Community Voices Fund – Jun 2

Posted by Independence Public Media Foundation on May 23, 2023

Independence Public Media Foundation invites applications for the Community Voices Fund

The Independence Public Media Foundation supports building and strengthening networks of people creating and sharing information, ideas, and stories for justice and change.

The foundation invites applications for the Community Voices Fund to support creative, community-centered media and media making across Greater Philadelphia. Projects must fit within at least one of the following focus areas: community-owned media and local storytelling, community-centered news and journalism, using archives for building community power, or narrative shift and media for movement building.

Through the fund, one-year grants will be awarded in three different ranges, depending on the scope and needs of the work. Grants of between $20,000 and $50,000 will be awarded for new or smaller-scale projects, community engagement, or experimentation; grants of between $50,000 and $100,000 will be awarded to support larger-scale projects or collaborations that result in innovative content creation and stronger networks; and grants of between $100,000 and $150,000 will be awarded to support established programs and projects to expand, evolve, or deepen their work, particularly those that are focused on movement building. While categories are meant to provide guidance, the foundation remains flexible, and $800,000 in grants will be awarded.

The foundation will prioritize proposals that support increased agency, civic engagement, and a mutual aid approach within communities; compensate community members directly for their stories and contributions; amplify the stories and needs of communities excluded from media making in partnership with those communities; seek to build lasting community connections through media and media making; and feature collaboration between multiple partners.

Preference will be given to organizations and projects led by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color); women; people who are LGBTQIA+, Two-Spirit, Trans, genderqueer, gender nonconforming, nonbinary, and/or queer; those who are disabled; immigrants; people directly impacted by mass incarceration; or those who have other lived experiences that are historically excluded from journalism and media making; and organizations with annual operating budgets under $1 million.

To be eligible, applicants must be tax-exempt as defined by section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or fiscally-sponsored organizations/projects based in the Pennsylvania counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Philadelphia, or Montgomery; the New Jersey counties of Burlington, Camden, or Gloucester; or New Castle County in Delaware.

For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see the Independence Public Media Foundation website.

Deadline: June 2, 2023 at 12 noon ET