GSF is proud to “walk with” and champion all of you.

A trusted organizer and former grantee from New Mexico recently mentioned a familiar saying in Spanish, “dime con quien andas y te dire como eres.” Translated, this means tell me who you walk with, and I’ll tell you who you are. It dawned us that this serves as a perfect reminder of General Service Foundation’s purpose and values.

For decades, through various world events and roller coaster political environments, GSF has had an unwavering belief that those closest to a problem have the answers to solve it. We have long been an early supporter of programs by and for communities of color, low-income women, immigrants, and others historically under resourced. To us, this work is not “charitable;” it is the key to building the power needed to win rights and justice by and for those that need it most.

While we know rights and representation have never been fully accessible to disenfranchised communities throughout history, it goes without saying that 2024 will be among the most consequential challenges to democracy in our lifetime. The stakes are incredibly high, particularly for the communities we center that have always been disproportionately impacted by injustice. For this and many other reasons, we are proud to say GSF continues to hold steady and stay our course. We will also lean further into what we’ve long done: fund local, fund front lines and other critical gaps often inaccessible by larger philanthropic institutions.

We also know our grantee partners across the country in small communities and large cities alike are needing to focus on their safety and security like never before. Leaders are tasked with moving ambitious social justice goals while resisting threats to their physical, digital, and organizational infrastructure and wellness. We’ve only begun to understand how destabilizing and isolating this can be. The GSF team is always open to hearing our partners’ realities on the ground so we may be a resource or support in ways that are most helpful.

We look forward to this work along with our full team that includes Bill Repplinger, CFO, and Elaine Mui, Director of Grants & Operations. Completing our team is our newest staff member, Caroline McAndrews who came on as Program Manager last fall. Caroline’s background includes but is not limited to feminist grantmaking and cutting-edge research at Building Movement Project. We are excited to welcome Caroline and know many of you will enjoy working with her (if you don’t already)!

GSF is proud to “walk with” and champion all of you. We know when, and only when, the voices and brilliance of those most affected by injustice are centered, transformative change is possible. We look forward to continuing collaborating with you: our community of trusted partners and valued teachers.

We wish you all health, justice, and joy in 2024 and beyond..

With gratitude,

Desiree Flores, Executive Director
Robin Snidow, Chair, Board of Directors