Joy Grants

Joy Grants is sponsored by Borealis Philanthropy (Disability Inclusion Fund and Black Led Movement Fund jointly). Supports leaders from the Black Disabled Liberation Project and others who exist and organize at the intersection of Blackness and disability, uplifting rest, healing, and joy as essential movement practices.

Borealis Philanthropy Announces $1 Million in Joy Grants At the Nexus of Disability, Racial, and Healing Justice - Borealis Philanthropy Race, Gender, Disability Justice Borealis Philanthropy Announces $1 Million in Joy Grants At the Nexus of Disability, Racial, and Healing Justice For the past decade, Borealis Philanthropy has grounded its grantmaking in the wisdom and strategic vision of grassroots organizers working to dismantle ableist and anti-Black systems.

We also know that rest, care, and joy are required to sustain this work. This fall, our Disability Inclusion Fund and the Black Led Movement Fund jointly awarded $1 million in Joy Grants to leaders from their collaborative initiative, the Black Disabled Liberation Project, and others who exist and organize at the intersection of Blackness and disability.

Joy Grants—first piloted by the Disability Inclusion Fund in 2022— are intended to expand the capacity of community organizations to rest and reflect on movement strategies, strengthen and foster community relationship-building, and support access to nurturing life-affirming experiences.

Rooted in the disability justice principle of recognizing wholeness , these grants affirm that human beings have inherent worth beyond systems that define value by productivity, and support the care work that is essential to sustaining movements. We’re grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Robert Wood John Foundation, whose support helped make these grants possible.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the transformative investment in Black disabled leaders and organizations driving change at the intersection of Blackness and disability through Borealis’ Joy Grants. These grants uplift rest, healing, and joy as essential movement practices, and support the care, culture, creativity, and community-building that sustain movements.

” – Fiona Kanagasingam, Vice President, Chief Equity and Culture Officer, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Recipients of these grants are building transformative power across movements—advocating for accessible mental health care, supporting incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people through healing justice and reentry programs, amplifying the voices of Black disabled artists and storytellers, advancing disability justice within queer and trans communities, and more.

To infuse joy into their work, these grantee partners are integrating practices of rest and creativity, reconnecting with land and nature, developing art and media that reflects the fullness of Black disabled life, creating sanctuaries for Black disabled queer youth, strengthening networks of support, and many other beautiful rituals.