Search Through Grants for Grassroots Organizations in New York in the U.S.

Who We Are

The Creag Foundation is a private grant making foundation established in 2009 in Woodinville, Washington.

The founders of the Creag Foundation believe that meaningful change can only be achieved through hard work, creativity and passion. They also understand the practical mechanisms that allow charitable organizations to succeed and grow. As a group, Creag Foundation principals are dedicated to helping today’s most innovative programs improve the human condition in a wide variety of ways.

Our Focus

The broad purpose of the Foundation is to support the efforts of nonprofit organizations who are innovators in the field of human services. Our particular focus is on smaller organizations that are starting out or established organizations that are looking for funding to take their organization in a new direction.

What We Fund

/ What We Fund

The Creag Foundation is focused on innovation in the industry. We will consider proposals from 501(c)(3) organizations that are finding new ways to address societal issues facing the nonprofit community. Applicants must have held 501(c)(3) status for one year before submitting. If your organization has held 501(c)(3) status for over a year, and your believe that your organization has a new approach to an existing social problem or is addressing a previously unaddressed social issue, you are welcome to contact us and request that we consider your organization for a funding opportunity.

Democratic Practice 

The Democratic Practice program seeks to strengthen the vitality of democracy in the United States and in global governance. The program’s core ideas—that for democracy to flourish and deliver on its promises, its citizens must be engaged, empowered, and assertive, and institutions of governance must be inclusive, transparent, accountable, and responsive—provide a frame for the Fund’s Democratic Practice work in the United States and on global challenges.

Democracy in the United States

Democracy in the United States is facing myriad challenges as persistent and deep divisions continue to undermine the nation’s social, economic, and political vitality. The current U.S. political system suffers from outsized influence of money in politics, extreme partisanship, retrenchment of voting rights, issues with outdated and inefficient election administration, and concentrations of power in narrow segments of society not reflective of the larger population. Alternatively, new opportunities for systemic reform are developing and gaining traction. The nation is seeing a resurgence of grassroots political activism, protest, and a democratization of both traditional and social media. Digital resources are fueling different kinds of engagement and activism that are reaching people in entirely new ways. Further, the ability to leverage creative investigative and solution-based journalism and broadly available government and election data to improve both democratic systems and grassroots civic engagement provides exciting opportunities to build a vital and inclusive 21st-century democracy.

The Fund recognizes that the gaps between rich and poor, and white and non-white, are widening, while the diversity of elected officials remains misaligned with the electorate, fundamentally undermining the quality of representative democracy. Exorbitant amounts of private money spent on political campaigns and lobbying by a very small percentage of the electorate profoundly distort the political system. Others without the financial resources to influence public policy are further marginalized, undermining the ability of voters and constituents to hold elected officials accountable and fostering public cynicism and distrust of elected officials and public institutions.

The quality of our political culture continues to deteriorate. Consequently, there are fewer and fewer examples of true bipartisanship and constructive compromise in state and federal legislatures. Additionally, partisan actors, with a goal of achieving partisan supremacy rather than ensuring democratic fairness, exert disproportionate control over voting rights, poll access, and redistricting. Participation in national elections remains below that of most advanced democracies, and turnout for local elections is persistently low. Moreover, fair, efficient, and effective election administration is undermined by inaccurate voter rolls and outdated processes and technology. In addition, eligible voters have been kept from the polls by restrictive voting laws, or worse, by overt voter-suppression efforts.

Meaningful and informed public participation in all phases of democracy in the United States provides the foundation for a truly vibrant democracy. The Fund believes that innovation in traditional grassroots organizing strategies, development of opportunities for underrepresented populations in civic leadership, and effective integration of digital media and communications into civic life are promising ways to improve public participation in governance. Authentic public participation in democracy lays the groundwork for substantive policy reforms that are a true reflection of our representative democracy.

Goal: Advance a Vital and Inclusive Democracy in the United States

In the United States, the Fund supports innovative strategies to strengthen and broaden participation in the practices and institutions of democratic governance, foster greater transparency, accountability, and responsiveness of government institutions, and promote social, economic, and racial justice in our democratic systems.

Strategies:

• Supporting innovations in systems and practices to strengthen equality of representation and disrupt corruptive influences, including money and privileged relationships.
• Increasing opportunities for meaningful citizen participation in democratic systems through election and voting reforms, including improvements in voting rights, election laws, redistricting processes, and election administration.
• Supporting movement-building strategies for systemic reform of democratic institutions to advance economic and racial justice.

The Democratic Practice–U.S. program works to enhance the quality of American democracy through support for high leverage opportunities at the federal, state, and local levels (including New York City as the Fund’s home).

Global Challenges

The dramatic increase in cross-border flows of capital, goods, and people and their values and ideas—“globalization”—is producing deep interdependencies and changes in power relations. It is a defining process of the 21st century, offering both challenges and opportunities.

Public engagement in decision making across all levels of governance must contend nowadays with powerful global actors, forces, and institutions, presenting profound challenges to democracy. Economic interests have largely overshadowed democratic practices, social equity, and environmental concerns in the evolution of global institutions. Powerful international trade and financial institutions remain opaque and exclusive, and the power and reach of multinational corporations often escape public scrutiny or effective regulation. Thus, although the impact of global forces on peoples’ lives is growing, they face enormous impediments to both defend their existing rights and engage to meet new global challenges.

At the same time, globalization has opened up new opportunities for building cross-border, citizen-based coalitions, which are finding innovative ways to frame, address, and resolve global problems. Evolving understandings of planetary limits and the drivers of climate change have given rise to citizen groups pressing for economic and environmental rights. Common experiences of inequality and the erosion of democracy have led to demands for changes in how rules of the global economy are written—and in whose interest. New technologies and ways of organizing undergird citizen networks working across languages, geographies, and cultures. These novel combinations of grassroots, professional, public, private, intergovernmental, and nongovernmental organizations are analyzing global processes, articulating alternatives, and advancing in democratic practice and accountability to address global challenges.

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

About Us

One of America's leading health insurance organizations and an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Highmark Inc. (the Health Plan) and its affiliated health plans (collectively, the Health Plans) work passionately to deliver high-quality, accessible, understandable, and affordable experiences, outcomes, and solutions to customers. Highmark Inc. and its Blue-branded affiliates proudly cover the insurance needs of approximately 7 million members in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York and West Virginia. Its diversified businesses serve group customer and individual needs across the United States through dental insurance and other related businesses.

Highmark Corporate Giving

The decades-long legacy of Highmark includes direct financial support to improve the quality of life in the communities we serve. Today, our corporate giving benefits hundreds of organizations across our service area.

The Highmark Bright Blue Futures charitable giving and community involvement program's goal is to ensure healthier, brighter, stronger futures for all. Our focus is improving equitable access to care, quality of life and economic resilience in the communities we serve.

Focus Areas

We aspire to improve outcomes in two critical areas: Community Health and Community Economic Resilience.

Community Health

Reducing health inequities and disparities among our targeted populations through novel solutions and strong partnerships go a long way toward reversing societal trends and lifting up those in need.

Our strategy is supported by five pillars that each play an important role in promoting the wellbeing of all:

• Access to Care
  • Highmark Bright Blue Futures strives to ensure that everyone in our communities, regardless of their location, income, or other factors, has equitable access to preventative care, disease-specific support, and health literacy programs.
• Economic Stability for Individuals and Families
  • We work to reduce the hardships that keep people from achieving financial security, such as food insecurity, housing instability, and unemployment.
• Social and Community Context
  • Our programs related to physical activity and social connections encourage individuals to improve their health and quality of life through regular physical activity, and to seek out relationships that nurture their emotional, psychological and physical wellness, and growth.
• Education Access
  • Through training and educational opportunities in healthcare and medical fields, as well as providing scholarships to higher education programs, Highmark Bright Blue Futures is dedicated to helping students gain the skills and knowledge they need to pursue and achieve their career goals.
• Neighborhood and Built Environment
  • The built environment plays a crucial role in the health and safety of communities.
  • Beyond just providing physical spaces, the built environment can be used to create programs and resources that can help to address issues that have a direct impact on the physical, mental, and emotional health of community members.

