Search Through Grants for Environmental Justice in the U.S.

The CS Fund was created in 1981 by Maryanne Mott and Herman Warsh, who together endowed the Warsh-Mott Legacy in 1985. CS Fund and Warsh-Mott Legacy (CSF and WML) are private family foundations that share common program areas, staff, and boards of directors. Proposals to the two foundations are considered collectively, and grants are made by both entities. The boards of directors of CSF and WML also make recommendations to the donor-advised TOP Fund at the Marin Community Foundation.

CSF and WML’s grantmaking is forward thinking and evolves over time, yet is guided by a commitment to consistent, long-term support. Some organizations have received funding from the foundations for three decades. CSF and WML recognize the importance of general support and multi-year grants in building institutional strength and longevity and provide such support when appropriate. Project-restricted grants are also made in order to advance specific foundation objectives.

Program Areas

CSF and WML currently have three grantmaking focuses:

• Fighting False Solutions
• Food Sovereignty
• Rights and Governance

Fighting False Solutions

Stopping techno-fixes and securing precautionary assessment, regulation and oversight.

While technologies now being developed and commercialized may result in useful applications, they can also have serious negative social, environmental, economic and political impacts. 

Emerging technologies must therefore be subject to precautionary assessment, regulation and oversight – especially those that are fast tracked and marketed as “techno-fixes” or “green” panaceas to climate change and other crises, as they are often false solutions that perpetuate harmful systems.

CS Fund focuses on three emerging and converging technologies.

• Geoengineering - Intentional, large-scale climate manipulation through a range of methods, including Carbon Dioxide Removal and Solar Radiation Management.
• Synthetic Biology - The design, manufacture and release of artificially created DNA, including gene drives that force genetically engineered traits through populations for either conservation or agricultural purposes.
• Nanotechnology - The creation and commodification of tiny bits of matter (a nanometer is one billionth of a meter), especially in consumer products, which presents novel toxicity risks to human health and the environment.

Food Sovereignty

Building capacity and power in Indigenous communities, communities of color, and social movements.

Food Sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and to define their own food and agriculture systems.

Food sovereignty is deeply connected to global struggles for a more socially just and sustainable world and necessary for a just transition to a regenerative economy and food system. It is a real solution to the most critical issues facing humanity, including global food and water insecurity, climate change, and environmental degradation.

CS Fund’s grantmaking is grounded in traditional agricultural knowledge and agroecological practices, and focuses on three cornerstones of agrobiodiversity and food system resilience.

• Seeds - Preserving native and traditional seeds.
• Soils - Building healthy and fertile soils.
• Pollinators - Protecting and restoring the populations and diversity of native pollinators.

Just Transitions

Building translocal, transnational, interdependent community-level social and ecological justice.

CS Fund is inspired by movement leaders in environmental justice, worker justice, climate justice, Indigenous Sovereignty, Black Liberation and more in their collective framing of Just Transition: We launched our program at the end of 2023, with a core focus on community power building and community self-determination that transforms our current extractive, supremacist culture to one of justice, joy, belonging and liberation for all living beings. We acknowledge the many visions toward liberation that are grounded in cultures around the world, from Buen Vivir to Ubuntu to Ahimsa, and recognize that a pluralistic view of transformation is needed to build across our cultures. 

Rights & Governance

Protecting and advancing rights, democracy and equity.

The US Constitution never envisioned a multiracial democracy. In order to enact the promise of our Constitution for all people - and for the sake of our planet - we must follow the lead of movements and communities fighting for justice and equity, and help create conditions in which they can thrive.

We are especially focused on the areas of:

• Dissent – Protecting and advancing the rights to free speech and assembly.
• Open Government – Making the federal government more transparent, effective, and accountable.
• Rule of Law – Ensuring that US national security policies respect constitutional rights, domestic laws, and international treaties.
• The Constitution and the Courts – Building a progressive legal movement to counter conservative and corporate influence.

In the realm of international governance, CSF and WML have also long funded in the area of:

• Trade – Making the rules of global commerce more democratic, just, and sustainable.

We believe those most impacted by inequity and injustice are in the best position to develop solutions. Our intent is to achieve a better future for all by providing support to community-based, grassroots organizations confronting social and environmental injustice. We are inspired by Civil Rights icon John Lewis’ admonition, “Speak up, speak out, get in the way. Get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”

The National Grassroots Organizing Program (NGO) offers two-year unrestricted, general operating support grants of up to $30,000 per year, with an average grant size of $20,000 per year, to small (budgets under $350,000), constituent-led grassroots organizations throughout the United States and its territories.

Our Approach to Funding

While our broad goals are to further social and environmental justice, our primary purpose is to support the local leadership and grassroots organizing activities of our grant partners rather than any specific issues the organizations are addressing. We are interested in supporting groups that are carrying out activities that build support and collective action to address impacts of inequity and injustice in their communities.

While our broad goals are to further social and environmental justice, our primary purpose is to support the local leadership and grassroots organizing activities of our grant partners rather than any specific issues the organizations are addressing. We are interested in supporting groups that are carrying out activities that build support and collective action to address impacts of inequity and injustice in their communities.We are guided by common principles of community organizing which we look for in proposals. In general these are:

• The organization is led by the people directly impacted by the issues the organization works on, and those people have clear decision-making power.
• A plan with clear goals to gain rights, win collective political power and create positive community change.
• An assessment of the problem being addressed and best tactics to employ.
• Outreach, networking, and ally gaining activities that build support and momentum.
• Educational activities and events that inform and motivate and build support.

We know that organizing can take many forms. Some grassroots organizing activities might include but are not limited to:

Community & ally outreach

Consistent, multi-faceted efforts to recruit and engage people in your work. Examples include sharing information and resources, public forums, canvassing, workshops, tabling at events, phone-banking, and media engagement.

Leadership development of constituents

Investing time, training and resources to cultivate innate leadership assets within people who historically haven’t had access to civic and community engagement opportunities or positions of power.

Constituent empowerment & decision-making

The organization is driven by the people impacted by the problem. Constituents define core values, identify and prioritize issues, and determine the appropriate course of action to solve them.

Popular education

An educational technique, based on the theories of Paulo Friere, designed to raise the consciousness of its participants and allow them to become more aware of how an individual’s personal experiences are connected to larger institutional or societal problems.

Root cause analysis

The practice of continually peeling back the layers of a problem and asking “why?” each one exists until the root cause(s) of the issue can be identified and targeted for change.

Power analysis

The process of identifying which individuals or entities hold the power to make decisions that positively and negatively affect an issue.

Campaign development

A game plan of action including tactics, materials, timelines and their intended audiences and effects.

Mobilizing constituents & allies

Moving people to take specific action toward achieving a common goal. Examples include attending rallies and protests, tabling at events, testifying at hearings, contacting public officials, speaking to the media and phone-banking.

Coalition building

Partnering with other organizations that have allied missions and interests with the goal of creating power in numbers.

Non-violent direct action (NVDA)

Public forms of protest for the purpose of demonstration, obstruction or dissent.

Who We Are

The Block Foundation is a small family foundation established in 2001 to honor the memories of Harris & Frances Block and their daughter Carol Block Maurer. We are a small, family operated foundation whose ideological makeup reflects our family values.

Mission

The Harris and Frances Block Foundation seeks equitable solutions to social and environmental problems, working with small and emerging organizations to improve our communities and impact the world.

Values

The Harris and Frances Block Foundation holds as values:

Community: Where change begins and grows to scale.

Justice: Both social and environmental.

Equality: Aspiring towards a society that honors the potential of all humans.

Access: Equitable access to systems, resources, and opportunities.

Sustainability: Both social and environmental.

What We Fund

The Block Foundation supports small grassroots not-for-profit organizations with grants that work to foster just and sustainable communities.

