Liberation Fund
Proposals are by invitation only
A joint project of Groundswell Fund and Groundswell Action Fund, the Liberation Fund supports the strongest grassroots organizing efforts led by women of color and transgender people of color across social justice sectors.
Collaborating to Support the Field
In the wake of a game-changing election, Groundswell started the Liberation Fund to support the strongest grassroots organizing efforts led by women of color and transgender people of color across social justice sectors.
In 2021, our portfolio of 13 leading organizations received $1.1 Million in funding.
Groundswell Fund and Groundswell Action Fund are organizations with unique strategies.
501(c)3 organizations must be completely non-partisan and cannot support candidates. These organizations can give donors a tax exemption.
501(c)4 organizations that cannot offer donors a tax exemption for donations but can do unlimited lobbying and direct candidate support.
Liberation Fund Advisors
The Liberation Fund was launched in 2017 to support racial and gender justice organizations led by women of color and transgender and gender expansive people of color (TGE).
A team of 14 of the most respected, impactful women of color leaders across social justice sectors advises and supports the fund, including high-profile thought leaders such as Alicia Garza of Black Futures Lab, Isa Noyola of Mijente, and Ai-jen Poo of the National Domestic Workers Alliance.
Liberation Fund Grantees
The Liberation Fund grantees are building a vibrant grassroots base with the scale, sustainability, and integrity necessary to win large-scale social change and dramatically improve the material conditions of those at the intersection of race, class, and gender oppression.
- BYP100 | National | $100,000 byp100.org | Grantee as of: 2020
- CAAAV | New York, NY | $75,000 caaav.org | Grantee as of: 2017
- City Life / Vida Urbana | Jamaica Plain, MA | $75,000 clvu.org | Grantee as of: 2018
- Dream Defenders Education Fund | Miami, FL | $75,000 dreamdefenders.org | Grantee as of: 2018
- DRUM | Jackson Heights, NY | $75,000 drumnyc.org | Grantee as of: 2017
- Got Green | Seattle, WA | $75,000 gotgreenseattle.org | Grantee as of: 2020
- Movement 4 Black Lives | National | $100,000 m4bl.org | Grantee as of: 2020
- MPJI | New York, NY | $75,000 marshap.org | Grantee as of: 2017
- MUA | San Francisco, CA | $100,000 mujeresunidas.net | Grantee as of: 2017
- Native Movement | Fairbanks, AK | $75,000 nativemovement.org | Grantee as of: 2018
- Southerners On New Ground | Atlanta, GA | $100,000 southernersonnewground.org | Grantee as of: 2017
- TGIJP | San Francisco, CA | $75,000 tgijp.org | Grantee as of: 2017
- TransLatin@ Coalition | Los Angeles, CA | $100,000 translatinacoalition.org | Grantee as of: 2017
All are returning grantees. No new grantees were added in 2021.
How do Liberation Funds get distributed?
In 2020 the Liberation Fund awarded $1.1 million to 13 organizations recommended by the Liberation Fund advisors. In the coming years, the LF hopes to move $1.5M annually.
Our grantee organizations fought against the prison and immigration industrial complex; pushed back against gentrification, defending community members’ homes from developers and corporate giants like Amazon; fought for the dignity and livelihood of TGE people; and for environmental justice.
Advisors also offered feedback to help shape Groundswell’s 2020-2025 Blueprint.
Am I a Good Fit for Liberation Fund grants?
Grantees must meet a high bar to be considered for funding, and will be assessed for their strength in some of the following areas:
- Strong grassroots organizing capacity. The effective use of base building leadership development and strategic campaigns to enable those most impacted by injustice to transform the policies, systems, and material conditions that impact their lives.
- A sophisticated race/class/gender/decolonization analysis of the political landscape (including how it impacts women of color and transgender people of color) that informs strategic campaign plans as well as internal organizational practices.
- Whole person organizing. Organizational values, practices, and priorities that reflect an environment where staff and constituents are supported to bring their whole selves and all of their identities to the work.
- Leadership. Organizations led by women of color and/or transgender people of color with a highly engaged and growing membership base comprised of people directly impacted by the conditions that the organization seeks to transform.