Community & Economic Resilience

Even during periods of upheaval and change, we were successful in improving economic wellbeing and quality of life in communities of all sizes.

In our efforts to support their communities and economic resilience, we:

• invested resources in moving diversity, equity and inclusion forward in a transformative way.
• provided a network of direct services to those in need.
• helped students and jobseekers prepare for success.
• improved the standards of living and fostering wellbeing.
• brought joy to and built bridges between cultures.

The Labcorp Charitable Foundation

We believe every person deserves equitable care and education.

In 2020 Labcorp established a private charitable 501(c)(3) foundation to advance our desire to bring quality healthcare access to all by supporting education and our local communities. 

Common grant opportunities include:

• Supporting food pantries and meal programs
• Providing healthcare and patient services for underserved populations
• Encouraging STEM programming
• Advocating for healthy lifestyles through ongoing medical research and screening

About the North Star Fund

North Star Fund makes strategic grants from the day activists begin to organize, through months and years of planning, heightened moments of public demonstration, meetings with legislators, and coalition-building—the result is victories that change policies and transform lives in our city and our nation.

We support grassroots activists who go beyond band-aid solutions to address the root causes of injustice. They use a strategy called community organizing to build the “people power” to make real change.

North Star Fund is upending the model of traditional philanthropy where wealthy outsiders make all the decisions. We put the decision making of our grants in the hands of our activist-led Community Funding Committee, made up of majority organizers and activists working in the communities where we make grants.

North Star Fund makes grants in New York City and the Hudson Valley. In addition, we provide strategic advice, coaching, and trainings to help activist groups thrive and win real change.

North Star Fund supports grassroots organizations that are led by people directly impacted by injustice, especially low-income people of color. Groups that receive North Star Fund grants have a strong social justice vision and are working for systemic change, rather than solely individual empowerment. They practice democracy internally, and are led by their members. They build the leadership and political analysis of their members, and they engage in advocacy campaigns that change laws, policies, or the public narrative around their issues. We prioritize organizations that are too new, too small, or too controversial for other foundations to take a risk on.

Rapid Response Grants

Purpose of Grants

To support organizing, activism, and strategic convening in response to urgent threats or breaking opportunities, especially during critical junctures of a campaign.

This grant is intended to help organizations achieve a timely and specific outcome or impact within three to six months, usually as part of a long-term goal to achieve systems-based change.

In these challenging times, our elected leaders and institutions are not always protecting communities of color and vulnerable populations. Rapid response grants may be used to pressure them to do the right thing. 

PNC Foundation

Strengthening and enriching the lives of our neighbors in communities where we live and work.

Vision & Mission

For decades, we have provided resources to seed ideas, foster development initiatives and encourage leadership in nonprofit organizations where imagination and determination are at work enhancing people's lives everyday.

The PNC Foundation's priority is to form partnerships with community-based nonprofit organizations in order to enhance educational opportunities, with an emphasis on early childhood education, and to promote the growth of communities through economic development initiatives.

Foundation Grant

The PNC Foundation supports a variety of nonprofit organizations with a special emphasis on those that work to achieve sustainability and touch a diverse population, in particular, those that support early childhood education and/or economic development.

Education

The PNC Foundation supports educational programs for children and youth, particularly early childhood education initiatives that meet the criteria established through PNC Grow Up Great. Specifically, PNC Grow Up Great grants must:

• Support early education initiatives that benefit children from birth to age five; and
• Serve a majority of children (>50%) from low- to moderate-income families; and
• Adhere to all other standard PNC Foundation guidelines, as outlined on the PNC Foundation website, applicant eligibility quiz, as well as the Foundation policies and procedures; and
• Include one or a combination of the following:
  • direct services/programs for children in their classroom or community;
  • professional development/workforce development for early childhood educators;
  • family and/or community engagement in children’s early learning
• Additional considerations:
  • The grant focus should include math, science, reading, vocabulary development, the arts, financial education, or social/emotional development.
  • The grant recipient, or collaborative partner, should have early childhood education as an area of focus. If the organization’s focus is beyond birth to age five, the specific grant must be earmarked for birth to age five.
  • Incorporate opportunities for PNC volunteers in classroom or non-classroom-based activities.

Economic Development

Economic development organizations, including those which enhance the quality of life through neighborhood revitalization, cultural enrichment and human services are given support. Priority is given to community development initiatives that strategically promote the growth of low-and moderate-income communities and/or provide services to these communities.

• Affordable Housing
  • The PNC Foundation understands the critical need for affordable housing for low-and moderate-income individuals.
  • We are committed to providing support to nonprofit organizations that:
    • give counseling and services to help these individuals maintain their housing stock;
    • offer transitional housing units and programs; and/or
    • offer credit counseling assistance to individuals, helping them to prepare for homeownership.
• Community Development
  • Because small businesses are often critical components of community growth and help foster business development, the PNC Foundation provides support to nonprofit organizations that
    • offer technical assistance to, or loan programs for, small businesses located in low-and moderate-income areas or
    • support small businesses that employ low-and moderate-income individuals.
• Community Services
  • Support is given to social services organizations that benefit the health, education, quality of life or provide essential services for low-and moderate-income individuals and families.
  • The PNC Foundation supports job training programs and organizations that provide essential services for their families.
• Arts & Culture
  • Support is given for cultural enrichment programs benefitting the community.
• Revitalization & Stabilization of Low-and Moderate-Income Areas
  • The PNC Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that serve low-and moderate-income neighborhoods by improving living and working conditions.
  • Support is given to organizations that help stabilize communities, eliminate blight and attract and retain businesses and residents to the community.

Philanthropy is our commitment to communities in which we operate and broader society. We focus our resources on a limited number of key projects that can deliver valuable benefits from our contributions and those of our partners. We give priority to innovative, high-quality projects that meet the following criteria:

• promote sustainable development
• offer an opportunity for Roche to use its expertise and logistics capabilities
• involve Roche actively at an early stage with local authorities and established partners
• engage Roche employees in cultural (focus on contemporary arts), educational and social activities
• managed by an accredited charity

Our four focus areas

Humanitarian and Social

We direct the majority of our philanthropic donations to humanitarian and social development projects.

Science and education

We are dedicated to programmes that promote scientific interest and provide educational opportunities for young people around the world.

Community and Environment

We are committed to building stronger communities and responding to natural disasters sustainably.

Arts and Culture

We support groundbreaking contemporary art, cultural projects and activities that explore the parallels between innovation in art and in science. 

The Sidney Stern Memorial Trust is devoted solely to the funding of charitable, scientific, medical and educational organizations.

The Board endeavors to support soundly-managed charitable organizations that give service with a broad scope, have a substantial effect on their target populations, and contribute materially to the general welfare. The Board does not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation or religion.

We are Westchester's community foundation, serving Westchester County. Our competitive grants are made possible primarily by funds set up by donor bequests and wills, supporting projects to improve the lives of Westchester residents.

Our Grantmaking Guidelines

Human Justice

We support programs that protect civil liberties and human rights through access to civil legal services.

Human Services

We support programs that address basic human needs, including food and shelter, and programs that help individuals and families achieve greater long-term economic stability and self-sufficiency.

Workforce Development

We support programs that provide opportunities for Westchester residents ages 16+ to train for and get good jobs. Programs must demonstrate a clear connection between the training and jobs, and include strong employer partnerships. Preference is given to programs that lead to industry-recognized certification and include job placement and post-placement services.

