Mobilize Power Fund

Para la versión en Español, por favor visita esta página.
The Mobilize Power Fund is a rapid response fund that resources gender justice organizations to adapt or pivot their work when met with unanticipated, time-sensitive opportunities or threats to their movement building work and organizing conditions. 

Apply by written application, video, or phone!
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​Through the Mobilize Power Fund, we resource time-sensitive projects including community organizing and mobilization, healing justice work, conflict resolution, community accountability, transformative and restorative justice work, direct action, and more. This fund does not resource general operating support, ongoing or regularly planned programming, or recurring events.
Fund Status
The Mobilize Power Fund is now accepting applications for 2023!
Key Dates
​Monthly deadlines are as follows at midnight in your time zone, with the exception of July, August, November, and December for program break. 

  • Tuesday, March 7
  • Tuesday, April 4
  • Tuesday, May 2
  • Friday, June 2
  • July & August - Closed
  • Tuesday, September 5
  • Tuesday, October 3
  • November & December - Closed​

Application Instructions

Note: Our goal is to make our application process as easy as possible. We use a screen reader-compatible online portal for English applications. If you have feedback on what works well or what doesn’t work well, or need accommodations in order to apply, we'd like to hear from you. Please contact us at programs@thirdwavefund.org or call us at 917-387-1262 x 806.
Part 1: Gathering Proposal Materials
To apply for the Mobilize Power Fund, we’ll need the following information for a complete proposal:

❏   Basic Information: Contact information, group description, and a brief (1-2 sentence) description of your proposal
❏   Project Budget: Please include the full budget for the project you want to fund, even if it exceeds your requested amount. Please download and use this Project Budget template.
❏   Group / Organizational Budget: Please include your group or organization's budget of your current calendar or fiscal year (if applicable). Please download and use this Organizational Budget template.
❏   If you are an independent 501(c)(3): IRS Letter for your Organization
❏   If you are Fiscally Sponsored:
  1. Fiscal Sponsor’s Organizational Budget
  2. Fiscal Sponsor’s 501(c)(3) IRS Letter
  3. Current Fiscal Sponsor Agreement signed by both parties​
❏  Answers to our Project Narrative Questions: We accept project narratives as written proposals, selfie video submissions, OR through an interview call. Please download and use this Project Narrative template. Project narrative questions are below. 
  1. Written narratives should be no more than 4 pages in length uploaded to our grant portal.
  2. Video narratives should be no more than 10 minutes in length with a link to the video uploaded to our grant portal.
  3. Interview calls should be scheduled by emailing programs@thirdwavefund.org or by calling 917-387-1262 ext. 806 before the last Tuesday of every month and completed by 5 pm ET on the application due date (first Tuesday of every grant-making month).
    1. Please note: Due to limited staff capacity, depending on the number of requests we get each month, we may not be able to accommodate your group for an interview call. We aim to prioritize phone interviews for groups for which a written narrative is not accessible, as well as groups led by BIPOC trans people, groups led by young people under 25, groups with no tax status, Spanish-speaking groups, and groups based in U.S. territories.
​Project Narrative Questions:
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1. Please describe the purpose and structure of your organization. Include a brief overview of your ongoing or long-term programming, projects, and campaigns. If you are applying as a partnership or coalition, provide a brief description of each group or organization.

2. Context: Tell us about the situation your project is responding to, why your response is time sensitive and requires a pivot from your organization’s ongoing work, and how your response to the situation is connected to gender justice.

3. Proposed work: Tell us about the project you are seeking funding for. Please include a detailed timeline, a breakdown of the specific activities that will make up this project, and how your strategies and activities strengthen the organizing and movement building power of your community. 

4. Please tell us how directly impacted people and communities are in leadership and decision-making roles within your group/organization and the project you’re applying for. Please specify if / how young BIWOC* and/or young TIGNCBIPOC** are in leadership and decision-making roles and how they benefit from your project.
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5. For partnerships only: How did your groups decide to work together on this issue? What is your history of collaboration, if any? What roles will each group/organization have in this project?​

* Black, Indigenous, women of color (transgender and cisgender)
** Trans, intersex, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming Black, Indigenous, people of color
Part 2: Submitting Your Proposal
To submit your application: 
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  • You will need to submit the above proposal materials to our online portal using the two links below.
  • Besides basic information and unless otherwise noted, proposal materials will be uploaded as separate documents like email attachments.
  • Please submit your documents as .pdf or Microsoft Word files, as our online portal isn’t compatible with other file types.
  • For additional guidance on using the online application portal, please refer to our How To Guide (PDF).