Environmental Issues

• Environmental Education
• Environmental Justice

Food and Farm Initiatives

• Farm and Garden Programs
• Farmworker’s Rights
• Food Justice

Established in 1957 and animated by the Jewish value of tzedakah (obligation to be charitable), the Jacob and Hilda Blaustein Foundation promotes social justice and human rights through six program areas:

• Strengthening Public Education seeks to improve outcomes and opportunities for students and the quality of teaching and leadership in the Baltimore City school system
• Arts and Culture nurtures a robust cultural scene and ensures that the arts are accessible to children and underserved audiences in the Baltimore region
• Health and Mental Health aims to expand access to quality, affordable health and mental health services for low-income residents of Baltimore City and create better health outcomes locally, regionally and nationally by addressing environmental threats to human health
• Strengthening Israeli Democracy works to support Israel as a pluralistic society by promoting shared society between Jewish and Arab citizens in the Negev, building the pipeline to higher education and workforce integration for Israel’s ethnic minorities, and protecting Israel’s environment
• Jewish Life focuses on keeping Judaism meaningful and responsive to contemporary concerns through “repairing the world”, furthering progressive and inclusive approaches to Judaism, and facilitating nuanced discourse among American Jews about Israel
• International Human Rights advances women’s and reproductive rights, and protects the rights of refugees and asylum seekers in the US and other countries

The Foundation supports organizations that: promote systemic change; involve constituent participation in identifying needs, planning and decision-making; encourage innovation; have clear goals, a process for evaluation and a long-range funding strategy.

International Human Rights Program Area

The Foundation’s program in International Human Rights reflects the commitment of its founders to the principles of universal rights. As President of the American Jewish Committee from 1949 to 1954, Jacob Blaustein worked to protect the civil and religious rights of Jews and other minorities and to promote intergroup tolerance. He was a lifelong advocate for human rights and helped to promote the idea of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, a position that was established more than twenty years after his death in 1970.

The Foundation funds a small number of grantees that work to advance international human rights. The Foundation generally supports US based organizations that address international issues, rather than those based abroad. The Foundation rarely provides support for programs or projects that focus on one country or region.

Internationally, the Foundation works in three areas:

• Advancing women's and reproductive rights. We do not provide support for domestic programs in this area.
• Protecting the rights of refugees and asylum seekers who seek refuge in the United States and other countries.
• Supporting cross-cutting programs that advance leadership development, capacity-building and training across issues. The Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals in this area.

In 1971, the Foundation created and endowed the Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights at the American Jewish Committee. This is an independent entity with its own governance, programmatic priorities and grantmaking program.

Just Health Fund

The Just Health Fund is a Tides Foundation grantmaking initiative that delivers critical resources to community leaders on the front lines of protecting, providing, and ensuring health equity for marginalized groups.

Catalyze a Future of Health Equity and Opportunity

BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities still face discriminatory medical, financial, legal, and environmental barriers to health. Yet the health equity efforts they lead routinely lose out to national legacy organizations on funding. The erosion of healthcare access has only exacerbated existing inequities, posing a serious threat to the health of communities of color and LGBTQ+ people and putting countless lives at risk.

The Just Health Fund makes bold, well-informed grants toward community-led solutions. Just Health Fund grants advance many facets of health equity, from reproductive justice and LGBTQ+ rights to racial justice and mental health.

Funding Priorities

We are committed to shifting power and resources to proximate leaders with subject matter expertise, lived experience, and grassroots connections to create localized solutions to generational healthcare challenges.

Advancing Health Equity

The health of marginalized people is in peril. Policies nationwide are increasingly criminalizing healthcare providers who serve them. The Just Health Fund works alongside legal experts to award bold, risk-aware, and responsive grants supporting culturally affirming care. Our current funding cycle focuses on reproductive justice. Our ultimate vision is to establish long-term support that breaks barriers to health equity by resourcing community leaders who work across health issues, including mental health, LGBTQ+ healthcare, and more.

Centering Community-Based Solutions

Grassroots leaders have both deep knowledge about the healthcare system and intimate experience with the harmful discrimination that has deeply affected marginalized people for generations. The Just Health Fund partners with these changemakers to ensure they have the resources to continue critical community-based work.  

Strengthening Grantmaking That Centers Proximate Leaders

Equipping more organizations to push for reproductive justice will help us make progress faster. The Just Health Fund strives to strengthen the work of reproductive justice and LGBTQ+ organizations that are actively grantmaking in this space.  

Laird Norton Family Foundation

The Laird Norton Family Foundation (LNFF) is a private family foundation in Seattle, Washington, with a mission to honor and reflect the family’s shared values through giving and engage the family in philanthropy as a platform for strengthening family connections.

Primary Grantmaking Programs  

Our grantmaking reflects the values of the Laird Norton family. We give in program areas that reflect the family's shared interests:

Arts in Education

Our Arts in Education grantmaking program supports equitable educational opportunities for students using arts integrated and culturally informed instruction, including sustained professional development for public school teachers. Funding will be directed toward programs that seek to enhance students’ educational outcomes in public Pre-K through grade 12 classrooms rather than to simply increase participation in, or appreciation for, the arts.

• Our current support focuses on organizations that provide: long-term, push-in, professional development opportunities for public Pre-K through grade 12 teachers and schools; programs that aim to serve students furthest from educational justice; and programs with culturally relevant instruction and are focused on the whole child.

Climate Change

Climate change is a global, complex challenge facing our world. The goal of our Climate Change program is to help the planet heal and mitigate adverse impacts of climate change for all people, communities, and the natural world. Grantmaking is centered around carbon sequestration work and recognizes organizations as the experts and stewards to advance climate and environmental justice. Grantmaking is focused in the West Coast of the US.

•  We are focused on supporting work that increased the abilities of forests, coastal ecosystems, and agricultural lands to sequester carbon. Through projects involving healthy forests, blue carbon, and regenerative agriculture, we seek to learn from and follow the lead of communities impacted first and worst as our planet changes. 

Human Services

• Our Human Services grantmaking program supports organizations working directly with youth and young adults (age 12-25) who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness, and/or involved with child welfare, juvenile legal or behavioral health systems. Grantmaking is currently only with organizations in King County, WA. 

• Our current support prioritizes organizations that are created and led by the communities they seek to serve, that acknowledge and seek to address racial and social injustice in their work, and that offer programming with the aim of preventing youth and young adult homelessness and creating systems change.

Watershed Stewardship

​Watersheds have social, ecological, and economic significance. The goal of the Watershed Stewardship program is to create enabling conditions for long-term social and ecological health and resilience in places of importance to the Laird Norton Family. Currently, we prioritize work in Minnesota and Wisconsin as well as a few key watersheds in the Western United States, consistent with the Laird Norton family's priorities.

We take a long-term view on healthy watersheds and invest in organizational capacity with an eye to future resilience. We encourage our partners to focus not on single-species recovery or restoration to historical conditions as a primary end-goal, but to also consider the potential value of significantly altered — but functioning — ecosystems as we continue to face the impacts of climate change and other natural and human-caused changes into the future.

​We believe the wellbeing of the people who live in a place must be considered alongside ecological goals; understanding the diverse interests and values of a watershed’s human inhabitants is an important component of long-term success. ​

Resources Legacy Fund Grantmaking Opportunity

Resources Legacy Fund works to secure a just and resilient world for people and nature by building alliances that mobilize influence, knowledge, and expertise. Connecting philanthropic funding with organizations advancing environmental outcomes, equity, and justice is the keystone of our work.

RLF’s grantmaking seeks to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion by directing funds to those who have been marginalized and to build long-term capacity within their communities. We believe that the most effective alliances represent diverse experience and perspectives, and that the most meaningful and lasting outcomes are often co-created with those typically underrepresented in decision-making. With our funding partners, we seek to change how environmental solutions are understood, developed, and implemented. Learn more about our grantmaking approach.

Program Areas

• Climate & Energy
• Healthy & Resilient Communities
• International Conservation
• Ocean, Coast & Fisheries
• Public Funding & Policy
• Social Justice & Equity
• Western Land Conservation & Restoration

A Generational Vision to Tackle Our Biggest Challenges

Initiatives

Recognizing that there is no path to reducing climate change without limiting fossil fuel production, RFF’s climate program funds and develops the best opportunities to slow the production of oil and gas and make climate polluters pay for the damage they have caused.

Meaningful climate progress will require breaking through the resistance of the fossil fuel industry and its allies, who to this day, continue to advance a business model that accelerates the climate crisis. To accomplish this, we support programs designed to engage and motivate citizens demanding change, deepen public recognition of those most responsible for the climate disruption now unfolding, unmask forces working to prevent climate progress and policies, and require polluters to pay their fair share of the climate damages they caused to help the public meet enormous climate adaptation expenses we now face.

Specifically, RFF’s initiative helps cities and states pursuing climate damages in court from deceptive companies, enacts first-of-its-kind laws to make polluters pay their fair share of climate adaptation costs, supports scientists working to improve climate attribution methodologies; and holds responsible companies accountable for their ongoing efforts to greenwash and deceive the public about the crisis they have caused and for blocking a sustainable energy future.

