West Virginia Citizen Action Education Fund (WV CAEF) is a charitable advocacy organization associated with West Virginia Citizen Action Group (WV CAG).

WV CAEF signed a June 6, 2022, letter to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris requesting the use of executive action to cancel student debt. ^[1] WV CAEF is part of the coalition Citizens for Clean Elections that supports the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 (JLVRA), which would broaden the jurisdictions in the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) increasing federal control of election administration. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

Background

The Mountain State Education & Research Foundation, Inc., was incorporated in 2002 by Bob Marshall, Norm Steenstra, and Gary Zuckett. ^{[5] [6]} It changed names to West Virginia Citizen Action Education Fund (WV CAEF) in 2009. ^[7]

WV CAEF creates trade names, forms coalitions and partnerships, conducts trainings, and encourages active political participation to influence state and federal legislation on topics such as increasing taxes, lowering barriers to voting, registering voters, promoting unionized jobs, reviving the New Deal-era Civilian Conservation Corps federal job-creation program, transitioning from coal and other conventional fuels, reducing greenhouse gases, cancelling student debt, protecting Social Security from privatization, and guaranteeing health care for all. ^{[8] [9] [10] [11] [12]}

Affiliated Organizations

In 1974, West Virginia Citizen Action Group (WV CAG) was founded as a community organizing group. ^[13]

WV CAEF is a state chapter member of the national organization People’s Action Institute, an aggressive left-wing advocacy organization. ^[14]

Trade Names

WV CAEF forms groups they are “doing business as” for specific advocacy purposes.  WV CAEF trade names are Energy Efficient West Virginia, Kanawha Valley Connections, West Virginia New Jobs Coalition Fund, West Virginians United for Social and Economic Justice Fund, and WV 350 Reversing Climate Change. ^[15]

Donor Organizations

WV CAEF has received grants from various organizations. Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund is a commercial provider of donor-advised funds that manages charitable accounts through which donors can distribute gifts over time to charities of their choice while receiving immediate tax benefits. ^[16] The Neall Family Charitable Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation to aid or maintain social, educational, religious or other charitable activities. ^[17] The New Venture Fund (NVF) is a nonprofit that makes grants to left-of-center advocacy and organizing projects and sub-grantees in a variety of projects that include conservation, education, global health, disaster recovery, and the arts. ^[18] The People’s Action Institute is an aggressive left-wing advocacy organization in areas such as the environment, health, and financial activity. ^[19] Surdna Foundation is an advocacy and endowment management foundation that currently focuses on funding organizations that advocate for left-of-center public policy. ^[20] The Windward Fund is an environmentalist fiscal sponsor organization in the network of “dark money” organizations that promotes environmental and agricultural, food, and nutrition programs. ^{[21] [22]} The MWC Foundation is a left-of-center grantmaker associated with the law firm Nutter, McClennan, and Fish, LLP. ^[23] Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation creates and administers funds and provides grants to nonprofits. ^{[24] [25]} The Dunn Foundation develops projects and grants funds in areas such as the environment, attaining zero growth in the population, and reducing greenhouse gases and transition from coal and other conventional fuels. ^{[26] [27]} Energy Foundation provides grants that support electric vehicles and weather-dependent energy adoption. ^{[28] [29]}

Donation Recipients

WV CAEF supported the Citizens Climate Lobby West Virginia “Caring for Creating Together” on June 4, 2022, whose speakers and panels discussed the environment, such as carbon neutral emissions, transition from coal to other conventional fuels, and how to advocate for policies. ^{[30] [31]}

Advocacy Activities

WV CAEF activities entail education and promoting active participation in politics on topics such as increasing taxes, lowering barriers to voting, registering voters, promoting union jobs, reviving the New Deal Civilian Conservation Corps federal job-creation program, transitioning from coal and other conventional fuels, reducing greenhouse gases, cancelling student debt, protecting Social Security from privatization, and guaranteeing healthcare for all. ^[32]

In June 2022 WV Citizen Action endorsed ReImagine Appalachia, a left-of-center organization that promotes maximizing union jobs, moving workers from fossil fuel jobs, repurposing manufacturing, reviving the New Deal Civilian Conservation Corps federal job creation program, broadband access, and federal investments dollars in communities and the environment. ^[33]

In January 2022 WV CAEF partnered with West Virginians for Affordable Health Care, the Rx Foundation, WV Center on Budget and Policy, and WV Citizen Action to conduct a Citizen Civic Engagement Training for the purpose of educating on legislative-related activities to encourage the support of left-wing health care policies. ^[34]

In Aug 2022 WV CAEF posted on its website the press release related to the hosting of a webinar by West Virginia groups on how to make meds affordable with a link to a petition demanding Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Becerra circumvent Congress “to cut prices and increase access to life-saving medicines.” ^{[35] [36]}

WV CAEF is a member of the West Virginia Climate Alliance, a coalition of 20 organizations focused on transitioning from coal and fossil fuels and significantly reducing greenhouse gases in support of the Green New Deal. ^[37]

WV CAEF signed on to a June 6, 2022, letter to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris requesting the use of an Executive Order [EO] to cancel student debt. ^[38]

WV CAEF was part of a coalition of organizations, such as ACLU-WV – a state-based partner of the national ACLU organization – Our Future WV, WV FREE, at the beginning of COVID-19 that called for Governor Jim Justice (R) to “respect core constitutional principles” concerning the use of emergency powers whereby Governor Justice barred travel in West Virginia. ^[39]

WV CAEF is part of the coalition Citizens for Clean Elections that supports the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 (JLVRA).  JLVRA would amend the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA).” ^{[40] [41] [42]}

Coalitions

WV CAEF is a state chapter member of People’s Action Institute. At the state level, WV CAEF forges issue coalitions with groups such as Citizens for Clean Elections, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, National Association of Social Workers WV Chapter, SEIU 1199, Southern Appalachian Labor School, WV AFL-CIO, WV Citizen Action Group, WV Council of Churches, and WV Environmental Council. ^[43]