1. Create a new grant portal account. You may want to gather all of your application materials before logging in.

2. After you have created your group’s account, or if you already have an account, please use this second link to create a new Mobilize Power Fund proposal in our grant portal.

3. After you have started your proposal, you can save it and log back in later to edit your pre-existing Mobilize Power Fund proposal before you submit it. ​

4. After you apply, you’ll receive an email by the first Thursday of the month to confirm your application was received for that month’s application review cycle.
Questions on using the portal?
If you have questions about the online application portal, contact grantsmanager@proteusfund.org.
 
Questions about submitting your proposal materials?
If you have questions about the content of your proposal or need to submit proposal materials by email instead, contact programs@thirdwavefund.org.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is this fund for?
​​The Mobilize Power Fund prioritizes organizations that are led by young women of color (transgender and cisgender), and trans, queer, gender non conforming and intersex young people of color under 35, led by and for communities directly impacted by the issues they focus on, have an intersectional gender justice lens, and have a total organizational budget under $500k​. Groups do not need 501c3 of fiscal sponsor status to apply.

​Are there any restrictions on geographical location?
We only fund within the United States and U.S territories, including American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

​What kind of work do the funds support?
The fund covers unanticipated and time-sensitive community organizing or direct action, Participatory Action Research, healing justice work, conflict mediation/resolution, legal or bail fees, marches or rallies, leadership training & skills building, mutual aid, unanticipated legislative or ballot initiative campaigns. 

What kind of work does the fund not support? 
This fund does not cover budget shortfalls, ongoing, regularly scheduled programs, start-up or seed costs, general operating costs, fundraising, previously planned or long-term campaigns (we define long-term as programming extending beyond 6 months), projects led by individuals, charity, or groups or projects based outside of the United States and US territories.

How much are the grants for?
​Grants can be made for up to $10,000 USD. Larger grants may be made on a case-by-case basis. Partnership or coalitions of two or more groups can request up to $20,000 USD.

How often are applications reviewed? 
​Proposals are accepted all year and reviewed on a monthly basis. Proposals can be submitted at any time, but must be submitted by a month's review deadline date to be considered for a specific month.

​What criteria does my organization need to meet to qualify?
There are five main areas of criteria your organization must meet:
  • BIPOC Youth Leadership. Young women of color (transgender and cisgender), and trans, queer, gender non conforming and intersex young people of color under 35 are in leadership and decision-making roles. There is by and for leadership of communities directly-impacted by the issues you are responding to. This criteria is for both your group / organization AND the specific work you are applying for.
  • Gender Justice. Your political analysis shows how the issue(s) you're responding to are connected to patriarchy, transphobia, homophobia, gender inequity, or gender-based violence. This criteria is for both your group / organization AND the specific work you are applying for.
  • Rapid Response. Your proposal is a time-sensitive response to an immediate and unanticipated movement building threat or opportunity that requires your group to significantly pivot from your ongoing and regularly planned work. 
  • Community Power Building. The strategies and activities in your proposal strengthen the organizing and movement building power of your communities. In addition, these strategies and activities directly lead to the overall goals of your proposal. 
  • Organizational Need. Organizations must have a budget under $500,000 to be eligible to receive a Mobilize Power Fund grant. In addition, we prioritize groups and organizations based in areas with limited access to philanthropic resources and who do not have access to 501c3 status or fiscal sponsorship.

When will I hear back about my application? 
Groups are notified within four to six weeks after the monthly review deadline about whether they are recommended for funding, not recommended for funding, or if there are additional follow-up questions for applicants.

I got the grant! When should I expect the funds? 
Grant payment typically occurs up to two months after the monthly review deadline, after notification and all necessary paperwork is completed. Payments are made via ACH direct deposit (as applicable), around the 15th and last day of the month. We may be able to process requests faster for emergencies.

How is this grant funded?
​​The Mobilize Power Fund exists as a resource for urgent reproductive and gender justice activism because of individual contributions from our community. If you are moved by this fund, consider joining hundreds of other community members who give monthly to sustain this resourcing, or give a one-time gift today.

Who can I contact for support?
Email programs@thirdwavefund.org or call us at 917-387-1262 x 806.

History

We launched the Mobilize Power Fund because powerful movements need the ability to respond to and heal from immediate threats and opportunities with flexible and responsive funding. Mobilize Power Fund’s first iteration was to support organizers against HB2, the transphobic “Bathroom Bill” proposed in North Carolina in 2016. 

Current Grantees

2022