Eligibility

Social Justice Fund NW's grants support activist, community-based organizations working to build a lasting movement for social, economic, and environmental justice in the Northwest United States. These grants are designed to address the root causes of social inequities, rather than alleviate the effects of these problems.

To determine if your organization is eligible for Social Justice Fund NW's grant programs, please review the following questions:

1. Does your organization have a 501(c)3 or 501(c)4 status as determined by the IRS? Is your organization a federally recognized American Indian tribal government or agency? Groups sponsored by 501(c)3 or 501(c)4 organizations or by federally recognized tribal governments can also apply.

2. Does your organization carry out most of its work in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and/or Wyoming?

3. Is your organization led by people who are the most directly affected by the problems that the organization or project is addressing? Please review our definition of Community Organizing.

If you answered "NO" to one of those questions, you should explore other fundting options. If you have any questions about the questions, please contact us using our Grants Staff Contact Form.

Social Justice Fund NW generally will NOT fund:

• General operating requests from organizations that primarily provide direct services to individuals and families. Social service organizations can apply for project-specific funds for projects that fit our social change criteria.

• Publications, reports, workshops, classes, conferences, media events, arts, or theater productions unless they are part of an ongoing community organizing effort.

• Environmental work unless it is aimed at achieving social justice goals. For example, Social Justice Fund generally does not fund recycling or resource conservation projects, but we do fund community organizing projects addressing environmental threats that disproportionately harm communities of color or low-income communities.

• Job training and workforce development.

• Projects sponsored by a government agency. For example, Social Justice Fund would not fund a project led by a public school district. However, we would fund a project led by communities of color that partners with public schools to address the academic achievement gap for students of color. The project must be community driven and led by those most directly affected by the problem.

• Research, litigation or legal expenses unless they are part of a larger community organizing effort.

• Individuals, endowment funds or capital campaigns.

How To Apply

Applying for a Grant

Before You Apply:

1. Review the Eligibilty page.
2. Review 2008 General Guidelines.
3. If you have not received a grant from SJF in the past, please contact a member of Grants & Program staff to discuss your organization and project by using the Grants Staff Contact Form or by calling (206) 624-4081.
4. Download guidelines for the grant program you wish to apply for, and review the specific guidelines for the program.

Application instructions:

1. Download the grant application you need (all available ones are listed to the right). The applications include instructions as well as the necessary forms for attachments for your application:
   • Standard Grant Application Cover Sheet
   • Budget Form
   • Funding Sources
   • Diversity Chart
2. If needed, download Grant Year-End Report Forms in MS Word:
   • Basic, TA, or Rapid Response
   • Cultural
   • Three-Year Support
   • Three-Year Capacity-Building

Or request any of these materials as an email attachment.

If you have questions, please contact us using our grants staff contact form.

Granting FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions

What changes have been made recently to the grants program?

SJF has suspended our Technical Assistance Grant program for 2008. We will use the year to evaluate the cumulative impact of these grants, and publish revised guidelines in late 2008.

Who makes granting decisions at Social Justice Fund NW?

Grant Review Committees are composed of member volunteers who read proposals, attend site visits, write reports, and then gather to decide which grants to recommend to the Social Justice Fund NW Board of Directors. Program staff advise the committees and manage the administrative aspects of our grant cycles, but staff members don’t have votes. The Social Justice Fund NW Board of Directors approves all grant recommendations.

Will my application really be disqualified if I exceed the page limits?

YES.

Why does Social Justice Fund NW limit the number of pages I can use?

Because our all-volunteer committee members must read up to 70 proposals in each cycle, under tight deadlines. Social Justice Fund NW encourages applicants to be concise and specific in describing their work, and to take advantage of site visit to elaborate, if applicable.

If my proposal is incomplete, what will happen?

Social Justice Fund NW program staff will try to notify you in time to include the missing information in the docket. However, if you don’t submit the missing information by the deadline, you will most likely have to wait to resubmit your proposal in the next cycle.

Will you accept an application if it is submitted late?

NO.

Who should I call if I have questions?

Social Justice Fund NW has two grantmaking staff members who each handle different grant programs. Please contact the appropriate person on the application, and s/he will answer your questions and discuss your proposal with you.

You can send an email to grants staff by using the grants staff contact form.

2007 Grant Deadlines

All grant applications must arrive at the Social Justice Fund office by 5:00 PM (Pacific) on the relevant deadline date. This includes mailed and hand-delivered applications.

Please note that Technical Assistance applications must be submitted by email.

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