Expansive Wisdom: Leaning Into the Profound Work of Grassroots Nonprofits

……This month, the SWAN team invites you to take an important pause during what can feel like a whirlwind of uncertainty and even powerlessness. Organizations like yours, like ours, stand for the best of humanity, and we’re needed now more than ever. America’s 1.3 million nonprofits benefit each person in the United States in one way or another, whether they realize it or not.
……We’re on the precipice of yet another opportunity for personal and professional evolution. In the midst of current challenges, we can choose to honor exactly where we are emotionally while recognizing the gifts in every situation. We also acknowledge that we are the beneficiaries of generations of change-makers, their unrelenting courage, passion and dedication to making our world a better place.
……On the shoulders of giants we stand, led by those who provided spiritual nourishment for the soul, food for the hungry and life-saving trauma care or rescue relief to survivors of fires, hurricanes and flooding.

……Under extreme circumstances and intense fear, they continue to give refuge to marginalized communities, hope to immigrants and a voice to those who cannot speak for themselves. They halt generational trauma through education, addiction counseling and scientific advancements.
……Here are just a few relevant inspirations to support your work in bold new ways for 2025.

The Right to Vote for Minorities and Women

• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
• NAACP: Know the Issues
• The League of Women Voters
• When We All Vote
• Legal Defense Fund
• Voto Latino
• California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls
• National Park Service (Black Women and the Fight for Voting Rights)

Indigenous-Led Nonprofits

• Philanthropy Together (18 powerful examples)

Alcoholics Anonymous
(and Al-Anon, Alateen)

• The 12 Steps Available to Anyone
• Al-Anon and Alateen
• The Wilsons’ Story
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

The Dream Act (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, DACA)

• American Immigration Council
• United We Dream
• Improve the Dream
• National Immigration Forum
• Hispanic Organization of Colleges and Universities

Legalizing Marriage for All (and ongoing support for the LGBTQIA+ community)

• The Journey to Marriage Equality in the United States
• Vanderbilt Law
• Human Right Campaign (HRC)
• GLAAD
• Family Equality
• Point Foundation
• The Trevor Project

1990 Ryan White Care Act
(combating fear and ignorance)

• Health Resources & Services Administration
• Celebrating 30+ Years of Hope
• amfAR: Ending AIDS Globally
• Elton John AIDS Foundation

……We know that change is the one constant in our lives, work and world. But what doesn’t change is our admiration for the organizations above and their lasting impact. They educate, inspire and inform what we do in these critical times. The SWAN team shares these resources to support you in thriving, in delivering your best to your integral piece of the puzzle.