Equal Voice Action was a Seattle-based lobbying and advocacy organization which called for eliminating social and economic inequality within the United States. ¹ It primarily worked to create community-based networks of poor and low-income families, supporting them in areas such as education, tax policy, LGBTQ rights, health care, and immigration reform. ²

In April 2020, it was announced that Equal Voice Action would be closing permanently. ³

Background

Equal Voice Action was launched in 2014 by the Marguerite Casey Foundation, and has regularly provided grants to the organization since its inception. According to its latest 990 form, the Marguerite Casey Foundation provided over $1.1 million in grants to Equal Voice Action in 2017. ⁴

According to an article by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, former staff members of the Marguerite Casey Foundation claim that the purpose or usage of Equal Voice Action was never debated due to Marguerite Casey Foundation’s president and CEO Luz Vega-Marquis. As one employee stated, it was “because everyone knew that it was a priority for Vega-Marquis.” ⁴ Other former employees questioned the focus of the Equal Voice Action, with one stating, “A private foundation trying to run a people’s campaign? That’s not a good idea.” ⁴

People

David Luna was named the executive director of the nonprofit around 2018. He had previously worked as the executive director of Open Communities, a Chicago-based firm advocating for fair housing practices within the city. ^{5 6}

Joyce Lee was the former president for the Equal Voice Action, as well as the former chief financial officer of Marguerite Casey Foundation. ⁷

1. “Equal Voice Action.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 3, 2020. https://gh.linkedin.com/company/anequalvoice
2. “Our History.” Marguerite Casey Foundation. Accessed August 4, 2020. https://caseygrants.org/who-we-are/our-history-2/
3. “Equal Voice Action to Close Permanently.” Equal Voice Action. Accessed August 3, 2020. https://equalvoiceaction.org/2020/03/equal-voice-action-to-close-permanently/
4. Gunther, Marc. “Praised for Pathbreaking Grants, Marguerite Casey CEO Said to Foster a Culture of Fear by Staff Members.” The Chronicle of Philanthropy. June 27, 2019. https://www.philanthropy.com/article/Praised-for-Pathbreaking/246572
5. “Equal Voice Action.” Cause IQ. Accessed August 4, 2020. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/equal-voice-action,465265322/
6. “David Luna.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 3, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-luna-3320481
7. “Joyce Lee.” Equal Voice Action. Accessed August 3, 2020. https://equalvoiceaction.org/2017/12/joyce-lee/