Racial Equity and Social Justice Grant Opportunity - Learning Grant

The Racial Equity and Social Justice Grant Opportunity focuses on power-building and advocacy in Western Massachusetts. It aims to support community-based organizations that address systemic inequities faced by marginalized communities. With grants of up to $15,000, the initiative encourages projects that foster long-term community power and leadership development. This funding is essential for organizations seeking to create meaningful change and engage in collective learning to strengthen their capacity for systemic transformation.

Power-Building & Advocacy in Western Massachusetts
The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts is committed to addressing inequality through a comprehensive, community-driven approach.
This funding opportunity is part of our broader mission to invest in both innovative solutions and ongoing initiatives that are making a difference.
Why This Matters
Communities across Western Massachusetts continue to face entrenched racial, economic, and social inequities. These disparities are rooted in a long history of disinvestment, discrimination, and exclusion. Black, Brown, Indigenous, immigrant, and low-income communities have been denied the resources and power to influence the systems that affect their lives. This grant seeks to help change that.
Funding is urgently needed to support community-based organizations that are actively leading, and ready to lead, efforts to organize, educate, advocate, and build transformative models for change. Many of these groups operate with limited and unstable resources while doing deeply impactful work.
This initiative is about shifting power, resourcing leadership from within affected communities, and creating systemic change.
(12-month grant period)
Learning Grants are designed for organizations that are early in their exploration of system change and power-building.

Eligibility

What We’re Looking to SupportWe are seeking proposals for projects that endeavor to build long-term community power. This includes but is not limited to: Grassroots organizing Leadership development for directly impacted individuals Policy and systems advocacy within the allowable scope for nonprofits Civic engagement and base-building Coalition-building and community-led initiatives All funded work must be: Rooted in Hampden, Hampshire, and/or Franklin CountyWe do fund organizations that work at the state or regional level. That said, as a place-based funder, it’s important to us that organizations have a meaningful presence in our three-county region. In our view, that looks like dedicated staff spending significant time serving residents of our region. Led by or meaningfully guided by communities most impacted by racial, economic, or social inequality. Grounded in racial justice and committed to systemic change Eligible Organizations Should Have:An IRS designated 501(c)(3) status or an existing fiscal sponsorship.     An operating budget less than $5 million.Learning Grants – Up to $15,000Eligibility Criteria: Organizations may have limited or no prior experience in systems change or power-building work Demonstrated interest and commitment to building internal capacity around racial equity A desire to engage in collective learning and contribute to future coalition-based power-building efforts through the Racial Equity and Social Justice Initiative (RESJI).  These funds support organizational learning, leadership development, and capacity-building efforts tied to racial equity work.Funding also covers participation in no more than two required grantee learning sessions in collaboration with CFWM, which offer opportunities to build relationships, skills, and shared strategy among grantees.After one year, Learning Grant recipients may be eligible to apply for the Emerging Grant track. You can receive a RESJ grant if you have already received another competitive grant from CFWM. This funding is unrestricted.While these grants are intended to support community power-building, we recognize that operational needs are a part of sustaining that work. During check-ins and in the final report, organizations should be prepared to share how the funding has supported their power-building efforts.

Ineligibility

Organizations with operating budgets larger than $5 million are not eligible.  These grants are not intended to support internal organizational DEI.Funding cannot support:Endowments or capital campaignsSectarian or religious organizations unless as a fiscal sponsor for a broad community benefitInstitutions of higher education—including for scholarshipsAcademic researchK-12 schools—public, private, or charter schoolsOrganizations whose mission is to support municipalities/government agencies such as friends of libraries or school districts