NOTE: Although unsolicited proposals are not being considered at this time, inquiries about future support for projects that fall within the Environment Program's four primary grant-making strategies can be submitted through a letter of inquiry.

Environment

Through the Environment Program, the foundation seeks to ensure a thriving, resilient environment for wildlife and people, and foster an inclusive, effective conservation movement.

Doris Duke was a lifelong environmentalist with a keen interest in conservation. In her will, which guides our focus areas, she expressed her interest in "the preservation of wildlife, both flora and fauna" and in supporting "ecological endeavors."

Why It's Important

In the wildest places and the most urban, our health and quality of life depends on the natural world—from the water we drink, the air we breathe and the food we eat, to the places where we may find inspiration, joy, healing or kinship. Increasingly, nature depends on us as well, to be responsible stewards of the ecosystems where we and millions of other species dwell. In the face of accelerating extinctions and global climate change, now is the critical decade for taking action.

What We Support

The Doris Duke Foundation seeks to demonstrate how effective conservation can protect and restore nature, help address climate change and promote a more equitable society. We support initiatives that increase the pace and scale of land conservation and stewardship across the United States to protect biodiversity, bolster the resilience of natural areas and advance climate change mitigation. We also focus on conservation efforts that advance equity, in particular for communities that identify as Black, Indigenous and people of color. To achieve these goals, the foundation concentrates on three complementary and intersecting areas of focus.

Nature: Land Conservation in an Era of Climate Change

Conserving, restoring and managing ecosystems is fundamental to protecting wildlife and sustaining biodiversity in all its forms. As climate change increasingly alters the natural world, the approaches by which we conserve and steward land must adapt to ensure enduring benefits to wildlife, the climate and communities.

Our support focuses on three critical approaches to increasing the pace, scale and effectiveness of land conservation and stewardship across the United States, with the goal of conserving at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 for biodiversity, landscape connectivity, climate resilience and thriving wild and human communities:

• Conservation of resilient lands and waters through efforts that identify and accelerate conservation of areas expected to be most intrinsically resilient to climate change.
• Climate-adapted conservation and restoration practices that draw on the best available science and traditional ecological knowledge to intentionally help prepare ecosystems for changing conditions rather than resist them.
• Landscape-scale conservation through collaborative approaches that focus on maintaining functioning, resilient, connected ecosystems.

Climate: Natural Climate Solutions

Natural climate solutions, strategies that leverage the capacity of ecosystems to absorb and store carbon, have the potential to provide 20% of the nation’s climate mitigation progress while also providing benefits to wildlife and communities. Through the Environment Program, the foundation works to accelerate the use of natural climate solutions as an essential means to mitigate climate change and support rural economic development. To that end, we focus on scaling climate mitigation through protection of intact ecosystems and priority habitats, ecosystem restoration and approaches to improved land management.

To dramatically scale natural climate solutions, we particularly focus on supporting the following activities:

• Land restoration approaches like reforestation, through efforts that drive innovation, investment and implementation.
• Policy and program frameworks that enable federal and state governments to pursue natural climate solutions.
• Market-based approaches with high ecological and methodological integrity and accessibility to a diverse array of conservation stakeholders.
• Science, research and synthesis that underpin the design of effective natural climate solutions policy, programs, and implementation.
• Innovative finance and new models to scale public and private investment in natural climate solutions.
• Strategic communications approaches that deepen key audiences’ understanding of natural climate solutions.

Equity: Inclusive Conservation

Land conservation, restoration and stewardship of nature can have a valuable and tangible role in advancing equity in our society. This is especially true when land conservation is inclusive and respectful of local communities and traditional knowledge, and when it advances equitable access to and benefits from nature. For this reason, the foundation works to support environmental organizations who are advancing conservation efforts from a variety of cultural perspectives, including those led by and serving communities who identify as Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC). We also aim to ensure that the conservation, restoration and stewardship of nature yield meaningful and equitable benefits to all people, particularly for BIPOC communities and those from households whose annual incomes fall below a government-designated threshold through the following approaches:

• Equitable distribution of urban trees and nature access for nature, climate and social well-being benefits.
• Expanding land access to enable conservation action by resolving barriers to land protection and stewardship posed by land tenure and usage rights issues.
• Diversifying the conservation workforce by investing with purpose in the next generation of young people, and supporting inclusive and equitable institutions. The longest running of the foundation’s efforts in this vein is The Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program, which launched in 2013 to support the next generation of environmental conservation professionals from a diverse set of backgrounds and perspectives.

