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At the end of June, America Forward held its annual Appropriations “Hill Week” — a yearly endeavor when members of the America Forward Coalition come together to engage directly with policymakers on Capitol Hill and advocate collectively for the funding and policy priorities critical to their organizations and the America Forward Coalition overall.

In the midst of the ongoing Federal appropriations process, and a pandemic, this year’s Hill Week was held virtually to protect the health and safety of participants and create opportunities for even more organizations to participate asynchronously, and it focused on highlighting critical requests included in America Forward’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 appropriations request letter.

Above: staff and stakeholders from Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors meet with staff from U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein’s office during America Forward Hill Week. Photo courtesy of Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors. 

It’s safe to say that this year’s edition was one of the most successful Hill Week’s to date. Collectively, participating Coalition members engaged in more than 100 hours of virtual training and capacity building, learning and practicing effective advocacy approaches; held meetings with 25+ Congressional offices to advocate for critical funding priorities in the Federal FY22 budget; and generated 50,000+ impressions on social media by highlighting their participation with #AmericaForwardHillWeek. Following the conclusion of Hill Week, many of the participants joined a virtual celebration hour hosted by America Forward to reflect on their experiences, highlight best practices, and share their  plans for additional engagement with Hill staffers! 

Above: some of the trainings and resources available to participating Coalition members ahead of this year’s Hill Week. 

We’ve created some great momentum coming out of Hill Week, but our advocacy doesn’t stop there – it’s a year-round endeavor! If you’re a member of the America Forward Coalition and are interested in learning more about Hill Week, or discussing other opportunities to engage directly with policymakers with America Forward’s support, please reach out to americaforward@newprofit.org! 

Above: America Forward Coalition members, staff, and consultants joined a “celebration hour” to reflect on this year’s Hill Week.