Akonadi Foundation

08/24/2026

Just 5 more days to apply to the Belonging in Oakland Fund! The fund is committed to providing three-year grants to Oakland-based, BIPOC-led collaborations between cultural and social change organizations.

Learn more and apply by August 28: https://www.ebcf.org/initiatives/belonging-in-oakland-a-just-city-cultural-fund/

08/20/2026

Belonging in Oakland: A Just City Cultural Fund funds cultural practitioners of color to radically reimagine a racially just city.

08/13/2026

Oakland Pride week and back to school season are bringing extra energy and opportunities to connect in the Town this month! Looking for ways to get plugged into the community? We've got you covered.

Upcoming events include:
💫 Reach the World, But Touch the Town First exhibit by Brittani Sensabaugh at Oakstop
💫 Oaklash Pride Block Party to kick off Oakland Pride weekend
💫 Free back to school haircuts and braiding at Oakland Public Library's Martin Luther King Jr. branch
💫 BAY-Peace community hike at Lake Chabot Regional Park

Visit weloveoakland.akonadi.org for details and more events.

08/06/2026

Applications are open for our fourth round of the Belonging in Oakland: A Just City Cultural Fund!

Are you an Oakland-based artists, culture bearer, or healer? We're excited to invest $100,000/year for three years to three collaborations of cultural and social change organizations serving BIPOC communities. Awardees will also receive stipends for artists' living expenses and funding to document the work.

Join us for a virtual informational webinar on August 12th 11am -1pm PT.

Learn more and apply by August 28: https://www.ebcf.org/initiatives/belonging-in-oakland-a-just-city-cultural-fund/

07/16/2026

There's still so much to see and do in the Town this summer! Looking for ways to get plugged into the community? We've got you covered.

Upcoming events include:
💫 40x40 Council Community Safe Keeping meeting
💫 Summer Renaissance pop up market in Oakland Chinatown by Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce and Jenny and Cabbage
💫 East Oakland Youth Development Center's Black Futures Ball which supports scholarships for Oakland youth
💫 Oakland First Fridays is back with a special edition celebrating both the Town's unique car culture and back-to-school season

Visit weloveoakland.akonadi.org for details on more events in The Town.

07/06/2026

Oakland's first Civic Assembly is launching this summer! The Civic Assembly is a groundbreaking, community-led process giving residents real power to shape decisions about our city.

What's happening? 20,000 Oakland households are receiving random invitations in the mail. From those who respond, 40 delegates will be chosen by democratic lottery reflecting Oakland's full diversity of neighborhoods, ages, and lived experiences.

Over three weekends, participants will review data, gather community input, explore examples of successful strategies, and develop recommendations on how to transform vacant storefronts, commercial spaces, and lots into vibrant community assets. For their time, they will be paid $1,350 and receive support for childcare, eldercare, transportation, and other expenses.

📬 Did you get an invitation? Don't toss it! You have until July 17 to respond.

Whether or not you're selected, this work belongs to all of us. We're excited to see what our community creates together, and we'll be sharing updates throughout the process.

Oakland's Civic Assembly is led by Angela Glover Blackwell in partnership with Mayor Barbara Lee and PolicyLink. This effort is guided by a Community Steering Council including Black Organizing Project, East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, Faith in Action East Bay, Brotherhood of Elders Network, The Unity Council, and more.

Learn more at healthydemocracy.org/oakland

06/26/2026

Just a few days left to apply for our 2026 Fund! This year, we're proud to support Oakland-based groups seeking to ignite and implement a radical collective vision of freedom and racial justice.

This fund provides project support grants to organizations and initiatives dedicated to narrative change towards togetherness and belonging, art & culture spaces that inspire collective action, and projects deepening partnerships between movement leaders and artists/culture bearers.

Get your application in by June 30th: https://akonadi.org/so-love-can-win/

06/24/2026

The 2026 midterm elections are shaping up to be yet another pivotal moment for our city and for the larger pursuit of democracy overall. As we look towards the elections, we're reminded every vote cast is the result of someone doing the work - knocking on doors, making calls, passing out flyers and showing up for their community.

Ahead of the June 2nd California primaries, our grantee partners were on the ground in full force. They mobilized to make sure Oakland residents had the information and support they needed to make their voices heard at the polls.

We are proud to be in close partnership with the organizations working tirelessly to build a more civically engaged Oakland, where every community member knows their vote matters and feels equipped to use it.

Shoutout to our incredible partners at Oakland Rising, Bay Resistance, Young Women's Freedom Center, and Black Organizing Project for their leadership in this critical moment.

📸 Photos courtesy of the partners listed above.

06/18/2026

Are you part of an Oakland-based organization, group, or collective seeking to ignite and implement a radical collective vision of freedom and racial justice in Oakland? Or do you know a group doing great work that fits this description?

Apply for our 2026 Fund! Applications are due by June 30th: https://akonadi.org/so-love-can-win/

Akonadi Foundation’s So Love Can Win Fund provides project support grants to Oakland’s organizers, storytellers, culture bearers, and healers who seek to ignite and implement a radical collective vision of freedom and racial justice. Grant awards range between $10,000 to $30,000. About So Love C...

06/17/2026

Happy Pride Month! We are so thankful for Oakland's incredible LGBTQ+ community. In the face of mounting attacks on q***r people, especially trans communities, we are reminded the first Pride was, in fact, a riot.

Akonadi is PROUD to stand alongside our LGBTQ+ led and serving partners who are working to ensure all our neighbors are seen, safe, and free.

While Oakland's official Pride celebration is in August, there are still so many opportunities to celebrate throughout the Bay.

🌈 San Francisco Pride June 27-28
🌈 Enchanted Masquerade: Q***r Prom 2026 hosted by Town Youth Club
🌈 Pride Sip N' Paint hosted by Lakeshore LGBTQ Cultural District
🌈 Soulovely PRIDE IS A RIOT!, an alternative Pride experience