Woods Fund Chicago is currently accepting applications for its Core Grant Program 2022 makes up the majority of Woods Fund’s annual grants.
Donor Name: Woods Fund Chicago
State: Illinois
County: Selected Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 06/01/2022
Details:
Core Grantmaking priority areas
Community Organizing
Community organizing enables democracy at the grassroots level to reimagine and transform systems. Their Community Organizing program area seeks to support organizations that bring people together with a collective vision to reclaim, build and wield their power to take collective action to advance racial equity and/or racial justice in metropolitan Chicago. They will support organizations that:
- Have 51% people of color on the executive leadership of the organization and its Board of Directors
- Prioritize and engage people most impacted by structural racism and economic injustice to lead the process of defining problems and developing solutions
- Are community-based and building an informed power base within community
- Utilize a political framework for organizing efforts
- Demonstrate elements of community organizing
- Articulate a strategy for systems change
- Operate within metropolitan Chicago (city proper with some consideration of other cities in Cook County)
- Are small or grassroots in budget size
- Grassroots – <$1M budget
- Small – $1M – $3M budget
Public Policy Advocacy
Their Public Policy Advocacy program area seeks to support organizations that influence public discourse and policy decisions to advance racial equity and/or racial justice.
Public policy advocacy is composed of a continuum of activities that aim to inform decisions within the public sector and may include educating the public and policymakers; influencing legislation, referendum, budgeting, and rulemaking; monitoring policy implementation, and taking legal actions.
- They will support organizations that:
- Have 51% people of color on the executive leadership of the organization and its Board of Directors
- Center a racial equity lens in their advocacy work
- Seek to create systems change to advance racial equity and economic justice
- Ensure that people most impacted by structural racism and economic injustice have a voice in the policymaking process
- Partner with community groups to advance campaigns and legislation
- Participate in strategic partnerships and/or collaborations, including coalition & coalition-building
- Have the ability to effectively influence policymakers and the policymaking process
- Articulate a strategy for systems change
- Operate within metropolitan Chicago (city proper with some consideration of other cities in Cook County)
- Are small or grassroots in budget size
- Grassroots – <$1M budget
- Small – $1M – $3M budget
Integrated Approach: Community Organizing and Public Policy Advocacy
Their Integrated Approach program area leverages the power of community organizing and public policy advocacy strategies. This program area seeks to support community-based organizations that employ both strategies to advance racial equity and/or racial justice.
- They will support organizations that:
- Have 51% people of color on the organization’s executive leadership and Board of Directors
- Seek to create systems change to advance racial equity and/or racial justice
- Prioritize and engage people most impacted by structural racism and economic injustice to lead the process of defining problems and developing solutions
- Are community-based and building an informed power base within the community
- Participate in coalition building to achieve greater impact
- Have the ability to effectively influence policymakers and the policymaking process
What They Do Not Fund
- Organizations outside of the Chicago metropolitan area (Chicago city proper and Cook County)
- Business or economic development projects
- Capital campaigns, capital projects, capital acquisitions, housing construction/rehabilitation
- Endowments
- Health care institutions, including, but not limited to, hospitals and clinics
- Organizations that provide direct services
- Medical and scientific research
- K-12 and post-secondary education scholarships
- Religious programs
- Leadership development or fellowship programs
- Sponsorship of fundraising events or program advertising
For more information, visit Woods Fund Chicago.
