Grantmaking Approach
Through 375 grants to 190 organizations (to date), the Collective simultaneously supported multiple clusters of high-impact groups with guaranteed multi-year funding. Together, these groups are making lasting local, regional, and national impact.
Multi-year, general operating support
Multi-year, general operating support has long been understood to be the gold standard of grantmaking in philanthropy. In its first phase of grantmaking, the EJRC made 5-year funding commitments and general operating support grants to 78 organizations because this type of support allows organizations the runway to engage in long-term, power building work, while also responding to urgent flashpoints.
Garden of Flowers movement art during the Women's Day March in 2025. Southwest Workers Union
Multi-year, general operating support
Multi-year, general operating support has long been understood to be the gold standard of grantmaking in philanthropy. In its first phase of grantmaking, the EJRC made 5-year funding commitments and general operating support grants to 78 organizations because this type of support allows organizations the runway to engage in long-term, power building work, while also responding to urgent flashpoints.
Garden of Flowers movement art during the Women's Day March in 2025. Southwest Workers Union
Multi-year, general operating support
Multi-year, general operating support has long been understood to be the gold standard of grantmaking in philanthropy. In its first phase of grantmaking, the EJRC made 5-year funding commitments and general operating support grants to 78 organizations because this type of support allows organizations the runway to engage in long-term, power building work, while also responding to urgent flashpoints.
Garden of Flowers movement art during the Women's Day March in 2025. Southwest Workers Union
Land-based projects and capital campaign contributions
In phase two of its grantmaking, the EJRC directed nearly $9 million towards 44 land-based projects including farms, cooperative grocery stores, buildings for meeting space, land trusts, and training/retreat centers.
In some instances, the allocation of these funds was further democratized into the movement such as in Puerto Rico and through the Fund for Frontline Power:
In 2024, when the EJRC decided to fund a grantmaking strategy around movement-governed land-based initiatives, grantee partners in Puerto Rico had already built trust and shared their assessment of which land-based initiatives to prioritize. The grantees developed a movement-advisory process through the Maria Fund to determine how some of the resources would be allocated across land projects in Puerto Rico.
The Collective allocated nearly $1 million to land-based projects selected through the Fund for Frontline Power, a grassroots-governed fund fiscally sponsored by The Solutions Project.
Thus, the EJRC, which was already a movement-led body, found ways to create deeper involvement of movement groups in the allocation of resources. This ensured that their funding was responsive and aligned with needs on the ground.
Smile Trust team and partner organizations at the Freedom Lab are getting ready to deploy items supporting those affected by extreme weather conditions.
Land-based projects and capital campaign contributions
In phase two of its grantmaking, the EJRC directed nearly $9 million towards 44 land-based projects including farms, cooperative grocery stores, buildings for meeting space, land trusts, and training/retreat centers.
In some instances, the allocation of these funds was further democratized into the movement such as in Puerto Rico and through the Fund for Frontline Power:
In 2024, when the EJRC decided to fund a grantmaking strategy around movement-governed land-based initiatives, grantee partners in Puerto Rico had already built trust and shared their assessment of which land-based initiatives to prioritize. The grantees developed a movement-advisory process through the Maria Fund to determine how some of the resources would be allocated across land projects in Puerto Rico.
The Collective allocated nearly $1 million to land-based projects selected through the Fund for Frontline Power, a grassroots-governed fund fiscally sponsored by The Solutions Project.
Thus, the EJRC, which was already a movement-led body, found ways to create deeper involvement of movement groups in the allocation of resources. This ensured that their funding was responsive and aligned with needs on the ground.
Smile Trust team and partner organizations at the Freedom Lab are getting ready to deploy items supporting those affected by extreme weather conditions.
Land-based projects and capital campaign contributions
In phase two of its grantmaking, the EJRC directed nearly $9 million towards 44 land-based projects including farms, cooperative grocery stores, buildings for meeting space, land trusts, and training/retreat centers.
