Our Focus
Justice for all
We believe everyone should have real opportunities to reach their full potential. Chambers Initiative identifies barriers to equity, democracy, and women’s economic security, and invests in the policies and systemic improvements that remove those barriers.
Why Equity and Democracy?
Throughout her life, Merle’s philanthropy has been shaped by her faith and her aspiration to help all people achieve their full potential. At Chambers Initiative, an equity frame frame centers our funding around systemic changes that can aid historically marginalized or underrepresented groups, working toward social justice for all. Social justice is a broad category; it generally refers to equity of access to opportunity among all people regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, socioeconomic status, or other categorizations.
The right to freely vote and participate in political processes is a defining characteristic of our democracy. But this right has been undermined by laws and gerrymandering that makes it harder to exercise this fundamental right. We support efforts to ensure that all Americans can safely and securely vote.
Why Women’s Economic Security?
Many factors impact women’s ability to ensure economic security for themselves and often their families, from fair pay to caregiving to access to reproductive health care. As more women become primary wage-earners for their families and our social safety net fails to adjust to new workforce realities, policy changes in these areas have become even more important to Chambers Initiative. For Merle, as a former CEO, these issues are personal as well as economic and political. Our investments reflect her desire to give all women the opportunities she herself had.
“We are all connected. I believe the sooner we embrace this, the sooner we can make the world better for all.”