Presidential Authority Grant
To support the Health Care Rights Project to preserve vital public programs by educating the public, organizing constituencies, and informing the national debate concerning state fiscal relief as it relates to health care. Health insurance programs -- which comprise the largest single component of many state budgets -- are currently under fire as states face the worst fiscal crises in decades. The project will communicate to the general public exactly what is at stake in the debates over tax cuts, the federal budget, and state fiscal crises. Its principal activities will include identifying and mobilizing concerned constituency groups (such as community organizations, and anti-poverty groups), "saturating" local media, coordinating events to deliver its message, and encouraging key decision-makers to weigh in on the debate. The project is a joint effort of the Center for Community Change and the Northwest Federation of Community Organizations.