Fund 4 the Frontlines

About

“What is the audacious vision or goal that will not only help us through these next four years, but really build on the movement that’s already started?”

Ubax Gardheere, F4tF Public Phase Committee Member

Campaign Origins

In 2018, Social Justice Fund NW launched Fund 4 the Frontlines (F4tF), an ambitious fundraising campaign with a singular focus: to level-up our region’s grassroots organizing by resourcing powerful, long term basebuilding for people at the frontlines of struggle.

The response from our members in the initial phase was huge. By early 2020, we had raised enough toward our goal to make the first round of $250,000 basebuilding grants to six brilliant grassroots organizations, all helmed by leaders who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). We decided to increase our goal with an extra $500,000 dedicated to grantmaking, and deepened accountability by recruiting a BIPOC-led committee of community members who guided and sharpened the work.

F4tF has allowed us to resource some of the most transformative organizing in our region, helped SJF and our abilities grow in a time of transition, and brought together community leaders with insight, passion, and the vision to make this campaign truly special.

Campaign Timeline

Image description: Image depicting the campaign timeline. Brief descriptions of significant events in the timeline are displayed in order on a snaking red line. In order: 2016: F4tF dreamt up at SJF board and staff retreat. Campaign goal set at $4 million; 2018: Campaign has a soft launch at SJF’s 40th Anniversary Celebration; 2018-19: Quiet Phase of F4tF fundraising; Early 2020: $4 million goal is nearly reached! Goal raised to $4.5 million; Spring 2020: Public Phase Committee of nine SJF community members forms; Summer 2020: First 6 F4tF Basebuilding grants are awarded; Fall 2020: F4tF Public Phase is launched at SJF’s annual celebration; Spring 2021: $4,500,000 raise = 10 $250,000, 5-year grants; Summer 2021: Collecting final donations and pledge payments; Fall 2021: Second round of F4tF Basebuilding grants will be awarded

Final Donor Pyramid

Image description: A picture depicting the final donor pyramid. 9 repeating red, orange, yellow, and blue stripes form a pyramid. Aligned next to each stripe is a giving level and number of donors, descending from large to small donations. In order: 1 donation of $400,000; 5 donations between $200-300,000; 11 donations between $100-199,000; 17 donations between $25-99,000; 26 donations between $10-24,999; 32 donations between $2-9999; 67 donations between $500-1999; 77 donations between $100-499; 77 donations between $100-499; 35 donations under $100

History

In the wake of the 2016 presidential election, SJF staff and board came together to assess our ability to resource the grassroots movement for social justice in response to an emboldened and growing American far-right.

We knew our grantees were already doing incredible work, but often lacked the financial resources to share skills, grow leadership, and scale up their organizations to not only meet community needs, but build lasting power to maintain victories and change culture for the long term.

Stronger movements need more resources. Unfortunately for small, determined organizations, day-to-day survival often competes with their vision for liberation. SJF’s standard level of grantmaking —$15,000 per year, for two years — is essential to help organizers maintain their ongoing level of engagement, but our movements require a much bigger investment to reach the next level.

It’s not enough for SJF to simply move money within an oppressive system. To support our grantees and transform the world around us, we need to educate and grow our donor base, and make sure our own work evolves to keep pace with the movements we resource.

Fund 4 the Frontlines was created with this vision. We launched the campaign in 2018 with a goal of $4 million: $2 million for grantmaking and $2 million to grow SJF’s capacity and donor organizing base. Initial funds were raised from a small group of long-time donors. By early 2020, we had nearly reached that goal.

Final Phase

As the events of the past two years unfolded, we more plainly understood the impact F4tF could have on grassroots organizing, both as a resource and as an opportunity to engage people newer to the movement. We decided to increase our goal with an extra $500,000 completely dedicated to grantmaking, increase the number of small gifts, and deepen accountability by recruiting an all Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) led committee of community members.

Now, F4tF stands out as the only campaign of its kind in our region. In a field where power belongs to white, wealthy donors with virtually no accountability to BIPOC and other communities most impacted by systemic oppression, F4tF is rooted in community and committed to undoing white supremacy in philanthropy.

We announced the first six recipients of the Fund 4 the Frontlines Basebuilding grant in May of 2020. Applications for the final four grants will be announced in 2021. 

