Grants of up to $10,000 and grants of up to $20,000 to USA and territories nonprofit organizations, groups, and coalitions for social justice activities and projects. Funding is intended for programs within the focus areas of direct action, community organization and mobilization, and healing justice. The Mobilize Power Fund is a rapid response fund that resources gender justice organizations to adapt or pivot their work when met with unanticipated, time-sensitive opportunities or threats to their movement-building work and organizing conditions.
Through the Mobilize Power Fund, Third Wave Fund resources time sensitive projects including community organizing and mobilization, healing justice work, conflict resolution, community accountability, transformative and restorative justice work, direct action, and more. This fund does not resource general operating support, ongoing or regularly planned programming, or recurring events. That being said, Third Wave Fund has other grantmaking programs that provide long-term general operating and capacity building support.
Grant Criteria
BIPOC Youth Leadership: Young women of color (transgender and cisgender), and trans, queer, gender non conforming and intersex young people of color under 35 are in leadership and decision-making roles. There is by and for leadership of communities directly impacted by the issues the applicant is responding to. This criteria is for both the group/organization AND the specific work the applicant are applying for.
Gender Justice: The applicant's political analysis shows how the issue(s) they responding to are connected to patriarchy, transphobia, homophobia, gender inequity, or gender-based violence. This criteria is for both the group / organization AND the specific work they applicant is applying for.
Rapid Response: The proposal is a time-sensitive response to an immediate and unanticipated movement building threat or opportunity that requires the group to significantly pivot from its ongoing and regularly planned work.
Community Power Building: The strategies and activities in the proposal strengthen the organizing and movement building power of local communities. In addition, these strategies and activities directly lead to the overall goals of the proposal.
Organizational Need: Organizations must have a budget under $500,000 to be eligible to receive a Mobilize Power Fund grant. In addition, the Third Wave Fund prioritizes groups and organizations based in areas with limited access to philanthropic resources and who do not have access to 501c3 status or fiscal sponsorship.
Others (see text field entitled "Additional Eligibility Criteria" for clarification)
Additional Eligibility Criteria
The Mobilize Power Fund prioritizes organizations that are led by young women of color (transgender and cisgender), and trans, queer, gender non conforming and intersex young people of color under 35, led by and for communities directly impacted by the issues they focus on, have an intersectional gender justice lens, and have a total organizational budget under $500k. Groups do not need 501c3 of fiscal sponsor status to apply.
They do not make grants to for-profit organizations or individuals. Groups may not be granted more than once within a 12-month period.
Ineligible
Third Wave Fund only funds within the United States and U.S territories, including American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
This fund does not cover budget shortfalls, ongoing, regularly scheduled programs, start-up or seed costs, general operating costs, fundraising, previously planned or long-term campaigns (we define long-term as programming extending beyond 6 months), projects led by individuals, charity, or groups or projects based outside of the United States and US territories.
Pre-Application Information
The next deadline for the Mobilize Power Fund will be Tuesday, March 7, 2023.
Groups are notified within four to six weeks after the monthly review deadline about whether they are recommended for funding, not recommended for funding, or if there are additional follow-up questions for applicants.
Estimated Size of Grant
Grants can be made for up to $10,000 USD. Larger grants may be made on a case-by-case basis. Partnership or coalitions of two or more groups can request up to $20,000 USD.
