Abelard Foundation – East Grant

The Abelard Foundation, established in 1958, supports progressive social change projects located east of the Mississippi River. With an average grant size of $12,000, they prioritize new initiatives with budgets under $350,000. The foundation emphasizes community organizing, civil rights, and empowering marginalized groups. Eligible applicants must be associated with a nonprofit organization and demonstrate a commitment to local leadership and broader policy connections. The board meets biannually to decide on approximately 15 grants per year, focusing mainly on general support.

The Abelard Foundation is a family foundation, with offices on both the east and west coasts, which has been making grants in support of progressive social change since 1958.
Abelard Foundation-East (Abelard East) focuses its grantmaking on projects operating east of the Mississippi River.
The board of directors meets in the late spring and late fall each year to make grantmaking decisions. The average grant size is $12,000. While grants are approved for one year, the Foundation will consider two one-year renewal requests.
Each year the Foundation makes approximately 15 grants, of which generally five are new. Most grants are for general support.
Criteria
Successful applications to Abelard East satisfy criteria in three areas.
Strategy
Fundamental to the grantees of Abelard East is the strategy of community organizing (including civic and electoral participation) as they work toward the goal of a more democratic, just and equitable society. Basic to an organizing strategy is the development of local leadership and the empowerment of constituents.
Issues
Abelard East is committed to supporting local progressive social change activities that advance and protect civil rights and liberties, immigrant rights and worker rights and promote and strengthen community involvement in, and control over, the decisions that affect their lives. Our grantees are involved in a broad range of issues which involve social, racial and economic justice and civil and human rights.
Constituencies
The constituents of Abelard East’s grantees are those who are seeking to affirm their human rights, including poor and low-income people, the disenfranchised, immigrants, workers, people of color, and the disabled among others.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants must represent or be associated with a nonprofit, 501(c)3 tax exempt organization. Applicants to Abelard East must be located east of the Mississippi. The Foundation primarily supports local organizations.Certain state and regional efforts will be considered which have a strong local organizational membership base.

Ineligibility

Types of organizations we do NOT fund: International organizations and organizations located outside of the US; direct social services; government agencies and programs undertaken by tax-supported institutions or government initiative; programs which are solely educational, training or technical assistance in nature; capital expenditure, endowments, construction or renovation programs; emergency funding; scholarship funds or other aid to individuals; schools and educational institutions; cultural institutions; medical institutions; film, video, publications or other media projects; grantmaking institutions; large national or regional networks; research or fellowships; organizations with access to traditional or mainstream funding.Types of strategies we do NOT fund:Direct service, technical assistance, training, media, legal assistance, and public policy advocacy or research as stand alone strategies.We do not make multi-year grants.