• Programs
• Grants
• Funding Process
• FAQs

While HSF strives to be strategic partners with grassroots groups, we know that we are not expert in their areas of work, nor grounded in their communities enough to judge the "worth" of an organization’s efforts. Rather, our role in grantmaking is to

• clearly define our goals, interests, context and strategies;
• try to clearly understand the goals, interests, context and strategies of the groups that are seeking support; and
• (based on this information) determine if there is a good fit between the Foundation and group(s).

We also believe that in order to be good grantmakers we have to listen to and respond to the critical needs of our partners and be nimble and flexible enough to act quickly at critical moments. Finally, the HSF Board has a strong commitment to supporting under-funded areas (i.e., social justice organizing in the South) and taking strategic risks that open up new opportunities to advance our work and the work of our partners.

What We Look For

While there are specific criteria we look for depending on which Program Area a group falls under, all organizations seeking support must:

• Be working with low-income communities and communities of color and be accountable to those communities.
• Be a constituent/membership-based social change community organization that actively trains its members and leaders in developing, implementing and evaluating community organizing campaigns for concrete institutional policy and/or practice change.
• Be building the power of and for its constituents and the communities in which they are located.
• Have a sound and strategic plan for effecting change and building power for its constituents, and engage staff, leaders and members in the strategic reflection and visioning.
• Apply a racial justice analysis to their work.
• Have a well developed plan for leadership development and political education.
• Have a strong management infrastructure and capacity to sustain the work.
• (for intermediaries) Work directly with a base of grassroots organizing groups (either groups that HSF supports or groups related to HSF’s program areas) to enhance their work, build their capacity and facilitate opportunities for cross-learning and joint work.

Application Process

We have two grant cycles per year in the spring and fall. Both cycles end when our board meets to make grant decisions, usually in June and November. HSF has a small staff and thus does not accept unsolicited proposals or letters of inquiry. However, we actively seek out information from new groups whose work intersects with our interests. We also encourage organizations to thoroughly review our website to see if they fit with our interests. If you believe there is a strong fit with our Program Areas and what we look for in organizations, then give us a call so that we can talk further about your work. It is always better if you come on the referral of one of our grassroots, funder or other partners. We make every effort to return all calls promptly, but please be patient if we do not return your call immediately.

The majority of the grants we make are renewal grants. While we conduct traditional site visits as a part of our grant review process, we also do "out of cycle" relationship building visits with our grassroots partners to increase our learning and foster stronger relationships. We find that helps to "get to know" one another outside of the grant review cycle so that we can have more open conversations about broader political conditions. It’s a two way street, and our grassroots partners can call on us at anytime.

Depending on the Program Area, HSF’s grants generally range from $15,000 to $50,000. Most of our grants are made in one-year increments; however, we are committed to a long-term funding strategy that does not impose automatic time limits. Rather, renewal grants are done on a case-by-case basis and are informed by our relationship with each organization. Most of our grants are general support grants. We also provide Small Grants for groups that we currently support to respond to unanticipated and capacity building needs.