Types of Funding

Giving Projects accept and prioritize grant applications from groups engaging in community organizing for social justice, equity, and liberation, and that are led and directed by the communities most impacted by the issues they address. Each Giving Project is made up of a cross-class, multiracial  cohort of 15-25 volunteers who have committed to building community together, learning about social justice, and working together to fund strategic, inspiring, and under-resourced community organizing. The members of every Giving Project each make a donation of an amount that is meaningful to them, develop skills as donor organizers, raise the money that funds the grant pool, screen grant proposals, participate in site visits, and make the final granting decisions. We believe the result is a more accountable, connected, and sustainable approach to social justice funding. Staff, volunteers, and members of grantee and prospective organizations are welcome to join Giving Projects! We currently offer Giving Projects in Seattle and Portland. Learn more about Giving Projects here.

Please review the Check Your Eligibility section of the website for detailed information about SJF’s  basic eligibility information. All Giving Project grant decisions are made by the members of a Giving Project, who use SJF’s Grantmaking Criteria to guide their decision making process. We encourage all applicants to review the Grantmaking Criteria document to help you understand what we consider a strong applicant.

Every Giving Project grant cycle follows the same process:

• Application and Prescreening

1. 1. 1. Applications must be received by 5 pm PST on the application deadline.  Late applications will not be accepted.
      2. Applications may be submitted online (preferred) or by email,  postal mail, or hand delivery.
      3. SJF staff prescreen applications to determine which organizations are eligible and notify applicants of the decision (within 3 weeks after the application deadline).

• Scoring Applications

1. 1. 1. Giving Project members begin reading and scoring all eligible applications for their grant cycle.

• Site Visit Screening

1. 1. 1. Giving Project members discuss the applications and decide through a democratic process which organizations will proceed as finalists and receive a site visit. Staff facilitate the discussion but don’t make decisions.
      2. Staff notify applicants of the group’s decision within a week

• Site Visits

1. 1. 1. SJF will reach out to finalist organizations to schedule site visits. When at all possible, site visits will be done in person, in the organization’s community. Exception: Momentum Giving Project site visits will be shorter than regular site visits and done by video or conference call.
      2. Led by a staff or board member, Giving Project members attend the site visit to meet the organization, ask questions, and learn more about their work.

• Final Decisions

1. 1. 1. Staff look at how much money the Giving Project has raised in total. Of this, 15% goes back to SJF to offset the costs of operating the Giving Project; 85% is granted.
      2. Giving Project members discuss the finalists and decide through a democratic process which organizations to recommend for funding. Staff facilitate the discussion but don’t make decisions.
      3. Staff sends the Giving Project’s recommendations to SJF’s Board of Directors and, after board approval, notify the applicants of decisions (within a week after Final Decision date).

• Grant Disbursement

1. 1. Checks are disbursed approximately four times a year on a predetermined schedule. This schedule is necessary in order to ensure our own cash flow and the sustainability of our grantmaking model. We may be able to make exceptions and expedite disbursement for some grantees. Please contact us if you are selected for funding and you expect that waiting for the planned disbursement date would be difficult for your organization.

Rural and Small Town Organizing (Deadline: Wed., Feb. 27, 2019, 5pm PT) – Two-year grant. Social Justice Fund NW’s grantmaking region is made up primarily of small towns, reservations, and rural communities, but much of the resources go to the major urban centers of Seattle and Portland. This grant will focus on supporting community organizing that is building power in the rest of our region, outside of Seattle and Portland. This grant is for any work being done in ANY cities outside of Seattle and Portland, with priority given to organizations in rural, small town, and reservation communities. Please contact us if you have questions regarding your eligibility.

Momentum: Civic Engagement and Strengthening Democracy (Deadline: Wed., March 13,  2019, 5pm PT) – One-year grant. Political processes and practices actively build barriers and keep historically marginalized people from engaging in the political process. This grant will focus on supporting community organizing that is working toward eliminating those roadblocks and helping to realize the promises of democracy through, but not limited to, voting rights, voter registration and mobilization, training grassroots candidates for political office, increasing representation of diverse communities, or working towards a fair and accurate census count.

Leaderfull Movements (Deadline: Wed., April 3, 2019, 5pm PT) – Two-year grant. Building strong leaders for the movement is key to achieving social change. Leadership development can look a variety of ways, including structured programs to models that incorporate leadership development in all aspects of the work. This grant will support organizations and groups who develop the leadership of those most directly impacted by the issues they work on, and whose leadership development work has a clear connection to how they make structural change.

Economic Justice (Deadline: Wed., July 10, 2019, 5pm PT) – Two-year grant. As the racial wealth gap grows, it is necessary to support work that addresses the structural problems that face low-income communities, families, and workers. This grant funds organizations and groups that work at the intersection of race, class, and gender to develop solutions that produce thriving and economically just communities.

