How much funding does Capacity Building Support provide?

Capacity Building Support provides $400,000 annually (2021 baseline) in funding.

When is the deadline for Capacity Building Support?

The funder has not published a deadline for this grant.

How often is Capacity Building Support offered?

Capacity Building Support accepts applications on a rolling basis.

Capacity Building Support

Groundswell Action Fund

Foundation Annual Grants for Nonprofits Capacity Building Grants Grants for Women Grants for BIPOC

Funding Amount

$400,000 annually (2021 baseline)

Deadline

Deadline not published

Grant Type

Foundation

Deadline history & next window

Cycle: Rolling — applications accepted year-round
Tracked since: April 2026

From the program guidelines: “Capacity-building support for organizations conducting year-round electoral organizing, focused on:”

Can we apply?

Check your organization against each line. Taken from the listing; confirm with the funder's guidelines.

Other requirements

Groundswell Action Fund grantee organizations
501(c)(4) organizations led by or centering women of color and transgender/gender-expansive people of color

Overview

Geographic Scope: Nationwide, United States

Focus Areas:
Capacity-building support for organizations conducting year-round electoral organizing, focused on:

Data, digital, and technology infrastructure
Media amplification
Political education
Legal compliance and 501(c)(4) strategy
Electoral planning and long-term strategy development
Leadership lifting for women of color, transgender, and gender-expansive people of color

Program Description:
Groundswell Action Fund stands in the gap for organizations by providing robust infrastructure support to build their capacity. The funder recognizes that year-round organizing creates stress on organizational staff and infrastructure, and thus provides optional capacity-building offerings. All capacity-building offerings are voluntary and not mandatory for grantee partners—there are no one-size-fits-all approaches.

Services Provided:

Data, legal, and compliance coaching
Communications training
Digital security training
Ballot issue campaign strategy
501(c)(4) startup infrastructure support

Historical Context:

2020: $1.5 million distributed as unanticipated income to ensure all grantees received renewal funding and additional capacity-building support
2021: $400,000 dedicated to capacity-building support to grantees

Blueprint Goals (2020-2025):

Provide $5 million in direct capacity-building support to the field
Support 15 WOC grantee leaders in developing advanced data and analytics expertise
Ensure 30 organizational leaders have advanced legal understanding of 501(c)(4) strategies

Eligibility:

Groundswell Action Fund grantee organizations
501(c)(4) organizations led by or centering women of color and transgender/gender-expansive people of color

Contact Information:

Phone: 510.444.5900
Email: info@groundswellactionfund.org
Mailing Address: 548 Market Street #49734, San Francisco, California 94104

What Groundswell Action Fund actually gave

Source: IRS Form 990, 2025

Grants in 2025: 44
Total given: $750K
Median grant: $15K
Range: $15K–$75K

By dollars: California 22%, New York 13%, District of Columbia 12%. Top recipient cities: Washington, DC; New York, NY; Oakland, CA.
0% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support.
11% of recipients were new grantees, not repeat recipients.