Rapid Response Grants is sponsored by Meyer Foundation. Supports movement building, mobilization, and power building around causes or issues that promote racial justice through advocacy, organizing, and/or coalition building, addressing urgent current events and emergent community needs.

Rapid Response - Meyer Foundation With our commitment at the intersection of racial justice and systems change, these up-to two-time grants of $10,000, $20,000, or $50,000 will continue to support movement building, mobilization, and power building around causes or issues that promote racial justice through advocacy, organizing, and/or coalition building.

In 2026, the Meyer Foundation will make rapid response funding available to current core grantee partners to address emergent and urgent challenges and opportunities that surface throughout the year.

With our commitment at the intersection of racial justice and systems change, these up-to two-time grants of $10,000, $20,000, or $50,000 will continue to support movement building, mobilization, and power building around causes or issues that promote racial justice through advocacy, organizing, and/or coalition building.

Requests submitted in 2026 may build off of rapid response projects previously funded in 2025 or may be new projects inspired by urgent and emergent community needs.

These grants are intended to address the need for: Urgent community organizing and/or associated direct actions, including but not limited to costs to support language justice, accessibility needs, etc. Unanticipated legislative, policy, or ballot initiative campaigns (within the constraints of 501(c)3 tax code; no lobbying) Costs associated with strategic/impact litigation and/or community defense funds Addressing emerging rhetoric, including dis- and misinformation campaigns Organizationally distributed direct support to community members to include individual bail fees, legal costs, etc. Emergent coalitions focused on racial and economic justice We will consider other organizational needs beyond this list, however, we will prioritize requests that most closely align with Meyer’s current areas of support .

Meyer will also continue to support organizational capacity building outside of rapid response grants. To learn more about what is supported through capacity building, please click here . The following definitions may be helpful in learning more about our rapid response grantmaking.

Click each term to expand. Ballot Initiative Campaign The introduction of citizen-initiated measures that bring forth constitutional amendments or statutes that have impact at the local or state-levels. Coordinated efforts around messaging that reach an intended audience through various channels that can be intended to raise awareness, change perceptions, prompt action, or shift attitudes/behaviors.

Public demonstrations of other tactics that achieve an immediate or direct result. Assistance that is distributed by the organization directly to community members or other groups to provide financial coverage of particular needs. Emergently formed groups of people and organizations working together to address urgent racial and economic justice issues.

Efforts that create, modify, or introduce legislation. Community-based direct support whereby resources and services are exchanged to support the needs of community members. Processes that influence those in power to change policies, laws or regulations.

Organizing & Base Building Organizing is a grassroots method for building relationships and power, particularly among people and communities who have traditionally been excluded from decision making. Organizing may also be referred to as base building—recruiting and retaining a group of members from impacted communities who share values and goals toward changing material conditions of their community .

Strategic/Impact Litigation Legal strategy where lawsuits are filed to create social change by challenging laws, policies, or practices that have unjust or discriminatory outcomes. Rapid Response Grant Tiers Meyer will offer three tiers of grants to support work in the amounts of $10,000, $20,000, or $50,000. Requests will be evaluated based on the feasibility of spending down these funds in the six-month time frame.

Grantee partners will be asked to provide some basic numbers and/or budget rationale to explain the request amount. Additionally, work funded through these rapid response grants must be based in DC, Maryland, or Virginia, or have multi-jurisdictional or regional impacts. Grants Processes & Provisions Rapid response grants should be spent within six months of receipt, as these grants are intended to meet an urgent or emergent need.

Grantee partners who receive rapid response dollars will complete a very abbreviated reporting process at the end of that six-month period. Fiscally sponsored programs will be required to sign and complete grant agreements within one week. Fiscally sponsored grantee partners who are not able to sign and complete a grantee agreement within the allotted timeline will forfeit funds.

Rapid Response Schedule & Award Timeline While rapid response requests will be open on a rolling basis from February to November, we will only consider one application per organization submitted within the monthly window. Applications for rapid response grants will be open for approximately two weeks at the start of each month, from February to November, with grants awarded the first week of the following month.

Both the application and review process have been designed to be as quick and simple as possible to ensure that funds are dispersed to grantee partners in a timely manner to address urgent issues. Apply Between: For Final Payments By: Frequently Asked Questions What do we support via rapid response?

Urgent community organizing and/or associated direct actions, including but not limited to costs to support language justice, accessibility needs, etc. Unanticipated legislative, policy, or ballot initiative campaigns (within the constraints of 501(c)3 tax code and associated restrictions on lobbying) Costs associated with strategic/impact litigation and/or community defense funds Communication campaigns to address emerging rhetoric, including addressing dis- and mis-information campaigns Organizationally distributed direct support to community members to include individual bail fees, legal costs, etc. Emergent coalitions focused on racial and economic justice We will consider other requests not included in this list on a case-by-case basis.

Some helpful definitions to clarify what is included in rapid response grants can be found below: Ballot Initiative Campaign: the introduction of citizen-initiated measures that bring forth constitutional amendments or statutes that have impact at the local or state-levels.

Communications Campaigns: coordinated efforts around messaging that reach an intended audience through various channels that can be intended to raise awareness, change perceptions, prompt action, or shift attitudes/behaviors. Direct Action: public demonstrations of other tactics that achieve an immediate or direct result.

Direct Support: assistance that is distributed by the organization directly to community members or other groups to provide financial coverage of particular needs. Emergent Coalitions: Emergently formed groups of people and organizations working together to address urgent racial and economic justice issues. Legislative Advocacy: efforts that create, modify, or introduce legislation.

Mutual Aid: community-based direct support whereby resources and services are exchanged to support the needs of community members. Policy Advocacy: processes that influence those in power to change policies, laws or regulations. Organizing & Base Building: Organizing is a grassroots method for building relationships and power, particularly among people and communities who have traditionally been excluded from decision making.

Organizing may also be referred to as base building—recruiting and retaining a group of members from impacted communities who share values and goals toward changing material conditions of their community . Strategic/impact litigation: legal strategy where lawsuits are filed to create social change by challenging laws, policies, or practices that have unjust or discriminatory outcomes. Who is eligible to apply?

All of Meyer's current core grantee partners are eligible to apply. Current core grantee partners are organizations that have received a program or operating grant since January 1, 2024 and who use organizing and base building, advocacy, and coalition building to change inequitable systems.

While rapid response requests will be open on a rolling basis from February to November, we will only consider one application per organization submitted within the monthly window. Applications for rapid response grants will be open for approximately two weeks at the start of each month, from February to November, with grants awarded the first week of the following month.

Please review the timeline above for specific application and award windows. In 2026, core grantee partners can apply and be awarded up to two times. There are no time restrictions on when core grantee partners can reapply, so long as only one request is submitted within a month.

How much can my organization request for rapid response? Rapid response grants will be awarded in the amount of $10,000, $20,000, or $50,000. Grantee partners will designate their requested amount in the application.

How often can I be awarded a rapid response grant? Grantee partners can be awarded up to two rapid response grants per calendar year, and may only apply twice in 2026. Current core grantee partners may apply through a link on our website.

Applications open February 2, 2026. Current core grantee partners are organizations that have received a program or operating grant since January 1, 2024 and who use organizing and base building, advocacy, and coalition building to change inequitable systems. Is there reporting for rapid response grants?

Yes, there are a brief set of written reporting questions for rapid response grants which will be distributed six months after the grant has been awarded. For additional questions about rapid response grants, please contact our Grants Management team.