Grants for Individuals - Social Advocacy

This fellowship provides financial support and leadership development for young people aged 13-23 in the U.S. who are leading projects that promote kindness and social impact in their communities.

This funding opportunity supports youth-led ministry projects that address social issues and empower young people aged 12-18 through outreach, leadership development, and vocational initiatives within their communities.

This grant provides funding to empower young changemakers aged 5 to 25 in the U.S. and Canada to design and lead community service projects that engage their peers and address local social issues during Youth Service Month.

This fellowship provides $5,000 to support research on anti-Black racial injustice and structural racism in Indiana, encouraging scholars to explore the historical and contemporary experiences of Black Hoosiers and their responses to systemic racism.

This grant provides funding for journalists and media producers in North America to create nonfiction content that explores the various forms of love and its impact on society, aiming to promote understanding and connection in the face of division and loneliness.

This funding opportunity provides financial support and development resources to filmmakers in the Greater Philadelphia area, helping them enhance their projects and skills while promoting community-focused storytelling.

This grant provides funding to artists and organizations for public visual art projects that celebrate Lafayette's cultural diversity and engage the community.

This grant provides financial assistance to nontraditional college students, established entrepreneurs, and community advocates in El Dorado, Arkansas, who demonstrate a commitment to community service and embody the values of compassion and leadership.

This funding opportunity supports individuals and organizations working to improve sexual and reproductive health and rights for marginalized communities in the WANA region through innovative digital strategies.

This program provides funding to food retailers and innovative food initiatives in Virginia's low-income communities to improve access to fresh foods and promote food security.

Applicants are invited to apply for the Spirit of Humanity Award. Donor Name: Legacy Foundation State: Kansas, Tennessee County: Cowley County (KS), Sumner County (TN) Type of Grant: Awards and Prizes Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 09/09/2024 Size of the Grant: Not Available Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: Each year the Legacy Regional Community Foundation recognizes their Spirit of Humanity awardee(s) for inspiring the vision of Legacy Foundation through his/her leadership and action. The award recipient(s) are honored at a reception and their picture and story is posted in the Foundation gallery. Guidelines The candidate may be of any age, however must live in the region in-or-around the Cowley/Sumner County area. The candidate must reflect uncommon leadership or action within the last 12 months that truly reflects the mission and vision of the Legacy Regional Community Foundation, which is “creates a stronger future for our area by building endowments, providing informed leadership & connecting donors to critical needs of the region.” The action may take many forms, it need not be financial. The candidate may also be a civic group, organization, or groups of individuals for achievements or contributions to the community. For more information, visit Legacy Foundation.

The Berkeley FILM Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of first-ever short fiction film grant program. Donor Name: Berkeley Film Foundation (BFF) State: County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 09/23/2024 Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000 Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: Berkeley FILM Foundation will provide grants in the pre-production, production, postproduction and distribution stages of the narrative short film project. The Berkeley FILM Foundation is interested in short, fiction films that use creative, thoughtful and innovative methods to tell a story with a strong theme of social or environmental justice. The review committee will be judging films based on originality, imagination and technical skill. Types of Grants  BFF has two tiers of grants available to filmmakers in the Narrative Film Grant Program: special awards and general grants. General Grants  General grants awarded will range between $5,000 – $10,000. The amount of the award will be determined by several aspects of the application including (but not limited to) the line items outlined in the project budget, the intended use of the grant, the stage of the project you are in and the team behind the project. If you receive less money than you asked for, it is usually because they have run low on allocated funds but want to support the project for its creativity or cultural or social relevancy and BFF’s small grant will help inspire other organizations to give larger amounts. The Saul Zaentz Awards: Two separate $25,000 grants This has historically been the Berkeley FILM Foundation’s highest award given each year and is the most prestigious. This is the first year they are introducing a second Saul Zaentz Award for $25,000. These films are chosen during final deliberation of the review committee and these films will embody the mission and purpose of the organization and its commitment to social justice. The grants are named after world-renowned film producer, Saul Zaentz, who was an original founder of the Berkeley FILM Foundation. Eligible Genre Short Form Narratives (40 minutes or less). Eligibility Criteria  To be considered for this grant, you must work or live in the city of Berkeley, Emeryville, Albany, El Cerrito, Richmond, Oakland or Alameda. You must provide a valid street address for application. PO Box addresses will not be accepted. Applicants may submit one project for consideration per funding cycle. The applicant must be: The Director, co-director, Producer or co-Producer of the films. Organizations may not apply. Be at least 18 years of age. For more information, visit BFF.

This funding opportunity provides $500 micro grants to empower women of African and Caribbean descent who are entrepreneurs, nonprofit founders, or creatives, supporting projects that positively impact culture and community.

