GoFundMe to support "peace and healing" for Darnella Frazier, the woman who filmed Floyd's death.
The family of Breonna Taylor launched a GoFundMe to help with legal fees and offer extra support.
A GoFundMe has been set up for the family of David McAtee, who was fatally shot just after midnight June 1 after police officers and National Guard members fired into a crowd of people who were not taking part in the evening's protests.
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