An Update from the CEO: Building through Crisis

September Update from Yamani Yansá Hernandez

At Groundswell, we believe our giving is our commitment to movement solidarity. We center the leadership and expertise of women of color and trans people of color in our grantmaking, because too often our voices are suppressed and unheard. So when we see threats of retribution against organizers,  the silencing of philanthropic organizations, or deliberate gerrymandering across the country, we will not back down from our mission to build a more just world. While painful, none of us are surprised to see the powers-at-be do everything they can to suppress our voices and consolidate power. Women of color and trans people of color have faced and overcome political violence throughout history in the pursuit of liberation—and we won’t stop now.

While there are plenty of reasons to feel despair, we are buoyed by the countless individuals and organizations working to protect our communities, defend our democracy, and amplify solutions-oriented narratives. A few weeks ago, I attended the Women’s Funding Network’s Feminist Funded event with a few colleagues, where Groundswell facilitated a panel on the topic of resourcing reproductive justice movements rooted in love, justice, and strategy. Our team shared how grassroots reproductive justice and birth justice organizations in the South, Midwest, and Washington, D.C. are advancing intersectional solutions in moments of volatility—and why donors need to be paying attention to and supporting these efforts. Showing up in these spaces not only gives us the opportunity to nurture genuine connections but also the opportunity to challenge each other to address the very real gaps that exist in our field if we want to be a purposeful part of meeting this moment.

Talking to our grantee partners always gives me hope because they are the true drivers of change. As we celebrate Latine Heritage Month this month, we feature stories of some of our courageous grantee partners in our latest blogs, including Siembra NC supporting immigrant families with programs like emergency cash assistance, court accompaniment, and ICE watch, to LUCHA empowering its members and allies to fight for Paid Family Medical Leave. Groundswell Fund is proud to be in solidarity with grantee partners who are building durable political power, holding lawmakers accountable, and ensuring that their voices shape the future. You can read those blogs on the Groundswell Fund site here and the Groundswell Action Fund site here.

No matter how challenging our political and economic climate may be, we are committed to boldly and unapologetically supporting organizations that focus on protecting our bodily autonomy and democracy, building the future we deserve. Next month I’ll be moderating a panel at CHANGE Unity Summit on resourcing efforts in tandem with and outside of the 501(c)(3) structure: considering social enterprises, fee-for-service, and property and land ownership that can organize and provide sanctuary to our people. Liberation takes many forms, and we know we will have to be agile under these conditions. As someone new to philanthropy, I have been sharpening my own knowledge about transforming philanthropy and solidarity economies, and this month I deeply enjoyed learning with Justice Funder’s Fall Fundamentals series.

In 2025, we will close the year having moved nearly $13M this year to c3 and c4 partners. Looking to 2026, our grantmaking will necessarily downsize to reflect our smaller budget—but we are committed to moving more transformatively sized grants, more quickly at the beginning of the year, and with deeper support for the capacity building that movements need most right now—fortification, resistance, and new world building. We plan to remain in active community with all of our partners to lift up their thought leadership and provide opportunities for shared sense-making, skill-building, and collaboration where we can, even if we are sharpening our focus in a contracted funding environment. We are still here as a funder, convener, and narrative-shifter in this ever-changing philanthropic landscape, and we stand in solidarity with our peers in progressive philanthropy through these mounting attacks.