Penn student gov creates 'Justice Fund' after admin approves BLM donations

The University of Pennsylvania’s Junior Class Board is launching a “2022 Justice Fund” to combat racism using university funding.

According to an email from the class of 2022’s Class Board, a branch of Penn Student Government, members of the junior class will be able to submit ideas for projects that “combat racism and other forms of inequality, within and beyond the Penn community.”

The Class Board will sponsor these initiatives with 25 percent of its overall budget.

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Class Board 2022 confirmed to Campus Reform that it receives money from Penn’s Student Activities Council, which advises and funds student groups. According to the Student Activities Council’s regulations, gifts are “restricted to group revenue and in general may not exceed 50% of the group’s total revenues.”

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Although Class Board 2022 and other student organizations must approve any charitable giving with the university, Penn has already confirmed several racial activism groups. These include Black Lives Matter, the American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP, the Minnesota Freedom Fund, and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Before July, Penn had barred student groups from donating to Black Lives Matter and other activist groups. However, the university reversed this policy after meeting with Penn Student Government leaders, giving clubs permission to fundraise and donate thousands of dollars.

[RELATED: Penn changes policy, student groups can now fundraise for BLM and bail funds]

Student groups must provide a “rationale for the gift, including an explanation of how the recipient was selected, the amount proposed, and a description of the connection between the group and the receiving organization if any.”

Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @BenZeisloft