Category Archives: Justice

Sony Create Action Grant

The Sony Create Action Grant supports social justice and community focused nonprofits in the United States.

Applications are due by September 30, 2024 for submissions including an Action Plan describing how they will address social justice issues through photography, videography, filmmaking, or a related field.

Eligibility

This grant is open to social justice and community focused 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations who received less than $500,000 in annual donations in 2022 and 2023.

Award

Ten grantees will receive:

$50,000
$50,000 worth of eligible Sony Electronics products
Collaboration with Sony’s photographer/videographer to produce promotional photos/video for the organization, its Action Plan and the grant program

Review Criteria

All applications will be reviewed based on:

Action Plan relevance and use of creatives/creators (25%)
Action Plan proposed impact (15%)
Effectiveness of Budget Plan (40%)
Sony electronics product needs description (10%)
Application clarity and cohesiveness (10%)

HUD Eviction Protection Grant Program

The Eviction Protection Grant Program from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development supports organizations providing legal services to low income tenants at risk of eviction.

HUD expects to make approximately 25 awards of $500,000 – $2.5 million each. There is no matching requirement. Applications are due by August 20, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET.

Eligibility

Applicant

This grant is open to:

State, county, and municipal governments
Special district governments
Federally recognized Native American tribal governments
Public and nonprofit private institutions of higher education
Nonprofits with or without a 501(c)3 designation
Native American tribal organizations

Public and tribal housing authorities are not eligible.

Activities

Photo by George Becker: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photography-of-orange-and-gray-building-129494/

Eligible activities include:

Legal representation, counsel, and advice
Tenant advocacy
Post-eviction housing stability services
Court navigation services
Tenant education and outreach
Referrals and services to avoid eviction and minimize post-eviction impacts
Development, improvement, or evaluation of tools, processes, education materials and trainings, and eviction prevention and protection programs

Program Goals

The objectives of this program are to:

Increase housing stability for low-income tenants by providing funds to organizations offering no cost legal assistance to those at risk of eviction.
Support eviction protection strategies using equitable, community-driven strategies to serve those at greatest risk of eviction – Black and Brown people, people with limited English proficiency, people with disabilities, households with children, and people in rural communities.
Support the development and implementation of evidence-based strategies to make housing more equitable and justice oriented.
Evaluate legal assistance strategies and outcomes to develop evidence for means of preventing eviction and making housing more stable for renters

Allowable Expenses

Photo by Binyamin Mellish: https://www.pexels.com/photo/house-lights-turned-on-106399/

Grant funds may be used for:

Compensation and fringe benefits for employees for time spent on this specific project
Materials specifically for this project
Necessary equipment
Necessary travel expenses
Translation and interpretation services
Litigation costs
Outreach, education, and marketing materials

Funds may not be used to pay rent and other housing costs

The Workers Lab Innovation Fund

The Innovation Fund is a five month virtual fellowship sponsored by The Workers Lab. Participants engage in 12-15 hours of coaching and training per month for which they receive a stipend.

Applications are due by July 15, 2024 at 11:59 PM PT for a fellowship from October 2024 – March 2025. Three final winners will be announced in April 2025; they will receive up to $200,000 and a full year mentorship.

Eligibility

This fellowship is open to individuals and organizations in the United States with a valid United States Tax ID or social security number. This includes:

For profit companies
Social enterprises
Cooperatives
Nonprofit organizations
Unions and government-aligned entities
Individual entrepreneurs

Topic Areas

The Innovation Fund is focused on two topic areas for 2024.

Climate Justice is Workers’ Justice

Projects under this topic should concentrate on addressing climate change and/or environmental justice while also attending to workers’ rights. These project should:

Bolster the transition to a green economy through high quality work
Modernize industries on the frontlines of climate change
Address the needs of workers most impacted by climate change

Worker-Centered Gen AI Solutions

Projects under this topic should apply artificial intelligence to improve working conditions and create new opportunities for workers. These projects should:

Empower workers
Make economic stability more equitable
Promote worker health and safety

Allowable Expenses

Grant funding is fairly flexible so long as funds are going toward the proposed project. Up to 15% of grant funds may be used for indirect costs.

Barbara McDowell Foundation

The Barbara McDowell Foundation provides grant funding for legal fees related to specific social justice cases in the United States.

Letters of Intent will be accepted June 1-15, 2024 for a grant term of October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025. LOIs submitted before June 1st will be rejected.

