Goals and Objectives

Our goal is to be able to grant $200,000 through the special initiative in 2009, and an additional $200,000 in 2010.  Fundraising for our general fund will continue on its regular schedule, with the goal of reserving at least a portion of funds raised in 2009 to supplement our 2010 grants budget with the long-term goal of expanding our overall grantmaking capacity and be able to create a diverse, far reaching grants program with civic engagement/participation at its foundation. 

The cumulative impact of our grantmaking strategy will:

• Change the political discourse among policy makers through facilitating the grassroots involvement of progressives in electoral organizing and policy advocacy,

• Raise the visibility of regional efforts to aggregate political power through electoral organizing among civic engagement funders and donors/members,

• Build the capacity of groups involved in organizing oppressed communities to engage and develop the leadership of their constituents through electoral organizing and policy advocacy,

• Increase the capacity of progressive, grassroots organizations based in oppressed communities to mobilize voters,

• Facilitate donor education and contact with grantees, and donor involvement in grantmaking and evaluation activities.

Objectives

• Fund 8 organizations with new grants and provide additional support to ongoing multi-year grantees over an 24-month period in order to develop their capacity to participate in electoral organizing and policy advocacy,

• Form partnerships with state and regional intermediary organizations in the electoral organizing field to direct technical assistance, training, and strategic support to grantees to further enhance their ability to achieve grant goals,

• Monitor the progress of grantees over the grant period, documenting best practices and measurable gains, and using these results to build SJF’s capacity to more effectively targeted and evaluate SJF grants

Partnerships

Social Justice Fund is launching this initiative in collaboration with the Western States Center’s Voter Organizing, Training and Empowerment (VOTE) Project. Grant recipients will be invited to participate in the VOTE Project to receive ongoing individualized technical assistance, training, and networking opportunities. Groups that are already in VOTE are eligible to apply and receive funding.

 

Our grant of $40,000 to the Western States Center will leverage at least $200,000 in additional funds from the Western States Center to Social Justice Fund civic engagement initiative grantees.  

The VOTE Project is designed to assist membership based organizations to take a movement building approach to electoral politics in order to:

• Educate and engage new voters in the group’s core constituency (motivation and mobilization)

• Expand the organizations regulator leadership through thoughtful training and leadership development programs

• Have political analysis that looks at the issues at hand on election day, with a longer term perspective

• Keep members civically engaged in the off-election cycles.

 

Eligibility

Civic Action: Delivering on Change grants support activist, community-based organizations working to build a lasting movement for social, economic, and environmental justice in the Northwest United States.

Interested applicants should call Sarah Studer in the Social Justice Fund office to discuss your organization and to request application materials. 

We are no longer accepting applications for the 2009 cycle. 

 

General Eligibility Requirements

To determine if your organization is eligible for SJF grants, please review the following questions:

1. Does your organization have a 501(c)3 or 501(c)4 status as determined by the IRS? Is your organization a federally recognized American Indian tribal government or agency? Groups sponsored by 501(c)3 or 501(c)4 organizations or by federally recognized tribal governments can also apply.
2. Does your organization carry out most of its work in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and/or Wyoming?
3. Is your organization led by people who are the most directly affected by the problems that the organization or project is addressing? Please review our definition of Community Organizing.

If you answered "NO" to one of those questions, you should explore other funding options. If you have any questions about the questions, please contact us using our Grants Staff Contact Form.

 

Eligibility for Civic Action Grants: 

We WILL Fund:

• Groups with proven capacity to mobilize voters
• Groups that are changing the political landscape in our region
• Groups that are poised to seize political opportunity because of their leadership on specific issues or within strategic constituencies
• Groups that are ready to move a progressive agenda for change

We Will NOT Fund: 

• Groups whose primary purpose is leadership development and empowerment, and that lack a specific strategy for mobilizing leaders to aggregate power through electoral organizing and grassroots policy advocacy
• Cultural work except as a component of a electoral organizing and grassroots lobbying strategy
• Groups that are unable to articulate specific, achievable, measurable goals related to changing public policy and the political discourse among policy-makers and community leaders
• Groups that lack an ongoing relationship with the constituencies they organize to affect political outcomes – civic engagement must be a strategy to build the capacity of communities to engage democratic institutions on an ongoing basis

 

Social Justice Fund NW generally will NOT fund:

• General operating requests from organizations that primarily provide direct services to individuals and families. Social service organizations can apply for project-specific funds for projects that fit our social change criteria.

• Publications, reports, workshops, classes, conferences, media events, arts, or theater productions unless they are part of an ongoing community organizing effort.

• Environmental work unless it is aimed at achieving social justice goals. For example, Social Justice Fund generally does not fund recycling or resource conservation projects, but we do fund community organizing projects addressing environmental threats that disproportionately harm communities of color or low-income communities.

• Job training and workforce development.