Basebuilding

Basebuilding means growing the breadth and depth of people who share a vision and who develop the strategies and work to make that vision a reality. It means building collective power, enough to win shifts in policy and culture and to defend those wins. It means not just bringing people together for a march or rally, but holding people together as a community of leaders. Not just for a day or a presidential term, but for years to come.

Characteristics of basebuilding

Communities most impacted by the issue at hand lead the work, are centered in decision making, and have broad power within the movement

Organizers use a set of different tactics to engage and build relationships with a broad swathe of their community

Organizations provide regular community opportunities for political education and skill building

Organizations emphasize leadership development and support emerging leaders by helping them find their place in the movement

Organizations have strong practices in place to maintain accountability to the communities they serve

The Public Phase Committee

As the events of 2018-2020 unfolded, we more plainly understood the impact F4tF could have on grassroots organizing — both as a resource and as an opportunity to engage people newer to the movement. We decided to raise our goal an extra $500,000 completely dedicated to grantmaking, increase the number of small gifts, and deepen accountability by recruiting an all Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) led committee of community members, some of them long-time SJF supporters and some new to our work.

In the spring of 2020 we convened our F4tF Public Phase Committee. This group of nine came together to oversee the final phase of the campaign, with the support of Palmira Figueroa, the Campaign Manager, and mano (Emanuel da Silva), the Donor Organizing Manager.

The Committee helped plan and put into practice the public phase of the campaign by creating strategies, developing materials, organizing events and cultivating donors and volunteers. They were the connectors, ambassadors, solicitors, and advocates for the last year of our campaign. Most remarkably, the Public Phase Committee did this all during the COVID-19 pandemic when it wasn’t possible to meet people or organize in-person events.

This final phase was perhaps the most unique part of F4tF, challenging the common practices of traditional capital campaigns which typically rely on staff and consultants to do the planning and fundraising. Incorporating community leadership brought greater accountability, perspectives, and grounding to the campaign. By the same token, the F4tF Basebuilding Grantmaking Committee was also made up of organizers and leaders from SJF’s community. We are so grateful for their contributions!

Image description: Rectangular image with light yellow background depicting 11 illustrations of Fund 4 the Frontlines Public Phase Committee members and two SJF staff members. From left to right, Allister Byrd, Andriana Alexis, Brenetta Ward, Carolanne Sanders, JeeYoung Dobbs, Joaquin Uy, Keiko Kozumi, Margo Huang, Ubax Gardheere, mano, Palmira Figueroa

Grantees

The first Fund 4 the Frontlines basebuilding grants were announced in May of 2020. Grant decisions were made democratically by a group of community members. We’re proud to support the basebuilding work of these organizations.

Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN) | Woodburn, OR

Since 1985, PCUN has worked to give Latinx communities tools to influence policy in ways that will improve their lives for the better through community building, political action and grassroots political advocacy, and union organizing.

Portland African American Leadership Forum (PAALF) | Portland, OR

PAALF helps Black community imagine the alternatives they deserve and builds their civic participation and leadership to achieve those alternatives. They envision a world where people of African descent enjoy the rights, resources, and recognition to be a thriving, resilient, and connected community.

United Territories of Pacific Islanders Alliance (UTOPIA) | Kent, WA

UTOPIA is a queer and trans people of color-led, grassroots organization born out of the struggles, challenges, strength, and resilience of the Queer and Trans Pacific Islander community in South King County. UTOPIA provides sacred spaces to strengthen the minds and bodies of queer and trans Pacific Islanders (QTPI) through community organizing, community care, civic engagement, and cultural stewardship.

Village of Hope | Seattle, WA

Village of Hope organizes with Black families and communities to reclaim history as a strategy for moving families and communities towards wholeness and health and creating communities where everyone is thriving.

Washington Building Leaders of Change (WA-BLOC) | Seattle, WA

WA-BLOC seeks to transform culture and space at Rainier Beach High School (RBHS) and in South Seattle by building intergenerational place-based leaders of change to disrupt educationally embedded systemic racism for the purpose of dismantling the school to prison pipeline.

Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN) | Burien, WA

WAISN is a grassroots coalition made up of nearly 100 immigrant and refugee rights organizations and individuals in Washington. WAISN’s mission is to protect and empower communities by providing support, capacity and resources to build power and a united voice in Washington, establishing tools to resist anti-immigrant and anti-refugee activities, and galvanizing communities for mobilization and collective action.