Youth Development

We support programs that increase opportunities for youth up to age 24 to become resilient adults. Funding is provided in two areas:

• Programs that empower young people by teaching essential personal and practical skills that will serve them throughout life. Preference is given to programs that give youth a voice in the issues that affect their lives, and that offer diverse experiences, expand cultural horizons, and provide enriching opportunities for community engagement. We prioritize programs that utilize a Positive Youth Development framework.
• Innovative programs that create improved outcomes for youth before and after contact with the juvenile or criminal justice systems. Programs must provide critical social services supports, including mental health services. Preference is given to programs that use innovative strategies to steer youth away from school suspension and incarceration.

Arts

We support programs that broaden access to the arts for all and provide professional development opportunities for artists from diverse backgrounds. Funding support is available in these two areas only:

• Post-baccalaureate education and training fellowships to promising young, economically disadvantaged artists that will help them make the transition to professional careers
• Programs that bring to life the rich cultural history of Germany, including scholarships, research, and programs that promote Germanic arts, folklore, language, literature, and music.

Social Justice

We support community-based efforts that seek policy reforms that address social injustice through grassroots and community organizing. Programs must involve and be led by those most affected by the injustice, ensuring that they have a say in shaping policies that affect their lives. Current grantees are working to promote access to housing, employment and economic opportunity, and participating in the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws.

Technical Assistance

The Foundation supports the capacity of nonprofits in Westchester through convenings, workshops, and cohort programs that foster a strong and connected nonprofit sector. We do not entertain requests for technical assistance funding for a single organization.

AEO Better World Foundation

The AEO Better World Foundation is a 501(c)3 private foundation established in 1999 to support the community in partnership with AEO Inc, our Brands, and our associates.

We support causes that are important to our associates and customers by making a meaningful impact in their communities through national and global charity partnerships.

MISSION:

We are committed to showing the world that there’s REAL power  in the optimism of youth by supporting causes that educate and empower teens and young adults.

Community Grants

AEO is committed to building a better world and showing the world that there’s REAL power in the optimism of youth by supporting causes that educate and empower teens and young adults. We strive to create positive change by awarding grants to nonprofit organizations at a grassroots level in the communities of Pittsburgh, New York City, Hazleton, Ottawa, and Mississauga (Ontario area). Local 501(c)3 organizations and registered Canadian charities are invited to apply to support programming for teens and young adults in the locations mentioned above. 

Grant Amounts

If an organization is NEW and has not yet received funding from the AEO Better World Foundation, we ask that you submit a proposal for a grant of $5,000. This $5,000 can support a new or ongoing program, and you can have additional funders if necessary.

If an organization has received funding from the AEO Better World Foundation before, your organization is eligible to apply for a grant in the range of $5,000 - $15,000

Mission Statement

Park Foundation is a family foundation dedicated to advancing a more just, equitable, and sustainable society and environment, both nationally and in our local Ithaca community. We are principled, strategic and fearless in our grantmaking, collaborative with our partners, and nimble and innovative in our approach. We are committed to challenging the powers that threaten an independent media, a robust democracy, and the future of our planet.

Our Funding Priorities

The Park Foundation funds a variety of non-profit partners, from local Tompkins County grassroots programs to initiatives with national impact.

• Environment
• Civic Participation
• Media
• Democracy
• Community Needs
• Sustainable Ithaca
• Animal Welfare
• School Food & Nutrition

Environment

The Environment Program has two major interests: To ensure drinking water is clean, affordable, and accessible, protected, and managed as a public necessity, and to challenge continued shale gas extraction and infrastructure expansion.

• Drinking Water:
  • The Foundation supports efforts on a national scale or in New York State that promote:
    • strong and enforced water policies
    • increased investment in publicly owned and operated water infrastructure
    • empowerment of communities and individuals to exercise their rights to protect drinking water resources
    • reduced consumption of bottled water
  • On a limited basis, the Foundation is exploring opportunities to support organizing and advocacy at the national scale to address lead in drinking water.
• Energy:
  • The Foundation supports statewide efforts in New York that decrease reliance on fossil fuels, particularly natural gas, by challenging the expansion of its infrastructure, including pipelines, compressor stations and new natural gas power plants. The Foundation will also consider requests that will help shift the state’s energy needs away from conventional fossil fuel sources and toward a clean energy system that is accessible, affordable, and protective of citizens’ health.

Types of Activities Funded

The Foundation is interested in catalyzing action and is willing to consider diverse approaches that raise awareness and offer solutions to drinking water and energy concerns, including, but not limited to:

• policy development
• advocacy
• organizing
• corporate responsibility

Additionally, the Foundation will consider support for investigative reporting outlets that raise awareness and provide new information on drinking water and shale gas energy issues. Stories may be national in scope, but funding is generally targeted to coverage of issues that are relevant to New York State.

Statement of Position on Oil & Gas

Global emissions of climate-warming gases continue to rise, and scientists have provided dire warnings of the impacts of the predicted warming on people and ecosystems across the world if immediate action is not taken. The most severe impacts will be faced by people already challenged by poverty and other disadvantages. Oil and gas extraction, transport, use and its related industries are major contributors of greenhouse gases and endanger public health.

Value Statement

The Park Foundation’s Environment Committee has engaged in anti-shale gas work since 2008 and has developed a grantmaking history supporting organizations and projects working to keep shale gas in the ground through research, policy, advocacy, and activism. Although there is not a single strategy that will avert the climate crisis, the Committee recognizes that a firm stance against further oil and gas development is a necessary component to future funding decisions.

This stance includes supporting efforts that:

• Commit to the “keep it in the ground” philosophy.
• Commit to resisting all new gas and oil drilling.
• Commit to resisting all new gas and oil infrastructure buildout (including: pipelines, compressor stations, new gas power plants, and new petrochemical feedstock facilities).
• Promote a managed decline in fossil fuel existing supply and production.
• Challenge the energy status quo and promote democratic principles for citizen engagement in energy decision-making.
• Educate and move investors towards cleaner energy choices.

Additionally, the Foundation has already transitioned its endowment portfolio; it divested its holdings of carbon stocks and committed itself to “climate solutions” investments.

Description

Recognizing the importance of Japan America Societies (JAS/JS) in fostering mutual understanding between the U.S. and Japan on a grassroots level, Japan Foundation (JF) New York aims to support the JAS in its work during and beyond the pandemic with the Capacity Building Grant Program. In order to further strengthen JAS in the NAJAS network and to enhance their effectiveness in carrying out their mission, this program supports capacity building projects that demonstrate feasibility and organizational sustainability and will lead to organizational growth. Successful applicants will be awarded grants of up to $30,000 for up to 12 months.

Project Categories

JF welcomes proposed projects that fall under (but not limited to) one or more of the categories below.

• Fundraising
  • Research and implement income generation plans that ensure sustainability and growth of the Society.
• Strategic Planning
  • Develop a strategic plan/ Strategize and develop a plan that aims to build organizational capacity and ensures organizational leaders, board members and staff have a clear and unified understanding of the Society’s long-term goals and priorities beyond the pandemic.
• Public Relations Development
  • Create and implement PR and marketing strategies that raise the visibility of the Society and lead to increased engagement with the community.
• Program Development
  • Create and implement innovative programming that will contribute to overall organizational sustainability by reaching new and wider audiences
• Membership Development
  • Create and implement a plan to increase membership and to strengthen the networking ability of the Society, expanding reach to other interest groups such as local businesses, Japan-related organizations, and young professionals.
• Professional Development
  • Professional development programs for the Society’s leadership, staff, and volunteers that will enhance individual and/or group skill sets relevant to organizational growth and sustainability.

Grant Coverage

The grant amount is up to $30,000 and inclusive of indirect costs. Grant coverage is for up to 12 months.

• Personnel (staff salary) & Honoraria (web developer, consultant, speaker etc.)
• Travel (transportation costs) and Per Diem (hotels and meals)
• Conference Costs (room rental, interpretation fees, AV equipment rental etc.)
• Report & Publication Costs (editing, translating, printing costs, etc.)

JF will support indirect costs of up to ten percent (10%) of the actual direct costs JF supports. Rent and other administrative costs are considered indirect costs by JF.

