User:LauRis/Leah Hunt-Hendrix

Leah Hunt-Hendrix is an activist, political theorist, and movement builder, who writes and speaks about the new economy, solidarity, and funding progressive social movements. After time living in Egypt, Syria, Israel and the Palestinian Territories, Hunt-Hendrix began a PhD on Religion, Ethics, and Politics at Princeton University. During that period, she became involved in the Occupy Wall Street movement out of an interest in the role of money in politics, global inequality, and the power of social movements. These experiences led her to co-found three organizations.

Solidaire, which began in 2012, is a community of donors and foundation allies committed to funding progressive social movements. Together, donor activists address the deep, systemic causes of injustice and inequality by consolidating their efforts and collaborating in their giving. Supporting those fighting for a world where everyone can live with dignity, Solidaire also has a rapid response protocol enabling them to meet the immediate needs of activists on the ground. Unlike the funds used for their regular grant cycles, rapid response dollars are used, among other things, to bail front-line activists out of jail when they are arrested during protests. Hunt-Hendrix also served as the group’s first executive director, assisting in building the infrastructure and staffing the organization.

Immediately after the 2016 election, Hunt-Hendrix co-founded the Emergent Fund, a partnership between Solidaire Network, Women Donors Network, Threshold Foundation, and the Democracy Alliance to provide a way for individuals at all levels to contribute their money strategically in this critical moment. The Fund is governed by an Advisory Council made up of leaders who represent communities who the Fund is designed to serve. As a member of the Advisory Council, Hunt-Hendrix assists others in moving quick resources with no strings attached to communities that were and continue to be under attack by federal policies and priorities—including immigrants, women, Muslim and Arab-American communities, Black people, LGBTQ communities, and all people of color.

In 2018, Hunt-Hendrix co-founded Way to Win, as her latest endeavor. Way to Win is a resource and strategy hub that seeks a new approach to progressive political spending that wins elections, advances transformative policy, and builds lasting power. The network supports organizations and candidates that envision a more just future, that are accountable to low income communities and people of color, and are fighting to not just win elections but also improve lives.

Board Appointments and Memberships
Hunt-Hendrix is a member of Democracy Alliance and Women Moving Millions. She is an Associate Fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies.

Past Appointments, Previous Roles & Activism
Hunt-Hendrix’s past appointments include: Board of Directors of the New Economy Coalition, The Worker’s Lab, Free Speech for People and EDGE Funders Alliance, and the Advisory Board of The Wildfire Project. She was the director of the New Economies Initiative at ThoughtWorks, and a home-care assistant at an intentional community called L’Arche.

Education

 * Ph.D. in Religion, Ethics and Politics, Princeton University, 2013
 * B.A. in Political Science and Governance, Duke University, 2005

Books and Publications
Author: Co-Author: About Solidaire:
 * A History of Solidarity (forthcoming)
 * “The Wrong Way to Rebuild the Democratic Party,” Politico.com, 24 February 2017.
 * “So You Want to Be a Radical Philanthropist?” Huffington Post, 4 May 2015.
 * “The Media vs. the Movement: 3 Ways the ‘New York Times’ Completely Misunderstands #BlackLivesMatter and Movements in General,” Huffington Post, 22 January 2015.
 * “Occupy, the Brand,” Huffington Post, 27 February 2012.
 * “When the Exception Proves the Rule,” Huffington Post, 10 July 2009.
 * “An Historic Day for Women, and Well Worth a Ditty,” Huffington Post, 19 June 2009.
 * “The Future of Philanthropy,” The Nation, 21 July 2016.
 * “Tech’ Is Political – How We Respond to It Needs to Be Just as Political,” The Nation, 15 June 2015.
 * “How to Organize After Occupy Wall Street,” The Nation,19 June 2014.
 * “Grassroots Internationalism: Global Social Movements on the Rise.” Huffington Post, 3 October 2011.
 * “Shared Power: How One Rapid Response Fund Defies Philanthropy's Hierarchical Streak.” Inside Philanthropy. 22 January 2018.
 * “Keeping Up: Philanthropy In an Era of Sweeping Social Movements.” Inside Philanthropy. 10 October 2017.
 * “Cash, Speed, and Trust.” San Francisco Magazine. 24 August 2017.
 * “Leah Hunt-Hendrix on Taking a Page from Occupy Wall Street with Solidaire.” Avenue Magazine. 28 September 2016.

Awards

 * Honoree for Championing Grassroots Organizing in Her Philanthropy, New York Communities for Change, 2017
 * Sarah Pillsbury NextGen Award, Liberty Hill Foundation, 2017
 * Catalyst Award, New Economy Project, 2016
 * Courage Award, The Micah Institute, 2014