All Black Lives Grant dedicates funding to frontline LGBTQ+ organizing groups and efforts that are Black LGBTQ+ led in Central Florida to build on the movement for Black lives — particularly those led by and for Black Transgender, Gender Nonconforming, and Gender Nonbinary community and Sex Workers.
Donor Name: Contigo Fund
State: Florida
County: Selected Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/15/2023
Size of the Grant: $20,000
Grant Duration: 12 months
Details:
Co-designed by Contigo’s leadership alongside Black LGBTQ+ Leaders from Contigo’s Community Board and moderators of the Central Florida Black LGBTQ Lives Matter Listening Session, Contigo launched the All Black Lives (ABL) Grants Cycle on June 10, 2020. ABL is inspired by the historic racial justice uprising and motivated by the escalating and often invisibilized cases of murder and violence against their Black Transgender family at the hands of police brutality, white supremacy, and transphobia. We are all called on to #SayTheirNames.
Contigo Fund’s Theory of Change:
- Shaping a system that,
- brings those pushed farthest to the margins of society closest to the center;
- opens doors of opportunity to those historically marginalized from power into positions of decision-making leadership;
- meets the unique needs of those most impacted by inequalities and inequities with cultural competence, humility, and compassion; and
- where every individual has a role and no community is disposable, catalyzes a strong intersectional movement and builds a social justice ecosystem that can include and support everyone.
Funding Information
- Grants for this annual cycle can be made up to a maximum of $20,000 in prioritized funds and up to $1,500 in discretionary funds. Submissions are limited to one application per organization (joint applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis), and applicants can apply for a 12-month grant up to the maximum. They must demonstrate how a proposal would be accomplished in that period for the amount requested.
- Supports grassroots organizing to build visibility and power, promote safety, and amplify the demands of those impacted by anti-Black racism and gender discrimination.
Funding Priorities
To advance its mission, Contigo Fund will fund organizations to build on and advance several types of movements that are Black & LGBTQ-led. Organizations may apply for support for one or more of the following:
- Healing and empowerment: Projects that provide opportunities for healing from the escalating and often invisibilized cases of murder and violence against our Black Transgender family at the hands of police brutality, white supremacy, and transphobia and builds up the leadership and advances the movement catalyzed by the historic racial justice uprisings. Including peer-led support groups, community organizing, and other programs that focus on providing culturally and linguistically competent services and empowering community members to advocate for long-term systemic and transformative change.
- Advancing Racial Equity and Justice: Projects that address societal, structural, and systemic racism and other inequities in health outcomes. Strategies that address systemic barriers for the Black LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities. Alternatively, efforts that address root causes and focus on a particular intervention, such as training for policy change within a specific issue area. Other examples include addressing: online disinformation and hate; white supremacist violence and rhetoric; and voter subversion and suppression that undermine democracy and entrench systemic inequities.
- Leadership development: Projects that promote leadership development, including popular and political education and grassroots and advocacy training and skills building, among Black LGBTQ+ communities historically marginalized by society from equal opportunity and power.
- Work led by Black trans/gender-expansive/intersex individuals and women, undocumented leaders, sex workers, and youth: Projects that center and are led by transgender, queer, gender expansive, intersex individuals and women, undocumented leaders, sex workers, and youth from the Black community.
- Bridge-building: Projects that create opportunities for meaningful connection, mutual learning, and coalition among Central Florida’s diverse communities, especially between LGBTQ+ Black and Latinx, Muslim, Immigrant, and other communities of color.
- Racial, economic, and gender justice-focused: Projects that raise an intersectional awareness to address homophobia, transphobia, patriarchy, gender inequity or inequality, gender-based violence, Islamophobia, xenophobia, racism, economic inequity, and/or other forms of bigotry and disparities.
Eligibility Criteria
Contigo Fund seeks proposals for efforts based in Central Florida supporting POC and LGBTQ+ communities historically marginalized by society from equal opportunity & power:
- The organization must be based in Central Florida, and proposed efforts must uniquely serve Central Florida’s Black LGBTQ+ communities.
- Groups or proposed projects/programs must be directed/led by Black LGBTQ+ leader(s).
- It should help sustain and grow capacity and forward movement to empower Black LGBTQ+ people living at the intersection of marginalized identities, particularly women, trans, and nonbinary folks, youth, rural communities, and the broader African diaspora such as Caribbean and other immigrant communities.
- Must be a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization or fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. To apply, groups do not need 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. Those lacking 501(c)(3) status can apply as being fiscally sponsored under the auspices of an established 501(c)(3). Fiscally sponsored groups must submit a fiscal sponsorship agreement outlining the roles of both the fiscal sponsor and the fiscally sponsored group and signed by representatives of both parties. If your group does not yet have a fiscal sponsor, contact the Foundation Manager for assistance connecting with potential sponsors.
- Fiscally sponsored groups need to have an oversight and accountability structure or develop a plan for such a structure before receiving a grant. The oversight and accountability structure for the group can be a Community Steering or Advisory Committee of local community members that reflects the community the group seeks to support, setting the vision of the project and guiding its work like a board of directors. Please note the oversight and accountability structure is separate from the fiscal sponsor’s governance structure. The community steering / advisory committee informs the group’s work in alignment with the group’s mission and oversight of the group’s financial health and executive leadership. The oversight and accountability structure in place – or plan to develop one – must include an outline of the roles and responsibilities of the committee and any staff, including how the committee will oversee staff.
- Very strong preference will be given to organizations with less than $1 million expenses.
- Regardless of their structure or age, the applicant’s proposal should be able to demonstrate their alignment with the values of Contigo and their potential for advancing its vision and theory of change.
- Preference is given to projects and programs that respond to a distinct unmet need in the target communities and employ medium-term to long-term solutions.
- Applicants are required to be a part of a learning community/capacity-building program. They will be asked to participate with other community leaders, including convenings, leadership and organizational development training, and peer learning opportunities. Contigo will cover training costs, and the applicant core staff and board or community steering committee or community advisory board members should be prepared to devote appropriate time and thought to participate actively in these opportunities.
For more information, visit Contigo Fund.
