April 5, 2024 – The Disability Inclusion Fund (DIF) at Borealis Philanthropy is thrilled to share that we are currently accepting applications from organizations working to strengthen disability inclusion, rights, and justice. DIF grants will support organizations whose work is rooted in intersectional cross-movements, is collaborative, and works to build a more vibrant, just and joyful world for people with disabilities—from arts and culture, to policy and advocacy. Please take the time to carefully review the details of the RFP.
About Borealis Philanthropy
Borealis Philanthropy is a philanthropic social justice intermediary that works to resource grassroots leaders and social justice movements for transformative change. We help funders expand their reach and strengthen their impact through donor collaboratives that support a variety of issues, communities, and movements. Borealis is home to eight donor collaboratives, including the Disability Inclusion Fund.
About the Disability Inclusion Fund
The Disability Inclusion Fund (DIF) supports U.S.-based groups led by people with disabilities, disabled people of color, disabled queer and trans folks, building a more liberatory world free from ableism. The Fund is supported by donors including the Presidents’ Council on Disability Inclusion in Philanthropy, which is comprised of foundation presidents who are committed to disability inclusion.
The Disability Inclusion Fund utilizes a participatory grantmaking process. All grantees will be selected by a grantmaking committee comprised of majority disability advocates and invited funders.
We will be hosting an informational webinar on April 16, 2024 at 11am PST/2pm EST to review the application process and answer applicant questions. Please register for the information session here. ASL interpretation and real-time captioning will be provided. We will also record the session for those who cannot attend.
All funding will be aligned with the Disability Inclusion Fund’s guiding values:
- Participation: Movement funding is accountable to the disability justice movement. Those most impacted by injustice/exclusion should be involved in strategies to advance justice/inclusion.
- Intersectionality: Acknowledging that disabled people have multiple and intersecting social and political identities that can influence their access and inclusion including race, gender identity, class, and sexual orientation.
- Radical inclusion: Deeply committed to removing barriers and ensuring access so that those most affected by intersecting identities can participate, valuing lived experience.
- Leadership of those most impacted: Emphasis is given to organizations led by disabled people of color, queer, gender nonconforming and women with disabilities.
- Cross-movement solidarity: Intentional focus on collaboration and bridge-building amongst disability justice activists and across movements.
- Sustainability: Resources and tools that support the growth of grassroots disabled-led organizations, and expand operational capacities for ongoing movement building.
What we fund
We will prioritize funding organizations that meet the following criteria:
- Organizations that are disability-led with priority towards Black, Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC), queer and gender non-conforming, and women disability-led organizations. We define ‘disability-led’ as the leadership in your organization are people with disabilities, including more than 50% of the organization’s management staff/advisory committees/governing boards.
- Work that engages other social movements and injustices for examples: The movement for Black lives, climate change, immigration rights, labor rights, racial justice, queer and trans liberation, etc.
- Work that brings other organizations, leaders, movements, and communities together to build power through relationships, coalitions and opportunities for collaboration.
- Work that drives narrative change in ways that dismantle ableism and attitudinal barriers in our policy, society, and culture. towards more by
- Strategies that celebrate, create, and elevate uplifting the authentic representation of disabled people in the arts, media, literature, and other creative works.
- Work that moves practices of disability inclusion and disability justice forward. Examples of this work include community organizing, mutual aid, advocacy, and/or policy work.
Eligibility
- Your organization’s annual budget with committed revenue is less than $1 million
- Your organization must be U.S-based or U.S. territory-based 501(c)3 or be fiscally sponsored.
Types of support we cannot provide:
- Organizations that are non-U.S-based or non-U.S. Territories
- Individuals
- Universities
- Hospitals
- For profit / LLCs
- Organizations or projects whose primary work is research. Organizations or projects that provide research are eligible only if their primary focus is in community organizing, advocacy, and/or policy work.
