Dear Friends and Allies,
Care takes a community. And our community — all of you — have been showing up tirelessly over the last few months to demand what we need so that our communities can care for one another. From the streets of DC, to a virtual roundtable in Michigan, the Caring Majority has rallied to insist that Congress pass $400 billion to make our care infrastructure (which is real infrastructure! [[link removed]] ) work for all of us. Read on to find out what else we have on deck this month to ensure that care is a priority issue.
- Antonia, and all of us at Caring Across

A Big Announcement
We are thrilled to announce Caring Across is among the proud recipients of a $10 million Equality Can’t Wait [[link removed]] grant with our partners at the National Domestic Workers Alliance, the National Women’s Law Center, The Arc, MomsRising Education Fund, and Family Values @ Work!
This anchor investment [[link removed]] in building women’s equality by strengthening the care infrastructure will allow us to continue transforming attitudes around caregiving, which are heavily influenced by gender and racial biases. It means we can scale up our existing work to reach more family caregivers, push for an even bolder care infrastructure, and work toward major investments at the state level that will pave the way to federal wins!
$10 million over five years is a very healthy down payment on a longer range investment to build a pathway for supports and services that uplift us all. It will need to be supplemented over time by the loyal support of our closest friends and allies, joining together to capitalize on this moment and invest in creating lasting change.
Learn more about what Equality Can’t Wait means at Caring Across [[link removed]] and check out more press coverage here [[link removed]] . Better yet, become a supporter of #EqualityCantWait and make a gift today! [[link removed]]
[BUTTON]

[[link removed]]It Takes a Community
On July 13, the #CareCantWait [[link removed]] coalition took to the streets of DC to make our voices heard and tell Congress that we must invest in caregiving and the people who do this essential work. The march culminated at Freedom Plaza [hhttps://www.facebook.com/243184199040637/videos/551979212645047] , where speakers, including our own Care Fellow Allen Galeon [[link removed]] , as well as Reverend Dr. William Barber, Dawn Hucklebridge, and many others spoke about why supporting care and the people who do it is so important to building a truly equitable nation.
The day of action culminated in a ribbon cutting of Paola Mendoza’s Communities of Care Exhibit [[link removed]] , featuring stories and beautiful photographs of care pairs, talking about their unique bonds and how caregiving fosters safety, independence, and helps build communities. Missed the exhibit? Don’t worry! You can click through all of the stories and pictures here. [[link removed]]

Care Roundtables
Throughout the Congressional August recess, we will be hosting roundtables in key states, bringing together care advocates and policymakers to drive home the importance of care infrastructure in Biden’s Build Back Better Plan.
On Wednesday, we hosted our first roundtable in Michigan in partnership with The Arc, Common Defense, Community Catalyst, Mothering Justice, and the National Domestic Workers Alliance. We heard from Elizabeth Martin, an artist, small business owner and active community member with a disability, and her sister Angela, her caregiver, who said, “Elizabeth has a vision of living in the community near her family and friends, in her home, and home and community-based services (HCBS) are really critical to ensuring that vision.”
Make sure you are following us on social media, like our Facebook [[link removed]] , Instagram [[link removed]] , and Twitter [[link removed]] , to hear about the next roundtables!

On The Hill
In June, our partners at National Domestic Workers Alliance and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) supported the release of the Better Care Better Jobs Act, which would provide historic investment in the care economy [[link removed]] . The legislation, co-sponsored by Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) [[link removed]] and Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) offers a blueprint for how the $400 billion federal investment in Medicaid HCBS can help seniors and people with disabilities access services, while strengthening the essential care workforce.
Additionally, our Co-Founder and Executive Director Ai-jen Poo participated in a care and care infrastructure briefing on Capitol Hill last month. Ai-jen spoke of her own family’s personal experiences with care, provided testimony on why robust investments in Medicaid HCBS will help the workforce - primarily Black and immigrant women who have been unsupported for decades. She also explained why the Better Care Better Jobs Act would benefit care consumers and unpaid family caregivers, making the case that investing in care can boost our nation’s economic recovery.

Universal Family Care Pilot Program
Our advocacy team has been working closely with California care activists and national researchers to launch a Universal Family Care (UFC) [[link removed]] pilot program in California! The program will launch in three cities - San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Sacramento. Right now we're in the research phase with our partners at the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, but you'll hear more about this in the coming months!

