California Donor Table’s Ludovic Blain Receives Legacy Award for Groundbreaking Contributions in the Philanthropic Sector

California Donor Table (CDT) Executive Director Ludovic Blain recently received a Legacy Award from the Funders Committee for Civic Participation (FCCP) honoring his significant contributions to expanding democratic rights to underrepresented communities. FCCP, which has a membership of more than 100 leading racial justice funders mobilizes the philanthropic sector to invest in communities most impacted by harmful systems to build power and participate in the democratic process.

“Ludovic Blain’s unwavering commitment to innovation and advocacy has not only transformed philanthropy and field, but also inspired countless individuals,” says FCCP Executive Director, LaShanda Jackson. “Ludovic’s visionary leadership and tireless efforts have left an indelible mark on the landscape of our philanthropy, shaping our trajectory for generations to come.”

For fifteen years, Ludovic Blain has led the California Donor Table, the oldest donor network in the country that invests in political power and civic engagement across all tax statuses while centering racial equity and justice. Since he was hired as the first full time staff person in 2009, he’s mobilized $55 million to ensure communities of color are centered in government and continue to build power for the long term. Under his leadership, California Donor Table’s accomplishments include:

• Anchor funding to key regional and statewide groups, including the Working Families Party, California Environmental Justice Alliance Action, Communities for a New California, Alliance San Diego, Inland Empire United, Lift Up Contra Costa, Bay Rising Action, and many more.
• Building the California Dream Alliance, a coalition of 70 progressive organizations who each year unite to select 28 diverse and ambitious pieces of legislation that embody collective values as a progressive alliance.
• Establishment of a California chapter of Local Progress, bringing together hundreds of local elected officials advancing a racial, economic, and gender justice agenda through all levels of local government.
• Championing a successful ballot initiative for the country’s second-ever “democracy dollars” system which provides public funding of elections in Oakland.
• Helping communities of color elect leaders including:

1. Mayor Karen Bass, District Attorney George Gascon, and Board of Supervisor Holly Mitchell, and other state legislators, city councilmembers, and judges in Los Angeles;
2. Alameda District Attorney Pamela Price, Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton, State Senator Aisha Wahab, Antioch City Councilmember Tamisha Torres-Walker, criminal justice leader and Executive Director of the Safe Return Project in the Bay Area.
3. A progressive majority on the county board of supervisors in San Diego, and Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Gomez Reyes in the Inland Empire.
4. 16 current progressive state legislators, 15 of whom are people of color, 12 of whom are women.

Prior to the California Donor Table, Blain was a leader in building people of color-centered movements around closing the racial wealth gap, environmental justice, media justice, campaign finance and voting rights. Blain has also led capacity-building work in Haiti, Canada, Denmark and The Gambia. Blain has been a California resident for 20 years, and currently resides with his family in the East Bay.