• Projects sponsored by a government agency. For example, Social Justice Fund would not fund a project led by a public school district. However, we would fund a project led by communities of color that partners with public schools to address the academic achievement gap for students of color. The project must be community driven and led by those most directly affected by the problem.

• Research, litigation or legal expenses unless they are part of a larger community organizing effort.

• Individuals, endowment funds or capital campaigns.

How To Apply

Applying for a Grant

We are no longer accepting applications for the 2009 Civic Action: Delivering on Change grantmaking initiative. 

Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to contact staff prior to submitting an application. Like most other foundations, Social Justice Fund NW funds only a small percentage of the applications that it receives. It is important to understand our grant programs, eligibility requirements and to follow our application procedures in order to give your organization's application the best possible chance of being funded.

Before You Apply:

1. Review the Eligibilty page.

2. Contact Membership and Grants Manager, Uma Rao by email or by calling (206) 624-4081.
3. Download guidelines for the grant program you wish to apply for, and review the specific guidelines for the program (available in March 2009).

Year-End Reports

1. If you have previously recieved a grant from the Social Justice Fund, you can download a  Grant Year-End Report Forms in MS Word:
   • Basic or Rapid Response
   • Cultural
   • Three-Year Support
   • Three-Year Capacity-Building

Or request any of these materials as an email attachment.

If you have questions, please contact us using our grants staff contact form.

Civic Action FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions

Below you will find answers to some frequently asked questions about our new Civic Action initiative. If you have any additional questions, contact Sarah at the Social Justice Fund office. 

Q: How many organizations will you fund through the Civic Action initiative?

A: We expect to make eight grants of $20,000/year for a grant period of two years. We will also make an additional grant of $40,000 to the Western States Center, which will cover the costs of the convening’s of the VOTE Project, as well as a scholarship fund for their Community Strategic Training Initiative Conference in August.  Our grant of $40,000 to the Western States Center will leverage at least $200,000 in additional funds from the Western States Center to Social Justice Fund Civic Action grantees. 

Q:  What will happen to current 3 Year Grantees?

A:  We are also committed to supporting groups that are currently in the middle of Three-Year grant contracts with the Social Justice Fund.

Q: How will Social Justice Fund choose which groups to fund?

A:  A committee of Social Justice Fund members from around the region will review applications, just as they have in the past with our other grantmaking programs.

All members are invited to participate in Site Visits, which will take place during the last week of April and first two weeks of May. Site visits are the best way to meet activists on the front lines of social change in our region, and a great opportunity to meet other Social Justice Fund members.

Q: What will happen to the Basic, Three- Year, and Cultural Grant programs?

A: These programs are suspended for the duration of the two-year Civic Action initiative. Fundraising for our general fund will continue on its regular schedule, with the goal of reserving at least a portion of funds raised in 2009 to supplement our 2010 grants budget with the long-term goal of rebuilding our overall grantmaking capacity and be able to create a diverse, far reaching grants program with civic engagement/participation at its foundation. 

We intend to do a thorough evaluation of these programs, to help determine the combined impact of these types of grants over the years.

Q: How will Social Justice Fund support organizations that are not eligible for funding through the Civic Action initiative?

A: Social Justice Fund staff will work with groups that are not eligible to find alternative sources of funding. We have produced a report on funding sources in the region through Foundation Source, which is an extensive catalogue for grants across the nation.  Please click here to read the report.

We have set aside a small amount of money for Rapid Response grants and are able to sponsor events at a level of $500. For more information about these grants, contact Uma Rao at the Social Justice Fund office. 

Q: Are there other committees to join in 2009, or ways to get involved?

A: Absolutely. There are several active committees, including the Events Committee, Marketing & PR Committee which are open for both members and non-members of the Social Justice Fund community.

Committees that are restricted to members only include: Board of Directors, Finance Committee, Nominations Committee and the Personnel Committee.

Other ways to get involved with Social Justice Fund include site visits, hosting or attending a house party, or helping out in the office. For more information, visit the Get Involved page on our website or give Sarah a call in the office.

We are also open to hearing about your internship ideas. Visit the Get Involved page to learn more!

Q: What other programs will Social Justice Fund have in 2009?

A: Social Justice Fund will now staff the People of Color in Philanthropy Network in 2009, which will convene quarterly meetings, host their annual Meet the Funders and Expanding Philanthropy events, and sponsor a workshop on the impact of the economic crisis on communities of color in April. People of Color in Philanthropy Network members include: Asian & Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, the Latino Community Fund, the Potlatch Fund and Black Philanthropy Trust.

We are also collaborating with the Working Group for Extreme Inequality to design a cross-class dialogue and curriculum for interested members.

Social Justice Fund submitted an application to join  the Coalition for Charitable Choice, and has plans to launch a workplace giving campaign in the fall.

Staff members are also involved in the Seattle chapter of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy, the Coalition for Anti-Racist Whites, and other organizations.