Ha, you think it’s funny, turning rebellion into money
The Clash
After publishing our exposé of Berlin-based Guerrilla Foundation and its wealthy founder Antonis Schwarz, we came across a telling insight into the world we described.
This is on the site of Interweave, “an awarded, global Interactive Marketing Agency” working for “brands and companies worldwide”.
One of the “brands” Interweave have built is none other than Guerrilla Foundation, famous funder of activists.
Our favourite section comes under the heading “A Complete Corporate Visual Identity”.
This states: “As [sic] integral part of a holistic corporate identity, creating Guerrilla Foundation’s complete visual identity was one of the pillars of this project: a logo that stands out because of its elegant, minimal design illustrating all brand positioning aspects in a solid way – and everything that comes along: typography, colour pallette, letterhead, business cards, and corporate signature”.
“Corporate signature”. We couldn’t have put it better ourselves!
We have listed below some of the organisations that have been receiving funds from Guerrilla Foundation, according to its own site.
If any of our readers are in contact with any of these groups, we suggest they raise the Guerrilla Foundation question with them.
Those pocketing their cash might want to consider exactly what this corporate-branded grant-maker is telling us when it describes its mission as “bringing about major systemic change across Europe in line with the Great Transition”.
They might want to ponder over what Guerrilla Foundation really means when it says it wants to see a “deeply connected” world of “planetary civilization”.
They would do well to consider whether, when Guerrilla Foundation declares “We are not risk averse”, this is the language of activism or of financial speculation.
They could also join us in wondering what kind of “value” Guerrilla Foundation has in mind when it talks about a “broader value shift in society”. Ethical or financial?
And in what direction, precisely, does it hope this “value” will shift?
Receivers of Guerrilla Foundation grants include:
UK. Autonomy: “Could be described as an independent activist think tank, an action-oriented rebel research crew, or a multi-disciplinary lab for rethinking work”.
UK. Red Pepper Magazine: “A pluralist, socialist, feminist and environmentalist media collective”.
UK. The World Transformed: “Supporting, developing and delivering radical political education across the UK in order to build a movement capable of transforming society”.
UK. London Renters Union: “Building the power needed to transform the housing system”.
UK. Extinction Rebellion: “A campaign by the Rising Up network, that promotes a fundamental change of the UK’s political and economic system to one which maximises well-being and minimises harm”.
UK. Plan B: “A network of volunteers pursuing a rational, evidence based response to the climate crisis through strategic legal action”.
Scotland. All Hands On: “A non profit, activist media group”.
Global. Shareable: “Nonprofit media outlet & action network that uses its global communications platform to empower activists, organizations, and municipalities to share for a more equitable, resilient, and joyful world”.
Belgium/Global. The COVID-19 Chronicles podcast: “We cannot go back to normal as normal was the problem”.
Italy. Genova che osa: A “grassroots” organisation that acts locally in Genoa and strives for “big structural changes”.
Germany. Brand New Bundestag: “A grassroots movement, which will channel the energy of social movements into the German parliament by encouraging civil society leaders to run for office and helping them win”.
Germany. Reclaim Our Economy: “Tackles economic leverage points by organising concerted activities to reimagine, co-create and experience systemic change”.
Germany. Frag Den Staat (Ask the State): “Part of the Open Knowledge Foundation, which has a mission to ‘create a more open world'”.
Germany. Disruption Network Lab: “New possible routes of social and political action within the framework of digital culture and information technology”.
Germany. Peng!: “Draw inspiration and learn from the arts, hacking, politics and big business in order to design provocative and critical culture-jamming interventions”.
Germany. The Centre for Intersectional Justice: “Offers a paradigmatic shift to the way we analyse, address and combat systemic inequalities”.
Austria/Europe. Stay Grounded: “Works towards an ecologically sustainable and just form of mobility”.
Netherlands. Fossil Free Culture NL: “Collective of artists and activists creating disobedient art to end oil and gas sponsorship of cultural institutions”.
Spain. The Artivist Network: “Focuses specifically upon climate justice organising for its power as an intersectional platform to unite diverse movements”.
Spain. Ulex Project: “Supporting organisations and groups who are working towards the structural transformations needed to address key irrationalities and injustices in the current socio-economic system”.
Spain. Minim: “A collective that amplifies the voice of municipalism by sharing practical and theoretical knowledge, via a community of activists, scholars, journalists, and public officials”.
Spain. 2020 Rebelión por el Clima: “New coalition of diverse eco-social movements from across the Iberian Peninsula”.
Serbia. The Ministry of Space: “Activist collective that envisions a city in which everyone participates in the decision-making processes”.
Hungary. The School of Public Life: “A grassroots training and research centre in Budapest that promotes active citizenship and social movement organising”.
Czech Republic. Limity jsme my: “Climate justice movement working to address the root causes of the climate crisis by striving to keep fossil fuels in the ground”.
Systemic or Systems Change Activism is what we’re banking on
Guerrilla Foundation
See our Great Reset and Climate Capitalists pages for more resources.
Also possibly relevant is this article.