Eligibility

This grant is open to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations to pay legal fees for social justice cases filed between October 1, 2022 and December 31, 2024.

Criminal cases, individual claims, and amicus briefs are not eligible.

Key Issues

The McDowell Foundation is focused on cases related to:

Access to benefits
Children’s rights
Disability rights
Discrimination
Domestic violence
Due process
Environmental justice
Healthcare
Homelessness
Housing
Native American rights
Prisoner’s rights
Refugee and immigration rights
Veteran’s rights
Voting rights

Ideal cases will:

Address one of these areas of interest
Have a significant impact on the well being and civil liberties of disadvantaged Americans
Set a significant legal precedent

Scoring Criteria

All LOIs will be scored based on:

Alignment with mission
Social justice impact
Financial need

Food Justice for Kids Prize

The Food Justice for Kids Prize from the Newman’s Own Foundation supports projects in the U.S. and its territories under two focus areas: Indigenous Food Justice and Nutrition Education and School Food.

Up to 10 applicants (5 for each focus area) will receive as much as $50,000 in 2024, with the chance to receive an additional $50,000 in 2025. Applications are due by June 11, 2024.

Eligibility

This funding opportunity is open to:

501(c)3 nonprofit organizations
Organizations with a 501(c)3 serving as a fiscal agent
Federally recognized Native American tribes
Federally recognized Urban Indian Organizations
Public schools and school districts
U.S. governmental entities

Focus Areas

Indigenous Food Justice

For the purpose of this grant, ‘Indigenous’ means Native American, Native Alaskan, or Native Hawaiian. Projects must wholly or primarily benefit children 18 and under and may focus on:

Increasing access to and rematriation of affordable and nutritious traditional foods
Transferring control of food resources to Indigenous communities for the benefit of their children
Enhancing Indigenous children’s ability to respond to their needs for healthy, culturally relevant foods
Generally supporting food justice for Indigenous children

Nutrition Education and School Food

Photo by Pavel Danilyuk: https://www.pexels.com/photo/students-on-their-lunch-break-8423436/

Projects under this focus area should support community-based direct service and sustainable practices. Projects must wholly or primarily benefit children 18 and under and may focus on:

Developing programs for children to learn about, grow, gather, and/or cook healthy, nutritious, culturally relevant foods
Ammending school policies and practices to increase access to healthy school meals
Generally supporting nutrition education and/or healthy school food

Newman’s Own Foundation Community Fund

Donations to the Newman’s Own Community Fund are pooled and used to award additional funding on a quarterly basis. Grantees are eligible to receive these funds which are awarded based on member votes.

We Are Together International Prize

The We Are Together International Prize supports initiatives from around the world that are working toward social change through volunteering.

Applications for $10,000 and other benefits are due by May 20, 2024. Submissions may be in English or Russian.

Eligibility

This prize is open to citizens of any nation who are 18 years of age or older and registered nonprofit organizations.

Award

Recipients or laureates will receive:

$10,000
Expert support
Meetings with high-ranking guests, leading experts and public figures in the winning countries
The chance to share their project with the world
The opportunity to take part in the International Forum of Civil Participation

Focus Areas

Healthcare and Emergency Response – Physical and mental health, promotion of physical activity, blood donation, and assisting people during disasters
Ecology and Sustainable Development – Environmental protection and education, green economy and technology
Equal Opportunities and Social Justice – Improving the lives of vulnerable populations

A.J. Muste Memorial Institute Social Justice Fund Grant

The A.J. Muste Memorial Institute Social Justice Fund Grant supports grassroots organizations in the United States doing activist work.

Applications for up to $10,000 are due by April 22, 2024 at 3:00 PM ET.

Eligibility

This grant is open to registered and unregistered nonprofit organizations in the United States with an annual operating budget of less than $500,000. Applicants may use a fiscal sponsor.

The Institute’s priority is to support organizations:

Doing direct activism work
With diverse, representative, and democratic leadership structures
With limited access to more mainstream funding sources

Focus Areas

The Institute is particularly interested in projects focused on:

Ending violence at the U.S./Mexico border and the criminalization of migrants
Redefining the criminal justice system and policing
Confronting institutionalized violence based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender expression
Ending economic exploitation and systemic poverty
Ending state sponsored terrorism

Funding Limitations

Grant funding may be used for general operating support or project support. It may not be used for:

Academic research
Economic development projects
Direct social services
Capital campaigns
Art, theater, film, or video projects not directly tied to activism or organizing
Legal defense or litigation
Scholarships

Genentech Health Equity Innovation Fund

The Genentech Health Equity Innovation Fund supports projects that address inequities faced by people of color in the U.S. when accessing healthcare. Projects should focus on bold new ideas that consider the structural racism at the root of the problem.

