Dear John,
In these last few incredibly busy months at CLASP, writing this letter offers me a rare moment to stop and reflect. It is with this in mind that I start my final organizational update letter and brief video message [[link removed]] by thanking you, our donors, for the extraordinary support you’ve shown both me and CLASP over the years.
The day I joined CLASP in 2013, during President Obama’s second term, feels so long ago right now. It was a time when the world seemed more stable and predictable, when the huge accomplishment of the Affordable Care Act was opening doors for people with low incomes, but when it was hard to see a path for the other big changes that we knew the nation needed. Yet from the beginning, I believed that CLASP’s history of persistent advocacy, unmatched quality and integrity, and ability to move nimbly and without fear to the most urgent issues – along with its powerful and then-recent commitment to applying a racial equity lens to our work – made it the right organization to meet the future head-on. I believed that whatever the future held, CLASP was the right place to seize and advance every opportunity for racial and economic justice, even with its modest size of about 30 staff and a $6 million budget.
So much has unfolded since then, and CLASP has been in the midst of all of it. During the Trump years, we were at the forefront of fighting back against the attacks on the core federal programs for people with low incomes, Black and brown communities, and immigrants and their families. Then in just two years came the pandemic and recession, the ongoing racial reckoning, the election of a new Administration and Senate, the January 6 insurrection with its deep threat to democracy, and then the opportunity last spring to respond to the multiple crises with large changes that CLASP has been advancing for decades, through the American Rescue Plan Act.
I came to CLASP because I believed the organization was extraordinarily well-positioned to face the future — whatever that future held. What I learned through this tumultuous time is that, if anything, I had underestimated the magnitude of the impacts CLASP and our partners would make, by defeating terrible proposals and advancing positive change for millions of children, families, and working people across the country. I am so proud of all the successes we achieved together.
Because of our crucial role leading both defense and offense, we grew over this period to a staff of 50 and an annual budget of about $10 million. Our growth is the direct result of the generosity and dedication of our network of funders and donors, our staff and leadership, CLASP’s alumni, the Board, and our partners. Thank you all so very much.

We’ve shown we can step up when it counts. I have no doubt CLASP will fiercely tackle the battles ahead. But it won’t be easy, as many fights involve systemic issues and will require time, sustained investments, and solutions that are both bold and practical to turn the tide in a sustainable way in favor of communities we care about.
As I prepare for my departure, I am extraordinarily optimistic and excited about the future of CLASP, and I am delighted that the passionate and talented Indivar “Indi” Dutta-Gupta [[link removed]] will be leading the next stage of CLASP’s journey, beginning on June 1. We need his leadership, dedication, and innovative ideas to fight poverty and inequality now more than ever. If ever there was a time to step up and show your support for CLASP’s mission, it is now. Join me in continuing or increasing your investment in CLASP. Without action, we could lose so many of the gains over the last decade — for women, children, youth and young adults, working people, immigrants, those with low incomes, and communities of color—especially Black and brown communities.
I will be so proud to join the ranks of CLASP alumni in just a matter of days. And I am so deeply grateful to all of you – I hope you will join me in remaining a committed partner to CLASP for many years to come. Your unwavering support has played a large role in building CLASP’s long-term success as the powerhouse anti-poverty and racial equity policy advocacy leader it is today. Your sustained generosity and partnership will help ensure a smooth leadership transition and an ever-evolving CLASP.
Thank you so much for all you have done and continue to do for CLASP.
Yours,
Olivia
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CLASP
1310 L St. NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC xxxxxx
United States