MSDI’s Policy Network

Policy Network Participant Login Username: Password:

Changes in public policy are an essential ingredient for creating and maintaining a Culture of Possibility in the Delta.

The initial goals of MSDI's Policy Network are to:

• Engage residents, citizen-led groups, and community-serving groups in pursuing policy changes that support the vision and culture of possibilities in the Delta;
• Provide advocacy and organizing training to Delta residents;
• Acknowledge and build on the strengths and potential of current Mid South Delta Initiative partners and grantees by focusing effort and time on identifying change agendas and organizing public will campaigns to pursue them;
• Create opportunities for leaders living in the hardest-to-reach Delta communities to build their skills and access support for mobilizing these communities to participate in changing policy and developing organizations that can pursue policy change objectives to create economic opportunity; and
• Broaden the potential base for Delta policy change by connecting MSDI participants with resident-led, nonprofit, and when appropriate, private sector networks to create more power for policy change.

Recently the Mid South Delta Initiative sponsored a forum to allow people to share best practices for addressing and changing public policies that affect their communities. More than 70 grassroots community activists, organizers and concerned citizens from the Mississippi Delta region gathered to share successes and concerns about public policy.

To learn more about the Policy Network and how you can get involved, contact Pat Vondal, MSDI Evaluation/Policy Manager at pat.vondal@wkkf.org.

Policy Resources

Three Ways to Involve Foundations in Public Policy, a resource by Fieldstone Alliance, is now available.

Power in Policy, A Funder's Guide to Advocacy and Civic Participation, a new publication by Fieldstone Alliance, edited by David F. Arons, will be available in February 2007.