Over two decades, RFF has worked in opposition to the coal industry while increasing support to groups fighting oil, gas, plastics, and petrochemicals infrastructure. The United States became the world's largest gas producer in 2011 and the largest oil producer in 2018. To meet the Paris agreement’s climate goals, oil and gas must decrease by at least 80% worldwide by 2050. Yet the US government expects that domestic production will increase by ~20 percent over the next three decades.

Launched in December 2018, the Funder Collaborative on Oil and Gas focuses philanthropic attention on the fact that the US is producing more oil than any country ever before and is the world’s largest gas producer and largest gas exporter. We aim to accelerate the energy transition by limiting US production and weakening the industry’s influence, working through direct grantmaking, recommendations to funders, and funder education. We also play an operational role helping campaigns coordinate activities, fill identified gaps, and convene strategy meetings, often in partnership with advocates fighting fossil fuels because of health and environmental justice concerns.

We work with involved citizens, organizations and corporate partners on local initiatives to promote civic pride, economic development and revitalization.

Causes we support

Environmental Stewardship - With a commitment to sustainability, we give priority consideration to organizations whose programs preserve and/or enhance renewable resources and empower environmental stewards.

Sustainability Education - We’re committed to equipping individuals with knowledge needed to enhance their communities through programs that support clean, resilient and sustainable place to live.

Community Vitality - When we ensure that our neighborhoods and communities are safe and sustainable, we provide the best living environment for customers, employees and stakeholders.

Environmental Justice - By engaging with people in the communities where we operate, we can understand their needs and address operational impacts to help those communities thrive.

Workforce + Skills Development - We strive to give individuals the tools and training they need to excel while empowering employees to take care of our customers, neighbors and their environment via programs that prioritize economic mobility.

Supplier Diversity - We address inequity and economic development for underserved groups by working towards targets that prioritize collective impact, collaboration, education, and achieving ambitious sustainability initiatives.

Youth as Solutions

Youth as Solutions (YaS) is creating a generation of citizens who are passionate about making a positive impact in their schools and communities, addressing community health, educational equity, and environmental justice issues. Leadership teams of young people in grades 6-12, along with an adult mentor, apply to be part of one of the Youth as Solutions cohorts, where they will participate in a self-paced, active learning experience, identifying and taking action on an issue in their community. Students gain leadership skills while adult mentors receive quality service-learning instruction and resources. Youth-adult teams connect with peers in cohorts working on similar subtopics such as teen driving safety, health promotion in Latino communities, and so much more!

Focus Areas

• Education equity - is the belief that everyone deserves a quality education, regardless of their race, gender, identity, socioeconomic status, or any other trait.
  • Teams in the Education in Action cohort engage K-12 youth and educators (in school and afterschool programs) to increase educational equity in their school or community. Through the Investigation phase of service-learning, students discover needs and define the actions that will make significant change. From education, awareness, policy review and change, environmental and cultural supports and more, they have a voice in their educational experience and generating change in their schools and communities.
• Community health - empowers youth to save lives through youth-led campaigns that make measurable differences in their schools, communities, and beyond.
  • The Project Ignition Cohort is founded on a service-learning strategy that embeds the topic of teen-driver safety more deeply within a school/afterschool program and makes connections to academic goals. Car crashes remain a leading cause of death for adolescents. Project Ignition students address this fact by working in teams, investigating the issues facing their community, plan & prepare to take action, and engage community partners. They bring people together — and they’re saving lives!
• Environmental justice - challenges young people to address climate needs on a local level, impacting our planet now and for future generations.
  • Fulfilling our mission to create sustainability, youth teams in the Environmental Justice cohort work on improving critical climate needs. Whether planting a community garden, mapping safe bike routes, or securing solar panels to light a community sign, there are many local entry points for impassioned young people to create lasting change through service-learning. Connect to learning goals such as STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) or personal development goals such as leadership or civic engagement, these experiences provide a powerful learning opportunity.

• Civics And Democracy - Civics and democracy empowers young people to forge pathways to active citizenship, fostering leadership and driving positive change in their communities. Some Leadership Teams are engaged in serivce-learning experiences that promote unity and peacemaking to commemorate the events of September 11, 2001. Other Leadership Teams are expanding voting rights to those in Minnesota affected by recent legislative changes, serving as election judges in polling places, and acting as interpreters on election day. No matter the initiative, each endeavor reflects a commitment to civic engagement and the fundamental principles of democracy.

The Impact Fund awards recoverable grants to legal services nonprofits, private attorneys, and small law firms who seek to confront economic, environmental, racial, and social injustice. Since our founding in 1992, the Impact Fund has made more than 800 recoverable grants totaling more than $10 million for impact litigation. We award grants four times per year, most within the range of US$10,000 to US$50,000.

Social Justice

The Impact Fund provides grants and legal support to assist in human and civil rights cases. We have helped to change dozens of laws and win cases to improve the rights of thousands. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Texas and North Carolina, incarcerated people with mental health disabilities are forced to remain in jail despite being found not guilty and unable to proceed with a criminal trial.
• In Orange County, California there are currently 13 gang injunctions under effect, which disproportionately affect young men of color.
• In Chicago, Illinois, the city’s homeless shelter program is inaccessible to people with disabilities.
• In Springfield, Oregon, the city and its police department used excessive force against Black Lives Matter protesters.
• In West Virginia, the state fails to protect children in foster care from abuse and neglect. 
• In Montana, voter suppression laws disadvantage young adults and give priority to gun owners.
• In Gary, Indiana, a gun manufacturer negligently marketed and distributed its guns, leading to an epidemic of gun violence in the city. 
• In Vancouver, British Columbia, the police perpetuate systemic discrimination against Indigenous people through bureaucratic measures.

Environmental Justice

The Impact Fund provides grants to support local litigation for environmental justice. These grants are for cases aiming to help people or communities who are affected by environmental harm or who lack access to basic environmental needs, such as clean water, clean air, adequate waste treatment, and green spaces. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Centreville, Illinois, the city’s failure to maintain its sewer system has caused raw sewage to flood peoples’ homes, endangering the property and health of a predominantly Black community.
• In Fresno County, California, the California Department of Transportation approved a highway expansion project that would increase air pollution and traffic in one of the state’s most environmentally burdened communities.
• In downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the proposed expansion of a highway would divide the region's Black, Asian, and Latine neighborhoods and cause pollution and ill health.
• In North Dakota, the five-month closure of a highway in response to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests disproportionately affected the livelihoods and health of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe members.
• In Ontario, Canada, mercury contamination of the English-Wabigoon river system causes catastrophic environmental and health impacts for the Grassy Narrows First Nation.
• In Sacramento, California, the county government and Sacramento Area Sewer District violated the Clean Water Act by discharging raw sewage into nearby rivers.
• In the Eastern Coachella Valley in California, 1,900 residents of the Oasis Mobile Home Park suffer from arsenic-laced drinking water, wastewater contamination, and overcharging for utilities.

Economic Justice

The Impact Fund provides financial and other forms of support to cases fighting for economic justice. From workers' rights to consumer protection for vulnerable populations, impact litigation is a powerful tool to hold corporationss and the government accountable. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Brooklyn, New York, a prominent mortgage lender engaged in predatory practices, leaving homeowners of color at risk of losing their homes. 
• In Washington, live-in caregivers are unconstitutionally excluded from the state’s wage-and-hour protections.
• In Ravalli County, Montana, the county has created a “modern-day debtors’ prison” by incarcerating people unable to afford pre-trial fees. 
• In San Diego, California, vehicle ordinances target unhoused vehicle owners even when no adequate housing alternative exists.
• In New York, a federal immigration detention facility is violating minimum wage and forced labor laws by forcing detainees to work for just a dollar a day. 
• In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the city and county destroy the property of unhoused individuals and conduct forced evictions from public spaces. 
• In Miami, Florida, insurance companies discriminate against a nonprofit community development corporation renting to tenants with Section 8 rental subsidies.

Sparkplug provides grants to start-up organizations and new projects of established non-profits in the following three areas:

Education

Sparkplug funds projects to educate or support communities, including but not limited to school-age students, that move beyond traditional classroom instruction. In keeping with our justice-oriented framework, we fund education projects that engage excluded students in new ways, projects that restore knowledge that has been marginalized through racism or colonialism, and projects that rebuild community and collective problem-solving.

