Congratulations to Allegra Stout (current organizing fellow at the Boston Center for Independent Living) and to Dan Lesser (Fellowship Alumnus 2009 and Executive Director of ECCO, Essex County Community Organization) for their contributions to organizations recognized as being on the cutting edge of social justice work here in Massachussetts. Since 2011 the Miller Innovation Fund has been giving grants to short term projects that “address a problem or need, or an approach used to address a new situation or context, which warrants experimental application, learning or development.” The fund is set up to encourage the development of novel forms of collaboration between organizations that further the cause of social justice in Massachussetts.
The Boston Center for Independent Living (BCIL) was awarded $40,000 for the project, Disability Advocates Advancing Our Healthcare Rights coalition which involves advocating for the rights of “dual eligibles,” individuals with chronic medical conditions in addition to a disability, in the implementation of national and state health care reform initiatives in Massachusetts. Essex County Community Organization (ECCO), based in Lynn was awarded $40,000 to scale-up faith-based organizing in North Shore communities by training clergy to be lead organizers in a regional organizing campaign focused on jobs and economic development.
