Membership

GARE is a national network of governmental jurisdictions. Given the different types of government jurisdictions, and the needs of one’s jurisdiction or municipality, GARE has three types of membership: core; state/regional; and associate. The type appropriate for your jurisdiction is based on your government structure, who you serve, and your funding mechanisms.

GARE does not currently extend membership to individuals, school districts or school boards, nonprofits (exception: nonprofits whose constituencies are exclusively governments or government employees), sheriffs or police departments.

Members are jurisdictions that have made a commitment to advancing racial equity across the breadth (all functions) and depth (from frontline staff to appointed and elected leadership) of their jurisdiction. This commitment can be demonstrated by development and implementation of a Racial Equity Action Plan or Strategic Plan, integration of racial equity into other strategic or operational plans, use of Racial Equity Tools in routine decision making, and/or adoption of legislation which describes the jurisdiction’s commitment.

Core membership is generally for an entire government jurisdiction (i.e. a city or county) and includes access for each staff member within the jurisdiction. Other examples of jurisdictions that would apply to be core members would be independent agencies that specifically serve government entities – often formed through an act of legislation or executive order.

Examples: Washington County, OR; City of Chicago, IL; Atlanta Beltline, Inc., GA

Core Members pay annual dues on a sliding scale, based on number of employees:

• Up to 1,000 employees = $1,000
• 1,001 to 4,000 employees = $5,000
• 4,001 to 8,000 employees = $7,500
• 8,001 to 14,000 employees = $12,500
• 14,001 to 20,000 employees = $17,500
• More than 20,000 employees = $22,500

A jurisdiction may become a member at any point during the year. Annual renewal dates are based on the original date of joining and are subject to completion of the membership renewal process.

State/Regional Agency Members
State/Regional Agency members are an office, division, or department that operates on behalf of the state or serves multiple municipalities or counties.

Examples: California Department of Housing & Community Development, CA; Triangle J Council of Governments, NC

State/Regional Agency Members pay annual dues on a sliding scale, based on number of employees:

• Up to 500 employees = $2,500/year
• 501-4,000 employees = $5,000/year
• 4,001 – 10,000 employees = $8,000/year
• More than 10,000 employees = $15,000/ year

Associate Members
Associate members are a department or agency *within* a municipality or county.

Examples: City of Philadelphia Mayor’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, PA; Arlington County Department of Human Services, VA

Associate Members pay annual dues on a sliding scale, based on number of employees:

• Up to 4,000 employees = $2,000/year
• 4,001 – 14,000 employees = $4,000/year
• More than 14,000 employees = $6,000/ year

Over the next several months, the GARE team will undertake a redesign process to meet the increased demands or a rapidly growing for membership.

The GARE Network has expanded significantly since membership began with 12 jurisdictions in 2014. We are grateful that, today, over 350 jurisdictions are members of the GARE network. The programmatic partnerships, depth and frequency of program offerings and capacity-building support GARE offers has expanded well beyond what we offered during our formative years. The public demand for racial justice and the work of GARE members to achieve racial equity results are fueling the growth of GARE. We anticipate that public demand for racial equity in government will continue – and we expect that GARE will continue to play a leadership role in the movement for racial justice.

Altogether, this means we are being called to effectively support a larger and much more powerful network of members. In response, over the next several months, the GARE team will undertake a redesign process to meet this call. During this period, adapted benefits include:

• Programmatic Offerings Including GARE 365 Webinars, Problem-Solving Working Sessions, and GARE Membership Connections
• Access to the GARE Member Portal including access to recordings of past programs as well as templates, job descriptions, examples, presentations, and more.

Please feel free to read more here in the Member Guidebook.

GARE recognizes that racial inequities currently exist across all indicators for success, including in education, criminal justice, jobs, housing, public infrastructure and health, regardless of intent, region of the country or size of jurisdiction. GARE also recognizes the reality that government played a central role in the creation and maintenance of racial inequity, and did so explicitly for centuries and has done so for 50+ years implicitly via policies and practices that perpetuate inequities, even when they are color-blind or race-neutral. Government will continue to perpetuate racial inequities unless there are intentional and strategic interventions that lead to transformation.

Visit our Strategies & Approach page to learn more.

Working within an institution to transform the institution can be fraught with challenges. We have therefore identified a set of core beliefs about how to operate in a manner that advances racial equity. Embodying these beliefs in our routine operations can strengthen our ability to work through the many challenges we face while bolstering our resiliency. We believe:

• Race matters – although tensions or anxiety can sometimes be a part of conversations about race, we know it is necessary for us to name race head-on, both in the details of our work and how we work with each other.
• Inclusion matters – people impacted by a decision should be engaged in the decision-making process.
• History matters – while the institution of racism was created well before our time, we are dealing with both the historical legacy and current reality. Racism and racial inequities have resulted in trauma, both to individuals and to communities. A trauma-informed approach to our work is necessary for our collective humanity.
• Leadership matters – Transforming our systems towards greater racial equity requires consistent and courageous leadership. We recognize the importance of formal and informal leadership. We support formal leadership working to advance racial equity, as well as the development of emerging leadership.
• Understanding matters – Our institutions, systems and structures are complex. To transform our institutions and organizational cultures, it is critical that we develop a more nuanced understanding of that complexity. This includes moving beyond only quantitative approaches and incorporating qualitative and experiential ways of knowing
• Movement matters – Racial inequities have been intentionally created and maintained over an extended period of time. They will not disappear on their own. To advance racial equity, we must be organizing within our own institutions and across institutions, always putting community at the center.
  We believe that a racial equity movement must build and expand the engagement of governmental jurisdictions (and others) across the country.
• Power matters – Because power has so often been used to perpetuate inequities, we recognize that we can sometimes have an awkward relationship with power. We believe in intentionally examining, considering, negotiating and claiming power that advances racial equity.
• Learning matters – Creating environments of learning within and between our organizations will help to replicate success, expand learning from each other’s experiences and leverage change. Our network and this movement will benefit from continuous, intentional learning and feedback.

In the spirit of continuous learning, we will refine these statements on a routine basis.