Woods Fund of Chicago Grant: New Applicants

The Woods Fund of Chicago Grant supports organizations addressing structural racism and economic injustice through community organizing and policy advocacy. It prioritizes BIPOC-led groups working with marginalized communities. Grants of up to $35,000 are available for one year, with a focus on sustainable, systemic change. Eligible applicants must be located in the Chicago metropolitan area and engage in practices that promote racial equity. This initiative fosters collaboration to empower communities and challenge existing power structures.

Woods Fund Chicago
Woods Fund Chicago is a bold grantmaker that partners with communities to fight the brutality of structural racism and economic injustice. It promotes social, economic, and racial justice through the support of community organizing, coalition building, and public policy advocacy from grantee partners activating the people that are most impacted.
We Believe
Structural racism is a root cause of many challenges facing communities and is a significant barrier to eradicating poverty. Dismantling structural racism in society is a means to correct social and economic injustices.
Community organizing and public policy advocacy efforts lead to comprehensive, authentic, relevant, and sustainable solutions.
Systemic change is the only way to eradicate poverty and structural racism and the people most affected by poverty and racial inequity should be the leaders and participants in addressing issues that impact them.
Communities have greater strength, authority, and power through collaborative practice and collective voice.
Fighting For Racial Justice
Woods Fund Chicago is committed to being an active partner and catalyst with organizations that share our mission and values.
Grants
Woods Fund Chicago grantee partners:
are community organizerssupport grassroots movementstake collective actionuse an intersectional racial justice frameworkchallenge traditional power structurescollaborate with communities and movements to create sustainable, systemic change
How does Woods Fund Chicago define Community Organizing?
Community Organizing is the process by which people impacted by injustice take collective action, guided by an intersectional racial justice analysis, to build power to win meaningful change in their lives and communities, challenge the power structure, and achieve systemic change. Organizing often involves winning changes in practice, policy, and resource distribution of public or private institutions. It is fundamentally about justice, grassroots democracy, and self-determination.
What we are looking for
Majority BIPOC-led organizations that work within and collaborate with communities of color and systemically marginalized populations, including people of marginalized genders and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, communities under economic and environmental duress, people with disabilities, and all communities impacted by structural racism and economic injustice.
Strategy for systems change that articulates a critique of institutions of power, addresses changes in policies, practices, structures, and/or systems, and builds strategic partnerships with other organizations (including coalitions) to challenge power and invoke change.
Community Organizing that involves impacted communities in the decision-making process, providing opportunities and resources to further develop the leadership of those impacted by the issue that the organization is working towards dismantling.
Small and grassroots organizations, where grassroots organizations are defined as any organization with a budget less than $1M and small organizations as an organization with a budget between $1-3M.
Funding
Woods Fund Chicago distributes core grants up to $35,000 for new grantee partners. These grants are for one year and are renewable.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for a Woods Fund Chicago grant, your organization or coalition must:Be based in the Chicago metropolitan area (city proper with some consideration of other cities in Cook County).Be a registered 501(c)(3) organization or fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) organization.Build power through community organizing and/or public policy advocacy.Utilize a framework of racial equity and/or justice within organizing efforts.

Ineligibility

Currently, we do not fundOrganizations outside of the Chicago metropolitan area (Chicago city proper and its surrounding suburbs)Business or economic development projectsCapital campaigns, capital projects, capital acquisitions, housing construction/rehabilitationEndowmentsHealth care institutions, including, but not limited to, hospitals and clinicsOrganizations that only provide direct servicesMedical and scientific researchK-12 and post-secondary education scholarships  Religious programsLeadership development or fellowship programs