Bread & Roses Opportunity Fund Grant

The Bread & Roses Opportunity Fund Grant supports grassroots initiatives aimed at advancing social, racial, and economic justice in the Philadelphia area. Since its inception in 1977, the fund has provided over $17 million to local organizations committed to collective action and systemic change. Grants are available for special projects or urgent needs, focusing on community organizing rather than social services, and prioritize leadership from within affected communities.

Proposals are due by 5:00 pm Eastern on the 1st of each month. If the first is a weekend or holiday, the deadline is the first work day of the month.
Bread & Roses Community Fund
Bread & Roses Community Fund is the leading funder of grassroots organizing for racial, social, and economic justice in the Philadelphia region.
In 1977, a collective of organizers, activists, and donors launched Bread & Roses Community Fund as a home for channeling money to movements for real change in the Philadelphia region. To date, Bread & Roses has unleashed more than $17 million to flow to local grassroots groups taking collective action toward the liberation of all people.
Our Approach
Since 1977, Bread & Roses has inspired people to take collective action and create real change in their communities, the Philadelphia region, and beyond. We raise money through donations of all sizes and make grants using a democratic, community-led decision-making process. Our grants go to local groups working for good schools, fewer prisons, better jobs, a safe environment, quality health care, and more.
Grantmaking
Examples of community organizing include:
Civil disobedienceMass protestMobilizing community members to voice community concerns by attending meetings with or writing letters, sending emails, and making phone calls to public officialsMobilizing community members to pressure individual public officials to change their position on an issueHosting town hall meetings and conducting listening projects or using other methods to gather community input on a particular issue with the intention of building a base of community members and taking collective action to create change at the policy or institutional levelTraining community members to disrupt harmful practices that government or corporate entities are using to maintain existing systemsCreating alternatives to existing government or corporate systems or practices that are harmful and making those alternatives available in ways that have a measurable impact on the larger communityProviding space for political education that builds the leadership and skills of members of an affected community, enabling them to analyze harmful systems, develop strategies for social change, and take collective action to create sustainable social change
Opportunity Fund grants are intended for special projects or emergencies that are not part of an organization’s ongoing work. These activities are frequently in response to rapidly emerging issues and might include: demonstrations and rallies, coalition efforts, conferences, or forums.
Bread & Roses provides grants to groups that have a long-term vision and engage strategies that promote social justice, including:
A focus on organizing and activism (not social service work)A clear understanding of the root causes of the problem they are working to resolveA strategy that includes collective action by the community and results in concrete outcomesA vision that emphasizes changing the systems that create or perpetuate the problem being addressedLeadership that is primarily composed of people affected by the problem that is being addressedA priority for developing leadership from within the affected community

Eligibility

The Opportunity Fund makes grants to groups that:Meet all basic eligibility requirements and funding criteria, belowAre facing an emerging issue, project, or situation that is not part of the organization’s ongoing workHave not received an Opportunity Fund grant within the past 12 monthsOrganizations must meet all of the following basic requirements to be eligible for a grant from Bread & Roses:Must be located in Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Camden countiesMust be designated by the IRS as a 501(c)3 organization or have a fiscal sponsor that is designated by the IRS as a 501(c)3 organization or have documentation of a pending 501(c)3 application with the IRSMust be current with all progress reports from previously awarded Bread & Roses grantsMust be using community organizing to create sustainable social change

Ineligibility

Bread & Roses does not provide funding for:Direct service work/social services, self-help/empowerment programs, educational programs, or advocacyResearchSchoolsCapital campaigns or building projectsScholarships, fellowships, or grants to individuals (except through the Lax Scholarship Fund)