Groundswell’s Rapid Response Fund to protect and advance Reproductive and Social Justice (US)

Deadline: 14-May-21

Groundswell is seeking proposals for its Rapid Response Fund that provides fast funding to grassroots organizations led by women of color, trans people of color, and low-income women and trans people in critical, but unexpected, fights to protect and advance reproductive and social justice.

A multi-issue fund, their Rapid Response Fund supports organizations on the frontlines, defending the most vulnerable communities with timely, flexible grants with an emphasis on funding in states and communities where women of color, transgender people of color, and low-income women and trans people-led organizing is under-resourced.

Rapid Response grants support:

A strategic organizing response to a public attack or a community crisis.
A strategic organizing response to advance solidarity and coordination of organizations working across issues to defend the most vulnerable communities.
A strategic organizing response to an unforeseen legislative or policy development.
A strategic organizing response to a new opportunity that is immediate, has a specific time frame, and is aligned with Groundswell Fund’s approach and priorities.
A short-term project or action that creates opportunities to organize and build coalitions and/or educate public officials or the general public.

Funding Information

Rapid Response Fund grant requests for 2021 may range from $5,000 to $20,000.
On rare occasions, Groundswell may consider requests of up to $25,000, yet the average grant size is $8,000.

Criteria

Groundswell’s Rapid Response Fund (RRF) will continue to center its criteria around:
- Urgency-
  - The request is responding to an unanticipated event, political moment, and/or requires urgent or timely action. It is a new/unexpected critical opportunity or threat.
- Leadership–
  - Must be majority women of color and/or transgender, gender non-conforming (TGNC) people of color-led organization.
  - Groundswell Fund defines majority leadership that is more than 50% in decision making.
- Due to the continuing public health crisis of COVID-19, RRF requests may be made for:
  - Digital organizing for immediate asks due to COVID-19 such as online eviction moratorium, rent/ mortgage and/or utility suspension, paid sick leave, federal relief to ensure communities most impacted are not left out, etc.
  - Responding to hate crimes and bias against Asian American and Asian communities resulting from COVID-19. Online member and voter engagement that is responding to an unexpected opportunity or threat.
  - Providing critical access/funding to reproductive health care and birthing support, if it has been impacted by COVID-19.
  - Mutual aid societies that are organizing people most impacted such as people who are immunocompromised, elderly, low-income, trans people of color, undocumented, and/or women of color. Organization-leading work must have a track record of organizing and dismantling systems of oppression.
- Additional Considerations:
  - Groundswell Fund has made a commitment to movement to specifically increase grantmaking to Black women, Indigenous women, Trans women of color, and TGNC people broadly. In addition to those communities, Groundswell is also prioritizing Southern, Midwest, and rural communities.