- Organizations or projects whose primary work is direct service (i.e., Personal Care Attendants, durable medical equipment, behavioral or medical care, employment supportive programs, or adaptive sports, etc.). Organizations or projects that provide direct services are eligible only if their primary focus is in community organizing, advocacy, or policy work.
Level of Support
This funding opportunity will provide two-year grants. Successful applicants will receive $75,000 per year totaling $150,000.
Grantmaking Process
Before you apply, please take the eligibility quiz, if the eligibility quiz is successful you will be prompted to log into your online grants portal where you will have access to the application.
You may access the eligibility quiz here.
Alternative/Accessible Applications Process
The DIF is committed to making all application materials available in multiple forms to be accessible to all. Alternative application options include (JotForm, Zooms, phone conversations, Word doc, PDF, etc). To obtain and complete the application in alternative formats, please contact the Disability Inclusion Fund at dif@borealisphilanthropy.org with the subject line: NEW DIF RFP 2024.
Contact
- If you have questions, need technical assistance, or have technology issues in submitting your application please email grants@borealisphilanthropy.org
- If you have questions about what we fund or eligibility for grants, please email DIF@borealisphilanthropy.org
In addition, please review the Frequently Asked Questions.
We will be hosting an information session for applicants on April 16, 2024 at 11am PST/ 2pm EST to review the application process and answer applicant questions.
Please register using this link Applicant Info Session Registration We will make recording available on the FAQ page after the session.
Notifications
Applicants who submit proposals by the May 29, 2024 deadline will be notified about whether or not their project will be funded by December 6, 2024. Successful applicants will be contacted by phone and/or email about award notifications.
Frequently Asked Questions
We have put together answers to frequently asked questions, which include a list of proposal questions. Read the FAQs. Here’s the link to access the applicant webinar recording. If you have problems accessing the recording please contact DIF@borealisphilanthropy.org
Eligibility Quiz
Eligibility Criteria
- Linked on the cover page of the application: We strongly suggest that you complete this 5 question eligibility form before completing your grant application. The purpose of this is to help determine if your organization is a good fit for the fund. If you answered No to any of the questions below this grant opportunity is not a good fit for your organization. We recommend you consider other opportunities.
Budget
- Is your organization’s annual operating budget with committed revenue less than $1million for this current fiscal year?
Leadership
- One of our values is “leadership of those most impacted.” This means emphasis is given to organizations led by disabled people of color, queer and gender nonconforming and women with disabilities. We define ‘disability-led’ as the leadership in your organization are people with disabilities, including more than 50% of the organization’s management staff/advisory committees/governing boards.
- Does your organization reflect leadership of those most impacted?
- Is your organization disability led?
Program
- This fund does not provide grants to organizations whose primary work is research or whose primary work is direct services.
- Does your organization pursue one or more of the following areas of work: grassroots movement-building, advocacy, the performing arts/cultural change, or policy change?
Mission aligned
- Our work is closely aligned with the principles of the Disability Justice framework. If you are unfamiliar with these principles, please refer to this link.
- Is your organization’s principles, areas of work, and mission reflective of the Disability Justice framework?
Narrative questions
Your response to questions below should be no longer than 350 words each
- How has your organization’s programming and strategies used an anti-ableist framework? For example, briefly describe work that has evoked responses to and/or challenged ideas of normativity, expanding narrowed individual and collective mindsets, and ignited shifts in the audience or community you work in.
- In what ways have your organization’s programming and activities built collective power to address ableism? For example, please tell us about the other organizations, groups, communities/collectives that you organize and/or collaborate with.
- If your organization is selected to receive this two-year grant, what are some of the key program plans and activities for the next two years?We understand that plans may shift over the course of two years, and would be interested to know the potential direction, planned activities, and future growth of the organization.
- How will you use funds to build out your organization’s infrastructure, staff growth, and operating capacity?
- How does your organization measure change? How will your team know progress is happening during this time? Please briefly describe the kinds of indicators or evidence of progress your team considers for the work that is being done.
- Please provide a list of current and prospective funders.
- Is there anything else you would like us to know?