[[link removed]]Family Meetings
This summer we’re putting the spotlight on families like ours to show Congress how real, bold investment in care could transform our lives. So far, we’ve called six Family Meetings and counting! [[link removed]] In the series, members of Congress like Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Rep. Rosa Delauro, and Sen. Maggie Hassan, as well as celebrities and influencers, sit down with family caregivers, care workers, small business owners, and care consumers to talk about how President Biden’s proposed $400 billion investment in care infrastructure, including HCBS, could transform our families and communities.
Watch the episodes here! [[link removed]]

New Partnerships
*
Through
September
30,
Caring
Across
will
be
featured
on
the
Thinx
[[link removed]]
website
as
the
chosen
nonprofit
for
add-on
donations
to
any
purchase
of
the
company’s
underwear
products.
This
collaboration
is
the
first
of
its
kind
for
our
campaign,
and
we're
delighted
to
be
partnering
with
a
vendor
whose
mission
and
values
align
so
closely
with
our
own.
Look
out
for
a
special
interview
between
the
Caring
Across
and
Thinx
teams
on
the
intersectionality
of
our
vision
and
work
coming
in
August!
*
Last
week,
our
Culture
Change
Director
Ishita
Srivastavajoined
a
panel
on
the
documentary
film
Fast
Forward
[[link removed]]
,
which
gives
viewers
an
inside
look
on
what
it
really
means
to
age
by
following
participants
as
they
try
on
“age
empathy
suits”.
To
see
how
the
film
connects
with
issues
facing
our
nation’s
growing
population
of
millennial
caregivers,
check
out
the
panel
discussion
here.
[[link removed]]

ICYMI: In the News
Our Care Fellow John Adeniran spoke to NBC News [[link removed]] on why we need public funding for HCBS. Says John, “Home and community-based services are exceptionally hard to access even if you qualify.” He notes that lawmakers need to expand funding to meet growing demand.
In June, our Constituency Organizer Aisha Adkins spoke with host Ken Stern of the When I’m 64 podcast [[link removed]] from the Stanford Longevity Center. They discussed why stronger care policies are so essential for caregivers like Aisha and the people she works with every day.

[[link removed]]Our Team is Growing
Since we last wrote to you, we’ve added a number of awesome new members to our team! Watch our social media to get to know them a little more — but in the meantime, here are some quick intros (and some favorite books!) — feel free to join us in saying hi and welcome.
*
Alexandra
Villegas
[[link removed]]
,
our
new
California
organizer,
loves
all
about
love
by
bell
hooks.
*
Diann
Rust-Tierney
[[link removed]]
,
our
new
Director
of
Advocacy,
is
a
big
fan
of
The
Water
Dancer
by
Ta-Nehisi
Coates.
*
Yeen
Dolma
Lama
[[link removed]]
,
our
new
Senior
Research
Manager,
recommends
you
read
A
Thousand
Splendid
Suns
by
Khaled
Hosseini.
*
Shante’
Wolfe,
our
new
Campaigns
Director,
loves
We’re
Going
to
Need
More
Wine
by
Gabrielle
Union.
*
Matthew
Cain
[[link removed]]
,
our
new
Senior
Digital
Content
Manager
loves
19th
Century
history,
especially
Destiny
of
the
Republic,
a
biography
of
James
Garfield,
by
Candice
Millard.
*
And
Mollie
Katz,
our
Interim
Communications
Director
while
Janet
Kim,
who
would
often
send
these
newsletters,
is
out
on
parental
leave
🐣
Her
favorite
book
is
The
Secret
Life
of
Bees
by
Sue
Monk
Kidd.

A Final Note
We need your help! Last week, after the #CareCantWait Day of Action, United Airlines destroyed the $30,000 custom wheelchair of disability rights activist Engracia Figueroa (pictured up top next to her beautiful Communities of Care House) as she was returning home. The airline has refused to replace the damaged wheelchair. Read more about Engracia’s story here, and take action to keep the pressure on to #MakeUnitedPay. [[link removed]]

Caring Across Generations
45 Broadway
New York, NY 10006
United States
unsubscribe: [link removed]