THE 2023 RPP IS CLOSED. DECISIONS WILL BE MADE IN MID-OCTOBER. 

Background 

Decolonizing Wealth Project is an Indigenous and Black-led racial justice organization that envisions a world where racial equity has become a societal norm – where new systems ensure everyone can live their best lives, thrive in their cultures, and heal from generations of colonial trauma. Our work aims to disrupt the existing systems of moving and controlling capital by offering truth, reconciliation, and healing from the ails of colonization through education, radical reparative giving, and narrative change.

Over the past three years, through our fund, Liberated Capital, we redistributed more than $4M to approximately 30 #Case4Reparations grantee partners to support movement-building & advocacy efforts to advance reparations in the U.S. This first-of-its-kind funding initiative aims to fuel and amplify movement building & campaigns efforts to achieve reparations where wealth (money or land) can be redistributed by institutions and/or governments to Black communities in the U.S. 

#Case4Reparations is a multi-year, multi-million-dollar initiative, and we are excited to announce an additional $3 million funding opportunity for both current #Case4Reparations grantee partners and new organizations, supporting systemic and policy change efforts in service of reparations.  This funding is part of our commitment to invest $20 million in the movement over the next 5 years.

Why Reparations?

The United States was built on a history and practice of enslavement, genocide, and extraction of and from Indigenous peoples and African descendants – resulting in more than 400 years of policies and procedures that fueled economic extraction and systemic violence in Indigenous and Black communities.

In 2020, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) reintroduced legislation to fund the first commission to study and develop proposals for providing reparations to African Americans. The bill was reintroduced in 2021 (as it has been at every congressional session since 1989) and is gaining traction with national support from leaders. This year, the momentum has continued with the legislation nearing the required House votes to pass through to the Senate and pressure building for President Biden to sign an Executive Order. There are also a number of reparative efforts underway to address the historical and ongoing theft and control of land that has led to the extreme concentration of wealth among a small group of people that exists today.  In May 2023, Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01) introduced a resolution that forcefully argues why the federal government must provide reparations to descendants of enslaved Black people and people of African descent. The resolution outlines the various forms those reparations should take and has further ignited the movement in its fight.

Because of the effectiveness of social movements over the past few years – coupled with the successful philanthropic organizing of Decolonizing Wealth Project – we are seeing new opportunities to unearth, support, and scale efforts to actualize reparations for Black peoples.

To support this progress, Liberated Capital will provide untethered resources to support organizing and advocacy for community-driven reparations efforts that will help build the case for local, regional, and national policy opportunities that will inform ways wealth can be redistributed by institutions and/or governments.

This funding opportunity aims to source both the spaces and places where reparations campaigns are taking hold, provide vital funding to fuel their efforts and utilize our platform as a reparations fund and field disruptor to document and share this reparations movement ecosystem with our network of philanthropic institutions and donors. The spirit of reparations is that those who hold the bulk of ill-gotten resources and influence (including philanthropy) must hold responsibility for repairing the harms done.

Eligibility

• Priority is given to organizations and/or coalitions led by Black leaders.
• We will also prioritize current grantee partners engaged in active reparations campaigns and policy work. 
• Grant dollars must be paid to a 501c3 nonprofit.
• We accept applications from fiscal sponsors. Individuals are not eligible.
• Applicants must be based in the United States.
• Coalitions and organizations working on advocacy campaigns to shift policies and systems that result in the payback of money or land from governments or institutions in the United States to Black people.  This does not include subsidies for direct services, such as affordable housing.  Note: previously, we have supported reparations efforts in the Indigenous communities. This year, the #Case4Reparations fund is focused exclusively on the Black community. We encourage Native American partners to review our other Liberated Capital programs, including the Indigenous Earth Fund and National Truth and Healing Fund (in development) for potential alignment. 
• Funding must be used for a charitable purpose (no direct lobbying).
• Approximately 25-30 organizations will be selected for funding and grant awards will average $50,000 -$100,000. Proposals will be evaluated by an advisory committee of Black leaders.

Key Dates

• Submissions open: Monday, August 7, 2023
• Proposal Submission Deadline: Thursday, September 7, 2023; 5 PM PST
• Decisions Announced: late October 2023

How to Apply 

Below are instructions on how to access the JustFund platform. Different links are offered depending on whether your organization received funding from us last year (2022).  If you would like to preview the questions before logging into the JustFund platform, we’ve listed all the questions and required attachments below in the PREVIEW THE RFP QUESTIONS section.

RETURNING GRANTEE PARTNERS  (your organization received funding from DWP in 2022)

Step 1: Visit www.justfund.us to log in to the account you registered with last year. If you are having trouble accessing your account, reset your password or contact info@justfund.us.

Step 2: Click this link to access the full RFP. 

If you have questions about how to access JustFund or submit your proposal, the JustFund team is standing by to support you! Contact them at info@justfund.us.

If you have questions about the RFP and the requirements for submission, reach out to us at reparations@decolonizingwealth.com

NEW APPLICANTS (your organization did not receive funding from DWP in 2022)

Step 1: Visit www.justfund.us to create an account, or if you already have an account, login. If you are having trouble creating an account, please contact info@justfund.us.

