Community Organizing Grants Program

The Community Organizing Grants program contains PDF’s annual grantmaking docket which consists of four grant programs: the Seeding the Movement Fund, Pioneer Valley Community Advised Fund, The Braiding New Worlds Fund and the De Colores Rapid Response Fund. Any organization that fits PDF’s guidelines is eligible to apply for a grant. PDF currently only funds organizations in the United States, Haiti and Mexico through the Community Organizing Grants docket.

Each year PDF receives hundreds of proposals from grassroots community organizations seeking funding. Through a careful review and interview process, PDF selects those organizations that will have a significant impact in their geographic and social justice focus area, or are working on issues that are not yet recognized by progressive funders.

Grant Eligibility

Please read our Grant Guidelines to see if your organization is eligible to apply. Review this FAQ for additional clarity.

What We Fund:

  • Organizing to Shift Power
  • Working to Build a Movement
  • Dismantling Oppression
  • Creating New Structures

What We Do Not Fund:

  • Programs with a primary geographic focus outside of the United States, U.S. Territories, Mexico and Haiti.  If an organization is U.S.-based but works mostly outside of these areas, it should consider filling out an LOI for a Donor Advised Fund grant, which are reviewed on a rolling basis.
  • Organizations not directly engaged in community organizing.
  • Social services that are not linked to a clear organizing strategy.
  • Individuals, or organizations with strong leadership from only one individual.
  • Conferences, trainings, and other one-time events.
  • Audio-visual productions and distribution – TV, radio, publications, films, etc. (PDF does fund media work or audio-visual production as part of the general expenses of groups engaged in grassroots organizing).
  • Research that is not directly linked to an organizing strategy (PDF does fund research as part of the general expenses of groups engaged in grassroots organizing).
  • Academic institutions and scholarships.
  • Other grantmaking organizations (unless they are your fiscal sponsor).
  • Organizations with budgets larger than $250,000.
  • Lobbying activities.

Application Dates & Deadlines

The Application period for PDF’s 2023 Community Organizing Grants will reopen in. November. of 2023.

The De Colores Rapid Response Fund is on an as need basis, so there is no deadline to apply for De Colores.

  • Finalist Grant Round Notifications: End of February
  • Final Grant Decision: End of April

The average grant is $5,000.

Our Community Organizing Grant cycle for the 2023 Fiscal Year has closed! Thank you to all those who applied! To learn about the grantees, click here.

To learn more about this program, view the zoom recording of our info session or check out the slides from a Community Organizing Grants Information Session hosted by Emily Szerafy-Cox.

Questions? You can email us or call 413-256-8306.