Community-to-Community Development Projects (“C2C”) is a left-of-center advocacy group that promotes a collectivist, anti-capitalist, identity-based, and “ecofeminist” approach to agriculture, food production, and related issues in Washington state and around the country. ^{1 2}

It has been led since its founding by Rosalinda Guillen, a former policy director and national vice president of the United Farm Workers of America. ^{3 4}

History and Leadership

Community-to-Community Development Projects was founded in 1980 and is still led by Rosalinda Guillen, a former policy director and national vice-president of the United Farm Workers of America. ^{5 6} Guillen was also a former organizer for the National Rainbow PUSH Coalition, where she was active in get-out-the-vote efforts for the Jesse Jackson 1988 presidential campaign. ⁷ C2C’s website describes Guillen as “a lead strategist and visionary within the non-hierarchical ecofeminist leadership of C2C,” though in IRS filings by C2C’s fiscal sponsor, she is described as “president.” ^{8 9}

Programs and Advocacy

Community-to-Community Development Projects promotes a collectivist, anti-corporate, and identity-based vision of agriculture and food production that it refers to as “food sovereignty.” ¹⁰ This includes support for collectivization of agricultural land and its redistribution to worker-led cooperatives. ¹¹

The organization also promotes a “participatory democracy” model that includes reparations to racial and ethnic minorities within the United States and internationally between developed and formerly colonized countries. ¹² It pursues an avowedly anti-capitalist “Just Transition” to a collectivized society, explaining, “At the end of the day, we are not talking about a gentler capitalism, we are talking about transforming the way we relate to the world and each other.” ¹³

C2C supports “fair trade” labeling and regulatory schemes that hold companies responsible for working conditions throughout their entire supply chains. ¹⁴

In 2021, C2C received a grant from the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle to operate COVID-19 vaccination clinics for Latino and indigenous residents of Whatcom and Skagit Counties north of Seattle. ¹⁵

C2C is active in a variety of left-of-center coalitions and alliances, including Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, Food Chain Workers Alliance (FCWA), Jobs With Justice (JWJ) and the Climate Justice Alliance (CJA). ^{16 17}

Organizational Structure and Financing

Community-to-Community Development Projects is fiscally sponsored by the Institute for Washington’s Future, a research and advocacy nonprofit that promotes left-of-center policies in Washington State. ^{18 19} In 2021, Institute for Washington’s Future reported transferring $707,000 to C2C. ²⁰

C2C had formerly held its own charitable 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, but the IRS automatically revoked that status after the group failed to file its required annual tax return for three consecutive years. ²¹ Despite the revocation of its charitable tax status by the IRS, Community-to-Community Development Projects is still listed as a charitable corporation in the State of Washington’s nonprofit corporation database. ²²

Funders

Community-to-Community Development Projects has received funding from major left-of-center foundations and other donors, including Patagonia Action Works, ²³  Social Justice Fund Northwest, ²⁴ and the Marguerite Casey Foundation. ²⁵

1. “Food Sovereignty.” Community to Community Development. Accessed October 27, 2023. https://www.foodjustice.org/food-justice.
2. “Participatory Democracy.” Community to Community Development. Accessed October 27, 2023. https://www.foodjustice.org/participatory-democracy.
3. Our Team.” Community to Community Development. Accessed October 27, 2023. https://www.foodjustice.org/team
4. “Rosalinda Guillen.” Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project. Accessed October 27, 2023. https://depts.washington.edu/civilr/guillen.htm.
5. “Our Team.” Community to Community Development. Accessed October 27, 2023. https://www.foodjustice.org/team
6. “Rosalinda Guillen.” Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project. Accessed October 27, 2023. https://depts.washington.edu/civilr/guillen.htm.
7. “Rosalinda Guillen.” Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project. Accessed October 27, 2023. https://depts.washington.edu/civilr/guillen.htm.
8. “Our Team.” Community to Community Development. Accessed October 27, 2023. https://www.foodjustice.org/team.
9. “Institute for Washingtons Future, Full Filing.” Nonprofit Explorer, November 8, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/910931421/202213129349302266/full.
10. “Food Sovereignty.” Community to Community Development. Accessed October 27, 2023. https://www.foodjustice.org/food-justice.
11. “Statement from the People’s Movement Assembly on Food Sovereignty, US 6 …” People’s Movement Assembly on Food Sovereignty, June 25, 2010. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5761be0a03596eabc11133ca/t/57686681579fb3ab71462fc8/1466459780442/food-sovereignty-pma-2010+2.pdf.
12. “Participatory Democracy.” Community to Community Development. Accessed October 27, 2023. https://www.foodjustice.org/participatory-democracy.
13. “Participatory Democracy.” Community to Community Development. Accessed October 27, 2023. https://www.foodjustice.org/participatory-democracy.
14. “Food Sovereignty.” Community to Community Development. Accessed October 27, 2023. https://www.foodjustice.org/food-justice.
15. Pugh, Ashley. “All in Washington Announces First Round of Vaccine Equity Initiative Grants with $2.8M for Community-Based Organizations.” Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, April 21, 2021. https://urbanleague.org/all-in-washington-announces-first-round-of-vaccine-equity-initiative-grants-with-2-8m-for-community-based-organizations/.
16. “Community to Community Development.” Grassroots Global Justice Alliance. Accessed October 27, 2023. https://ggjalliance.org/members/community-to-community-development/.
17. “Our Partners.” Community to Community Development. Accessed October 27, 2023. https://www.foodjustice.org/our-partners.
18. “Donate.” Community to Community Development. Accessed October 27, 2023. https://www.foodjustice.org/donate-1.
19. “C2C: Partner Organization.” Institute for Washingtons Future. Accessed October 27, 2023. https://4-washington.org/?page_id=23.
20. “Institute for Washingtons Future, Full Filing.” Nonprofit Explorer, November 8, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/910931421/202213129349302266/full.
21. “Community-to-Community Development Projects.” Community-to-Community Development Projects – GuideStar Profile. Accessed October 27, 2023. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/91-1102688.
22. “COMMUNITY-TO-COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS.” Corporations and Charities Filing System. Accessed October 27, 2023. https://ccfs.sos.wa.gov/?_gl=1%2A1yfgfsz%2A_ga%2AMTUwMjgxMjU2Ni4xNjk4NDM2NzI5%2A_ga_7B08VE04WV%2AMTY5ODQzNjcyOC4xLjAuMTY5ODQzNjczMS4wLjAuMA..#/BusinessSearch/BusinessInformation.
23. “Community to Community Development.” Patagonia Action Works. Accessed October 27, 2023. https://www.patagonia.com/actionworks/organizations/community-to-community-development/
24. “Community to Community Development.” Social Justice Fund NW. Accessed October 27, 2023. https://socialjusticefund.org/grantee/ut-pellentesque-massa-id/.
25. “Community to Community Development.” Marguerite Casey Foundation. Accessed October 27, 2023. https://www.caseygrants.org/grant-recipient-directory/community-to-community-development.