The Dao Prize, funded by the Daofeng and Angela Foundation and launched in conjunction with Young America’s Foundation’s National Journalism Center (NJC), is an annual award founded to recognize excellence in investigative journalism. Donor Name: National Journalism Center State: All States County: All Counties Type of Grant: Awards and Prizes Deadline:  09/02/2024 Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000 Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: Categories  The Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism • The Dao Prize for Excellence in Local Journalism  The Dao Prize for Excellence in Multimedia Journalism  Funding Information The annual winner will receive a $100,000 prize, divided among team members per the terms to which they agreed upon submitting their application. Two submissions will win $10,000 each as runners-up, one will win $10,000 in the local category, and one will win $10,000 in the multimedia category, which includes podcasts, video, radio, and formats up to the applicant’s discretion. Winners agree to participate in occasional publicity highlighting their award. Eligibility Criteria  Each outlet and journalist may submit an unlimited number of stories or pre-defined series published from Sept. 1, 2023 through Sept. 2, 2024.  Applications are limited to one pre-defined story or series, but there is no limit to the number of applications an outlet or journalist can submit.  All U.S.-based news publications are welcome to participate. This includes Substack pages, YouTube channels, podcasts, and other multimedia outlets. Selection Submissions will be evaluated on five main criteria: Judges will grade submissions on a ten-point scale in each category, and tally the average for a final score. The judge must cast their vote for the submission with the highest score. Two runners-up to be awarded $10,000 each will be determined based on each judge’s second and third-place stories. Applicants may also submit their work for the Dao Prize for Excellence in Local Journalism and the Dao Prize for Excellence in Multimedia Journalism. Multimedia journalism involves published work in online video, audio, or photographic form. Local journalism involves published work focused primarily on a particular community within the U.S. rather than national politics or culture as a whole. (This can include work published in national outlets.) One winner will be selected from both categories, with an award of $10,000 each. In the case of a tie, the board will enter another round of voting. Forms will be signed and preserved. Judges will have no subsequent interaction with applicants in regard to their submissions outside the form itself, with the exception of logistical questions. A judge cannot vote for a story from their own news outlet, or for a story they worked on personally. NJC’s board operates on an advisory basis, meaning members serve in their capacity as governors without financial compensation from Young America’s Foundation. Ballots are counted and preserved by a representative of the Foundation’s executive team. NJC’s independent board will exercise sole control over selection of the Dao Prize. For more information, visit National Journalism Center.

The Women’s Foundation of Minnesota has launched the Innovators Program. Donor Name: Women’s Foundation of Minnesota State: Minnesota County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 06/24/2024 Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000 Grant Duration: 1 Year Details: The Women’s Foundation of Minnesota (WFM) believes in the leadership and ideas of young women and gender-expansive leaders in state. Through the Innovators program, WFM provides microgrants of $3,000 directly to young women and gender-expansive people (ages 16-24) to fuel their ideas and support their development as leaders with microgrants, cohort-based learning, and individual leadership coaching. Innovators leadership, ideas, and solutions advance key recommendations in the Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota’s (YWI MN) Blueprint for Action. Grants through the Innovators program fund projects that advance gender and racial equity and justice, led by visionary leaders who are leading within their communities from the intersections of their identities and experiences. Innovators meet as a cohort in-person for technical support and leadership development.  Focus Areas GOAL 1: Build Pathways to Economic Opportunity. GOAL 2: Improve Safety and Well-being. GOAL 3: Promote Young Women’s Leadership. Project Period The funds must be used within 12 months. Funds can be used Think creatively: How can this microgrant uniquely help move your leadership and ideas forward? How can it help you be more effective in the impact you want to make? Example projects could be executed in the following ways: Start or continue a social change initiative. Design and pursue a personal learning plan. Attend a conference and share learnings with community for impact. Organize an event for impact. Supply resources to organize people for advocacy. Research Travel as part of greater learning and share in Minnesota for impact. Participation Leadership Convenings & Coaching – WFMN will engage young women in mandatory online and/or in-person convenings for leadership development, advocacy, and building community. The convenings will give young women an opportunity to support, develop, and scale their leadership and ideas. This leadership development includes direct professional coaching to support Innovators in their grant-funded projects and to deepen their leadership for the long term. Eligibility Criteria The Women’s Foundation of Minnesota is accepting applications from eligible applicants in the state of Minnesota. Eligible candidates: Must be 16-24 years old at the date of program kickoff. Identify as a young woman and/or gender-expansive youth. The definition of a young woman is anyone who identifies as a woman. The program is inclusive of transgender, gender nonconforming, gender nonbinary, and all gender-expansive people who experience gender-based structural harm. Applicants must reside in the state of Minnesota throughout the grant period. Priority given to young women and gender-expansive leaders who identify with at least one of the priority communities of the Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota: Black/African American, African Immigrant, American Indian, Hispanic/Latina, Asian/Pacific Islander, LGBTQ+, Disabilities, Greater/Rural Minnesota. Citizenship is not required For more information, visit WFMN.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2024 The Ann Snitow Prize. Donor Name: The Ann Snitow Prize State: All States County: All Counties Type of Grant: Awards and Prizes Deadline: 07/15/2024 Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000 Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: Prize Information The award of $12,500 may be used however the recipient wishes. Who may apply? The ideal candidate for the Ann Snitow Prize is a feminist intellectual and activist, living and working in the United States, who has consistently exhibited the qualities that led Ann to be so admired and cherished. The awardee is: A feminist, broadly defined: someone for whom feminism goes beyond a movement for rights and equality to a vision of a world without social domination or economic exploitation, a world of security, freedom, and pleasure. An intellectual and/or artist who thinks with rigor, flexibility, and originality, and who inspires and nurtures the intellectual and creative best in others. A radical social justice activist who practices generosity, integrity, and perseverance—and is effective, whether in instigating new formations; mobilizing and connecting people; and/or sustaining and growing campaigns, projects, groups, and institutions. Prizewinners may be academics, independent scholars, educators, writers or artists, full- or part-time volunteer or paid organizers—or currently engaged in any combination of intellectual and activist feminist work. Requirements  Nominations are submitted via email and should include the following: A 1 to 2 page cover letter describing the nominee A CV or resume of the nominee Work samples from the nominee (1 to 2 short writing samples; samples of activist work; or, if appropriate, samples of artwork. If you submit a video,  include a few-sentence introduction & a link). Please include a maximum of 20 pages total for all work sample materials combined. Submissions must be in English. They welcome submissions from Puerto Rico or for nominees who work in the U.S. but do so primarily in a language other than English. However, to give them a fair chance with the jury, please translate and/or subtitle all submitted materials into English. For more information, visit The Ann Snitow Prize.

