Seeding Justice General Grantmaking Program

Seeding Justice's primary grantmaking program that uses participatory grantmaking (PGM) to support social change organizing. The organization has been funding social justice work since 1976 and operates with an activist-led grantmaking committee.

Mission & Approach

• Mission: Support those most impacted by injustice—those closest to the pain of oppression—as they are best equipped to come up with solutions
• Model: Participatory Grantmaking (PGM) - decision-making power about funding is ceded to the very communities that funders aim to serve
• Philosophy: Emphasizes trust, collaboration, democracy, and liberation over traditional philanthropic approaches

Geographic Scope

• Primary focus: Oregon
• Funding organizations: Both within Portland Metro and outside (65% of organizations funded work outside Portland Metro area in recent cycles)

Focus Areas

• Social change organizing
• Community organizing and civic engagement
• Leadership development for BIPOC and marginalized communities
• Criminal justice and abolition work
• Economic justice and wealth-building
• Indigenous sovereignty and cultural preservation
• Youth organizing and empowerment
• Immigration and migrant rights
• LGBTQ+ rights and safety
• Mental health support for organizers
• Educational equity

Eligibility

• Grassroots and community-based organizations
• BIPOC-led organizations prioritized (75% of organizations funded in Spring 2021 cycle were BIPOC-led)
• LGBTQ-led organizations prioritized (55% of organizations funded in Spring 2021 cycle were LGBTQ-led)
• New and established organizations welcome (45% of organizations in Spring 2021 cycle were receiving a grant from Seeding Justice for the first time)

Grantmaking Committee

• Activist-led, community-focused committee
• Meets regularly to review applications and make funding decisions
• Composed of community members and organizers

What They Fund

• Multi-strategy organizing campaigns
• Leadership development programs
• Community engagement and civic participation initiatives
• Mutual aid and direct support to marginalized communities
• Educational campaigns and resources
• Cultural preservation and community building work
• Youth mentoring and organizing

Recent Grantee Examples (Spring 2021)

• Organizations working on prison abolition and LGBTQ incarcerated people support
• Black economic empowerment and wealth-building initiatives
• Immigrant and Latinx community organizing
• Houseless youth support and organizing
• Sex worker organizing and labor rights
• Civic engagement of Native Hawaiian, Micronesian, and Somali communities
• Trans/gender diverse community support and education

Contact Information

• Address: Center for Social Justice, 510 SW 3rd Ave Suite 300, Portland, Oregon 97204
• Phone: 503-289-1517
• Email: info@seedingjustice.org
• Website: seedingjustice.org

Application Process

Seeding Justice uses a participatory grantmaking approach that differs significantly from traditional grant applications:

General Approach

• Relationship-based: Heavy emphasis on relationship building rather than burdensome applications
• Community-centered: Direct engagement with applicant organizations and communities
• Trust-focused: Organizations are trusted to know best how to use grants without excessive documentation requirements
• Feedback-welcome: Organization actively seeks and acts on feedback to improve processes

Application Materials (Traditional)

While specific application details are not fully provided in the website content, the organization indicates that they:

• Minimize burdensome requirements: Avoid "opaque, burdensome, and data-heavy grant applications"
• Meet directly with grantees: Rather than relying solely on written applications
• Reduce documentation demands: Trust groups to use grants effectively without excessive reporting

Application Philosophy

• Activist-led grantmaking committee reviews applications
• Committee members have lived experience in social justice movements
• Applications are evaluated by people closest to the communities being served
• Process designed to be accessible to grassroots organizations with limited administrative capacity

Note: Specific application portal, deadline dates, and detailed narrative questions are not provided in the available website content. Contact the organization directly for current application instructions and deadlines.