NOTE: The Foundation accepts new LOIs on a rolling basis throughout the year via the online application system. A limited number of applicants are invited to submit a full proposal online. Applicants will generally be advised within twelve weeks if an LOI has been declined or invited to submit a full proposal for consideration.

Environmental & Climate Justice Program

To help build a more just and sustainable world, the Foundation has supported a variety of organizing, policy, litigation, and public education groups focused on the existential threat of climate change. Increasingly, and in line with its racial justice lens, the Foundation has focused its renamed Environmental and Climate Justice program on the movement-building work and leadership of BIPOC community-based and led grassroots groups. These frontline communities have suffered the most from climate change and other environmental harms, from pollution spewing fossil fuel and other industrial facilities to the devastation of climate-exacerbated heat waves, droughts, and hurricanes. They have also been the leaders across the country in robustly, comprehensively, and intersectionally fighting for policy change that builds sustainability, as well as racial and economic justice. The systems that create racial environmental disparities are essentially the same as those creating other aspects of white supremacy; the climate and environmental justice battle to dismantle those systems is strategically, narratively, and spiritually aligned with the broader fight against white supremacy. Climate and environmental issues have proven to be effective in galvanizing impacted communities of color to build broad political power. Because people experience and understand national and global environmental issues, including climate change, most palpably and deeply through local manifestations, the Foundation has emphasized efforts that mobilize residents to identify and advocate for community-initiated sustainable advances.

While seeking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, and its devastating effects particularly on frontline low-income and communities of color, the Foundation has chosen not to focus on one or more specific strategies. Instead, we aim to empower justice-seeking grassroots EJ groups to develop their own strategic and policy solutions and approaches. By definition, these movement-building groups are multi-issue, working to create coalitions across a host of issues critical to their members, leaders, and allies, including housing, jobs, livable communities, and civic participation/democracy.

The Foundation funds state and local groups across the country as well as national networks and a small number of policy groups with close collaborative ties with grass roots BIPOC groups. It pays particular attention to New York City and State including an emphasis on public transit equity, the transition from fossil fuel dependency to a just sustainable energy economy, and the air and other pollution that continues to plague low-income communities of color. 

TYPE & SIZE OF GRANTS

General operating and project grants considered. Grants average $50,000 over two-years.

NOTE: Proposals can be submitted at any time but must be submitted by that month's review deadline date to be considered.

Phone interviews: Must be completed by 5pm CT (Central Time Zone) of date listed. Please reach out at least one week before the deadline you are applying for to set up your call.

About Third Wave Fund

​​Third Wave Fund is the only national fund that supports youth-led Gender Justice activism to advance the political power, well-being, and self determination of communities of color and low-income communities in the United States.

We hold the following beliefs:

• People directly impacted by an issue are best positioned to design and lead solutions.
• The leadership of young women of color, trans, intersex, queer and gender non-conforming youth brings critical analysis and power to all social justice movements.
• We will only achieve deep and lasting change if we address the root cause of an issue.

Mobilize Power Fund

​Grants for youth-led and intergenerational groups, nonprofits, & coalitions in the USA - regardless of 501c3 status or fiscal sponsorship

What is the Mobilize Power Fund?

The Mobilize Power Fund is a rapid response fund that resources gender justice organizations to adapt or pivot their work when met with unanticipated, time-sensitive opportunities or threats to their movement building work and organizing conditions.

​​The Mobilize Power Fund prioritizes organizations that are led by young women of color (transgender and cisgender), and trans, queer, gender non conforming and intersex young people of color under 35, led by and for communities directly impacted by the issues they focus on, have an intersectional gender justice lens, and have a total organizational budget under $500k​.

Why was it created?

To support bold activism in real time.

We launched this fund because powerful movements need the ability to respond to and heal from immediate threats and opportunities with flexible and responsive funding opportunities.

How does it work?

Proposals are accepted all year and reviewed on a monthly basis

Grants can be made for up to $10,000 USD. Larger grants may be made on a case-by-case basis. Partnership or coalitions of two or more groups can request up to $20,000 USD.