In some instances, the allocation of these funds was further democratized into the movement such as in Puerto Rico and through the Fund for Frontline Power:
In 2024, when the EJRC decided to fund a grantmaking strategy around movement-governed land-based initiatives, grantee partners in Puerto Rico had already built trust and shared their assessment of which land-based initiatives to prioritize. The grantees developed a movement-advisory process through the Maria Fund to determine how some of the resources would be allocated across land projects in Puerto Rico.
The Collective allocated nearly $1 million to land-based projects selected through the Fund for Frontline Power, a grassroots-governed fund fiscally sponsored by The Solutions Project.
Thus, the EJRC, which was already a movement-led body, found ways to create deeper involvement of movement groups in the allocation of resources. This ensured that their funding was responsive and aligned with needs on the ground.
Smile Trust team and partner organizations at the Freedom Lab are getting ready to deploy items supporting those affected by extreme weather conditions.
Capacity building support
In phase two of its grantmaking, the EJRC identified three critical needs to strengthen movements: sabbaticals, language justice, and care for movement elders. A sabbatical grantmaking program provided $100,000 grants to 16 organizations to ensure long-time organizational staff were able to take needed rest while enabling the organization to bring on additional capacity if needed. A series of webinars and resources were developed or identified in concert with Kataly’s Capacity Building Program and made available across Kataly’s ecosystem of grantees.
The language justice grantmaking program supports multiple organizations coming together across language barriers, both through direct grants and through grants to language justice hubs. Values-aligned language justice support helps preserve and restore Indigenous languages, and also supports connections within the environmental justice movement across different communities, issue areas, and generations.
A grantmaking strategy is currently being designed to support engaging the wisdom and experience of movement elders and support their health and well-being to age with dignity and grace.
Katrina 20 People’s Movement Assembly in August 2025, a nine-month organizing process initiated and co-facilitated by Gulf Coast and Southern organizations including Project South in alignment with the K20 Local Organizing Committee, to build a plan for movement power, infrastructure, and governance rooted in the lessons of Hurricane Katrina. Click for K20 Report. Photo credit: Project South.
Capacity building support
In phase two of its grantmaking, the EJRC identified three critical needs to strengthen movements: sabbaticals, language justice, and care for movement elders. A sabbatical grantmaking program provided $100,000 grants to 16 organizations to ensure long-time organizational staff were able to take needed rest while enabling the organization to bring on additional capacity if needed. A series of webinars and resources were developed or identified in concert with Kataly’s Capacity Building Program and made available across Kataly’s ecosystem of grantees.
The language justice grantmaking program supports multiple organizations coming together across language barriers, both through direct grants and through grants to language justice hubs. Values-aligned language justice support helps preserve and restore Indigenous languages, and also supports connections within the environmental justice movement across different communities, issue areas, and generations.
A grantmaking strategy is currently being designed to support engaging the wisdom and experience of movement elders and support their health and well-being to age with dignity and grace.
Katrina 20 People’s Movement Assembly in August 2025, a nine-month organizing process initiated and co-facilitated by Gulf Coast and Southern organizations including Project South in alignment with the K20 Local Organizing Committee, to build a plan for movement power, infrastructure, and governance rooted in the lessons of Hurricane Katrina. Click for K20 Report. Photo credit: Project South.
Capacity building support
In phase two of its grantmaking, the EJRC identified three critical needs to strengthen movements: sabbaticals, language justice, and care for movement elders. A sabbatical grantmaking program provided $100,000 grants to 16 organizations to ensure long-time organizational staff were able to take needed rest while enabling the organization to bring on additional capacity if needed. A series of webinars and resources were developed or identified in concert with Kataly’s Capacity Building Program and made available across Kataly’s ecosystem of grantees.
The language justice grantmaking program supports multiple organizations coming together across language barriers, both through direct grants and through grants to language justice hubs. Values-aligned language justice support helps preserve and restore Indigenous languages, and also supports connections within the environmental justice movement across different communities, issue areas, and generations.
