Meyer Foundation Grants

_NOTE: There are no deadlines to submit Interest Forms: we accept and review them year-round, with a pause during December's holiday season. We'll respond within 30 days of your Interest Form submission to let you know whether we will consider it for funding and invite you to submit a proposal._

_While there are no deadlines, you can submit  the Interest Form by:_

• _March 4 for awards in Mid-May_
• _June 4 for awards in  Mid-August_
• _September 4 for awards inM id-November_

The Meyer Foundation pursues and invests in solutions that build an equitable Greater Washington community in which economically disadvantaged people thrive. We apply a systems approach to achieve a just, connected, and inclusive Greater Washington.

• Shift the conditions, policies, practices, priorities, culture, and power to create systems that are equitable and inclusive.
• Build the power and leadership of the people most directly affected by inequity based on the unique context of their experiences.

Core Grantmaking

We partner with organizations and projects that build the power of Greater Washington communities to reimagine, recreate, and reform systems in the pursuit of racial equity and justice.

At the Meyer Foundation, we believe systemic racism has led to our deeply inequitable economy and unjust systems, preventing too many people from accessing prosperity and opportunity.

This vision is an important component of the framework for our core grantmaking.

Through our grantmaking, we support work that strives toward a better future–one that is rooted in equity, justice, and our shared humanity and that helps build a more racially just society where everyone in our region can thrive.

What We Support

In addition to our eligibility requirements, organizations or projects seeking funding should:

• Address the root causes of inequity through systems change work. We define systems change as challenging and changing the culture, policies, practices, and priorities that create and perpetuate inequities. These inequities have only been further exposed and exacerbated during the pandemic.
• Build power for purposes of advancing racial and/or economic justice.
• Leverage one or more of these tactics for change:
  • Organizing & Base Building - Organizing is a grassroots method for building relationships and power, particularly among people and communities who have traditionally been excluded from decision making. Organizing may also be referred to as base building—recruiting and retaining a large group of members from impacted communities who participate in and help direct and implement the work of the organization.
  • Advocacy - Any action that speaks in favor of, recommends, argues for a cause, supports or defends, or pleads on behalf of others. It includes public education, regulatory work, litigation, and work before administrative bodies, lobbying, voter education, voter registration, and more.
  • Coalition Building - A coalition is a collection of people and organizations with similar interests working together to influence outcomes around a specific cause. Coalition building is the process by which people and organizations come together to grow their base, coordinate efforts, deploy resources, and provide leadership and guidance to achieve objectives broader than a single organization might accomplish on its own.
• Actively participate in broader organizing, movement, and/or field-building work to advance racial and economic justice in Greater Washington.

What Does Meyer Look for When Selecting Grantee Partners?

To evaluate Interest Forms or proposals, we look at:

• Building power and leadership: To what extent is your organization or project building and supporting the leadership and power of those closest to the issues and most affected by racial inequities?
• Tactics: How does your organization/project apply one or more of the tactics of organizing and base building, advocacy, and/or coalition building?
• Movement building: How does your organization’s work contribute to broader work in DC, Maryland, or Virginia to advance racial and economic justice?

What Types of Grants Does Meyer Make?

Meyer awards one-year and multi-year grants for general operations and projects. Meyer’s primary grantmaking strategy is to provide general operating support. We award project-specific grants (including, in a limited number of circumstances, for capital campaigns) when a particular project aligns with Meyer’s goals, but the overall work of the organization does not, or where the organization is based outside of Greater Washington but is carrying out work in the region.

Multi-Year Grants

Organizations that are good candidates for multi-year support are those that most closely align with the approach described above.

• Community organizing groups who have: 1) a proven track record building the leadership of people with lived experience in the issue(s) being addressed and 2) the ability to act and make change.
• Coalitions working on multi-year campaigns that address the priorities and/or concerns identified by their constituents.
• Anchor organizations hosting multi-stakeholder coalitions focused on changing policies and institutions that perpetuate racial inequity.
• Emerging organizations that have promising ideas and/or fill a critical gap in movements to shift systems toward racial and economic justice.

Eligibility

_You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website._

• To apply for a grant from the Meyer Foundation, applicants should:
• Be a nonprofit organization with a 501(c)(3) public charity designation by the IRS (or be fiscally sponsored by one) and,
• Work with and for the people and communities of the Greater Washington region, which Meyer defines as:
• Washington, DC
• Montgomery and/or Prince George’s counties, Maryland
• Arlington, Fairfax, and/or Prince William counties, Virginia counties and/or the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, and/or Manassas Park in Virginia
• Most of the organizations Meyer supports are local organizations based in and carrying out their work in the Greater Washington region. If you work for a national or statewide organization that wants to apply to Meyer, we will consider your request if your work is strongly aligned with Meyer’s goals and priorities, takes place in the Greater Washington region, and is done in close partnership with local communities and organizations.
• We will consider support for:
  • Demonstration/pilot projects that model what a racially equitable system could look like and that are used to advocate for how systems can and should change.
• If your organization is not yet a 501c3 or does not yet have fiscal sponsor, you are welcome to apply while you are securing that designation.
  • Grants can only be made to verified public charities.

Ineligibility

The Meyer Foundation does not fund:

• Capital for housing construction or development
• Start-up and operating support for housing developers
• Scholarships or financial assistance
• Medical or scientific research
• Programs that promote religious doctrine
• Individual public, public charter, or private schools
• Individuals (including scholarships and emergency assistance)
• Parent Teacher Associations
• Special events or conferences, except by invitation only
• Endowments
• Direct services (except in the above-described circumstances where these services are part of an advocacy or organizing agenda or strategy)