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Borealis is a social justice philanthropic intermediary working to resource grassroots movements for transformative change. We build bridges between funders and the frontlines of movements working to make a future that serves all of us.

Founded in 2015, Borealis’ work has always been about advancing justice—and at its core, that means building a truly inclusive, multiracial democracy. We believe that to achieve a resilient democracy, we must invest deeply in five essential pillars: intersectional justice, narrative change, community safety and justice, economic justice and inclusion, and movement infrastructure—and the visions of our communities.

Our Mission

Borealis works with funders to funnel resources to the people building powerful, thriving communities. We invest in leaders, organizations, and movements using diverse, community-rooted and leading-edge strategies to pursue long-term transformational change.

What We Do

Borealis utilizes the expertise and leadership of our movement-rooted staff to identify and resource community leaders and organizations working to dismantle oppressive systems and build an inclusive multiracial democracy.

We connect funders to people and organizations that share their visions. We partner with philanthropy to conceive, develop, and implement grantmaking initiatives that resource the frontlines of intersectional grassroots movements for justice.

We create opportunities for donors to both resource and learn from organizers on the ground.

We remove barriers to funding for grassroots organizations, which have been historically under-resourced.

Simply put, we dream big, we take bold risks, and we fund work rooted in liberation and justice for all people.

Our Vision

We envision a world where:

  • We reckon with this country’s long history of racial injustice built on anti-Black racism, Native American genocide, exploitation of Black and Brown labor, and work to repair harm with all communities that have been impacted.
  • Communities are connected and interdependent, and people share responsibility for one another.
  • We have the collective power to have agency over our lives.
  • Our political, social, civil, and economic systems and institutions are representative of, and responsive to, all communities.
  • Everyone leads joyful, vibrant, and free lives.

Our Values

Alchemy + healing

We regenerate. We metabolize hurt and harm, as we disrupt and withdraw from ableism and lack. We conceive spaciousness and brandish grace, humanity, and joy to seed new worlds.

Atrevida + audacious

We marry conviction and belief to cultivate inner courage and brave hearts, to be the Atrevida. We defy the status quo and contribute to a more just world for all.

Accountability + integrity

We work to align our actions and values. We engender trust and reciprocity. We may not always get it right, but we learn, evolve, and remain accountable to individual and communal relationships.

Ubuntu + interconnectedness

We exist in thriving living connection. We practice solidarity and mutuality with, within, and across expansive communities.

Our Impact

We move resources to frontline communities across five interconnected thematic areas that reflect how communities actually experience the world. Each area includes multi-year support, rapid response, capacity and wellness resourcing, narrative power, and policy/field alignment. Our impact is measured in lives, power, and possibility.

Explore our annual reports to discover more about the work our resources support and uplift.

Frequently Asked Questions

Philanthropic intermediaries provide strategic capacity and expert guidance to individual donors as well as foundations. Often, as in the case with Borealis, they connect donors with limited access to lesser-known organizations, enabling funders the opportunity to support in places and ways they may not be able to do on their own. Intermediaries may support nonprofits in building their organizational capacity as they are more flexible with their grantmaking, making grants of all sizes or to emerging groups and movements. Read more about how giving through Borealis Philanthropy helps the philanthropic sector bolster the movement ecosystem.

Donor collaboratives offer funders an opportunity to work together on central issues and combine their resources, energy, attention, and expertise to exponentially increase the impact of their work together. Borealis’ donor collaboratives facilitate coordination of strategies across a field of interest and provide grantmaking services as well as a coordinated approach to funder learning and joint grantmaking.

We assist grantmakers at all stages, from conceptualizing a grantmaking program, identifying grantees, and making grants, to providing ongoing support for grantee learning and progress. We take responsibility for the funds that have been entrusted to us and have strong systems in place—in governance, accounting, and legal review—to ensure they are used effectively. We also seek to share our knowledge and experience with the broader field of philanthropy and to advocate for the effective use of intermediaries.

We focus on moving resources in ways that are nimble and flexible, and that provide organizations with the support they need to succeed. This includes but is not limited to philanthropic strategies such as rapid response, general support, grantee-driven capacity-building, and leadership development.