Equity is defined as giving people what they need to enjoy full, healthy lives. Equality is defined as ensuring that everyone has similar opportunities to enjoy full, healthy lives. Like equity, equality aims to promote fairness and justice, but social equity may only be achieved if everyone starts from the same place and has comparable opportunities to have their essential needs met.
The Social Equity Fund seeks to equip traditionally disadvantaged people to participate and contribute to society, or to enable advantaged people to experience the struggles of disadvantaged people as a path toward social equity.
Grants may include, but shall not be limited to activities that promote:
Racial Equity –
support of cultural festivals which celebrate the heritage and contributions of people of color and Native Americans; support of activities that provide opportunities for people to challenge the stereotypes and understand the perspective of others.
Age Equity –
support of activities that encourage generations to spend time together on a one-to-one basis, where such interaction might not otherwise occur; support of activities that encourage and enable older individuals to learn and communicate through modern technology and the internet.
Gender Equity –
support of activities that address the traditional gender pay gap and the glass ceiling or support of activities that facilitate collaboration and exchange of ideas between organizations working to accommodate LGBTQIA+, with the LGBTQIA+ community represented.
Economic Equity –
support of activities that help people in all economic strata or situations to interact with people with a different experience; support of activities that expose and address societal structures and norms that lead to generational entrenchment of poverty or wealth; support of mentoring efforts with fledgling businesses among people in normally disadvantaged communities.
Educational Equity -
support of early learning childcare in disadvantaged communities; support of activities to improve access to the tools necessary for learning in underserved communities, support of activities that promote a fairer distribution of resources across disparate school systems.
Religious Equity -
support of deliberate ecumenical activities that challenge assumed and historical differences that have led to hate; support of activities that highlight similarities in core values between faith traditions and their sacred texts; support of service opportunities that pair individuals from different religious backgrounds who don't ordinarily interact.
Health Equity -
support of students from historically disadvantaged groups to pursue education or certification in a health field; support of health services to and in underserved communities.