Tahara's Picks for 2019 Fund

Rainforest Trust

If you were upset by the forest fires in the Amazon, I don’t have much good news. Aside from Trump, Bolsonaro might literally be the person who has single-handedly had the greatest negative impact on the environment, and he’s not going anywhere anytime soon. Thankfully, one of the single most cost effective ways of mitigating climate change is to prevent negative changes in land use (like clear cutting rainforest, or, say, burning it), and Rainforest Trust helps to that. Although they are also concerned with species preservation and make strategic land purchases in that space, they are dollar for dollar one of the most effective ways to preserve rainforest.

National Womens Law Center

One of the most important books I read this year was entitled, Invisible Women, which focused on making visible the gender gap in all walks of life, from product design, to the design of our cities, to the very design of our society itself. It was a stark reminder of how important it is to empower women at all levels of society and to value and support the huge amount of unpaid (care) work that they do. Invisible Women reinforced my belief that I need to continue to support this cause in any way I can, and donating to National Women’s Law Center is one of those ways. They tackle a large spectrum of issues affecting women, including equal pay, child care, reproductive rights, and social safety nets like Medicaid and Social Security.

Common Cause Education Fund

As an organization whose goal is to improve American democracy, Common Cause tackles basically every part of what makes the current system broken — partisan gerrymandering, voter suppression, the influence money in politics, and more. As such, it was a natural consolidation of my (tax-deductible) political giving. One of their recent (huge) wins includes Rucho v Common Cause, where the North Carolina supreme court struck down congressional maps as illegal and ordered non-partisan redistricting (this is after the U.S. Supreme Court abdicated all moral authority in this country and “punted” on the issue).

Food & Water Watch

Food & Water Watch continues to be my top charity as they cover the nexus of climate change, industrial agriculture, and corporate influence in politics. They are one of the groups leading the charge on banning fracking nationwide and for a ban on fossil fuel extraction entirely (the U.S. is the world’s largest producer of oil and one of the world’s largest natural gas producer, mostly due to the fracking boom). I’ve gotten to chat a lot with them over the last few years and am consistently impressed by their principles and their approach of having impact by working with local groups to build organizing and political capacity. If I could only donate to one organization, it would be them.

Rainforest Action Network

Rainforest Action Network preserves forests, protects the climate, and upholds human rights by challenging corporate power and systemic injustice through frontline partnerships and strategic campaigns.RAN works toward a world where the rights and dignity of all communities are respected and where healthy forests, a stable climate, and wild biodiversity are protected and celebrated.

Friends & Foundation of the San Francisco Public Library

The mission of the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library is to create, steward and support a superior, free public library system in San Francisco. We are committed to raising the standard of excellence of our libraries by funding programs and services beyond what is allocated in the City's budget. We believe in free and equal access to information for all.