The Eisner Prize Fellowship is a new program designed to support leaders pioneering innovations in intergenerational connection. Since 2011, the Eisner Foundation has awarded the Eisner Prize to honor people and organizations doing exceptional intergenerational work across the country. In this next phase in the evolution of the Eisner Prize, The Eisner Foundation is providing financial resources, networking opportunities, and the prestige of the Eisner Prize to leaders with new ideas and perspectives that will propel the field forward. The Eisner Prize Fellows application is open to anyone working to innovate in the area of intergenerational connection – whether that be through research, programs, technology, or other efforts advancing the field. Young people, people of color, and those working with historically marginalized communities are particularly encouraged to apply. The application for the 2024-25 cycle is open from April 24 to May 22, and questions can be reviewed in advance here.

Poynter Reporting Grants for Transgender Coverage Grant Amount: $10,000 to $15,000 (three grants available) Eligibility: Reporters planning projects on all platforms (online, radio, video, print). Must have attended or watched both Beat Academy Transgender Coverage webinars. If not attended, enroll in the course. Support: One-on-one coaching available as needed. Focus: Strong applications focus on concrete local examples of transgender issues. Focus can be personal, family, community, or state level. Emphasis on a crisp story pitch, clear reporting plan, and evidence of reporting skill. Projects should be completed by December 31, 2024. Application Details: Applications due by May 3, 2024. Winners announced in late May. For questions, email Jon Greenberg at [email protected]. Funding Source: Supported by the Gill Foundation.

The Pulitzer Center is offering the Truth Decay Grant Initiative for journalists and newsrooms interested in addressing science misinformation, science denial, and the spread of pseudoscience. The initiative aims to expose those responsible for spreading misinformation and support journalists in developing innovative responses to combat mistruths. They are particularly interested in proposals that explore the reasons behind the spread of scientific misinformation, the challenges of reporting on science in today's media landscape, the creators and beneficiaries of misinformation, and unique perspectives on pseudoscience and misinformation in society. The initiative is open to U.S. residents and journalists worldwide, and they encourage applications from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. The grants do not cover expenses such as books, feature-length films, staff salaries, equipment purchases, general expenses, start-up funding, routine breaking news coverage, advocacy/marketing campaigns, or data projects solely for academic research. For more information, visit the Pulitzer Center website.

The Fund for Community Reparations for Autistic People of Color's Interdependence, Survival, and Empowerment is offering a grant opportunity for autistic people of color. The fund aims to provide direct support, mutual aid, and reparations to this community. The fund is based in the United States but has a global reach. The fund practices redistributive justice and mutual aid by returning and sharing money directly with autistic people of color. They offer microgrants for survival, organizing, leisure, and pleasure to Black, Brown, Native, Asian, and mixed-race individuals in the autistic community. The fund is committed to Disability Justice principles, including leadership by those most impacted, intersectionality, anti-capitalist politics, cross-movement solidarity, interdependence, collective access, and collective liberation. They are focused on ending extractive economies and building sustainable generative economies. The fund is specifically for autistic people of color and not for parents, caregivers, or family members. However, in some cases, applications from parents or caregivers on behalf of autistic people of color may be approved. The fund prioritizes applications that emphasize the autistic person's individual wants, needs, desires, preferences, choices, and interests. They may approve applications for therapy if it is desired by the autistic child, but they do not approve applications for ABA therapy. Applications for household help or necessities like rent and bills are also considered, especially if there are multiple autistic children in the family. However, requests for personal respite for parents or caregivers are not eligible. For more information and to apply, visit the Autistic People of Color Fund website.