Crossroads Fund: Giving Project Grant

The Crossroads Fund’s Giving Project is a unique initiative that blends philanthropy with grassroots organizing. Over the past decade, cohorts have raised over $1 million in grants to support social, racial, and economic justice in Chicago. Participants, comprising a diverse group of volunteers, learn about community-led grantmaking while directly engaging with potential grantees. This hands-on program empowers individuals to apply their skills and resources to support impactful local organizations through one-year operating grants.

WHAT IS THE GIVING PROJECT?
The Crossroads Fund’s Giving Project is an innovative model for blending philanthropy and grassroots organizing. The program is powerful, challenging, and fun. It is a hands-on experience that will shift your thinking about money and give you tangible ways to act for social change.
In the past ten years, Giving Project cohorts have raised more than $1,067,000 that was given out in grants to support building social, racial, and economic justice movements across Chicago.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Each cohort brings together a cross-class, cross-race, gender-diverse, intergenerational group of 15-20 volunteers who share a vision of social justice and apply their time, talents, network and financial resources to move money to Chicago movements in 7 months (December – June).
Each participant commits to attending 12 sessions throughout the program to learn about race, class, power, grassroots donor organizing, and community-led grantmaking.
Participants apply what they learn immediately after each session as they read and evaluate grant applications, donors organize their friends & family, and lead site visits with potential grantee partners. At the end of the program, the cohort collectively decides which organizations receive grants.
What organizations will be funded by the Giving Project?
The Giving Project participants will use Crossroads Fund’s longstanding criteria to select grantees. Participants will work together to make one-year general operating grants. Potential grantees will apply through the Seed Fund application, which supports new, emerging, and small community-based organizations that are actively engaged in social change work.