We're especially interested in supporting critical and investigative thinking, and projects that address race, gender, and class disparities in education. We do fund community-based education and social justice curriculum development, For example, we have funded the development and sharing of curriculum that explores connections between Palestine and the US/Mexico border region to teach students to think critically about the impact of militarized border zones on youth, families and the environment.

Some examples of education projects that we have funded in the past include:

• A program using digital tools to educate consumers on how they can support farmworkers rights.
• A youth-led education campaign exposing and opposing militarization in their community.
• A digital platform to preserve the archives of a local black community.
• A year-long program bringing together social and environmental justice organizers to train new organizers and develop joint community projects.

Community Organizing

Sparkplug funds work by members of a community for their community -- work that aims to create justice by making systemic change and/or shifting power. Or in other words, we fund projects that are created, run by, and meet the needs of people with shared lived experience who face the same types of oppression, discrimination, violence, or barriers, who live in the same area, or who have a shared vision and aspirations for the future.

For example, We DO fund projects created and led by LGBTQ youth to change policies that affect them.

Some other examples of community organizing that we have funded in the past include:

• A farmworker-led campaign against deportations and for access to drivers licenses for undocumented people.
• Training community members as housing organizers as part of a campaign to build their leadership capacity and win local housing justice.
• Support to frontline communities in energy democracy organizing.
• A COVID-19 related mutual aid and advocacy project by and for people experiencing homelessness.

Music

Recognizing the critical importance of music in bringing communities together and building collective creativity, Sparkplug supports emerging musicians in developing new work, sharing existing work with a wider community through events or media, bringing together musicians to collaborate on creating or performing pieces, or facilitating new workshops that bring music to oppressed communities. Applicants for music grants will be asked to submit a sample of their music with their Letter of Intent form.

Some examples of music projects that we have funded in the past include:

• A music and other media production of a multi-ethnic Ottoman world, drawing on the stories and songs of Sephardic women.
• Commissioned compositions and the production of CDs in selected genres.
• The development of a musical program, using historical materials, memorializing the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in 1911.
• A multi-media, semi-staged performance based on the life and poetry of the celebrated Italian Renaissance poet, Torquato Tasso.

Who We Are

Based in Portland, Oregon and created in 2019 by Dr. Ron Naito, the Ronald W. Naito MD Foundation continues his legacy of healing by supporting nonprofit organizations that strengthen, protect, and transform our communities and our planet.

Our grants support organizations working all over the world to mitigate the climate crisis, reduce health disparities, and build communities that are socially equitable and environmentally sustainable. We also support Oregon-based arts and education initiatives, particularly those focused on under-resourced communities.

Our grants are trust-based. Because we respect the expertise of our nonprofit partners and understand that they know best how to spend their funds, all of our grants are unrestricted.

Current Funding Trends

• Under-represented areas:
  • If you work in these areas and are eligible within our funding priorities and restrictions, please consider applying.
    • Nonprofits that work internationally or domestically outside of Oregon, including regional and national organizations
    • Climate crisis mitigation, especially aggressive efforts to curtail or prevent new greenhouse gas emissions
    • International long-term health equity initiatives and health equity initiatives addressing aging and supporting elders
    • Systemic initiatives and advocacy/policy work in any of our funding priorities
• Over-represented areas:
  • We value these types of work and still seek applications from these categories, but applicants may find these categories slightly more competitive if current trends continue.
    • Arts initiatives
    • Oregon frontline nonprofits across all sectors
    • Frontline services, especially organizations supporting people with mental health or substance use needs and organizations supporting survivors of child abuse and domestic and sexual violence

Funding Area: Sustainable Communities

In Sustainable Communities, we seek to fund organizations that address pressing social issues and support equitable models of infrastructure so that communities can thrive socially, environmentally, and economically.

Sustainable Communities grants often intersect with our Climate and/or Health Equity funding areas, incorporating social justice advocacy, economic initiatives, climate adaptation, and other human rights and environmental justice initiatives that impact health outcomes, lead to healing, and increase communities’ capacity to thrive.

This includes (but isn’t limited to):

• Social justice, civil rights, and anti-hate initiatives that build power, sovereignty, community, and resources for people whose wellness and success are threatened by systemic prejudice or injustice.
• Triple-bottom-line initiatives that help historically-marginalized communities gain access to sustainable economic power and lasting health benefits.
• Environmental justice work that impacts the health and success of historically marginalized communities, and that help communities adapt to the impacts of the climate crisis.

All of these are united by healing — of prejudice and hate, of inequities, and of the many social, economic, and environmental factors that adversely impact people’s health and well-being.

Funding Areas

There is urgent need in our world for healing: healing our planet, healing our communities, and healing ourselves, in body, mind and spirit. Our grants focus on four key areas of healing. 

• Climate
• Health Equity
• Oregon Arts & Culture
• Sustainable Communities

Current Funding Trends

Under-represented areas:

• Nonprofits that work internationally or domestically outside of Oregon, including regional and national organizations
• Climate crisis mitigation, especially aggressive efforts to curtail or prevent new greenhouse gas emissions
• International long-term health equity initiatives
• Health equity initiatives addressing aging and supporting elders
• Systemic initiatives and advocacy/policy work in any of our funding priorities 
• If you work in these areas and are eligible within our funding priorities and restrictions, please consider applying.

Over-represented areas:

• Arts initiatives
• Oregon frontline nonprofits across all sectors
• Frontline services, especially organizations supporting people with mental health or substance use needs and organizations supporting survivors of child abuse and domestic and sexual violence

We value these types of work and still seek applications from these categories, but applicants may find these categories slightly more competitive if current trends continue.

About

The Growing Justice Fund is a collaborative effort aimed at advancing equity in the food system by investing in the leadership and solutions of Tribal, Indigenous, Black, Latinx, Asian, and immigrant communities. Through grants of $25,000 to $250,000, we support organizations working to strengthen food value chains, build local wealth, and promote 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.

Funding Details

The Growing Justice Fund offers grants ranging from $25,000 to $250,000 to support community-led initiatives that advance equitable food procurement. These grants empower Tribal, Indigenous, Black, Latinx, Asian, and immigrant (BIPOC+) communities engaged in food markets to secure institutional contracts and gain economic viability. Through large-scale procurement opportunities with community-serving institutions—such as schools, hospitals, and elder care centers—these grants foster equitable access to food buying revenue and help build wealth in historically marginalized communities.

Planning Grants (up to $25,000) help organizations in the early stages of project development by funding strategic research, stakeholder engagement, partnership building, and project planning. These grants lay the groundwork for future implementation by strengthening leadership and preparing for sustainable initiatives.

Implementation Grants (ranging from $50,000 to $250,000) are designed for fully developed projects ready to scale. These grants focus on building infrastructure for equitable food procurement, supporting BIPOC+ producers, food hubs, cooperatives, and policy advocacy, ensuring that these communities thrive as key players in institutional markets.

What is the EJ4Climate Grant Program?

Initiated by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the CEC established this new grant program to fund grants and cooperative agreements1 that will work with underserved and vulnerable communities, and Indigenous communities, in Canada, Mexico, and the United States to prepare them for climate related impacts. This program will provide funding directly to community-based organizations to help them develop community-driven solutions to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

For this inaugural grant cycle, the CEC is calling for initiatives that:

• Support community resilience to climate change and climate-related impacts;
• Yield tangible, equitable benefits for local communities by addressing or adapting to climate change impacts;
• Consider local knowledge and transform that knowledge into an innovative action or solution; and
• Build partnerships that respond to community-identified challenges.

This program is targeted to underserved and vulnerable communities, including Indigenous communities, low-income communities, and communities with heightened risk and increased sensitivity to climate change and that have less capacity and fewer resources to cope with, adapt to, or recover from climate impacts. The degree of risk and sensitivity stems from physical (built and environmental), social, political, and/or economic factors, which interact with each other and are exacerbated by climate impacts. These factors include, but are not limited to, race, class, sexual orientation and identification, national origin, and income inequality.

This program seeks to support environmental justice by facilitating the involvement of underserved and vulnerable communities in the search for solutions and the development of partnerships that address the unequal distribution of environmental vulnerabilities to climate change impacts. In Mexico, the concept of environmental equity (equidad ambiental) is analogous, and entails an equal distribution of environmental benefits and impacts.

