Own Our Power Fund

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We’ve learned from our grantees and community partners that social movements are strongest when communities - rather than donors and foundations - are able to retain ownership over the vision, values, and strategies that guide their organizing and engagement. The Own Our Power Fund makes one and two-year capacity-building grants for projects that seek to increase the agency that communities have over their organizations by supporting leadership, sustainability, and self-representation.

Fund Status

​The Own Our Power Fund 2023 application is now closed.

Key Dates

  • Thursday, March 16, 2023 – 2023 Applications Open 
  • Tuesday, March 28, 2023 – Informational Session #1
  • Wednesday, April 5, 2023 – Informational Session #2
  • Friday, April 21, 2023 – Applications Due (by midnight in your time zone) 
  • May 8 – July 14, 2023 – Virtual Site Visits (for selected participants) 
  • Late July 2023 – Decisions and Notifications 
  • August – September 2023 – Approvals and Grant Disbursements
  • Early September – Grantee Orientation

Frequently Asked Questions

How much are the Own Our Power Fund grants?
We anticipate making 10-12 grants of $25,000 per year for two-year capacity building proposals.

Is my organization eligible for this grant?
Organizations with an annual budget of up to $500,000 USD are eligible to apply, with a priority on groups located in regions or focused on issues that are philanthropically under-resourced.

What other criteria should my organization have to be eligible for this grant?
  • Youth Leadership: Young women of color and/or trans, gender non-conforming, intersex activists, and/or queer youth under 35 are a core part of planning and decision-making processes. Organizations are led by and are accountable to the communities they serve and work to grow new leadership from within those communities.
  • Gender Justice Focus: Applicants specifically work toward gender justice and recognize that gender justice will only be achieved by also addressing racial, economic, and disability justice. This gender focus shows up in both political analysis and in programs. A more in-depth definition is included in the application questions linked below.
  • Strategies & Activities: Applicants provide a clear plan for their capacity-building project(s) and are able to articulate how their proposed activities increase community members’ ownership over their work, organization, and social movements.
  • Potential for Impact & Growth: Applicants’ growth individually and within the gender justice movement will particularly benefit from capacity-building support from Third Wave. Applicants want to expand and deepen their impact and are committed to increasing resilience and sustainability.

What can my organization use these funds for?
  • Leadership transitions: Executive leadership transitions that intentionally shift leadership to a member(s) of the community and support for new leaders to receive coaching, skills-building, or training
  • Self-Determination: Exploration of new organizational models and mergers that encourage collaborative sustainability and development of grassroots fundraising capacity
  • Research: Participatory Action Research and Empowerment Evaluation projects that train and empower community members to develop and conduct their own research within their communities and projects that allow community members to harness the power of storytelling
  • Communications: Development of strategic communications strategies that help an organization better align their mission, vision, values, and ongoing work with their leadership and communities

What is this fund not for?
The Own Our Power Fund does not make grants for general operating costs, legislative advocacy, start-up expenses, or capital campaigns.

How is the grant funded?
The Own Our Power Fund invests in building the capacity of reproductive and gender justice organizations because of contributions from our community. If you are moved by this fund, consider making a monthly donation. The Own Our Power Fund was also made possible by DataCenter, an institution that advanced research justice for 38 years. DataCenter dissolved in 2016 and chose Third Wave Fund to continue the legacy of their work. We are grateful to the countless people who built DataCenter's powerful work from the ground up including their staff, board, donors, and community partners, and are excited to see this work continue through our grantmaking.

History

We launched the fund in 2017 to ensure that youth-led reproductive and gender justice organizations are able to grow at their own pace while being led by, funded by, and telling the experiences of their communities. 

Since its inaugural grantmaking cycle, the Own Our Power Fund has awarded $700,000 in two-year grants to 17 organizations working across gender justice movements at the intersections of age, race, class, sexuality, disability, and geography. Recent Own Our Power Fund grantees used the funding to support those most impacted by gender oppression to lead the work, develop sustainable revenue models and fundraising strategies, and harness the power of self-representation through community-led research, storytelling, or communications.

Past & Current Grantees

2021 – 2023
2019 – 2021 
2017 – 2019