Needmor Fund: Community Organizing Efforts

Posted by on January 14, 2013

Needmor Fund Offers Support for Community Organizing Efforts
Deadline: May 31, 2013

The mission of the Needmor Fund is to work with others to bring about social justice.

To that end, the fund seeks to remove systemic barriers to the practice of democracy by encouraging the efforts of people who are working together for justice and the common good; encourage involvement in community affairs by people whose participation in democratic society has been systematically denied; and foster the active participation of all citizens in crafting a vision, values, and policies that are more equitable. The fund has identified community organizing as the most effective means for achieving these goals.

Community organizing groups seeking funding must be well-managed, have a financial and fundraising plan, be engaged in strategic planning, and possess strong leadership and lively governance; be multi-issue and working to address issues of race, immigration, poverty, economic justice, and low-wage work; have a good balance between issue work and organization building; be membership-based and democratically run; engage in direct action; work to organize primarily low- and moderate-income people; and have a larger vision to aggregate power, take on bigger policy issues, and expand its base of allies to increase its impact over time.

The fund has two grantmaking cycles per year: 1) the Southeast and Southwest Cluster Grant for applicants located in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arizona, New Mexico, and the southern portions of California and Texas (Deadline: January 10, 2013); and 2) the National Learning Community Grant (pre-application inquiry form deadline: May 31, 2013). The pre-application inquiry form must be submitted by all National Learning Community applicants that are not current grantees of the Needmor Fund.

The fund’s policy is to provide core operating support to grantee organizations for up to four years, after which time organizations may not re-apply for at least two years. In 2011, core grant amounts ranged from $25,000 to $40,000.

Visit the Needmor Fund Web site for complete program guidelines, specific assessment criteria within each regional cluster and nationally, and application procedures.

http://www.needmorfund.org/procedures.htm