The program also seeks to foster climate resilience by improving the capacity of communities to prepare for, withstand, respond to, and recover from hazardous events or disturbances related to climate change, which poses risks to human health, the environment, cultural resources, the economy, and quality of life. These changes are expected to create further challenges to protecting human health and welfare and the environment, and impact vulnerable and underserved, and Indigenous communities disproportionately.

Projects

Possible projects under the grant program could include addressing extreme weather impacts, transitioning to clean energy and/or transportation systems, or utilizing traditional ecological knowledge to address climate change impacts. Project types can include, but are not limited to, capacity building, pilot projects, transfer of innovative technologies, conducting outreach or education, sharing best practices, communication and preparedness/response process improvements, training environmental and community leaders, engaging youth on environmental activities, reducing risks to the environment.

Funding

Projects are funded for a duration of 12 (twelve) to 24 (twenty-four) months. The CEC encourages applicants to submit proposals up to C$200,000 and will consider additional funds (where available) for exceptional projects. The CEC recognizes that a project can have a great impact at a low cost; therefore, no minimum grant amount has been established. 

GEICO Philanthropic Foundation

Through our community funding, the GEICO Philanthropic Foundation strives to support organizations that provide programs and resources to help strengthen our diverse communities across the country. We know that a strong community is one where every individual has access to educational and employment opportunities, can thrive in safe communities, and has the resources to overcome challenges.

About the GEICO Philanthropic Foundation

For more than 40 years, The GEICO Philanthropic Foundation has supported organizations that provide programs and resources to help strengthen diverse communities across the country. To date, The Foundation has donated to 7,000+ charities and averaged between $6 and $8 million in annual giving over the last two decades.

The GEICO Philanthropic Foundation focuses its funding on three key areas:

Educating

The Foundation regularly teams up with nonprofits focused on educational resources and opportunities supporting diverse communities across the country, as well as groups that focus on STEM, early childhood learning, and safety.

Engaging the Community

Part of the Foundation's vision is improving our communities and supporting local organizations through volunteer and outreach efforts. Topics of focus may include:

• Financial literacy
• Food insecurity
• Environmental conservation
• Animal welfare and advocacy
• Health and wellness initiatives

Promoting Equity

The Foundation is committed to building meaningful relationships with community organizations that support equity, justice, diversity, and inclusion.

Nathan Cummings Foundation

We are a multigenerational family foundation, rooted in the Jewish tradition of social justice, working to create a more just, vibrant, sustainable, and democratic society. We partner with social movements, organizations, and individuals who have creative and catalytic solutions to climate change and inequality.

Our Approach + Focus

From our grants, to our investments, to our voice we are using all of our resources to advance our mission. We are committed to changemaking, not just grantmaking.

• Investing in Bold Leaders: Our partners are courageous leaders willing to work in innovative ways, forge powerful alliances, and push breakthrough ideas that make the “impossible” possible.
• Using All of Our Assets: We use a ‘totality of assets’ approach, meaning we leverage the full power of the foundation’s financial and non-financial assets for impact.
• Leveraging Our Voice: We leverage our voice and influence to amplify the voices and goals of our partners.

We believe the dual crises named in our mission (inequality and climate change) cannot be addressed without first addressing their root causes and oppressive manifestations. That’s why we are focused on the long-term and interconnected goal of advancing racial, economic, and environmental justice (REEJ).

Environmental Justice

Environmental justice is the right of all people and communities to a clean, healthy, and safe environment. It promotes equal environmental protection under the law and in fact. It empowers all communities to make informed decisions and fully participate civically and economically in the creation of environmental solutions.

Focus Areas

To advance environmental justice, we support organizations that address the following focus areas:

• Environmental Harms: BIPOC and low-income communities are disproportionately harmed by environmental hazards. We focus on efforts to prevent and repair these environmental disparities and ensure the affected communities can meaningfully engage in forging solutions.
  • We will prioritize work that:
    • Provides frontline communities with actionable data they can use to both inform decision-makers and mitigate the environmental harms they face 
    • develops and implements long-term solutions that protect both ecosystems and public health
    • holds polluters financially and/or legally accountable for environmental impacts caused by their operations
• Inclusive Participation in the Green Economy: A Green Energy transition is well underway, but the economic opportunity that goes along with it is not distributed equitably. We focus on efforts to ensure that BIPOC-led environmental organizations and diverse companies can fully take advantage of the investments, benefits, and opportunities of the Green Economy.
  • We will prioritize work that: 
    • Measurably increases jobs, investments, and/or wealth-building opportunities in the Green Energy Transition for companies and individuals from marginalized backgrounds 
    • Increases capital to support, replicate, and/or scale solutions led by frontline communities that advance the transition to a green economy  
    • Demonstrates and amplifies models of economic inclusion in climate adaptation, mitigation or resilience
• Regenerative Economic Models: Achieving environmental justice and addressing climate change requires a shift from extractive to regenerative economic models. We focus on social entrepreneurs and innovators who are building regenerative projects and models based on sustainability, ecological restoration, and community wealth-building and resilience.
  • We will prioritize work that: 
    • Creates economic and political incentives to transition or restore agricultural, forest or other lands and watersheds damaged by pollution 
    • Increases investments to organizations and social entrepreneurs that help them to scale innovative alternatives to extractive and/or polluting processes, practices, and products. 
    • Demonstrates and amplifies effective regenerative economic models and their impact on local economies, ecosystems and public health 

We anticipate that a majority of funding for new partners will support work happening in or focused on the U.S. South.

Racial Justice

Our vision for racial justice is the removal of structural barriers and hierarchies based on race. It seeks to reimagine political, economic, and social systems in ways that allow all people to thrive, regardless of their racial identity.

Focus Areas

To advance racial justice, we support organizations that address the following focus areas:

• Civic Engagement: BIPOC and other marginalized communities face long-standing and concerted efforts to restrict and suppress their participation in the public sphere, especially in civic processes. We support efforts to ensure these communities have the access and capacity to participate freely in shaping the policies, practices, and institutions that impact their everyday lives.
  • We are particularly interested in hyper-local civic engagement work in the U.S. South in the areas of school board reform, preemption, and voter suppression.
• Racial Wealth Gap: As a product of centuries of policies and practices, extreme racial wealth inequality persists in the United States, especially among Black communities. We support efforts to repair this harm, build wealth, and address the root causes of the racial wealth gap.
  • We are particularly interested in system interventions that help lower barriers to home ownership and business ownership, especially in the American South. 
• Racism + Oppression: White supremacy is at the root of our society’s most unequal systems, institutions, and policies. We support efforts to build the infrastructure and capacity necessary to create systems that are free from oppression and allow us all to thrive.
  • We are particularly interested in in data transparency and technological interventions in the American South that undermine societal biases and structural inequities.

Economic Justice

Economic justice means that everyone has opportunities to participate and thrive in the economy, including those who are marginalized by our current economic systems. The principles of economic justice create a stronger economy because prosperity and equity go hand in hand.

Focus Areas

To advance economic justice, we support organizations that address the following focus areas:

• Economic Security: Economic security is a necessary baseline for people to survive and thrive, especially amidst conditions of rising inequality. We support efforts that systemically mitigate economic precarity and secure a path to a more stable future for poor and low-income people.
  • We will prioritize work happening in or focused on the U.S. South that: 
    • Increases workers’ power and their ability to negotiate for fair pay and good benefits  
    • Addresses the high cost of housing for renters and/or homeowners 
    • Contributes to the development of alternative economic models and strategies that improve conditions for poor and low-income people 
    • Addresses the problem of state preemption
• Access to Capital: Generations of discriminatory lending and investment practices have prevented BIPOC and women from accessing the capital required to bring their innovative ideas to the marketplace and profit from them. We support efforts to provide more access to capital for historically excluded entrepreneurs and to cultivate an ecosystem in which they can prosper.
  • We will prioritize work happening in or focused on the U.S. South that:  
    • Increases capital controlled and allocated by women and people of color 
    • Expands Black, Indigenous, and other people of color’s ability to secure competitively priced private and public capital, including loans, lines of credit, and investment dollars  
    • Shift perceptions of risk and bankability and advances fair underwriting standards  
• Monopoly Power: Monopoly power drives many of the corrosive and pressing problems in our political, economic, and social systems. We support efforts to decrease corporate power and create a level playing field for workers, marginalized communities, and small businesses.
  • We will prioritize work happening in or focused on the U.S. South that: 
    • Increases competition in key industries (i.e., energy, agriculture, healthcare, and retail) and dismantles consolidated corporate power 
    • Ensures enforcement of regulations that keep corporate power in check  
    • Increases transparency about corporate influence in our political system

Nathan Cummings Foundation Grant

Grant Types

We believe that social change takes time and requires long-term investments. We also see immense value in supporting new, innovative, and exploratory work. To reflect this, we have a range of grant types: 

• Venture Grants (Up to $100k for one year) - These grants are short-term and designed to provide expedited support to social entrepreneurs with breakthrough, emerging, and innovative solutions. They serve to mutually explore new relationships and partnerships. 
• Advancement Grants (Up to $250k annually for up to two years) - These grants are designed to provide two-year support to project-based work and/or help scale organizations and promising solutions. 
• Enterprise Grants ($250k+ annually for more than two years) - These grants are designed to provide multi-year, unrestricted funding to partners that have deep alignment across our REEJ focus areas and offer the most opportunity to use all our financial and non-financial resources to support their solutions. 

