As summer settles in, we hope that you are making time for rest and renewal in these demanding times.
We would like to update you on a shift in our eligibility criteria. As we mentioned in our April letter, we received 366 LOIs in February, far more than we can support even with elevated levels of funding.
We know that, more than anything, our current partners need funding stability in this moment.* For that reason, our Fall 2025 (LOIs are open from 7/18 – 8/18) and Spring 2026 cycles will prioritize applicants that have received a grant from us in the last three years. This requires pausing applications from new organizations. (Even with these limits in place, we still expect far more requests than we can fund.)
Pausing new applications is a decision that sits uneasily with us: closed doors aren’t inclusive, and we’ve seen funders ossify in their thinking and not show up for their communities as a result. Within the reality of a small foundation with broad goals, a staff of one, and a community of amazing and aligned partners that need support, we will not let that happen. We look forward to building deeper relationships with our current and immediate past partners over the coming months–and we also hope to resume open applications soon.
Meanwhile, we will keep the door ajar for closely-aligned new applicants. If, after reading our priorities/criteria and scanning our recent grants lists, you think we align with your primary strategies, feel free to email us a few sentences about your work. We can’t respond to everyone (we apologize), but if it feels like a good fit, we’ll be in touch. At this time, please reach out only if your central mission focuses on policy change/advocacy, human rights or climate litigation, sector capacity building/convening, or other upstream interventions.
Thank you all for your good work. Even if we’re not a perfect fit for you as funders, we remain deeply grateful for your perseverance and care for your communities.
—
*As we noted in April, we know many of our partner organizations have experienced sudden funding cuts, increased demand for services, threats to their focal communities, or all three. While we cannot backfill government cuts or meet all emerging needs, we have taken the following steps this year to provide some bridge funding to organizations who need stabilizing and security, and to meet rising needs:
- Set our 2025 payout to above 11.5% (likely more, given market volatility)
- Distributed $1.5m in early responsive and discretionary grants to some amazing organizations, and another million in our full spring cycle–the combined spring list is here
- Offered accelerated installments of multiyear grants to organizations whose funding has been cut or whose focal communities have been targeted
- Shifted our reporting process to prioritize conversation instead of written forms
- Reviewed our processes to ensure we’re not asking partners to agree to anything that conflicts with new mandates or risks
- Continued to streamline and shorten our application process
- Increased our support of organizations working to protect democracy and human rights
Ultimately, we hope to balance responsiveness (within our limited capacity) with a sustained commitment to the organizations and initiatives we have funded consistently over the years. Thank you for your patience with us as we work to figure out this balance!
Photo credit: Rogue Valley Farm to School