About the Foundation

Jesse W. Couch lived a life of zeal, honor, and dedication to the betterment of his community. The Couch family now humbly stewards the foundation he created to carry on his legacy of service for future generations. We believe that impact is best accomplished through partnerships with local organizations that know the people and communities they serve. We invest in and support efforts to protect the environment, further conservation and preservation initiatives, and save historical architecture that preserves community heritage. We also support initiatives that promote wellness and mental health and organizations seeking to provide and further education for all communities.

Annual Grant Focus

Each year, we seek to partner with and support non-profit organizations making an impact in the focus areas listed here.  The focus areas for 2025 are:

• Animal Wellbeing: We are dedicated to helping nonprofit organizations that nurture compassion and respect for all living animals. We must have animal-focused organizations that advocate for animal rights and provide humane treatment across all spectrums.
• Early Childhood Education: We are looking for schools that are providing young children with a creative and balanced approach to education. Things we love in early childhood curriculums:
  • Life Skills
  • Collaboration With Their Peers and Teachers   
  • Having Fun   
  • Montessori Teachings   
  • Project Based Teachings   
  • Diversity   
  • More Time Outside   
  • Less Screen Time
• Teachers: Teachers are essential to providing children with the best possible education. We must invest in their future and are always looking for teams that help them succeed in educating future generations.
• Get Outside: Being outside can improve memory, fight depression, lower blood pressure, and more! We support organizations that facilitate and encourage more outdoor activities that help create healthier communities. 

The Let Us Breathe Fund Grants

North Star Fund’s Let Us Breathe Fund supports Black-led organizations building collective power through grassroots organizing in New York City and the Hudson Valley.

Purpose of These Grants

North Star Fund’s Let Us Breathe Fund supports Black-led organizations engaging in grassroots organizing—the process of building collective power—in New York City and the Hudson Valley. Grassroots organizing seeks not only the transformation of individual lives, but the undoing of systemic racism, including specific laws and institutional policies that create inequities.

North Star Fund created the Let Us Breathe Fund in 2015 in response to the surge of organizing and mass mobilizations prompted by the police killing of Eric Garner. The Fund seeks to address the philanthropic sector’s historic disinvestment in Black communities and Black-led efforts for social change. To do so, the Fund mobilizes resources from individuals and foundations to provide renewable, general operating support grants.

Since its genesis, the Fund has provided grants to organizations working on police accountability and Black-led organizing groups addressing anti-Black racism across many institutions. These grantees range in focus from ending abusive policing in the streets and school campuses to addressing the historic disinvestment, lack of economic opportunities, and other discriminatory forces targeting Black communities.

Georgia-Pacific Foundation

Established in 1958, the Georgia-Pacific Foundation sets aside resources to improve life in the communities where we operate. We’ve worked with thousands of outstanding community-based programs, service projects and disaster relief efforts, focusing our investment in four areas we believe make the most impact:

• education,
• environment,
• enrichment and
• entrepreneurship.

Investment Priorities

• Aligns with GP’s mission and values
• Aligns with GP’s Four Focus Areas of giving: Education, Environment, Enrichment of Community and Entrepreneurship
• Serves communities where GP has manufacturing facilities
• Creates value by contributing to and positively impacting long term well-being and sustainability of GP communities

Hudson Valley Grantmaking

As of June 30, 2023, North Star Fund has awarded over $117 million in grants in the Hudson Valley. Our Hudson Valley funding area includes a mix of rural, suburban and urban settings that provide unique opportunities to support grassroots organizing based in communities of color. Our dozens of grantees include seasoned organizations that have been around for years as well as emerging organizations who are less than a few years old. 

In the COVID-19 pandemic, many grassroots organizations had to abruptly change their work to include direct assistance and mutual aid organizing that required nimble and creative leadership.

These Hudson Valley grantees have shown they are up to the challenge of caring for their communities even as they demand big changes from our state, local and federal government.

NYC Organizing Grants

North Star Fund provides grants to organizations whose primary strategy is grassroots organizing. These grants, in the form of general operating support, are intended for both new and emerging organizations as well as established movement builders with a track record of success. Read about our recent grantees here.

Additionally, we are committed to long-term support for current grantees that continue to meet the eligibility requirements. Our goal is to make it as easy as possible to reapply, share the latest updates, and provide us with feedback. Some questions will not be used to assess your grant application; you’ll see them noted as optional. 

Grant Amounts

$20,000

Hudson Valley Grantmaking

As of June 30, 2024, we’ve awarded over 410 grants totaling over $5.5 million to organizations in the Hudson Valley. We have made grants in the region via several funds: in addition to our Hudson Valley Grants program, we’ve awarded grants via the Let Us Breathe Fund ($470,000), Rapid Response fund, Special Initiatives and the Future of Organizing Fund.

Our Hudson Valley funding area includes a mix of rural, suburban and urban settings that provide unique opportunities to support grassroots organizing based in communities of color. In the COVID-19 pandemic, many grassroots organizations had to abruptly change their work to include direct assistance and mutual aid organizing that required nimble and creative leadership. These Hudson Valley grantees have shown they are up to the challenge of caring for their communities even as they demand big changes from our state, local and federal government.

Hudson Valley Organizing Grants

These grants provide long-term support to grassroots groups in the Hudson Valley of New York. Our grantees are engaged in the strategy of grassroots organizing, the process of building power by galvanizing the collective leadership of those directly impacted by injustice, particularly low-income communities and communities of color. In the face of systemic oppression caused by racism and capitalism, these organizations are developing and pursuing a long-term vision of systemic change.  

Grant Amounts

$20,000

The Hudson Valley Community Funding Committee determines how much to award based on the organization’s fit within our funding criteria and priorities. There is no need to apply for a specific amount when you submit your application.

Applicants may be considered for a multi-year grant. No additional application materials are required for multi-year grants.

Our Mission

To help New Yorkers—especially those in low-income areas—come together and improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods.

Community Leader (All In Neighborhood) Grants

A Community Leaders Grant is a microgrant given out to New Yorkers by CitizensNYC. CitizensNYC awards microgrants of up to $5,000 to community-building projects carried out by resident-led groups to improve neighborhood life, strengthen local leadership, and scale community partnerships.

Selection Criteria

• Clarity
  • Are the descriptions of the project and its goals clear? Is the outreach strategy clear? Is the work plan adequately detailed, focused, realistic and clear? Does it support project goals?
• Quality of Life Impact
  • Is the project expected to improve quality of life issues identified by residents and community members?
    • Major Improvement
      • The impact of the project is anticipated to be lasting (longer than one year) and notice on a daily or almost daily basis.
      • For example: Transforming an abandoned, crime-ridden lot into a multi use community garden where residents begin growing produce and feel safe within the timeline of the project, or creating a new summer internship program for local youth to lead a community farmers market, where youth train new interns for the following year.
    • Moderate Improvement
      • The project is anticipated to either initiate or complete an effort that is anticipated to have a strong impact on the quality of life.
      • The impact is anticipated to last for several months or longer and is noticed on a weekly basis.
      • For example: Cleaning up an abandoned, crime-ridden lot in preparation for establishing a multi-use community garden, creating an athletic program that will last for a season or creating a new youth internship program that lasts for a year.
    • Minor Improvement
      • The project is anticipated to create a temporary (a few weeks or less) impact on the improvement to the quality of life issues identified by residents or community members.
      • For example: Making improvements to an established community garden, hosting a weekend job fair, or continuing an internship program that existed a previous year.
• Community Engagement
  • Is the project expected to build community engagement and capacity for the future?
    • Major Improvement
      • The community group will expand the number of members within the group who are representative of the community; the community group will strengthen its relationships to other organizations, community groups, city services, or public representative (i.e. co- facilitating workshops or engaging partners in ongoing work); the project involves a newly formed group that has an established organizational structure.
      • Alternatively, the project will establish an ongoing forum, space, or activity for community residents to interact around common interests such as history, art, culture, or physical activities.
    • Moderate Improvement
      • Forming a new community group that has an established organizational structure; expanding group membership; the group is strengthening relationships with other organizations, community groups, city services, or public representatives. (i.e. having a partner organization take part in a workshop series as a participant)
    • Minor Improvement
      • Bringing community members and residents together to participate in a one-time social or stewardship activity (i.e. learning/artistic/cultural event, clean-up or gardening event); making small steps towards building relationships with other organizations, community groups, city services, or public representatives (i.e. sending a newsletter to community groups to inform them of a workshop)
• Need
  • Does the proposal clearly convey that the project is warranted and needed in identified neighborhood or for a particular community (identity-based)?