Funding

Most of our grants range from about $50,000 – $250,000.

• Our budget for funding economic justice work is $3,900,000.
• Our budget for funding environmental justice work is $3,400,000.
• Our budget for funding racial justice work is $3,900,000.

NDN Collective

NDN is an Indigenous-led organization dedicated to building Indigenous power. Through organizing, activism, philanthropy, grantmaking, capacity-building and narrative change, we are creating sustainable solutions on Indigenous terms.

Community Self-Determination Grants 

Purpose and Approach

Community Self-Determination Grants are intended to support community-based and community-driven sustainable solutions in all three of NDN Collective’s core strategies to Defend, Develop and Decolonize. Grants are intended to support and invest in the long-term visions and sustainability of Indigenous communities and Indigenous-led organizations, fortifying the self-determination of Indigenous Peoples to create a just, equitable, and sustainable world for all people and the planet. Significant, flexible, multi-year funding will include the infusion of general operating support, capacity building, capital and holistic support for comprehensive initiatives and specific programs.

Community Self-Determination Grants are intended to strengthen and leverage long-term financial sustainability of Indigenous-led organizations, including capital support and investments. This type of funding will not only give Indigenous organizations the kind of runway that has been long understood as healthy for startups and private-sector companies, but transformative for community-based and grass-roots organizations, including those who are closest to the issues and the impact. While we fund national efforts, we intentionally prioritize grassroots, community-based efforts. Climate justice and Indigenous justice are at the heart of the intent behind the Community Self-Determination Grant.

NDN’s grantmaking approach is based on reciprocity and mutual aid, which may include thought partnership and capacity building resources. Relationship is at the core of this approach, encouraging systemic change and participation in which the people most affected take responsibility for one another and for changing systemic conditions. It is up to the community to determine the steps for true self-determination. NDN funds can support the material needs of communities while also addressing root causes and solution building that is shaped by the community. This approach encourages innovative, creative and free thinking for long-term change.

NDN will remain steadfast in its commitment to uphold and advance regenerative, Earth-centered principles of community and economic development. ‘Regenerative’ is the ability to regrow, renew or restore, particularly after loss or damage. NDN’s commitment to a new and better normal is also part of community self-determination, resilience and sustainability, therefore NDN seeks to support Tribes, Indigenous nations, communities and organizations who are also committed to more innovative, sustainable solutions. NDN is deeply committed to supporting Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination that supports justice and equity for people and the planet.

These principles and the NDN Collective’s framework of Defend, Develop, Decolonize will be utilized as a lens in which to review and select grantee-partners.

Community Driven Solutions

Because this program focuses on community-driven solutions, we encourage larger nations and organizations to coordinate among your various departments to submit an application reflecting your community’s efforts to Defend, Develop and Decolonize.

It is the intent of NDN Collective to provide meaningful support across multiple regions, therefore, applicants will be expected to describe their community self-determination efforts within one of the following strategic focus areas that is best suited for their community’s intentions and goals. New or expanded initiatives, or capacity building of existing efforts and entities may also be supported.

Defend

Efforts may include but are not limited to protecting and reclaiming lands, water, and natural resources, such as:

• Grassroots, frontline organizing and community mobilization to defend and protect clean water, air and land from extractive industries and exploitation;
• Indigenous-led environmental movements and efforts to stop the extraction of the earth’s natural resources on and near tribal territories.
• Direct action efforts of the climate and environmental justice movement.

Develop

Efforts may include but are not limited to community and economic development/resilience based on sustainable, regenerative principles, climate change solutions and mitigation, such as:

• Sustainable food systems, food sovereignty and security initiatives; sustainable community agriculture, gardens, food harvesting and processing, community hunting and fishing, sustainable herd management, shared community food pantries and food distribution;
• Community water initiatives; protecting or developing clean water sources; community pumps or wells, water purification and sanitation, ecological wastewater treatment systems, such as constructed wetlands, greywater systems, and composting toilet implementation, and bioremediation of contaminated soils and water;
• Community planning and implementation of sustainable, regenerative, and innovative solutions for community preparedness and resiliency;
• Renewable energy sources, i.e.; wind, solar, geo-thermal
• Energy transition that is environmentally, socially and economically just; that reduces carbon emissions and footprints; Net-Zero initiatives;
• Financial planning and transition to new or alternative revenue streams based on regenerative principles of economic and community development;
• Resilient and regenerative infrastructure improvements or development, including housing, broadband or increased internet speed and capacity; improved or upgraded software systems and technological training to support virtual and tele-abilities to learn, access health, conduct business, up-to-date communications access;
• Capital investments for economic mobility to diversify economies, long-term regenerative business development in various sectors, including decreasing risk of a larger investment; investments in building the capacity of people through education, training, and consulting to be well-equipped leaders in creating just, and resilient economies and infrastructure.

Decolonize

Efforts may include, but are not limited to intergenerational transmission and continuity of language, culture, ceremonial practices, traditional governance and decision-making structures, and lifeways, such as:

• Governance and leadership transformation, transition or development grounded in Indigenous values and practices, including constitutional reforms, reintegration of traditional governance structures, or decentralized, consensus-based decision making practices;
• Indigenous health and safety; providing and reclamation of Indigenous health, wellness, community care, healing and medicinal practices, including social, emotional, and cultural support;
• Language revitalization – Community immersion programs; teacher preparation and language apprentice programs; family language nests;
• Decolonized education models;
• Youth, family and community initiatives to restore, renew and support Indigenous language, cultural practices, creativity and lifeways;
• Community harmony, safety and protection efforts, including addressing physical and sexual violence; Indigenous peace-making and conflict resolution initiatives, community restorative justice practices, protocols and teachings.

Funding

Grants of $100,000 per year, with commitments of two years, are available to Indigenous-led organizations working in the defense, development, and/or decolonization of Indigenous Peoples and Mother Earth, with a maximum grant award of $200,000 for commitments over two years.  

What is 100x...?

100x Impact Accelerator is a world-leading impact accelerator, based at the London School of Economics. Our goal is to create cohorts of social unicorns driving positive social change around the world - at scale.

We have built 100x on a set of values that embrace ambition, humility, rigour, and trust. We believe in entrepreneurs that take risk, stay curious, and prioritise their mission. We like evidence based solutions where end customers and constituents find real value in the products or services they are accessing. And most of all, we know your work is some of the hardest work in the world. That’s why we believe in empathy – making sure you have people by your side who can support you on your journey and have been in your shoes before.

What we are looking for

100x is looking for the next generation of social unicorns - organisations affecting positive change on the scale of billions. We are looking for radical thinkers, the visionaries and the entrepreneurs who crave a new, better world.

