The Catalyst Fund supports organizations that are using grassroots organizing to advance reproductive justice policy and systems change. It centers efforts led by women of color while also supporting work led by low-income white women and transgender people, who together make up the constituencies who experience the greatest reproductive health disparities and the largest barriers to reproductive freedom in the U.S.
Catalyst awards grants directly to grassroots organizations, including matching grants designed to bolster organizations’ efforts to raise new money from other sources. Particular attention is paid to organizations building cross-movement alliances between reproductive justice efforts and other social justice organizations, including labor, environmental and economic justice. Catalyst also awards matching grants to public foundations and women’s funds who make grants to organizations led by women of color and transgender people of color. Catalyst grantees are the main participants in Groundswell’s two flagship capacity building programs aimed at boosting the grassroots power of the field: the Integrated Voter Engagement Program and the Grassroots Organizing Institute. Catalyst has a strong track record of galvanizing new money for RJ from foundations and individual donors. Since Groundswell’s first RJ grants were made in 2008, grantmaking partners and grassroots organizations receiving matching grants have catalyzed $41 million into primarily women of color-led RJ work. The Catalyst partners referred to here include: Grantmaking Partners (public foundations and women’s funds that receive matching grants from Catalyst, fundraise from donors to raise the match, and then re-grant dollars to women of color-led RJ organizations) and direct matching grantees (grassroots organizations who receive matching grants directly from Catalyst and raise a dollar for dollar match).
Access Reproductive Care – Southeast
ACCESS Women’s Health Justice
ACT for Women and Girls
Afiya Center
Alaska Community Action on Toxics
Asian American Organizing Project
Black Women for Wellness
Bold Futures
Brave Space Alliance
California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative
California Latinas for Reproductive Justice
COLOR
El Pueblo
Forward Together
Freedom, Inc.
Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health
International Indian Treaty Council
Khmer Girls in Action
The Knights and Orchids Society
Legal Services for Prisoners with Children
Miami Workers Center
Mississippi Low Income Child Care Initiative
Mothering Justice
National Advocates for Pregnant Women
National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum
National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health
National Network of Abortion Funds
Native American Community Board
New Voices for Reproductive Justice
Organization United for Respect (OUR)
Positive Women’s Network
Power U Center for Social Change
Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN)
Raising Women’s Voices
Reproaction
SisterSong
Sylvia Rivera Law Project
Transgender Law Center
Trans Queer Pueblo
URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity
West Fund
Western States Center
Women Engaged
Women’s Foundation of California: Women’s Policy Institute
Women’s Voices for the Earth
West Virginia FREE
Women With a Vision
The Catalyst Fund has one primary grantmaking round in the fall of each year. The fund provides general operating grants, capacity building grants and project grants, with grant sizes ranging from $20,000-$200,000. Proposals are by invitation only. However, interested organizations are encouraged to contact Groundswell at info@groundswellfund.org with a brief summary of their work and when appropriate, staff will schedule a call to discuss.