Our Mission

The Scherman Foundation invests in the economic, political, and cultural transformation necessary for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to reclaim and build power.

Our Strategic Framework

We believe that investing in cultural, political, and economic transformation together advances justice to realize our vision. We support organizations working at the intersections of these transformation areas inside our strategic framework. This framework is the foundation of our more specific and evolving program priorities.

• Economic Transformation
  • Our focus on economic transformation acknowledges that the root causes of economic inequity are linked to white supremacy and racial injustice and that the economic well being of BIPOC individuals and communities is critical for liberation.
  • We support organizations that focus on:
    • Strategies and models that provide BIPOC communities with greater access to capital, assets, and opportunities
    • Economic stability and security for BIPOC individuals and families
    • Advocating for more equitable economic systems through policy reform, institutional changes, and increased transparency
• Political Transformation
  • We believe that those who have been excluded must lead the way in dismantling current political structures and creating new, inclusive, and reflective democratic processes.
  • We support organizations that focus on:
    • Work and priorities that are driven by BIPOC communities
    • Forging multi-racial coalitions working toward racial justice
    • Reforming political structures and processes to make the political system more accessible and accountable to BIPOC communities
    • Increasing the participation of BIPOC communities in democratic processes and decision-making at all levels
• Cultural Transformation
  • Recognizing the crucial role of culture in advancing justice, we support organizations that harness storytelling, expression, and artistic activism to drive systemic change.
  • Our focus is on collaborative narrative change strategies, innovative storytelling frameworks, and equitable media accessibility.
  • We support organizations that focus on:
    • Public Narrative Change: Combating misinformation and harmful stereotypes through investments in journalism, local news outlets, and nonfiction narratives
    • Artistic Expression: Supporting the creativity and work of BIPOC artists and communities without imposing agendas or conditions and transforming the field to do the same
    • Artivism: Using art as a tool for organizing grassroots movements and collective action, including funding on-the-ground storytelling and public art projects

General Criteria

We consider the following general criteria in our grantmaking process.

• Organizations that are accountable to or directed by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities.
  • While we prioritize BIPOC leadership, our main focus is on organizations where BIPOC communities have clear influence and decision-making power over the organization's strategy, direction, programmatic work, and finances.
• Organizations that are intersectional in their work and practices.
  • Intersectionality recognizes that individuals hold multiple identities, shaping their experiences with power.
  • We look for organizations that demonstrate a deep understanding of intersectionality in their mission, programs, and practices; center the voices and experiences of those most affected by multiple forms of oppression; and address the interconnectedness of racial justice with economic status, gender, LGBTQ+, and/or disability justice as well.
• Organizations that work with others to build movements toward racial justice.
  • Movement-building is the long-term process of organizing and empowering individuals and organizations to collectively work towards systemic change and a shared vision.
  • We look for organizations and coalitions that reflect key characteristics of movement building including an authentic mass base; grassroots leadership; a shared ideology or narrative; broad coalition-building; and strategy to create and sustain structural change beyond specific organizations or campaigns.
  • The Foundation supports organizations focused on organizing and advocacy, while our Arts funding includes a wider range of approaches.

Arts Program

We believe New York City's arts landscape drives not only its cultural vibrancy but also promotes political and economic power among its residents. By investing in place-based work and local efforts, we can best support the conditions necessary to build that power through and within the arts while also uplifting generative creativity that is at the heart of the deep artistic history and diverse cultural foundations that have shaped New York City.

We also believe in supporting the interconnectedness among BIPOC artists, communities, the arts field, and activism. Movements cannot exist without artistic power, and art and creation itself is a form of power—both must be prioritized. A percentage of our funding will be allocated to citywide arts support services and advocacy rooted in racial justice, ensuring the sustained transformation of the arts field at large.

Funding Priorities

In Central & South Brooklyn, the South Bronx, East and Central Harlem, and on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, we support organizations that:

• Focus on arts, cultural, and narrative work through a racial justice lens
• Build BIPOC-led arts infrastructure and provide unconditional, holistic support for BIPOC artists, ensuring their artistic freedom and creativity are respected, resourced, and amplified
• Enhance economic opportunities and access for communities through arts and culture, including partnerships with local vendors, events, and engagement
• Support the use of art and "artivism" as means of political leverage and advocacy both within the arts field and across areas to build community power
• Ensure BIPOC art and culture workers have a seat at the table where resource allocation and decision-making occur
• Support the power and presence of long-standing BIPOC communities in the area, preserve and promote local cultural heritage, and address gentrification's impact on local communities while fostering continued artistic generation
• Engage with and benefit diverse audiences
• Bolster BIPOC-led and serving arts and cultural networks and underfunded cultural organizations

Outside of our geographic priorities, we also support:

• “Bridge” theaters across the city that center BIPOC artists and transformative works. Our goal is to change field norms and make NYC productions more accessible
• Arts and cultural networks that have presence and roots in multiple neighborhoods or boroughs, unify advocacy, representation, and transformation efforts in the field, and act as gateways for BIPOC communities to access the arts
• Arts advocacy, support, and services grounded in racial justice to transform the arts field at large and leverage traditional audiences and venues, ensuring a more equitable arts landscape that reflects the city's diversity

Our Mission

The Scherman Foundation invests in the economic, political, and cultural transformation necessary for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to reclaim and build power.

Our Strategic Framework

We believe that investing in cultural, political, and economic transformation together advances justice to realize our vision. We support organizations working at the intersections of these transformation areas inside our strategic framework. This framework is the foundation of our more specific and evolving program priorities.

• Economic Transformation
  • Our focus on economic transformation acknowledges that the root causes of economic inequity are linked to white supremacy and racial injustice and that the economic well being of BIPOC individuals and communities is critical for liberation.
  • We support organizations that focus on:
    • Strategies and models that provide BIPOC communities with greater access to capital, assets, and opportunities
    • Economic stability and security for BIPOC individuals and families
    • Advocating for more equitable economic systems through policy reform, institutional changes, and increased transparency
• Political Transformation
  • We believe that those who have been excluded must lead the way in dismantling current political structures and creating new, inclusive, and reflective democratic processes.
  • We support organizations that focus on:
    • Work and priorities that are driven by BIPOC communities
    • Forging multi-racial coalitions working toward racial justice
    • Reforming political structures and processes to make the political system more accessible and accountable to BIPOC communities
    • Increasing the participation of BIPOC communities in democratic processes and decision-making at all levels
• Cultural Transformation
  • Recognizing the crucial role of culture in advancing justice, we support organizations that harness storytelling, expression, and artistic activism to drive systemic change.
  • Our focus is on collaborative narrative change strategies, innovative storytelling frameworks, and equitable media accessibility.
  • We support organizations that focus on:
    • Public Narrative Change: Combating misinformation and harmful stereotypes through investments in journalism, local news outlets, and nonfiction narratives
    • Artistic Expression: Supporting the creativity and work of BIPOC artists and communities without imposing agendas or conditions and transforming the field to do the same
    • Artivism: Using art as a tool for organizing grassroots movements and collective action, including funding on-the-ground storytelling and public art projects

General Criteria

We consider the following general criteria in our grantmaking process.

