Apply for Racial Justice Seed Funding

Apply for Funding to End Mass Incarceration, Stop the Criminalization of Communities of Color, and/or Interrupt the School-to-Prison Pipeline

The Office of Racial Justice invites United Women in Faith groups at any level to apply for funding to support their local work to interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline, stop the criminalization of communities of color, and/or end mass incarceration.

Goal of Funding Support

To advance United Women in Faith’s efforts to interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline, stop the criminalization of communities of color, and end mass incarceration by providing small-scale seed funding to local projects.

Available Funding Support

Consideration will be given to funding requests of $200 – $2,000. Funding is limited. Please budget responsibly and request only the amount needed. Requests for funding support in excess of $2,000 will not be considered.

Criteria for Evaluating Applications for Funding Support

Your project should have a clear goal connected to interrupting the school-to-prison pipeline, stopping the criminalization of communities of color, and/or ending mass incarceration. Goals may be at any level, from changing the practice of an individual school to shifting federal juvenile justice policy. Project goals should demonstrate a healthy mix of ambition and realism.

Your project should include the voices of directly impacted people in the leadership and/or decision-making process. Depending on your specific context, this may include students at risk of pushout, currently- or formerly-incarcerated people, or others.

We believe we do our best and most sustainable work when we work together. With that in mind, United Women in Faith groups are welcome to apply for funding to support collaborative work in coalition/partnership with other local organizations, as long as the work involves substantial and active participation from United Women in Faith.

• Groups that receive funding will be asked to report on their results, including:
  • What was done
  • Who was involved
  • How the community was impacted
  • How funds were spent
  • What next steps are planned and
  • What was learned

Timeline

• Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until all funds are disbursed. Applications will not be accepted after September 30, 2026. The application process may close sooner if all funds are disbursed earlier.