Groups may not be granted more than once within a 6 month period. Groups applying more than once within the year will be considered upon discretion. Grantees who have not completed their follow-up reporting are ineligible for funding until completion. 

This Fund May Support:

​Through the Mobilize Power Fund, we resource time-sensitive projects including community organizing and mobilization, healing justice work, conflict resolution, community accountability, transformative and restorative justice work, direct action, and more.

About America Walks

America Walks, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit national organization is leading the way in making America a great place to walk. We provide a voice for walking and walkable communities with federal agencies, provide strategy support, training and technical assistance to statewide, regional, and local organizations, and serve as the convener of the national Every Body Walk! Collaborative. Together, America Walks and the Every Body Walk! Collaborative boast 700 allied organizations who across the nation are working to increase walking and make America a better place to walk.

Community Change Grants

The Community Change Grants program supports the growing network of advocates, organizations, and agencies working to advance walkability. Grants are awarded to innovative, engaging, and inclusive programs and projects that create change and opportunity for walking and movement at the community level.

America Walks and generous Active People, Health Nations partners are excited to announce another round of our popular Community Change Grant program. This program will award 15 grantees $1,500.00 in community grants for projects related to creating healthy, active, and engaged places to live, work and play.

America Walks has seen firsthand that the passion, innovation, and hard work of advocates and local organizations to advance safe, equitable, accessible, and enjoyable places to walk and move are what create the foundation for walkable communities across the US. This grant program will work to provide support to the growing network of advocates, organizations, and agencies using innovative, engaging, and inclusive programs and projects to create change at the community level.

Projects We Fund

We look forward to funding projects that demonstrate increased physical activity and active transportation in a specific community, work to engage people and organizations new to the efforts of walking and walkability, and demonstrate a culture of inclusive health and design. Projects will create healthy, active, and engaged communities that support walking as transportation, health, and recreation. Projects must show a strong and intentional foundation of equity and authentic engagement of the whole community.

Uplifting the community should always be the goal, so we are particularly interested in projects that center the concerns of BIPOC residents, reach across the demographics of communities to build coalitions, and/or create unique civic partnerships with new perspectives. Our desire is for proposed projects to have a particular focus on engaging in key issues of the day with new perspectives and diverse partners/ audiences while highlighting the vital role that walking and transportation partners can play in a new era.

For the second year, General Motors is funding 15 additional $1,500 Community Change Grant projects in designated towns and cities with GM facilities! 

Tides Foundation

Tides is a philanthropic partner and nonprofit accelerator dedicated to building a world of shared prosperity and social justice. Our mission is to accelerate the pace of social change, working with innovative partners to solve society’s toughest problems. We work at the nexus of funders, change makers, and policy, bringing together a larger and diverse coalition of mission-aligned actors to amplify our power to scale positive impact.

Tides aims to strengthen the power of groups who face systemic barriers to resources and opportunities – especially BIPOC leaders, their organizations, and communities. We are committed to building capacity and growing resources for those who face barriers to power in order to influence a more equitable social change sector.

WE LEAD

WE LEAD is a Tides Foundation pooled grantmaking initiative with an explicit focus on addressing historic inequities by directing resources to Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color (BIWOC)-led climate justice organizations.

WE LEAD recognizes the disproportionate impacts of climate change on low-income communities and communities of color, the people and places least responsible for the climate crisis. And yet, despite bearing the burden of climate change impact, an analysis completed by The New School concluded that of the $1.34 billion dollars distributed by national environmental grantmakers between 2016-2017, only 1.3 percent was awarded to environmental justice organizations. The disparity is also gendered: Between 70 to 80 percent of philanthropic funding goes to organizations run by men. We know women of color leaders are on the front lines of addressing both the symptoms and root causes of climate change. We must invest in the leadership of women of color and BIWOC-led organizations in a deep and sustained way.

WE LEAD invests in climate justice work that lifts up solutions to address the root causes of climate change and simultaneously seeks to address related and intersectional social, racial, gender, economic, and environmental injustices. By being intentional in our efforts to provide resources to strengthen power among BIWOC leaders and their organizations, we can ensure they have what they need to sustain and thrive seeing us through to a new era of social justice and climate security.

