Fund for a Just Society

Fund for a Just Society is sponsored by Unitarian Universalist Association. This fund provides grants to nonprofits in the United States that address issues of social and economic justice. Preference is given to organizations that use community organizing to bring about systemic change and mobilize those who have been disenfranchised and excluded from resources, power, and the right to self-determination.

Fund for a Just Society - Unitarian Universalist Funding Program Unitarian Universalist Funding Program Fund for Unitarian Universalism Fund for UU Social Responsibility Congregation-Based Community Organizing Actions of Public Witness Fund for International Unitarian Universalism Tips for Writing a Good Proposal After You Send In Your Proposal Challenge/Matching Grants Grants are made to non-Unitarian Universalist groups in the U.S. and Canada that meet all 4 of the following criteria: uses community organizing to bring about systemic change* leading to a more just society; and m obilizes those who have been disenfranchised and excluded from resources, power and the right to self-determination; and has an active focused campaign to create systemic change; and has an annual operating budget under $500,000.

(It is fine if your fiscal sponsor has a larger budget.) *Systemic change organizing: Aims at root causes, not symptoms. Builds collective responses, not individual solutions, to problems.

Changes attitudes, behaviour, laws, policies, and institutions the better to reflect values of inclusion, fairness, and diversity. Insists on accountability and responsiveness in such institutions as government, large corporations, and universities. Expands democracy by involving those closest to social problems in determining their solution.

*Examples of systemic change vs charity: Charity: Donate to a food pantry to provide supplemental food for lower-income working families. Change: Raise the minimum wage so people can afford to purchase the food they need. Charity: Send money to a shelter for homeless families.

Change: Send money to a housing coalition working for affordable housing. Charity: Fund a scholarship for one high school student to attend college. Change: Fund a student association organizing to ensure that higher education is affordable for everyone.

Charity: Give to a telethon for services for people with disabilities. Change: Give to a group of disabled people and their allies pushing for their elected officials to make public buildings accessible. ** Adapted from Robin Hood Was Right by Pam Rogers, Chuck Collins and Joan Garner, Norton 2001 Priority is given to active, specific campaigns to create change in the economic, social, and political structures that affect their lives.

We expect the organization’s infrastructure, including leadership, membership and systems of accountability to be developed by the time of the application. We welcome projects that are less likely to receive conventional funding because of the innovative or challenging nature of the work, the economic and social status of the constituency, or the geographic location of the work. Please be concrete; spell out your plans.

Don’t say you will “empower people,” tell us what actions you will take to create systematic change. See Sample Grants . We do not accept proposals from organizations with annual operating budgets that are over $500,000.

(It is fine if your fiscal sponsor has a larger budget.) We do not fund social services, educational programs, or advocacy-only projects. We do not make grants for training to individuals that is not connected to a campaign for justice.

Grants are not given for re-granting, equipment, capital campaigns, politically partisan efforts, educational institutions, medical or scientific research, or cultural programs. Grants are not made to individuals. We consider funding films, publications, or curricula only if they are an integral part of a strategy of collective action for social change.

Grant Size & Type of Funding The maximum grant is $15,000. Most grants are between $6,000 and $8,000. Challenge or matching grants are a possibility.

Grants are given for one year. Second-year funding is possible after submitting a new proposal and a final (or interim) report . Third-year funding for the same project is unusual.

We are not sustaining funders. See the complete application process . Grant applications are made in our application platform, the UUFP Funding Center .

Applicants will need to pass an Eligibility Quiz on the platform before they are granted access to the application. Unfortunately, we have historically received many, many applications that are not within our guidelines, and we are trying to curb that. Your time is valuable, and if your project is not within our guidelines, it's not helpful to use your resources on our application.

Grant applications are made in our application platform, the UUFP Funding Center . ​ The Fund for a Just Society has 2 grant cycles, one in the spring and one in the fall. Applications are loaded to the platform no later than early March for the Spring cycle, and early September for the Fall cycle.

It simply depends on the time required to update the application for the cycle. The deadline for the Spring cycle is March 31st, and the Fall's is September 30th. The following questions are in the application narrative.

You will probably find it easiest to do the work in the UUFP Funding Center , as you can save your work and return later as often as you like until the deadline or you hit the "submit" button. Or, you can begin a draft of your application in a word processor if you prefer, and then copy and paste your answers into the platform. The drawback to using a word processor is it won't keep you within our character limits.

Please give a fifty word summary of the project. Describe your group and its recent history. Describe more fully the project for which you are applying.

Describe the issue(s) your organization addresses through this project, and what specific actions you are taking to address the issues. Outline the project’s goals,activities and timelines. Describe how your organization operates and how decisions are made.

Who is in your decision-making group? Who is accountable and how? Who will carry out the project’s plan, and what are their relevant skills and experiences?

Who do you define as your community? How do you reach them? Describe the ways your Board and staff are representative of the communities and issues you are working with.

List the individuals, committees or organizations that have contributed significantly to this project through money, time or other forms of support. Please list funding sources and dollar amounts for your organization for the last two years. Describe your specific evaluation plan.

How will you know you have succeeded? What outcomes are you working to create? What measures will you use?

See sample evaluation plan . Please describe your organization’s or group’s social change philosophy. How will your project help to bring about systemic change on the issue you are addressing?