The Libra Foundation approves $13.5 million in sustained core support grants for social justice organizations
San Francisco, CA – On November 5, The Libra Foundation approved $13.5 million in unrestricted grants supporting 69 existing partners at the forefront of social justice movements for transformative change. The Foundation is providing sustained funding to grantee partners that are creating strategies and implementing solutions that advance justice and liberation for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color around the country.
“BIPOC groups have led the fight for democracy during 2020, resulting in a record voter turnout even in a time of voter suppression, as well as the ravages of COVID and economic recession,” said Crystal Hayling, the Executive Director of The Libra Foundation. “For groups on the frontlines of systemic oppression, this is the beginning of the struggle, not the end – and they need to be adequately resourced as we move forward.”
The overlapping crises of 2020 have further illuminated the need for philanthropy to show up with rigor and persistence. In light of multiple crises this year, Libra committed to doubling its grantmaking budget to $50 million in 2020, $25 million more than 2019. In September, Libra announced the launch of the Democracy Frontlines Fund, an aligned giving strategy that leveraged $36 million in multi-year, unrestricted support from 12 foundations for a slate of 10 Black-led racial justice organizations.
Libra believes that funders need to be adaptive and responsive to the needs of their grantees – which includes getting funds quickly into the hands of those who need it most and with minimal red tape. To meet this need, the Foundation has partnered with Amalgamated Foundation – learn more about this relationship and Amalgamated’s practices here.
Renewing Grantees
¡PODER!
350.org
A La Defensa
Action Center on Race and the Economy Institute (ACRE)
APANO Communities United Fund
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus
Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice
Black Census & Redistricting Hub
BOLD: Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity
BYP100 Education Fund
California Coalition for Women Prisoners
Californians United for a Responsible Budget
Center for Neighborhood Technology
Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice (CREEJ)
Center for Working Families Fund
Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE)
Choose1
Climate Justice Alliance
Color of Change Education Fund Inc.
Community Works West
Critical Resistance
Demos
Earthjustice
Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
Equal Justice Initiative
Equality Labs
Essie Justice Group
Families Against Mandatory Minimums
Formerly Incarcerated and Convicted People and Families Movement (FICPFM)
Forward Together
Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA)
Grist Magazine Inc.
Ignite
Indigenous Environmental Network
Institute for Strategic and Equitable Development
International Indian Treaty Council
Jolt Initiative
Justice for Migrant Women
Movement for Family Power
Movement Generation
National Domestic Workers Alliance Inc.
Native Organizers Alliance
Native Voices Rising
NDN Collective Inc.
Operation Restoration
Our Children’s Trust
Pesticide Action Network North America
Physicians for Social Responsibility – Los Angeles (PSR-LA)
Prism
Project South
Restaurant Opportunities Centers ROC United Inc.
Rise Together Fund
Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples Inc.
SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective
Southern Movement Assembly
Southern Vision Alliance
Sovereign Bodies Institute
Success Stories
TGI Justice Project
The Afiya Center
The Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment (CRPE)
The Electoral Justice Voter Fund
Trans Justice Funding Project
Transform Finance
US Human Rights Network
Verde
Voice of the Experienced (VOTE)
Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA)
We Got Us Now Inc.
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The Libra Foundation funds in the areas of criminal justice and social justice, environmental and climate justice, and gender justice. This docket was shaped by an approach that uses program areas to more clearly see the overlaps of injustice and implement a more intersectional analysis. The Foundation prioritizes its network of movement leaders and social justice funders by valuing collaboration, shared learning, and partnership.