Crossroads Fund: Community Resilience Fund Grant

The Crossroads Fund's Community Resilience Fund aims to support grassroots organizations in Chicago as they navigate urgent challenges and advocate for justice. Evolving from the Critical Response Fund, it focuses on equipping communities with resources to respond to public policy shifts, host trainings, and strengthen security. Priority is given to organizations demonstrating a commitment to social justice and community leadership, ensuring a swift, strategic response to pressing needs in a tumultuous socio-political landscape.

MEETING THE MOMENT
Crossroads Fund and the nation are witnessing a tumultuous chapter in history – marked by rising threats to values we hold dear, and the unraveling of hard-won social progress. The struggle is fueling attacks on non-profits, justice, equity and dignity, making the struggle for a just society more urgent than ever.  As new battles are emerging across the national, state and local levels Crossroads Fund’s Critical Response Fund is evolving into the Community Resilience Fund.
The Critical Response Fund was initially established to support Arab, Muslim, and immigrant communities who faced a backlash following September 11, 2001 attacks. The newly established Community Resilience Fund is designed to move resources quickly and strategically to Chicago organizers and movements fighting back. As its predecessor, it will continue to be grounded in our long-standing commitment to (1) follow the leadership of those most directly impacted: people of color, women, LGBTQ+ communities, immigrants, and working-class people and (2) meet the moment with steadfastness and a fierce determination to support frontline organizations as they respond to the increased threats to communities, movement organizing, and civil society at large.
Through the Community Resilience Fund, we aim to support Chicago’s bold, connected, and courageous communities by equipping our movement ecosystem with the resources, tools, trainings, and counsel needed to keep us safe. This fund will provide emergent, rapid-response grants to support organizations that are:
Responding to rapidly evolving public policy shiftsRestrategizing statewide coalitionsHosting emergent convenings, trainings, strategy sessionsPivoting community-organizing campaignsPlanning urgent mobilizations, or direct-actionStrengthening their legal, organizational, and digital security or crisis planning

Ineligibility

This fund does not cover general operating expenses, ongoing programming, or regularly scheduled events. Organizations seeking long-term support should explore Crossroads Fund’s other available grant opportunities.