Funding Priorities

Leadership. Elevating the leadership of Black women, women of color, and Indigenous women and directing funding to organizations that intentionally sustain, grow, and/or heal women’s leadership.

Environmental justice. Emphasizing work that contributes to building a broader and more inclusive movement, prioritizing organizations leading work at the intersection of racial, gender, and environmental justice movements.

Community. Lifting up organizations that center the voices of community members historically and systematically overburdened by climate change, where the organization is building community power and advancing advocacy efforts for long-term impact.

Amount

In this round, WE LEAD will grant a total of $2M.

We anticipate grants will fall in the range of $25k-$100k. Up to 30% of grants will be two-year commitments paid in one installment or an annual installment.

About the Fund

The Environmental Justice Data Fund (EJDF or “the Fund”) is an $9 million fund, created and seeded by Google.org, that aims to help frontline communities that have been historically underserved and disproportionately impacted by climate change and environmental injustice. The Fund will enable frontline communities in the United States to use data to unlock resources, increase their access to Justice40 benefits and federal infrastructure funding, and advocate for new policies that empower communities to address past environmental harm and pave the way to a more sustainable, climate-resilient future.

The Fund will consider a broad range of approaches to using data to advocate for environmental justice at the local and regional level. It will provide organizations with flexible project funding to increase their organizational capacity to incorporate quality data work into their environmental and climate justice programming.

Environmental Justice

The US Environmental Protection Agency defines environmental justice as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. This goal will be achieved when everyone enjoys the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards, and equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work.

Data

The Fund defines data work as efforts ranging from building organizational capacity for data work to implementing research and data-related projects. This includes research planning, scenario planning, data collection, data analysis, and data visualization, among other efforts. Funded projects can be at any stage from nascent to advanced work.

The Fund is fiscally sponsored by the Windward Fund (Windward), a 501(c)(3) public charity that incubates and hosts initiatives that pursue bold solutions to environmental challenges from a range of angles. Windward, with support from its lead consultant, Arabella Advisors, will lead the implementation of the Fund, including overseeing day-to-day operations, facilitating and managing the Fund’s administrative committee and advisory board, and administering the grant application process.

NOTE: Growing Justice encourages grantseekers to take the Eligibility Quiz by March 1 (pre-proposal date) to ensure ample time to be invited to apply and to complete the application.

About

Growing Justice is a pooled fund co-designed by funders, farmers, advocates, food suppliers, purchasers and community partners from Native and non-Native communities across the country to transform food systems through equitable good food procurement.

Fund Values

• Health and Equity & Racial Justice will be achieved when all people can participate and prosper in a just, fair and inclusive society and race is no longer a factor that determines who has the opportunity to reach their full potential for mental, physical and social wellbeing
• Economic Equity & Worker Justice will be achieved when all people and communities can access opportunities for safe, dignified work; participate in business ownership; and build the economic stability necessary to achieve and sustain wealth and prosperity
• Environmental & Food Justice will be achieved when all people and communities can access, shape and benefit from good food and food systems that address environmental racism, promote food worker rights, utilize regenerative agriculture practices and advance food sovereignty
• Collective Action & Partnership are the building blocks essential for transformation, since we go farther together than alone, and make better and more equitable changes when we listen to and leverage the wisdom of the collective

Fund Vision

Growing Justice envisions a future in which Tribal, Indigenous, Black, Latinx, Asian and immigrant people engaged in food markets as suppliers, producers, distributors, workers, & eaters at community-serving institutions are economically and physically thriving thanks in part to efforts by large community institutions to prioritize equitable good food procurement.

Call for Applications

Awards of $50,000 to $250,000 are available to support community-led efforts to advance the vision and values of Growing Justice.

Growing Justice aims to invest in efforts to solidify the leadership, dignity and power of Tribal, Indigenous, Black, Latinx, Asian and immigrant people to identify and drive solutions that expand the market for good food from locally or regionally owned, and environmentally and economically sustainable farms, ranches, fisheries and food businesses.