• Organizations that are accountable to or directed by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities.
  • While we prioritize BIPOC leadership, our main focus is on organizations where BIPOC communities have clear influence and decision-making power over the organization's strategy, direction, programmatic work, and finances.
• Organizations that are intersectional in their work and practices.
  • Intersectionality recognizes that individuals hold multiple identities, shaping their experiences with power. 
  • We look for organizations that demonstrate a deep understanding of intersectionality in their mission, programs, and practices; center the voices and experiences of those most affected by multiple forms of oppression; and address the interconnectedness of racial justice with economic status, gender, LGBTQ+, and/or disability justice as well.
• Organizations that work with others to build movements toward racial justice.
  • Movement-building is the long-term process of organizing and empowering individuals and organizations to collectively work towards systemic change and a shared vision.
  • We look for organizations and coalitions that reflect key characteristics of movement building including an authentic mass base; grassroots leadership; a shared ideology or narrative; broad coalition-building; and strategy to create and sustain structural change beyond specific organizations or campaigns.
  • The Foundation supports organizations focused on organizing and advocacy, while our Arts funding includes a wider range of approaches.

Democracy Program

The Democracy program is driven by the belief that a vibrant democracy requires consistent and meaningful political and civic participation by the vast majority of the population, particularly Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities that have long been excluded from power. To this end, we must protect and expand access to the right to vote, build strong inclusive civic engagement infrastructure and practices, strengthen democratic institutions, and reform democratic processes and systems to make them fairer, more accessible, and more accountable to a broader constituency, including BIPOC communities. A core tenet of our grantmaking will be to support Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities in their efforts to reclaim and build political power. 

State-level work is a key lever for building that power, and the Foundation will provide support to locally-based BIPOC and multi-racial groups that are rooted in their communities, are trusted sources of information, encourage year-round civic engagement in local, municipal, state, and federal elections, and build the power of BIPOC communities to achieve a reflective and responsive multi-racial democracy at the state level. Building state-level power and statewide civic engagement infrastructure will allow BIPOC communities to achieve more racially just democratic, economic, climate, cultural, and reproductive policies, create a pipeline for BIPOC leadership, and make state and federal institutions more accountable. 

Our Mission

The Scherman Foundation invests in the economic, political, and cultural transformation necessary for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to reclaim and build power. 

Our Strategic Framework

We believe that investing in cultural, political, and economic transformation together advances justice to realize our vision. We support organizations working at the intersections of these transformation areas inside our strategic framework. This framework is the foundation of our more specific and evolving program priorities.

• Economic Transformation
  • Our focus on economic transformation acknowledges that the root causes of economic inequity are linked to white supremacy and racial injustice and that the economic well being of BIPOC individuals and communities is critical for liberation.
  • We support organizations that focus on:
    • Strategies and models that provide BIPOC communities with greater access to capital, assets, and opportunities
    • Economic stability and security for BIPOC individuals and families
    • Advocating for more equitable economic systems through policy reform, institutional changes, and increased transparency
• Political Transformation
  • We believe that those who have been excluded must lead the way in dismantling current political structures and creating new, inclusive, and reflective democratic processes.
  • We support organizations that focus on:
    • Work and priorities that are driven by BIPOC communities
    • Forging multi-racial coalitions working toward racial justice
    • Reforming political structures and processes to make the political system more accessible and accountable to BIPOC communities
    • Increasing the participation of BIPOC communities in democratic processes and decision-making at all levels
• Cultural Transformation
  • Recognizing the crucial role of culture in advancing justice, we support organizations that harness storytelling, expression, and artistic activism to drive systemic change.
  • Our focus is on collaborative narrative change strategies, innovative storytelling frameworks, and equitable media accessibility.
  • We support organizations that focus on:
    • Public Narrative Change: Combating misinformation and harmful stereotypes through investments in journalism, local news outlets, and nonfiction narratives
    • Artistic Expression: Supporting the creativity and work of BIPOC artists and communities without imposing agendas or conditions and transforming the field to do the same
    • Artivism: Using art as a tool for organizing grassroots movements and collective action, including funding on-the-ground storytelling and public art projects

General Criteria

We consider the following general criteria in our grantmaking process.

• Organizations that are accountable to or directed by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities.
  • While we prioritize BIPOC leadership, our main focus is on organizations where BIPOC communities have clear influence and decision-making power over the organization's strategy, direction, programmatic work, and finances.
• Organizations that are intersectional in their work and practices.
  • Intersectionality recognizes that individuals hold multiple identities, shaping their experiences with power.
  • We look for organizations that demonstrate a deep understanding of intersectionality in their mission, programs, and practices; center the voices and experiences of those most affected by multiple forms of oppression; and address the interconnectedness of racial justice with economic status, gender, LGBTQ+, and/or disability justice as well.
• Organizations that work with others to build movements toward racial justice.
  • Movement-building is the long-term process of organizing and empowering individuals and organizations to collectively work towards systemic change and a shared vision.
  • We look for organizations and coalitions that reflect key characteristics of movement building including an authentic mass base; grassroots leadership; a shared ideology or narrative; broad coalition-building; and strategy to create and sustain structural change beyond specific organizations or campaigns.
  • The Foundation supports organizations focused on organizing and advocacy, while our Arts funding includes a wider range of approaches

Environmental & Climate Justice Program

Over the next 20 years, and likely beyond, climate chaos will be a primary driver of economic, social, cultural, and political change in the U.S.  But while transformation is inevitable, a Just Transition one that replaces fossil fuel systems that drive racial and economic inequality with structures that are decentralized, equitably distributed, and democratically controlled—will only be achieved through grassroots climate organizing and movement-building that embodies racial justice.

Climate change disproportionally harms Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, whether it is adjacency to noxious fossil fuel facilities that drive sky-rocketing asthma rates, the poisoning of Indigenous peoples’ lands, or the ocean inundation of unprotected communities already suffering from climate-driven heat waves. In New York, these harms will be increasingly exacerbated by climate-driven immigration, pitting one historically oppressed group against another. This reality is central to the environmental and climate justice movement. It is also the movement’s strength because frontline communities of color are the natural leaders to build economic, cultural, and political power in the fight to shape climate transformation. Local and state based community organizations and mass-based coalitions embody the intersectionality, first-hand knowledge, and determination rooted in lived experience that informs and drives systemic change.  

Funding Priorities

New York Regional Focus

The Foundation will focus its support on New York City and State in order to seek synergies with grantees in its other programs, facilitate deep staff engagement and support of the field, and take advantage of the moment. The state and city are at dramatic climate policy tipping points, positioned to demonstrate that a transition to climate sustainability is inextricably interwoven with the fight for racial justice. Having won historic legal commitments to a Just Transition—the CLCPA, Local Law 97, etc.—our grantees are working to defend those wins and fight for aggressive implementation. 

In order to leverage regional synergies (and confront regional challenges), the Foundation will continue to fund a limited number of grassroots groups in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Local Frontline Organizations and Allies

The Foundation funds multi-issue, BIPOC, community-based organizations, or coalitions of such groups, with a primary focus on racial justice and climate sustainability, from democratically controlled renewable energy projects and local/state policy to local climate resiliency and green jobs. These groups approach climate through the lens of local needs and concerns of historically oppressed communities. They are not first and foremost focused on emissions reductions (the usual measure of climate strategies) but on intersectional approaches such as asthma and PEAK plant transition; community self-sufficiency and solidarity through renewable energy microgrids and resilient, community-controlled community infrastructure; and the creation of energy efficient housing and green jobs. This complex intersectionality requires the Foundation to vet groups on the viability of their goals and strategies and on the authenticity of their community roots, power building, and accountability.

The Foundation provides targeted support for mass transit work. The city and region are uniquely shaped by the benefits and inequities of mass transit. These systems intersect with issues of economic access, health inequities, affordable housing, and, of course, climate. While almost all of the ECJ program’s grantees work at least tangentially on transportation issues, the Foundation funds a core group of grassroots organizing, advocacy, and policy groups and campaigns working exclusively for equitable mass transit.

The Foundation also supports a limited number of policy, legal, and technical support organizations allied with, and accountable to, frontline groups and coalitions.

