The Fund for Frontline Power Enters its Second Phase

Phase I of the Fund for Frontline Power (F4FP) successfully distributed $6.355M to 69 BIPOC-led grassroots organizations across 23 states, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. It has been supported by Climate Justice Alliance and The Solutions Project, and at the request of the grassroots groups, the Fund is housed at The Solutions Project. For more information about the origin and impact of the Fund, please read the recent feature story published in Inside Philanthropy. The power of the Fund’s grassroots-led grantmaking will also be detailed in an upcoming case study being co-published by National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) and Regenerative Economies Organizing Collaborative (REO).  

The Governing Body of F4FP, comprised of 13 grassroots leaders, worked with People’s Climate Innovation Center who provided coordination, facilitation and capacity building support. Following its first round of grantmaking in 2023, the F4FP entered a period of evaluation and reflection. COTA Collective then partnered with the GB to research and evaluate philanthropic conditions and support them through a decision-making process about the future of the Fund. 

After months of intentional analysis and discussion, the Governing Body of F4FP has decided that it will continue working together; however, its operations will look different for the next phase. F4FP will not actively fundraise during this next phase of the Fund and thus, will not open another round of grantmaking at this time. It will however continue to receive donations and deploy funds raised passively to the waitlisted groups in grants of $100,000. There are a total of 35 groups selected by the Governing Body currently on the waitlist. Once philanthropic conditions improve for climate justice organizations and movement-accountable intermediaries, the F4FP will be ready to mobilize again! 

In the meantime, the Governing Body will carry on its grantmaking work in Phase II through a new role with UNITE-EJ (United Network for Impact, Transformation, and Equity in Environmental Justice Communities). UNITE-EJ is a consortium of partners led by the Climate Justice Alliance serving as the National-West Grantmaker for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program, supporting Western Regions 8, 9, and 10. The F4FP Governing Body will decide the regranting of tens of millions of dollars in public funds, administered by the JustFund and Amalgamated Foundation, to environmental justice communities in these regions over the next three years. 

Please check for updates on the UNITE-EJ site and email any questions to info@fundforfrontlinepower.org.