Unitarian Universalist Service Committee Inc

Guided by Unitarian Universalist principles and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UUSC strives to advance human rights, dismantle systems of oppression, and uplift and affirm the inherent worth and dignity of all people. We center the voices and experiences of those most affected and strengthen those grassroots groups and movements who are organizing themselves to advance these goals. In order to accomplish this, we offer justice education and leadership development; engagement and mobilization for advocacy; partner support; and grant funding. UUSC Grantmaking In the past year, UUSC made over 100 grants and amendments worth over $3 Million to grassroots organizations working to advance human rights in countries around the world. Due to the heightening state of humanitarian crisis around the globe, UUSC increased our grantmaking. In the latter half of FY2025, we distributed over $900,000 in rapid response grants to support community organizing and safety over and above our scheduled grantmaking goals. UUSC's approach to grantmaking centers on building relationships of trust and reciprocity and providing flexible general operating support to organizations on the frontlines of human rights struggles. In FY25, over 90% of UUSC grant funds were designated as general operating support for partners. Over 85% of our partnerships are with organizations led by directly-impacted individuals. This is especially important in a global environment in which organizations increasingly face threats from authoritarian governments limiting the space civil society can make positive change. UUSC employs a robust screening process of its grantees, which includes vetting for compliance with relevant anti-terrorism, corruption, and sanctions laws. UUSC Impact Framework For UUSC, "impact" means building movements for systemic change. Impact means using our power and privilege as a US-based nonprofit to amplify the power of the grassroots by following the leadership of communities directly affected by injustice. It is addressing immediate harms and their root causes, to dismantle oppressive systemsincluding those from which we benefit. In short, our impact can be seen in the steps we take on the way to building a more just, equitable, and regenerative world. We measure impact using our Impact and Accountability Framework. With this framework, we seek to have even more means to evaluate the extent to which we are contributing to systemic change impacts and are accountable to our partners and stakeholders. The framework centers around three key intersecting outcomes that are at the heart of what UUSC brings to our human rights work. - Partners and UUSC supporters increase their capacity for addressing the human rights and social justice needs of their communities. - UUSC members and allies in social justice learn about UUSC partners' areas of work, how areas are thematically and systemically linked, and how to translate this all into action. - UUSC works to model a culture among International NGOs, human rights funding networks, and other social justice stakeholders that is equitable, antiracist, anticolonial, and partner led. UUSC Impact Highlights The following are ten highlights from our work over the last year. These selections help us illustrate the extent to which our work is supporting our overall impact and accountability outcomes, as we strive to make progress on our mission. In all cases, we aim to put our grassroots partners at the center, showing the power of social change when it is led by communities confronting oppression and injustice. - UUSC supports the capacity of grassroots partners to carry out their human rights work, for instance: UUSC was able to deploy over $900,000 in rapid response community support grants over and above the annual budget with no substantial increase in staff or capacity, growing the capacity of grassroots organizations to respond to crises. -UUSC supports grassroots partners' advocacy capacity, for instance: UUSC supported Indigenous Nations in submitting information on displacement and human rights abuses to the United States' Universal Periodic Review process; supported a Haitian human rights organization in a submission to the United Nations Committee on the Status of Women Communication to pressure the Dominican Republic to uphold the rights of people of Haitian descent; and engages in a range of education with Congressional staff to advance self determination and rights in the places our partners work. - UUSC mobilizes supporters and allies to support human rights, for instance: UUSC organized an interfaith letter urging additional humanitarian support to those impacted by natural disasters in Burma and engage UU Congregations in accompaniment work to protect individuals and families targeted by discrimination and persecution in the US. - UUSC equips UUSC supporters with the knowledge needed for responsible action and solidarity for social justice movements, for instance: UUSC and the College of Social Justice built and facilitated the UU Climate Justice Revival, which engaged nearly 40% of UU congregations in discussions and training around climate justice. - UUSC holds events and initiatives that provide supporters about activism, allyship, and organizing, for instance: UUSC hosted a Hill Day during which we accompanied over 100 participants to visit 100 senate offices and key Congressional offices, engaging in education around UUSC's partners' human rights needs. - UUSC engages and educates donors and members on how our partners' work connects with global systems of justice, human rights, and oppression, for instance: UUSC hosted a Haiti Human Rights Teach In for International Human Rights Day; educated members and supporters face to face with 67 congregational visits; coordinates leadership opportunities for congregational liaisons who wish to engage more deeply in human rights and social justice work; and brought supporters and grassroots partners together for Partner Advocacy Days. - UUSC provides opportunities for supporters to engage in advocacy and action, for instance: In response to growing authoritarianism, UUSC launched a new Resistance Network. - UUSC engages in narrative changes work to dismantle oppressive narratives, for instance: Our newsletter Rights Now shares partner-centered storytelling around human rights challenges in Sudan, Ukraine, and elsewhere; we reported out the Pacific Rising convening, sharing examples of community-led grantmaking practices and collaborative-design practices that funders and state actors can learn, to be less extractive in their work. - UUSC convenes spaces where grassroots partners can share knowledge, learnings, and strategize, for instance: UUSC hosted a convening of partners working in and around Burma, the Pacific, and Mesoamerica in the past year. - UUSC provides financial and logistical support and accompaniment for grassroots partners to engage in decision-making spaces at the national and international level, for instance: UUSC accompanied partners and organized panels and engagement opportunities to the Commission on the Status of Women 69th Session; the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues 24th session, and other international fora. For more information about UUSC's work, please visit our website at UUSC.org