*All 2020 financials are unaudited.

To our donors: None of this giving is possible without you. Borealis’ funders are committed to radical change, and there’s no moment that proves that more than this one. During a time when other philanthropic entities pulled funding or took a “wait and see” approach, you became part of the change we all need.

And to our grantees: Your incredible commitment to organizing for transformational change is reshaping the country before our eyes. Your campaigns and strategies are winning. We are incredibly proud to be in this fight with you, and we can’t wait to push onward.

In existence since 2016, BLMF has gone from the smallest donor collaborative at Borealis to the second largest of Borealis’ 10 collaborative funds. With the support of 15 new donors, in 2020 BLMF drastically increased its grantmaking to prioritize organizations and leaders from smaller and emergent organizations, namely grassroots organizing led by Black women and Black LGBTQ folk, with half of the groups resourced based in the South.

In philanthropy, we’ve gotten the question all mixed up. We center ourselves around what we want to know about the work, rather than asking our partners on the ground, who we’re funding, what is it that you need to know? What can we help you and support you in measuring so that you feel like you’re learning along the way?
– Julia Beatty, Director, Black-led Movement Fund

CTPF doubled down on providing rapid response support to groups organizing, building power, and providing mutual aid during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also made sure to continue providing support to groups strengthening or launching invest/divest budget campaigns in response to the racial justice uprisings against police violence.

If you want to support folks in this moment, don’t just fund now for one year while police violence is at the top of everyone’s mind. Fund it next year and the year after that when there’s backlash from police unions and white supremacists, or when there’s a moment around implementation. That’s really critical.
– Senior Program Officer, CJI Initiatives

2020 was DIF’s first year in action, and this fund is already making an impact. Early in the pandemic, DIF knew that people with disabilities, particularly people of color with disabilities, would be disproportionately affected by COVID-19. To address this, the Fund immediately released rapid response funding to 15 organizations across the country. In preparation for its first round of funding in December, DIF welcomed seven advocates onto their grantmaking committee, who are all people of color with disabilities fighting for a more inclusive future.

This means so much to us at this time—I can’t begin to express our appreciation. This is the kind of affirmation that, even in this challenging world situation, will lift us up to continue to build, with you, a vision of the world that is inclusive, just, and compassionate without limits. With overwhelming gratitude and immense hope for the future.
– Teresa Thuman, Producing Artistic Director, Sound Theatre Company

When the COVID-19 pandemic first struck, FTG moved quickly to support its 53 grantees with rapid response grants to meet the pressing needs of trans communities of color, including mutual aid efforts, medical services, and healing and grief support. In 2020, FTG also focused financially on supporting BIPOC TGNC communities amidst the racial justice uprisings for Black lives. This included $2 million raised from Mackenzie Scott, the largest grant in history of the fund.

ILF continued to challenge ongoing federal efforts to dismantle the nation’s asylum and refugee systems and end programs providing legal status for DACA youth and those with Temporary Protected Status. ILF released all of its funding in one grant cycle in 2020, responding to the explosion of litigation and the concern that the previous presidential administration would unleash more harsh immigration policies in the lead up to the November 2020 election.

A society is only as good as its laws and those who defend them. Kudos to the ILF, Borealis, and the many amazing grantees who daily take on this important work.
– Kyle Reis, Chairman, Reis Foundation

In 2020, REJ and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press launched a partnership to expand pro bono legal support for independent journalists and news organizations that produce news and information for communities of color across the country. The REJ Fund also forged a new partnership with the American Press Institute (API) to help news organizations led by and for people of color become more sustainable by serving niche audiences in their communities, resulting in a new Listening & Sustainability Lab.

I am endlessly moved by the way journalists of color showed up for their communities in 2020. It is critical that we continue to invest in efforts like the Racial Equity in Journalism Fund to ensure these journalists have the support they need. Their work is essential to building equitable journalism that represents and serves all communities.
– Lea Trusty, Program Associate, Democracy Fund

REP responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by swiftly making $1.4 million in one-time general operating grants to all of our REP grantee partners. In February 2020, REP held a 3-day convening with 19 grant partners in Tucson, AZ, allowing them to deepen their relationships with one another. REP also developed Racial Equity in Philanthropy Workspace, a virtual workspace for grantees to share resources, stories, and questions.

Spark Justice grantees have intensified their work to bail out people from jail, including protestors who are fighting for racial justice. In response to grantee and movement leaders, Spark Justice has been focused on supporting grassroots groups working to end cash bail, transforming pretrial justice, and building power in the communities most impacted by incarceration.

In 2020, the fund doubled down on our commitment to our current grantees, many of whom are part of the Movement for Black Lives ecosystem, and others who also organize against the criminalization of marginalized communities. TMF has also been focused on helping cross-movement organizations meet their priorities. Namely, in June, TMF grantee partner Freedom, Inc. saw a successful end to their “No Cops In Schools” Campaigns, when the Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education voted unanimously to end their contract with the MPD.

[TMF] being thoughtful about providing our funds up front has been really transformational. It let us breathe and re-strategize and re-plan without feeling like we were scrambling with a scarcity mentality.
– Charlene Bencomo, Executive Director, Bold Futures