Impact Areas

• Climate and Environment
  • We recognise that the world is facing unprecedented environmental challenges.
  • We aim to support and accelerate the development of innovative solutions that address these challenges and promote environmental sustainability.
  • We believe that entrepreneurship and innovation are key drivers of environmental progress.
  • This is why we work with passionate and visionary entrepreneurs who are developing solutions that reduce environmental impact, promote resource efficiency, and create sustainable value for all stakeholders.
  • Our goal is to shape a planet where humans thrive, economies develop, and the environment prospers.
• Democracy
  • We believe that social movements and interventions are fundamental to shaping healthy democratic systems and that strong and inclusive democracies are essential for promoting human rights, social justice, and sustainable development.
  • Our goal is to support and accelerate the growth of innovative solutions that strengthen democracy and promote citizen participation.
  • We believe that access to information, civic education, and inclusive political processes are critical for promoting democracy and ensuring that all voices are heard.
  • At 100x, we aim to help ventures build scalable, impactful businesses that can transform how citizens engage with politics and hold their leaders accountable
• Happiness and Wellbeing
  • We believe that a thriving society must prioritise the well-being of its people.
  • We recognise that happiness and well-being are not just individual concerns but also significantly impact social and economic outcomes.
  • Our goal is to support and accelerate the development of innovative solutions that promote happiness, mental health, and well-being.
  • We believe that access to quality mental health resources, community support, and healthy lifestyle choices are essential for promoting overall well-being.
  • There are social enterprises redefining how wellness works - for all, not just a few, and we're determined to accelerate the impact of those making huge strides towards a happier society.
• Education
  • Education is a powerful tool for creating positive change in the world.
  • Our goal is to support and accelerate the development of innovative education solutions that have the potential to transform the way people learn and acquire skills.
  • We believe there are social enterprises creating bold solutions that level the education playing field.
  • At 100x, we want to partner with these ventures and skyrocket their impact; fundamentally transforming education systems for students, families, and teachers around the world.
• Equitable Economies
  • We recognise that the current economic system is not working for everyone.
  • We believe that a more equitable economy is not only possible but essential for creating a sustainable and just future.
  • Our goal is to support and accelerate the development of innovative solutions that promote economic equity and empowerment, particularly for marginalised communities.
  • We believe that radical thinkers are the key to replacing broken economic models.
  • At 100x, we're searching for social ventures who are proving that fair and inclusive economic systems are not only possible but scalable.
• Health and Social Care
  • Healthcare systems around the world are facing significant challenges, including rising costs, inadequate access, and poor-quality care.
  • Our goal is to support and accelerate the development of innovative solutions that improve health outcomes, promote wellness, and increase access to healthcare and social services.
  • We believe there are social enterprises creating scalable solutions to improve population health, and we want to partner with these ventures that share our vision of driving radical social change in this area.
• New Frontiers
  • We believe that disruptive innovation and emerging technologies can potentially transform the world in unprecedented ways.
  • New frontiers in science, technology, and entrepreneurship are opening up new opportunities for addressing some of the world's most pressing challenges.
  • Our goal is to support and accelerate the development of innovative solutions that leverage cutting-edge technologies and disruptive business models to create positive impact at scale.
  • 100x aims to work with passionate and visionary entrepreneurs who are pushing the boundaries of what is possible and disrupting the status quo by helping them to build scalable impactful businesses that can transform industries and create new markets.
• Refugees and Cohesion
  • We recognise that the displacement of people due to conflict, persecution, and natural disasters is a major global challenge that requires urgent attention.
  • We believe that promoting social cohesion, inclusion, and integration is critical for creating a more just and peaceful world.
  • We aim to support and accelerate the development of innovative solutions that promote the integration and wellbeing of refugees and host communities.
  • We know there are passionate and visionary entrepreneurs who are committed to creating sustainable solutions that address the needs of refugees and host communities.
  • We want to help them build scalable, impactful businesses that can transform how refugees are supported and integrated into their new communities.

Selection Criteria

100x is looking for the next generation of social unicorns - organisations affecting positive change on the scale of billions. Our selection process is rooted in a holistic evaluation of both the people and the model. Here are the key criteria we consider:

• Outstanding Leadership
  • We want to back social entrepreneurs who demonstrate grit, potential for growth and ambition for the future
• Addressable Impact
  • Identified and evidenced impact opportunity that is sizeable and can create system level change
• Established Proof-of-Concept
  • Developed and delivered a model with evidence to suggest it is the ‘right solution'
• High Velocity of Change
  • Growing traction and there is a sense of solution being on the precipice for explosive growth
• Distinctiveness of Solution
  • A quality or feature that is impressive, rare and novel
• Cohort Fit
  • Alignment with our programme offerings, cohesiveness across the portfolio, and willingness to be an ambassador for 100x

Through these criteria, we aim to select ventures that not only have innovative solutions but also leaders deeply committed to driving positive social and environmental change. We value proximity to communities, inclusive approaches, and the capacity to affect systematic transformation.

We aim to have 70% of our portfolio to come from emerging markets and value applications where founders and/or senior team members be based in the region the organisation operates in.

We want to back organisations that are female-led, have considered gender in their product or service designs, and reflect a global market of leaders.

What We Offer

Our funding is flexible, impact-first, unrestricted, and based on trust. We offer catalytic grants and repayable grants to charities and social enterprises. Upon completion of the 100x accelerator programme, if your organisation has achieved extraordinary and outsized impact, you may be eligible for our follow-on funding.

Our programme is hybrid and spans 12 weeks. Two leaders (including at least one Founder and/or C-Suite member) from your organisation must be able to attend two sponsored trips to London at the start and end of the programme. Each trip will last no more than 3-5 days. 100x will cover reasonable transit and visa costs. You will also be expected to participate virtually for the rest of the programme. Please note, that the 100x Impact Accelerator programme is delivered in English, and you must have a reliable internet connection. If this is an issue, we offer a small stipend to support internet access so that you can fully engage in the programme.

• £150,000 in catalytic capital
• 12 Weeks Impact Accelerator programme
• World-Class support and bespoke mentors
• Cohorts of like-minded social entrepreneurs
• Summit Day celebrating and connecting ventures
• Alumni Membership long-term access to our community

Established in 1978, the Acorn Foundation is a family foundation dedicated to supporting community-based organizations working to advance environmental conservation, sustainability and environmental justice. The Foundation’s name was taken from the street where the family lived.

The Foundation is particularly interested in small and innovative community-based projects that engage in community organizing in order to:

• Advocate for environmental health and justice, particularly in low-income communities, communities of color and indigenous communities
• Preserve and restore habitats supporting biological diversity and wildlife
• Prevent or remedy toxic pollution.

Grant-making Philosophy

The Peace Development Fund makes grants to community based organizations working for social justice. We believe that the change in values needed to establish a more just and peaceful world can come about only if it is strongly rooted in local communities that value the importance of building movements to create systemic social change. These are communities that view everyone, especially young people, as a vital force in the transformation of society. We recognize young people’s ability to reshape our society, not only politically, but also spiritually and culturally.

The Peace Development Fund is committed to supporting organizations and projects that recognize that peace will never be sustained unless it is based on justice and an appreciation of both the diversity and unity of the human family. We understand peace to be a consequence of equitable relationships—with our fellow human beings and with the natural environment of which we are a part and on which we depend.

What We Fund

Organizing to Shift Power

• Groups that are creating a power base that can hold leaders accountable to the people who are affected by their decisions.
• Groups that let their membership or constituents take the lead in collective action-planning and decision-making.
• Groups whose leadership comes directly from the people who are most affected by the issues you are organizing around.

Working to Build a Movement

• Groups that organize in the local community, but make connections between local issues and a broader need for systemic change.
• Groups that provide a space for members to develop their political analyses at the same time as taking action for change.
• Groups that break down barriers within the progressive movement, by building strategic alliances between groups of different cultural or class backgrounds or different issue areas.
• Groups that explore the root causes of injustice and have a long-term vision for the kind of social change they are working for.

Dismantling Oppression

• Groups and projects that are proactively engaged in a process of dismantling oppression, confronting privilege and challenging institutional structures that perpetuate oppression (both internal and external to the organization).
• Groups that are proactively making connections between the different forms of oppression (racism, heterosexism, sexism, ageism, classism, ableism, etc.), and its connections with injustice.

Creating New Structures

• Groups that have alternative organizational structures that allow power to flow “from the bottom up.”
• Efforts to create new, community-based alternative systems and structures (economic, political, cultural, religious, etc.) that are liberating, democratic, and environmentally sustainable and which promote healthy, sustainable communities.

General Support vs. Project Support

The majority of grants awarded by PDF are for general support. We believe that the people on the ground know how best to spend the money. However, if an organization’s mission is not within PDF’s priorities but the organization has a program or project that is within the priorities, i.e. if the organization is a direct service organization, but has an organizing component, then we would recommend that groups apply for a specific program or project.

Since 1991, MCFA has been promoting environmental causes throughout the Americas to support projects that align with four central aims:

Biodiversity Conservation

We promote the conservation of biological diversity and natural resources by supporting research, the establishment of protected areas, and strategies for valuing the natural environment such as Payments for Ecosystem Services.