NOTE: It takes approximately 48 hours for an account to become active- this means you may need to wait up to two days to submit your proposal after you create your account. Please take this timeline into consideration when deciding when to submit your proposal. 

Step 2: Click this link to access the full RFP.  Once you are logged in, you’ll be able to view the RFP and submit your proposal on the JustFund platform.

If you have questions about how to access JustFund or submit your proposal, the JustFund team is standing by to support you! Contact them at info@justfund.us.

If you have questions about the RFP and the requirements for submission, reach out to us at reparations@decolonizingwealth.com.

Informational Webinar 

On August 9, 2023, we hosted a public informational webinar about this year’s #Case4Reparations funding process. Watch the replay here.

FAQs

Here is a list of questions and responses to commonly asked questions about the #Case4Reparations Fund.  These questions are updated regularly. Please submit questions to reparations@decolonizingwealth.com.

PREVIEW THE RFP QUESTIONS 

Note: these are the same questions that will appear when you click on a respective link above. We only review proposals submitted via JustFund. Please do not email your proposal.

The RFP will require you to complete the four common proposal questions as well as questions targeted to two groups (1) 2022 #Case4Reparations Grantee Partners and (2) new/all other applicants.

All Applicants

JustFund utilizes a Common Proposal with four narrative questions:

• Proposal Summary (140 characters): Think of this like a tweet. Please tell us about the mission of this proposal in a couple of sentences.
• Proposal Description (2500 characters): Tell us about your proposal.
• Team Description (1250 characters): Tell us about who comprises the team.
• Financial Need (500 characters): Please describe what you will use the funding for.

Current Grantee Partners  (your organization received funding from DWP in 2022)

We also will ask for the following additional information from current* grantee partners (*your organization was awarded a #Case4Reparations grant in 2022):

• A brief narrative outline showing (1)the progress you’ve made towards your goals; (2) the barriers you’ve faced in your work; and (3) the learnings you’ll take into the next year of your reparations campaign work.
• A project plan detailing your goals for the campaign for this funding round.  This plan should include specific reparations policies or institutions you are seeking to change, any new campaign goals, what movement-building strategies you are employing. You are required to attach a copy of your project plan when submitting your proposal. 
• A budget that includes a narrative with the following information: (1) the campaign budget (2) your organization’s budget size and (3)  identification of what funding is secured versus pending.

New Applicants (your organization did not receive funding from DWP in 2022)

We also will ask for the following additional information:

• What specific reparations policy or institution are you seeking to change, and what movement-building strategies are you employing (e.g., base building, communications, networking building, policy, etc.)?
• What partners/coalitions are actively engaged in your campaign? Who are your targets?
• What’s your communications strategy? How are you engaging media?

Requested Attachments (strongly recommended!):

• Campaign Plans: Please attach any document that clearly outlines your specific campaign goals (if not included in the text above).
• Budget: what is the budget for the campaign? What is your organization’s budget size? What funding is secured or pending?
• Leadership: Please share a list with information on the race/ethnicity and gender of your leadership (e.g. board/staff/community advisors).

***

2022 #Case4Reparations Grantee Partners

• ACRE Action Center on Race & the Economy
• African American Community Service Agency
• Blackroots Alliance
• DC Justice Lab
• Equity And Transformation (EAT)
• Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance
• Justice for Greenwood
• Marijuana Justice
• N’COBRA
• New Jersey Institute for Social Justice
• Racial Justice Coalition of Asheville
• Restitution Study Group
• Tiwahe Foundation
• Where Is My Land
• Women Engaged
• Black Land and Liberation Initiative
• Conrad Worrill Community Reparations Commission
• Malcolm X Grassroots Movement-NY Chapter
• Reparation Education Project
• Reparations Finance Lab

First Cohort of #Case4Reparations Grantee Partners (2021 Funding Cycle)

ACRE Action Center on Race & the Economy – Chicago, IL

African American Community Service Agency – San Jose, CA

Alaska Community Action on Toxics – Anchorage, AK

Blackroots Alliance – Chicago, IL

DC Justice Lab – Washington, D.C.

Drinking Gourd – Adel, GA

Equity And Transformation (E.A.T.) – Chicago, IL

Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance – East Point, GA

GES Coalition – Denver, CO

Gullah Geechee Group, Inc. – Hallandale Beach, FL

Healing and Reconciliation Institute – Monterey, CA

Justice for Bruce’s Beach – Manhattan Beach, CA

Justice for Greenwood – Tulsa, OK

Rematriation – Syracuse, NY

Marijuana Justice –  Richmond, VA

N’COBRA – Washington, D.C.

New Jersey Institute for Social Justice –  Newark, NJ

Racial Justice Coalition of Asheville – Asheville, NC

RAW (Redistribute Agency & Wealth) Trust –  Baltimore, MD

Restitution Study Group – New York, NY

Taller Salud – Jersey City, NJ

Tiwahe Foundation –  Saint Paul, MN

Women Engaged – Atlanta, GA

READ THE PRESS RELEASE ANNOUNCING THE FIRST COHORT

What’s Next?

We keep raising money and awareness to support this multi-year campaign.

And the work doesn’t stop with our grants. We’re committed to identifying the best ways to elevate the work of our grantee partners, and other organizations, through field and capacity-building and digital tools that will bolster the collective reparations movement.