The Presidential election has surfaced deep differences and sparked heated debate about the future of the country. It is against this backdrop of change and uncertainty that I find hope and inspiration in the steadfast work of the grantees the Fund supports. In the Bay Area and throughout the country, these visionary nonprofit organizations continue to lead as they advance rights and create opportunities for all people.

As the Haas, Jr. Fund looks ahead to the rest of 2016 and beyond, we remain as committed as ever to working with grantees and other partners to achieve progress on the issues we support:

• We want to build on successful reforms in California and help create a smarter and fairer immigration system for our country.
   
• We want to help protect last year’s historic Supreme Court win on marriage equality.
   
• We want to help close the racial achievement gap in our public schools.
   
• And, we want to continue investing in leadership for the organizations and movements we support.

If the movement for marriage equality taught us anything, it’s that we can continue to make progress by working together and staying focused on achieving our vision for positive social change.