Applications for up to $750,000 are due by April 15, 2024. The typical grant period is 18-36 months.

Eligibility

This funding opportunity is open to:

501(c)3 and 501(c)6 nonprofit organizations
Public schools, colleges, and universities
Public hospitals
Federally recognized Native American Tribal governments

Focus Areas

Photo by Antoni Shkraba: https://www.pexels.com/photo/doctor-talking-to-a-patient-6749742/

Projects should focus on at least one of the following:

Neuroscience and brain health
Oncology
Ophthalmology
Cardiovascular and metabolic disease

Objectives

Increasing rates of screening and diagnosis while promoting care continuity
Widening the capacity and accessibility of specialty care services and linkages to critical non-clinical services
Enhancing the quality, safety, and experience of care for patients
Shifting institutional and system-wide policies and practices to deepen long-term accountability for equity

Evaluation Criteria

All applications will be evaluated based on:

Leadership representative of the target population(s)
Addresses systemic barriers to health equity with a focus on racism
Directs resources to impacted communities and empowers them to make decisions
New and creative approaches to addressing the issue with the goal of taking sustainable, scalable action
Proposes to quickly share information gathered to further other work in the field

Dovetail Impact Foundation

The Dovetail Impact Foundation practices Christian stewardship by supporting projects in 35 countries that promote human flourishing. They currently fund through their Domestic Portfolio in Texas, Scale Portfolio, and Acceleration Portfolio.

Grants are by invitation only, but interested organizations may introduce themselves at any time.

Eligibility

Funding through the Domestic Portfolio is available to nonprofit organizations in Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties in Texas.

Funding through the Scale Portfolio is available to nonprofit organizations in Africa, India, and Southeast Asia, typically with an operating budget of $500,000 – $5 million.

Funding through the Acceleration Portfolio is available to nonprofit organizations in Africa, typically with an operating budget of less than $300,000.

Fundamental Principles

Dovetail looks for three fundamental principles in the organizations with which they partner:

The ability to accomplish a lot with a little
The potential to impact millions of people
A sustainable model of operations, not entirely reliant on private philanthropy

Ideal partners will also have:

A unique, well defined mission
A 3-5 year strategic plan
A business model that demonstrates increased efficiency over time
Evidence of impact or a plan to measure results
A strong, effective Board or the intention to establish one
Strong executive talent with a coachable spirit

Funding Limitations

Dovetail typically does not fund requests focused on:

The Arts
Disaster response
Higher education
Events
Endowments
Scholarships
Individual assistance, such as tuition or emergency aid

Third Wave Fund: Mobilize Power Fund

The Mobilize Power Fund is a grant program from the Third Wave Fund, which provides rapid response support to gender justice organizations in the U.S. and its territories. This money is intended to help groups act in the face of unanticipated opportunities or threats.

Applications for up to $10,000 ($20,000 for partnerships and coalitions) are accepted and reviewed five time a years. Due dates for 2024 are March 5, May 7, July 2, September 3, and October 1.

Eligibility

This grant is open to organizations in the United States and its territories, with or without a 501(c)3 nonprofit designation. Applicants must, however:

Be led by transgender or cisgender women of color and/or trans, gender non-conforming, and intersex people of color under age 35
Be working on issues of gender inequity, gender-based violence, homophobia, or transphobia
Be responding to a time sensitive opportunity or threat that necessitates a change in regular operations
Be focused on strategies that strengthen the community in which they’re working
Have an annual opperating budget of less than $500,000

Allowable Activities

Grant funds may be use for:

Marches or rallies
Bail or legal fees
Leadership training
Mutual aid
Healing justice work
Unanticipated legislative or ballot initiative campaigns

Grant funds may not be used for:

General operating support
Regularly scheduled activities
Budget shortfalls

Submission Options

Applicants have the option to submit their project narrative in written or video form or through a phone interview with a Fund representative.

Written narratives must be no more than four pages
Video narratives must be no more than 10 minutes long
Phone interviews may be scheduled by emailing programs@thirdwavefund.org or calling 917-387-1262 ext. 806 before the last Tuesday of every month. Availability of this option will be based on the number of requests each month. Priority will be given to groups for whom a written narrative is inaccessible.