Criminal Justice (Deadline: Wed., Sept. 18, 2019, 5pm PT) — Two-year grant. This grant will support organizing work addressing the systemic criminalization and disproportionate targeting of people of color and poor people. Criminal Justice issues include, but are not limited to, ending racial profiling and police brutality, addressing racial inequities in drug laws, ending the school-to-prison pipeline, detention, and deportation of immigrant communities, transformative justice, and alternatives to incarceration.  

Want to learn more? Join an upcoming online info session for prospective grantees:

Is your group interested in applying for a Giving Project grant? RSVP for one of our online info sessions with time for Q&A to learn more about SJF’s current grant opportunities and tips for submitting a successful application.

• Prospective Grantee Webinar: June 11, 4-5pm PT
  Email Magan Do to register: magan@socialjusticefund.org

Rapid Response fund will make grants to groups that meet the following criteria:

• Be an organized group of people (we do not fund individuals).
  • This may include a non-profit organization with 501(c)3 or 501(c)4 status as determined by the IRS OR a federally recognized American Indian tribal government or agency OR an organization that is fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)3 or 501(c)4 organization or federally recognized tribal government.
  • Groups that are not 501(c)3 or c(4) organizations and are not fiscally sponsored can apply, but must speak with an SJF staff person first.
• Are led by people who are most directly affected by the problems that the organization or project is addressing.
• Use a community organizing approach
• Carry out most of their work in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and/or Wyoming.
• Are facing an urgent issue or emergency situation that could not have been anticipated and was not part of the organization’s projected work, and therefore need to respond to something that could not have been planned for.
• Have a plan for how they will respond to the urgent issue or emergency situation.
• Have completed all past due year-end reports for any previous SJF grants.

Priority will be given to previous SJF grantees, groups led by people of color, groups that are outside of Seattle and Portland metro areas, groups that have not received a Rapid Response grant within the past 12 months, and groups who are working in coalition and partnership with other organizations. Examples of potential eligible projects:

• Emergency mobilizations and community meetings in response to a recent police shooting
• Organizing a community defense response to a recently announced white supremacist rally and march
• Planning a direct action at a corporate shareholder meeting that was just announced
• Rapid response legal clinics and know your rights trainings in response to Executive Orders or other sudden policy changes
• A rapid response canvassing effort to educate and connect with targeted community members about the dangers of a religious registry

Examples of projects that would not be eligible for a Rapid Response grant:

• An ongoing campaign facing a new development that could have been predicted as a scenario
• Annual conferences, events, or operating expenses for ongoing organizing work.
• A fundraising campaign for an individual
• Budget shortfalls
• Bail funds

Rapid Response grants are awarded monthly, usually February through November (or until the funds are spent down). The application deadline is rolling but we encourage you to turn in your application by the 1st of the month. The grantmaking committee, a volunteer committee made up of grantee representatives and Giving Project alumni from around our region, meets on the 15th of each month to review all applications received by the 1st of that month and award grants. You will be notified of grant decisions within 4-6 weeks from when you apply. For more information please contact Grant Manager, Magan Do.

The Seed Grant fund will make grants to groups that meet the following criteria:

• Are an organized group of people (we do not fund individuals).
  • Groups that are not 501(c)3 or c(4) organizations and are not fiscally sponsored can apply, but must speak with an SJF staff person first.
• Been in existence for 3 years or less
• Conduct the primary activities of their work in ID, MT, OR, WA, or WY
• Have organizational beliefs and goals that are aligned with SJF’s values
• Can demonstrate that they are using a community organizing approach or actively building capacity to do community organizing
• Have demonstrated involvement by, and accountability to, the communities most impacted by the issues they work on
• Have a plan for how they want to grow their work over the next year
• Have never received a regular SJF Giving Project grant or Seed Grant

Priority will be given to groups led by people of color and/or groups based outside of Seattle and Portland metro areas. Funds are general operating funds. The Seed Fund will not fund:

• General operating requests from organizations that primarily provide direct services to individuals and families.
• Environmental work unless it is aimed at achieving social justice goals (i.e. environmental justice). For example, SJF 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.
• Projects sponsored by a government agency. For example, SJF would not fund a project led by a public school district, but we might fund a project led by communities of color that partners with public schools to address the opportunity gap for students of color. The project must be community driven and led by those most directly affected by the problem.
• Individuals, endowment funds or capital campaigns.

Seed Grants are awarded monthly, usually February through November (or until the funds are spent down). The application deadline is rolling but we encourage you to turn in your application by the 1st of the month. The grantmaking committee, a volunteer committee made up of grantee representatives and Giving Project alumni from around our region, meets on the 15th of each month to review all applications received by the 1st of that month and award grants. You will be notified of grant decisions within 4-6 weeks from when you apply. For more information please contact Grant Manager, Magan Do.