National Climate Justice Groups

The Foundation will support a limited number of national Climate Justice groups distinguished by the following characteristics:

• A strong grassroots base in New York BIPOC communities, primarily through affiliations
• The capacity to both support and amplify New York climate justice groups
• An intersectional approach addressing racial, political, and economic justice in addition to climate
• A cohesive racial justice narrative built with other organizations and community partners

Our Mission

The Scherman Foundation invests in the economic, political, and cultural transformation necessary for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to reclaim and build power. 

Our Strategic Framework 

We believe that investing in cultural, political, and economic transformation together advances justice to realize our vision. We support organizations working at the intersections of these transformation areas inside our strategic framework. This framework is the foundation of our more specific and evolving program priorities.

• Economic Transformation
  • Our focus on economic transformation acknowledges that the root causes of economic inequity are linked to white supremacy and racial injustice and that the economic well being of BIPOC individuals and communities is critical for liberation.
  • We support organizations that focus on:
    • Strategies and models that provide BIPOC communities with greater access to capital, assets, and opportunities
    • Economic stability and security for BIPOC individuals and families
    • Advocating for more equitable economic systems through policy reform, institutional changes, and increased transparency
• Political Transformation
  • We believe that those who have been excluded must lead the way in dismantling current political structures and creating new, inclusive, and reflective democratic processes.
  • We support organizations that focus on:
    • Work and priorities that are driven by BIPOC communities
    • Forging multi-racial coalitions working toward racial justice
    • Reforming political structures and processes to make the political system more accessible and accountable to BIPOC communities
    • Increasing the participation of BIPOC communities in democratic processes and decision-making at all levels
• Cultural Transformation
  • Recognizing the crucial role of culture in advancing justice, we support organizations that harness storytelling, expression, and artistic activism to drive systemic change.
  • Our focus is on collaborative narrative change strategies, innovative storytelling frameworks, and equitable media accessibility.
  • We support organizations that focus on:
    • Public Narrative Change: Combating misinformation and harmful stereotypes through investments in journalism, local news outlets, and nonfiction narratives
    • Artistic Expression: Supporting the creativity and work of BIPOC artists and communities without imposing agendas or conditions and transforming the field to do the same
    • Artivism: Using art as a tool for organizing grassroots movements and collective action, including funding on-the-ground storytelling and public art projects

General Criteria

We consider the following general criteria in our grantmaking process.

• Organizations that are accountable to or directed by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities.
  • While we prioritize BIPOC leadership, our main focus is on organizations where BIPOC communities have clear influence and decision-making power over the organization's strategy, direction, programmatic work, and finances.
• Organizations that are intersectional in their work and practices.
  • Intersectionality recognizes that individuals hold multiple identities, shaping their experiences with power.
  • We look for organizations that demonstrate a deep understanding of intersectionality in their mission, programs, and practices; center the voices and experiences of those most affected by multiple forms of oppression; and address the interconnectedness of racial justice with economic status, gender, LGBTQ+, and/or disability justice as well.
• Organizations that work with others to build movements toward racial justice.
  • Movement-building is the long-term process of organizing and empowering individuals and organizations to collectively work towards systemic change and a shared vision.
  • We look for organizations and coalitions that reflect key characteristics of movement building including an authentic mass base; grassroots leadership; a shared ideology or narrative; broad coalition-building; and strategy to create and sustain structural change beyond specific organizations or campaigns.
  • The Foundation supports organizations focused on organizing and advocacy, while our Arts funding includes a wider range of approaches.

Strengthening New York Communities Program

New York is where the Scherman Foundation began. For much of its history, the Foundation made grants to challenge inequities and improve the conditions of New York City communities most in need. This focus on social justice remains at the core of our grantmaking today, with a clearer focus on racial justice as expressed in our new vision, mission, strategic framework, and program guidelines. 

New York remains an important part of our grantmaking, with its own distinct grants program. The Foundation is dedicated to challenging the inequities that still exist in New York and building the power of its communities to create a better and more just future for all. With our clearer focus on racial justice, our New York grantmaking recognizes that resourced BIPOC communities, including communities of immigrants—newly arrived and multi-generational—are powerful catalysts for economic, political, and cultural transformation for all.   

Funding Priorities

Housing and Land Use

A stable, decent home and a vibrant thriving neighborhood are elemental to the economic, political, and cultural transformations that the Foundation seeks. The Foundation will therefore continue to prioritize grassroots, movement-building organizations fighting for housing and land use justice in New York City and State. The current crisis in housing and land use is the result of long-term, intentional economic and racial discrimination and neglect. The solution is, therefore, not simply increased supply—more of the same— but qualitatively different housing and land use systems reflecting stability, autonomy, and joy. That systemic change is only achievable through the mobilization and grassroots movement-building leadership of those most deeply affected: low wealth, primarily BIPOC communities.

The Foundation will fund groups based in specific neighborhoods as well as organizations and coalitions with city and state-wide reach.

We support organizations that address the following issue areas separately or in combination:

• Tenant supports and protections for regulated apartments, including rent stabilized units, public housing, and those covered by Good Cause Eviction protections. This includes access to rent relief and expanded housing vouchers, and full implementation of the Right to Counsel in Housing Court
• Preservation of affordable housing and neighborhoods through the strengthening of BIPOC residents’ and communities’ voices in decisions about their future. This includes increased access to capital and alternative land, housing, and business ownership models, including community land trust and social housing, that build BIPOC community power and economic stability.
• Promotion of equitable and inclusive development of affordable housing and communities through the shaping of policy and decisions on housing and land use, including zoning and planning

Workers’ Rights and Justice

New York has been and continues to be shaped by its BIPOC and immigrant communities, particularly by its low-wage workers from those communities. Their contributions fuel economic growth, strengthen social bonds, and anchor resilient neighborhoods. Therefore, we are committed to advancing worker rights and justice for BIPOC and immigrant communities in New York to better support workers and their families as they build greater economic stability and security for themselves, their loved ones, and their neighbors.

We support organizations that address the following issue areas separately or in combination:

• Protections for low-wage, informal workers, including, but not limited to, delivery and food industry workers, construction workers, domestic workers, and street vendors
• Systemic access to fair wages, work opportunities, training, and language justice for BIPOC and immigrant communities
• A fairer, more accessible childcare system for workers, families, and providers, particularly one that supports low-wage, informal workers from BIPOC communities.

We interpret workers’ rights and justice broadly and recognize that organizations may work on these and other related issues.  We also prioritize applicable organizations that apply a gender justice lens to their work, recognizing the disproportionate challenges faced by BIPOC and immigrant women in the workforce.

Other Priorities

As stated in our programmatic guidelines, the Foundation looks to support organizations that primarily use grassroots organizing and advocacy. However, we also consider grantees whose work incorporates or focuses on narrative and culture shift related to one of the above priorities.

We also consider organizations that take an intersectional approach, contextualizing housing, land justice, worker justice, and immigrant justice issues within a broader framework that is responsive to the needs of those most impacted. This framework should align with the Foundation's other program priorities, which include environmental and climate justice and civic engagement. We offer limited support to capacity-building organizations that provide crucial assistance to organizing and advocacy groups within our priority areas. We expect to expand this portfolio to include at least one new priority.

Mission & Vision

The New York Foundation is a steadfast supporter of community organizing, grassroots advocacy, and movement-building. We believe that the resilience and vitality of New Yorkers is the city’s greatest resource, and we value the courage and experience of community groups and their leaders.

In the ongoing struggle for racial, economic, gender, and climate justice, the Foundation supports grassroots initiatives that build power to confront systemic barriers and inspire people to work toward a more just, equitable, and inclusive city. 