Supported Activities

Growing Justice aims to support a wide range of activities to address community-defined priorities. This may include efforts that:

• Strengthen the effectiveness of racially diverse food suppliers, food producers, food distributors, and food hubs in local, regional or Tribal food value chains
  • For example, efforts that provide technical support to emerging farmers of color to adopt more eco-friendly or regenerative practices, or efforts to provide fiscal sponsorship to social enterprises that aim to expand operations to obtain institutional contracts
• Forge partnerships within regions and/or Tribal Nations to help small suppliers and distributors of color win contracts from large institutions
  • For example: alliances that increase access to processing facilities or equipment to aggregate foods for sale to institutions
• Incentivize large institutions to expand markets or break down barriers for local suppliers or producers of color
  • For example: efforts to shift institutional insurance requirements that can prevent small businesses from qualifying for institutional contracts
• Develop, implement and share effective policies, practices and partnerships across regions
  • For example: models of partnerships that help to shift costs or create greater transparency in data along the food value chain
• Build agendas to advance worker dignity and rights
  • For example: worker coalition organizing across jurisdiction

Since 1986, The Trust for the Meditation Process has encouraged the practice of inner, silent awareness, whether it's called meditation, mindfulness or contemplative prayer. Our financial grants to non-profit organizations renew contemplative Christianity, promote health and wholeness, and bring silence and stillness to a hectic world.  

Contemplative Christianity Grants

Many people think of meditation as an exclusively Eastern religious practice. But Western religion, too, has a long tradition of silent, non-discursive prayer, often called contemplation, which is rooted in a rich mystical literature. Contemporary thinkers are unearthing this tradition. Their fresh encounter with the Gospels and mystics emphasizes that God is a living presence in us – to be known in silence and love and manifested in our acts of compassion.

• Grants made in the Contemplative Christianity Program have these objectives:  
• Introduce or expand the teaching and practice of Christian contemplative practices, such as Christian Meditation or Centering Prayer.
• Focus on silent, non discursive meditation rather than another aspect or method of prayer or spiritual formation.
• Connect with a Christian audience or have a Christian context.
• Identify and support emerging scholars and leaders in Contemplative Christianity and Christian mysticism.
• Raise the profile of Contemplative Christianity, with language and programs that speak to all Christian denominations and that reconnect people to Christian contemplative traditions.
• Reach underserved populations, such as children, teens, and young adults, people of color, people who are LGBTQ, people with low incomes and people facing addictions, illness, trauma or loss.
• Encourage dialogue among contemplative traditions in all religions.

Mindfulness Grants

Thirty years ago, Jon Kabat-Zinn and his colleagues at the University of Massachusetts medical school adapted classic forms of meditation found in most religions for a modern, secular audience. A simple practice of paying silent attention to the present moment formed the core of their efforts to help people improve physical and emotional health. 

Since then, a large and rigorous body of research has shown that a regular practice of mindfulness meditation can change us in many significant ways: improving immune function, reducing stress, reducing pain and symptoms of chronic disease, improving sleep, improving attention, fostering self- care and compassion, and the list continues to grow. Today, an ever widening interest in the benefits of mindfulness practice has led to its introduction in many fields and professions.  

Grants made in the Mindfulness Program have both of these objectives:

Mindfulness Program grants are highly competitive and we generally receive more applications than we can award. 

Grant Guidelines

Our focus is short-term projects where a small grant can make a credible impact and result in clearly identifiable outcomes. We make 20 to 40 grants annually. Initial awards are typically small – $3,000 to $5,000.

The type of projects we fund includes:

• Meditation courses, workshops, lectures or retreats.
• Trainings, sabbaticals, retreats and other development for meditation teachers.
• Meditation curriculum development.
• Books, supplies and equipment for meditation programs.
• Efforts to expand and build the capacity of meditation programs and address barriers to practice. 
• Meditation research, especially the development of simple, effective, accessible evaluation tools.
• Publications that effectively spread critical perspectives on meditation and meet an important gap in the current literature.
• East/West meditation dialogue.

About Borealis Philanthropy

Borealis Philanthropy works as a partner to philanthropy, helping grantmakers expand their reach and impact. Our primary work includes managing donor collaboratives where numerous funders come together to pool resources that support a variety of issues, communities, and movements. Borealis currently has 10 donor collaboratives, including the Disability Inclusion Fund.

Disability Inclusion Fund

We’re excited to share the Disability Inclusion Fund is accepting applications from organizations working for disability inclusion, rights, and justice.

Please check FAQ for additional informations.