Environmental Education

We support environmental education programs that raise public awareness about the environment, and foster greater appreciation for the value and scarcity of natural resources, and the importance of environmental stewardship.

Environmental Justice

We promote environmental justice by supporting the rights of marginalized communities to live in a clean and safe environment and participate in decision-making that impacts their environment. This helps to ensure that the burdens of industrial development are not unfairly imposed on those communities that are the most vulnerable to negative environmental impacts.

Sustainable Development

We support sustainable development by means of local livelihood development for communities in environmentally sensitive areas, support for small and medium size enterprises in developing countries, and by promoting sustainable business practices.

About

We are women from all walks of life who have come together to make a collective and significant difference in our community. Impact100 Global Veterans exists to empower women to award large grants that transform lives.

Focus Areas

• Art & Culture
  • Initiatives that cultivate, develop, enhance and preserve Veteran's artistic, cultural, and historic character.
• Education
  • Initiatives that further the educational process or improve access to education for Veterans.
• Environment, Preservation & Recreation
  • Initiatives that restore, revitalize, or enhance the environment and/or create or improve recreational opportunities for Veterans.
  • Conservation and preservation of natural resources; environmental justice; parks and recreation; agricultural sustainability; environmental education and climate action.
• Family
  • Initiatives that strengthen and enhance the lives of Veterans.
• Health & Wellness
  • Initiatives that improve the mental and/or physical well-being of Veterans.

Funding

Eligible nonprofits may submit a Letter of Intent to apply for grant funding of up to $100,000.

Our Criteria

For 2024, NMV will focus on funding early stage companies seeking venture investment and building progressive power. Our primary focus areas are media & narrative, organizing & advocacy, and elections & civic engagement. For the next few months, we are especially interested in impactful, innovative solutions in media tech, civic tech, political tech, as well as the intersection of all of our verticals and AI. 

Scalable with a proof of concept

We prefer ventures with an existing user base (even if they are only beta users), demonstrated proof of concept, and a clear plan for generating revenue and/or growth. In some cases, we will fund ventures with little or no user base if there is compelling research proving the efficacy of the idea, or a clear opportunity to build power.

Sustainable model and impact

We have a preference for work that is sustainable and clearly builds progressive power. We’d like to invest in ventures that expect to generate revenue, although they may not now, or who have a plan for sustainable growth. Note: We do not invest in one-off media projects like documentaries, although we might invest in a company building a sustainable business model for making documentaries!

Strong, diverse team

We look for leadership teams that have both the technical and business talent to create something great and who understand their market intimately. We are especially interested in democratizing access to capital and encourage people who have been historically overlooked in the startup community to apply. In our experience, founders with direct experience of the challenges they are working to solve are best positioned to do so.

Progressive & mission-driven

NMV is mission-driven and works to invest in entrepreneurs and activists building progressive power in the United States. We care about environmental protection, economic equality, racial justice, a thriving democracy, and more. The startups we support are mission-driven and seeking to make the world a better place.

What support do selected organizations receive?

$50K to $100K in funding. We typically make investments in for-profits (most often via convertible notes or SAFEs) and give unrestricted grants to nonprofits. Please note that for the remainder of 2023 and going into 2024, we will be focusing on for-profit investments. Additionally, NMV supports the portfolio through:

• A network of founders where leaders ask questions, identify problems, and surface solutions in community.
• Webinars and one-on-one coaching to help new leaders navigate organizational and operational challenges, like setting goals and managing cash on hand.
• Catalyzing additional funding by connecting them to donors and investors at our events and at other times of the year when possible.
• We’re currently refining our program in response to feedback from current portfolio members and look forward to rolling out the next iteration of our support program in the months ahead.

Vision

Justice challenges are spiritual, social, political, practical and personal. They are woven together in an entrenched paradigm that infects every institution, from the religious to the secular. Many of our longest standing cultural artifacts depend on their perpetuation and our corresponding belief that they cannot or should not change. But change they must, and now. The JustPax Fund seeks to support projects that offer a new paradigm, a more gracious path forward.

JustPax Fund Grant

Any organization who feels that their work speaks to the priorities outlined in the JustPax Fund’s Vision and Application Guidelines is welcome to apply. We offer descriptions of prior projects as a historic record, to provide insights to new applicants on our past funding activities, and to celebrate the accomplishments and activities of our partner projects.

The JustPax Fund provides financial and logistical support to individuals and organizations working for effective change in the realm of gender justice, environmental justice, and/or economic justice. Through monetary grants, JustPax invests in projects and initiatives that bring innovative and novel approaches to justice advocacy, research, and implementation.

The JustPax Fund welcomes proposals that seek to create space for critical inquiry, generating awareness, and promoting solutions to some of the most complex societal challenges facing the global community. The JustPax Fund seeks to bolster the capacity of passionate and creative agents for change by providing the financial resources necessary for their work.

The JustPax Fund donors are adherents of the Believer’s Church tradition and welcome proposals that address gender, environmental, and economic justice as applicable or relevant to that tradition. Applications stemming from other faith traditions and belief systems are also welcome.

Beyond addressing the effects of economic, environmental, and gender injustice, qualifying activities create innovative and replicable initiatives that transform paradigms of oppression. These initiatives provide real-world examples of non-extractive economic activity, environmental systems that harmonize human and non-human activities, and social systems of respect and just governance. Examples of transformative rather than reactive proposals include but are by no means limited to alternative economic systems that reward sustainable rather than extractive practices, community engagement strategies that elevate marginalized groups into leadership roles, and initiatives that transform our participation in systems of oppression or injustice.

Funding

The JustPax Fund has traditionally awarded grants of up to $25,000/year for gender, environmental, and economic justice projects. We occasionally increase this cap for exceptional projects.

Awards are generally given for a single year of funding. If your proposed project has already completed significant preparatory planning and is seeking to launch a considered initiative with multi-year impact and you believe that a multi-year funding commitment is necessary for the success of your project, you may apply for up to three years of funding in a single application.

About the Innovation Prize

The J.M.K. Innovation Prize seeks out innovators who are spearheading transformative early-stage projects in the fields of the environment, heritage conservation, and social justice.

The J.M.K. Innovation Prize is open to non-profit and mission-driven for-profit organizations that are tackling America’s most pressing challenges through social innovation. In 2019, we will award up to ten Prizes, each including a cash award of $150,000 over three years, plus $25,000 for project expenses, for a total award of $175,000. Awardees also receive guidance through the Fund and its resource network, providing tools and training for ascendant change agents.

For more than three generations, The J.M. Kaplan Fund has provided catalytic funding for projects in their early stages of development. Whether a pilot project, a new organization, or a nascent initiative, work supported by the Fund has involved a certain measured risk that ultimately led to large-scale, transformative results. We launched the J.M.K. Innovation Prize in 2015 to leverage this legacy of catalytic grant-making in the field of social innovation. Currently on a biennial schedule, the Prize has to date funded twenty wildly creative solutions to social and environmental challenges, ranging from high-tech efforts to restore imperiled coral reefs, to the nation’s first farm labor trust. Each awardee takes a visionary approach to a societal need, working within one or more of the Fund’s three program areas:

• The Environment: Protecting natural resources and reducing the impacts of climate change.
• Heritage Conservation: Conserving the places that communities care about most.
• Social Justice: Supporting just alternatives and reforms to the criminal justice and immigration systems.

Tailored for Early-Stage Social Entrepreneurs

We know there is a scarcity of funding for untested ideas being piloted in the social innovation field. The Prize is designed to fill this gap in innovation philanthropy, supporting ideas that other funders may deem too risky or too small. We also know that early-stage innovators need the freedom to seize opportunities when and where they arise. The Prize’s unrestricted funding offers this flexibility, letting awardees deploy resources where they are most needed, whether investing in core projects, hiring staff, or just keeping the lights on.

We know each organization must follow its own path to achieving a change-making vision. With its three-year period, the Prize gives awardees room to evolve at their own pace, with an infrastructure of support tailored to their specific needs as early-stage innovators.

An Innovation Community

Beyond the cash award, the Innovation Prize provides tools to help turn ideas into action. Over the three-year Prize term, we bring awardees together for two convenings each year. Each of these meetings, spotlighting a different awardee’s organization, offers opportunities for peer learning and mentoring from experts in organizational development, board cultivation, media coaching, leadership training, and more. From West Virginia coal country to Monterey, California, our awardees have shared powerful learning moments, embedded in one another’s work and reflecting on their role as change agents.