Community Power-Building for Birth and Parenting Justice Grant Program

Funder: SisterSong: The National Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective

Program Overview

A multi-year community-based grant program to strengthen the birth and parenting justice movements. The program supports:

• BIPOC-led grassroots groups and organizations doing a wide range of birth and parenting justice work
• BIPOC creatives using the arts to shift narratives and change mainstream culture
• BIPOC researchers using research to amplify little-heard truths and correct cultural misperceptions

Grant Details

• Grant Type: General operating support with specific programming needs
• Minimum: $25,000 - $50,000 per year
• Maximum: $25,000 for individuals; $50,000 for organizations
• Total Funding Available: $1,000,000

Geographic Scope

• Primary: Beneficiaries may be anywhere in the US
• Emphasis: South and Midwest regions; those with little access to funds

Focus Areas

• Birth justice work
• Parenting justice work
• Culture-change work vital for birth/parenting justice
• Reproductive Justice advancement

Eligibility: Grassroots Groups and Organizations

• Must be BIPOC-led: Executive Director/CEO/President or senior-most staff member is Black, Indigenous, Asian, Asian-American, Pacific Islander, and/or Latinx; OR majority of decision-makers are BIPOC; OR for non-hierarchical structures, majority of staff/members are BIPOC
• Must be BIPOC-serving: Center the birth and parenting experiences of BIPOC communities and aim to directly support them
• Located in the US
• Must have 501(c)(3) status or a fiscal sponsor (fiscal sponsor recommendations may be available for unincorporated groups)
• Organizational budget must not exceed $250,000

Eligibility: Artists and Creatives

• Must be BIPOC
• Located in the US
• Should have past examples of work using art to advance birth and parenting justice, OR have a clearly defined project idea

Eligibility: Researchers

• Must be BIPOC
• Located in the US
• Should have an ongoing project or clearly defined idea for research to advance birth and parenting justice

What is Funded

• General operating support
• Specific programming needs
• RJ 101 and 102 training provided to recipients
• Capacity-building support
• Opportunities to connect with other grantees via quarterly conference calls and two convenings

Funding Allocation

• Up to 85% of grantees: Under-resourced grassroots, BIPOC-led groups
• Up to 15% of grantees: BIPOC researchers and creatives

Program Goals

1. Increase capacity to advance birth and parenting justice among grassroots BIPOC groups, researchers, and creatives
2. Create a supportive and collaborative network of BIPOC birth/parenting justice groups, researchers, and creatives
3. Progress toward birth/parenting justice for marginalized communities of color
4. Expand RJ movement with new grassroots birth/parenting justice groups, researchers, and creatives
5. Culture change highlighting birth/parenting justice in RJ, bringing more resources to BIPOC birth/parenting justice work
6. Build a new grantmaking and support model developed by the communities it serves

Application Approach

• Invite approach: Steering committee members network, research, and directly invite organizations to apply
• Open call window: Short window for unsolicited applications; applicants have applications reviewed to determine if a proposal will be requested

Contact Information

• Email for questions: aniqua@sistersong.net (Aniqua Acree, Consultant)
• General Email: info@sistersong.net
• Phone: (404) 756-2680
• Address: P.O. Box 94408, Atlanta, GA 30377; 1237 Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard, Atlanta, GA 30310

Important Notes

• Submitting an application does not guarantee funding or multiple years of funding
• Funding amounts determined on case-by-case review
• Selected grantees must provide feedback via survey and complete questionnaire
• Due to large volume of inquiries, response time may vary

Application Process

Note: The timeline below is from 2023 and is outdated. Current application windows are unknown.

Phases and Timeline (2023 - HISTORICAL)

1. Research and Networking Period: March 28, 2023 - April 30, 2023
2. Application Phase: Open call applications open May 19, 2023 and close June 1, 2023 at 5:00 PM ET
3. Application Review: May 24, 2023 – May 29, 2023
4. Invitation to Submit Proposal: Sent by May 31, 2023
5. Notification of Awards: Final award notifications sent by June 30, 2023
6. Acceptance and Survey: Formal acceptance and completion of survey due by July 7, 2023
7. Proposal Submission (if invited): Friday, June 9, 2023 at 5:00 PM ET

Application Procedure

1. Access the application by clicking the link on the grant page
2. Submit initial application during the open call window (if applicable)
3. Application review by steering committee
4. If interested: Applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal with any additional attachments
5. Submit proposal by specified deadline (if invited)
6. Receive award notification
7. Complete acceptance and survey upon selection

Required Materials

• Initial application form (specific questions not detailed in provided content)
• If invited: Full proposal with any additional attachments
• Survey completion (post-award)
• Questionnaire completion (post-award)

Application Requirements

• Follow all instructions carefully
• Be prepared to describe:
  • Organization/individual background and mission
  • Birth/parenting justice work and goals
  • How work advances birth/parenting justice
  • Community served
  • Budget and funding needs
  • Capacity and readiness (for grassroots organizations)
  • Artistic or research approach (for creatives and researchers)

Questions and Support

For questions about your application, contact:

• Aniqua Acree: aniqua@sistersong.net
• Response time may vary due to large volume of inquiries