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At any given moment in the United States, 35 million people experience hunger, more than half a million people experience homelessness each night and 10 million formerly incarcerated individuals return to their homes, many without the reentry services they need. And marginalized communities are the ones bearing the brunt of each of these injustices.
While these injustices persist — and even grew worse amid the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic — people in communities around the country are developing locally-sourced solutions to chip away at these systemic challenges. From Black Lives Matter, one of the largest grassroots movements in U.S. history, to those simply helping to feed a family or find a roof for those who need it, the efforts of these individuals are herculean. But they should not bear the weight of this fight alone; businesses must also step up and partner with these local organizations at the forefront of making long-lasting change in cities and towns around the country.
This fight is all of ours and will take a massive collective effort if we are serious about tackling these injustices. 2020 shined a bright light on how much injustice still exists in society. Now it’s up to all of us — including corporations — to do something about it.
We’ve long watched cities like New York, Seattle, Philadelphia and Washington DC, compete to attract, support and retain large companies to contribute to the success and profit of the region. But too often these big companies don’t do enough to partner with their local communities. This must change.
Change grows from the ground up, and community-sourced solutions are key to driving meaningful impact. All too often, those closest to challenges have the best ideas to address them but lack the funding necessary to scale them. Not all communities have the resources they need to carry out the change they envision.
That’s where companies can step in. By providing funds, while also lending their expertise on how organizations can grow and expand their solutions, we can help create change that lasts.
For companies, there is no room for “neutrality” in this effort. To be neutral is to support the status quo — and the status quo isn’t working for everyone. A more just and equitable world benefits us all, even those of us who already have means. But creating a world that works for everyone will only be achieved if we have the foresight to work collaboratively. That means businesses must come together to partner with communities. It will take more than writing a check to a charity once a year to see the restoration of justice that will meaningfully impact people’s lives.
That is why Expensify.org, a charity founded by the preaccounting platform Expensify, launched the Community Justice Grant Challenge — to collaborate with changemakers in communities across the country. We’re specifically seeking individuals in regions where Expensify has deep roots so we can help pay it forward in the communities we are also part of. Our goal is to fund and scale these efforts while setting a new paradigm for corporate activism.
We’ve been inspired by the tireless work of organizers investing their own capital to advance movements that matter most in their communities. From providing showers to homeless people in Tennessee, to community groups in New York City that worked to ensure their neighbors had enough to eat through community fridges, there have been countless stories of people stepping up to dismantle everyday injustices.
As businesses in these communities, we should all be inspired to support this work. It’s not just for good karma, it’s smart for business too. When communities thrive, so do businesses.
This is not to say that other businesses have not already put their money where their mouth is. For example, Apple recently announced a new Racial Equity and Justice initiative. This is the kind of initiative we need to see companies take, but we need more corporations to step up.
The past year has reshaped how we think about our individual and collective responsibility to take action against injustice. We know that talk is cheap — it takes commitment, partnership, and resources to drive impact. It’s time for other companies to join us.
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Puneet Lath is Expensify.org’s Director.
