Overview of the READI Legal Support Fund
The Racial Equity Advancement and Defense Initiative (READI) Legal Support Fund is a fund hosted at Tides Foundation led by ABFE, in partnership with Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, Hispanics in Philanthropy, and Native Americans in Philanthropy. The Fund’s aim is to specifically support smaller 501c3 organizations committed to racial equity and racial justice work that are currently facing immense challenges limiting their ability to be responsive to their communities. The Fund seeks to help these organizations build resilience and capacity to defend themselves through one-time general operating support grants with a maximum possible amount awarded of $75,000.
Eligibility: Eligible applicants for the READI Legal Support Fund must be a nonprofit organization with 501c3 designation by the IRS or fiscally sponsored project of a 501c3 designated organization. Eligible applicants must also be experiencing a direct legal or security threat aimed at reducing or eliminating the organization's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, racial equity, or racial justice grantmaking and/or programming.
Priority will be given to eligible applicants that meet the following criteria:
- Have an operating budget of $1 million or less;
- Have a track record of serving communities or populations that have been historically marginalized. Historically marginalized communities include but are not limited to BIPOC communities; women, girls and femmes; LGBTQ+ communities; people with disabilities and communities/populations with intersectional identities
Grantmaking Timeline and Process
The Fund hopes to conduct multiple rounds of grantmaking over the course of two or more years with 10-12 grantees being chosen in each iteration. For this round we will be accepting applications Monday, June 2, 2025 - Monday, June 30, 2025. Applicants that are selected for an award can expect to receive funds by the end of August 2025.
Region(s) Served: Central California, Northern California, San Diego & Imperial Counties, Southern California, Statewide
Targeted Communities: Community-Based Organizations
Target Focus/Issue Area(s): Democracy & Civic Engagement, Equity & Racial Justice, Legal Advocacy, Nonprofit Sustainability
Type of Support: Grants
Funding Accessibility: Open to Submissions
Scale of Funding Offered: $0k - $75k
Timeline of Grant Period: --