Funding

New York Foundation Core Grants are $47,500 per year, up to 3 years for established groups and 5 years for emerging groups

In addition to funds, grants include access to capacity building resources: 

• Lawyers Alliance for New York: Probono legal services tailored to social change nonprofits
• Tides Advocacy: 501(c)(4) startup and strategizing
• Small Grants: Responsive grants up to $5,000 for organizational development goals and unanticipated needs
• Workshops: Monthly skills-building trainings combined with coaching

What we look for:

• Community-initiated and led: community, membership, or base identifies problems and solutions 
• Power building: intentionally build community power through political activation, leadership development, base building, and collective action
• Systemic change: address the root causes of oppression to ensure the equitable distribution of resources, power, and rights
• Racial justice: address the harms caused by systemic and historical racism; creates intentional systems to support and sustain racial equity
• Collaborative: build alignment through coalition work with allies that have similar goals and values

THE LAURA JANE MUSSER FUND was established by the estate of Laura Jane Musser of Little Falls, Minnesota to continue the personal philanthropy which she practiced in her lifetime.

Intercultural Harmony Grant

The LAURA JANE MUSSER FUND would like to promote mutual understanding and cooperation between groups and citizens of different cultural backgrounds within defined geographical areas through collaborative, cross-cultural exchange projects. Projects must be intercultural and demonstrate intercultural exchange, rather than focused on just one culture.

Priority is Placed on Projects that . . .

Include  members of various cultural communities working together on projects with common goals

Build positive relationships across cultural lines

Engender intercultural harmony, tolerance, understanding, and respect

Enhance intercultural communication, rather than cultural isolation, while at the same time honoring the unique qualities of each culture

Projects must demonstrate:

• Need in the community for the intercultural exchange project
• Grassroots endorsement by participants across cultural lines, as well as their active participation in planning and implementation of the project
• The ability of the organization to address the challenges of working across the cultural barriers identified by the project
• Tangible benefits in the larger community

Available Funds

Planning (up to $5,000) 

These funds may support costs like: consultant or staff time, meeting costs, mailings, secretarial support, refreshments, local travel, childcare, etc.

Implementation (up to $25,000)

These funds are available to implement collaborative cross-cultural exchange projects. The projects should result in a tangible outcome within at least the first 18 months. Projects will be eligible for either planning or implementation funds during any one grant period

Outcomes

Outcomes should include:

• A demonstration of intercultural exchange between cultures
• Increased comfort in interaction between the groups and individual citizens addressed by the project
• Harmonious shared use of public space and community facilities
• Continued cooperation by the participants or communities addressed by the project

Intercultural Harmony projects can be carried out in a number of areas, including (but not limited to):

• Community service
• Youth activities
• The arts

What the program will cover

• New programs or projects within their first three years
• The planning or implementation phase of a project

Kids need to play.

The Skatepark Project believes encouraging free play and providing youth with opportunities to develop active, healthy lifestyles are key to ensuring their well being. With childhood obesity rates more than tripling since 1980*, access to parks is no longer a luxury—it’s essential to the health of our children.

Children in low-income families are particularly at risk, in part because they have fewer opportunities to participate in organized sports leagues and activities. Fighting obesity has become a critical national priority, with long-term health risks including—but not limited to—heart disease, high cholesterol, depression, and even cancer**. More importantly, healthier kids are happier.

Two of the nation’s most prominent advocates for youth have joined together to address this issue. The Skatepark Project has partnered with the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation to promote the creation of free, public skateparks in the 16 counties of Southeast Michigan and Western New York served by RCWJRF.

With grant funds of up to $250,000, the Built to Play Skatepark Program supports community groups and municipalities seeking to create free, public skateparks that serve low-income communities. Built to Play Skatepark Grants also include an additional $50,000 to fund processes and design features that lessen the environmental impact of the skatepark. The Built to Play Skatepark Program also provides advisory services and advocacy training to assist groups in organizing and managing their efforts.

While we realize that not every community can afford to build a world-class skatepark, we believe that every community deserves a quality facility created by experienced skatepark contractors. We believe that a small, excellent skatepark is better than a large, flawed one. We also believe that local officials should treat public skateparks the same way they treat public basketball courts or tennis courts, meaning that anyone may show up and use them during regular park hours, unsupervised. We know that kids everywhere love their local skateparks and that more skateparks will result in even more healthier, happier kids. 



The Built to Play Skatepark Program primarily considers skatepark projects that:

• are designed and built from durable, low-maintenance materials by qualified and experienced skatepark contractors.
• include local skaters in leadership and volunteer roles throughout the planning, fundraising, and design process.
• will serve low- to middle-income areas and/or areas with a high population of “at-risk” youth.
• can demonstrate a strong grassroots commitment to the project, particularly in the form of fundraising by local skateboarders and other community groups.
• encourage skaters to look after their own safety and the safety of others without restricting their access to the park or over-regulating their use of it.
• are open during daylight hours, 365 days a year.
• don’t charge an entrance fee or require registration.
• are in areas that currently have no accessible skateboarding facilities
• are committed to a process that minimizes the environmental impact of the skatepark.

Supply Vs. Demand

As the benefits of skateparks are felt within a community, the demand for grants from the Built to Play Skatepark Program will become increasingly competitive across the region. If your proposed skatepark does not reflect the priorities outlined above, your project is unlikely to receive a grant through this program.

All Built to Play Skatepark Grant Applicants will receive a detailed review of their projects, whether a grant is awarded or not.

Focus of Built to Play Skatepark Grants

The principal focus of Built to Play Skatepark Grants is to encourage and facilitate the design, development, and construction of new quality skateboard parks and facilities, located in eligible communities in the 16 counties served by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. Skatepark projects in communities outside this service area or those seeking funds for anything other than the construction of a skateboard park may not apply for a Built to Play Skatepark Grant. Built to Play-funded skatepark projects must also incorporate processes and design features that minimize the environmental impact of the skatepark.

More information about The Skatepark Project’s Skatepark Grant program can be found here.

Schenectady's Community Foundation

The Schenectady Foundation was established in 1963 to benefit the people who live and work in Schenectady County, NY. To date we have invested more than $32 million into our communities, and plan to commit about $2 million in grants and scholarships in 2025.

Schenectady Foundation Grants

The Schenectady Foundation plans to invest $2 million into charitable projects with the greatest potential to positively impact our community. Our priorities: Equitable Access to Healthy Food Initiative, Neighborhood Revitalization and Emergent Needs. Also included is our grants portfolio are Micro Grants, Scholarships and Community Event Sponsorships. New this year is funding for the Arts, and a Grassroots Fund to support community-based grassroots and neighborhood level initiatives.

The projected total investment in each funding area is as follows:

• Equitable Access to Healthy Food - $1,000,000
• Neighborhoods – $350,000
• Emergent Needs and "Open" Grants - $300,000
• Micro Grants, Sponsorships and Special Initiative Funds - $280,000
• Scholarships - $60,000

Catalytic and Transformative

The Foundation’s role is as a catalyst for community change. Of particular interest are projects – large or small – where an injection of funding and engagement can more quickly and significantly deliver impact in our areas of focus.

The Schenectady Foundation believes in supporting projects with the potential to be transformative – leading to marked change in people, organizations, neighborhoods, and the broader community. The Foundation prioritizes its involvement in transformational projects and movements.

Impact Statements

The Schenectady Foundation’s impact statements describe to applicants how we plan to fulfill our mission to benefit the health and well-being of people who live and work in Schenectady County. The Foundation has created an impact statement for each area of focus, and encourages proposals that will help to drive Schenectady’s results closer and closer to the achievement of these impacts.

• Equitable Access to Healthy Food:
  • Schenectady County will be food-secure, ensuring that all residents have regular access to fresh, healthy food to nourish themselves and their families.
• Neighborhood Revitalization:
  • Schenectady’s neighborhoods will thrive, becoming places where residents feel safe, supported and valued; encouraged and empowered to make changes in their community.
• :
  • Key organizations are supported as they collaborate to help Schenectady’s residents by responding to new or emergent needs.
• Micro Grants:
  • Innovative projects will have access to seed money to help plan for new programs or innovations, and to engage more deeply in the community.