A grantmaking strategy is currently being designed to support engaging the wisdom and experience of movement elders and support their health and well-being to age with dignity and grace.
Katrina 20 People’s Movement Assembly in August 2025, a nine-month organizing process initiated and co-facilitated by Gulf Coast and Southern organizations including Project South in alignment with the K20 Local Organizing Committee, to build a plan for movement power, infrastructure, and governance rooted in the lessons of Hurricane Katrina. Click for K20 Report. Photo credit: Project South.
Rapid response and discretionary support
In its approach to rapid response funding, the EJRC leaders have prioritized meeting short-term needs, while also building the grassroots power and infrastructure that can transform systems and protect vulnerable communities for the long haul. Recognizing that communities hit hardest by climate disasters also bear the brunt of many other injustices, the Collective has mobilized rapid response resources beyond solely climate events. For example, the EJRC recommended grants in response to the ICE raids in Minneapolis, to support solidarity with Palestine during the genocide, and to resource reproductive justice organizing after the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
In times of climate emergencies, the Collective’s close connections to realities on the ground helped identify when and how a crisis was impacting communities. The EJRC has deployed timely resources to climate disasters including Typhoon Merbek; Hurricanes Helene and Milton; Hurricane Fiona; the wildfires in Altadena and Hawaii; impacts of Typhoon Halong on villages in Western Alaska; Typhoon Sinlaku; historic floods in Gary, Indiana; drought and water shutoffs in Puerto Rico, and more.
Discretionary support is a way for the EJRC to support cross-ecosystem efforts including movement-led capacity building initiatives, gatherings, organizer trainings, urgent needs, and other strategies to support communities in connecting and building their collective power.
Rapid response and discretionary support
In its approach to rapid response funding, the EJRC leaders have prioritized meeting short-term needs, while also building the grassroots power and infrastructure that can transform systems and protect vulnerable communities for the long haul. Recognizing that communities hit hardest by climate disasters also bear the brunt of many other injustices, the Collective has mobilized rapid response resources beyond solely climate events. For example, the EJRC recommended grants in response to the ICE raids in Minneapolis, to support solidarity with Palestine during the genocide, and to resource reproductive justice organizing after the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
In times of climate emergencies, the Collective’s close connections to realities on the ground helped identify when and how a crisis was impacting communities. The EJRC has deployed timely resources to climate disasters including Typhoon Merbek; Hurricanes Helene and Milton; Hurricane Fiona; the wildfires in Altadena and Hawaii; impacts of Typhoon Halong on villages in Western Alaska; Typhoon Sinlaku; historic floods in Gary, Indiana; drought and water shutoffs in Puerto Rico, and more.
Discretionary support is a way for the EJRC to support cross-ecosystem efforts including movement-led capacity building initiatives, gatherings, organizer trainings, urgent needs, and other strategies to support communities in connecting and building their collective power.
Rapid response and discretionary support
In its approach to rapid response funding, the EJRC leaders have prioritized meeting short-term needs, while also building the grassroots power and infrastructure that can transform systems and protect vulnerable communities for the long haul. Recognizing that communities hit hardest by climate disasters also bear the brunt of many other injustices, the Collective has mobilized rapid response resources beyond solely climate events. For example, the EJRC recommended grants in response to the ICE raids in Minneapolis, to support solidarity with Palestine during the genocide, and to resource reproductive justice organizing after the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
In times of climate emergencies, the Collective’s close connections to realities on the ground helped identify when and how a crisis was impacting communities. The EJRC has deployed timely resources to climate disasters including Typhoon Merbek; Hurricanes Helene and Milton; Hurricane Fiona; the wildfires in Altadena and Hawaii; impacts of Typhoon Halong on villages in Western Alaska; Typhoon Sinlaku; historic floods in Gary, Indiana; drought and water shutoffs in Puerto Rico, and more.
Discretionary support is a way for the EJRC to support cross-ecosystem efforts including movement-led capacity building initiatives, gatherings, organizer trainings, urgent needs, and other strategies to support communities in connecting and building their collective power.