Fundraising for systemic change through movement building.
The community asked, we responded
Since March 2020, Seeding Justice’s innovative Community Fund program has helped us move deeper into our values and mission, raising more than $50 million to shift both wealth and power back to the communities closest to the pain of injustice.
Community Funds have proved to be a tangible platform to elevate and amplify movements and debilitating issues facing our communities, like the Chúush Fund; for organizations and communities to build funding coalitions such as the Oregon Worker Relief Fund; and present a tested model for state-wide funding initiatives, like the Oregon Reproductive Health Equity Fund.
There’s more to movement building than applying for grants.
By putting the most qualified people in charge–the very communities we serve–we’re able to pivot at a moment’s notice, provide a pathway for funding and return decision-making power over the money to those same communities, something status quo philanthropy has often wielded against them.
We’re able to reject the myth of scarcity and sense of competition in order to build coalitions that have the power, foresight and community support to effect long term change.
By donating to a Community Fund, you are joining an ever-broadening and self-sustaining movement to dream and build the joyful future we have always envisioned.
Our Community Funds
We currently host seven Community Funds at Seeding Justice, and are able to host these Funds thanks to the generosity of our donors. Every gift made goes directly to the community. We invite you to help keep Seeding Justice strong for years to come by making a separate donation to Seeding Justice.
Ambo Fund, Water for The Klamath
Named after the word for water in the Klamath language, the Ambo Fund was established in partnership with the Klamath Tribes in June 2021.
The Ambo Fund received an initial investment of $100,000 from Seeding Justice. Donations to this fund will help The Klamath Tribes as they work to save the endangered c’waam and koptu fish populations in the upper Klamath Lake. Their goal is to provide fish restoration to upper Klamath Lake, rebuild riparian areas, and continue to defend their rightful ownership of water rights in the basin during one of the worst droughts in recent memory.
Child Care Capacity Building Fund
In 2022, the Oregon Legislature allocated $22 million to develop the Child Care Capacity Building Fund (CCCB) to address Oregon’s child care capacity challenges.
The goal of this Fund is to increase the supply of early learning and child care slots, using a community-driven and equity focused, participatory grant making approach and is working to address the long-standing and systemic underinvestment in the child care sector, as well as the factors that exacerbate barriers to accessing reliable, affordable, culturally relevant care: racism, sexism, ableism, and poverty.
Chúush Fund, Water for Warm Springs
On May 31, 2019, the Tribal Council of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs approved an emergency disaster declaration due to the immediate health threats resulting from water main line break in the Shitike Creek.
Over two years into rolling water outages and a boil water notice across Oregon’s largest reservation, there is still no relief in sight. The first partnership of its kind, the Chúush Fund was made possible when the Tribes and Seeding Justice came together to provide a pathway for contributions from foundations and individuals to reach Warm Springs as the community works to restore its infrastructure and access to clean water.
Columbia River Restoration Fund
The Columbia River Fund was established by Columbia Riverkeeper, an environmental justice organization and long-time partner of Seeding Justice.
CRRF’s funds come from settlements obtained through litigation against polluters and its grants go to projects and environmental justice organizations working to restore, protect, and maintain the Columbia River and its tributaries.
The CRRF opens grant applications once a year in the fall season and its grantmaking committee is composed of climate and racial justice activists. Explore our grants page for more info on the application process, coming soon.
Oregon Community Climate Investment Fund
The Community Climate Investment program will enable upwards of $150 million annually in clean energy projects investments that benefit communities across the state with a focus on those most burdened by climate change including Black, Indigenous, and people of color, people with low incomes and people who live in rural communities.
When fully implemented, this program will be the largest of its kind in the country, demonstrating the power of blending our shared responses to climate change with the fight for environmental justice all while setting a new national precedent.
Oregon Worker Relief
Oregon Worker Relief is a coalition of more than 100 immigrant rights and community-based organizations that was established at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to help undocumented workers access unemployment relief. Seeding Justice has held this fund for OWR since its inception.
Today, Oregon Worker Relief has grown into one of the largest mass-mutual aid projects in the country, dispersing more than $180 million and counting to undocumented communities across the state.
The Reproductive Health Equity Fund
The Reproductive Health Equity Fund will provide access to essential reproductive and gender-affirming care, and is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expand equitable access across Oregon’s health care infrastructure. While Oregon is a leader in the country, we still have disparities amongst rural, tribal and undocumented communities, and communities of color.
This Fund will go toward expanding equity of access for Oregonians who need it most and support people most impacted by gaps in reproductive health care access and bans on abortion.
