Borealis Philanthropy Announces $1 Million in Joy Grants At the Nexus of Disability, Racial, and Healing Justice

For the past decade, Borealis Philanthropy has grounded its grantmaking in the wisdom and strategic vision of grassroots organizers working to dismantle ableist and anti-Black systems. We also know that rest, care, and joy are required to sustain this work. This fall, our Disability Inclusion Fund and the Black Led Movement Fund jointly awarded $1 million in Joy Grants to leaders from their collaborative initiative, the Black Disabled Liberation Project, and others who exist and organize at the intersection of Blackness and disability.

Joy Grants—first piloted by the Disability Inclusion Fund in 2022— are intended to expand the capacity of community organizations to rest and reflect on movement strategies, strengthen and foster community relationship-building, and support access to nurturing life-affirming experiences. Rooted in the disability justice principle of recognizing wholeness, these grants affirm that human beings have inherent worth beyond systems that define value by productivity, and support the care work that is essential to sustaining movements. We’re grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Robert Wood John Foundation, whose support helped make these grants possible.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the transformative investment in Black disabled leaders and organizations driving change at the intersection of Blackness and disability through Borealis’ Joy Grants. These grants uplift rest, healing, and joy as essential movement practices, and support the care, culture, creativity, and community-building that sustain movements.” – Fiona Kanagasingam, Vice President, Chief Equity and Culture Officer, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Recipients of these grants are building transformative power across movements—advocating for accessible mental health care, supporting incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people through healing justice and reentry programs, amplifying the voices of Black disabled artists and storytellers, advancing disability justice within queer and trans communities, and more. To infuse joy into their work, these grantee partners are integrating practices of rest and creativity, reconnecting with land and nature, developing art and media that reflects the fullness of Black disabled life, creating sanctuaries for Black disabled queer youth, strengthening networks of support, and many other beautiful rituals.

As Black, disabled, queer, and other multiply-marginalized communities continue to face escalating attacks, Borealis Philanthropy remains steadfast in our commitment to resourcing wholeness by supporting frontline organizers, their strategies, and the infrastructure that sustains their work. We invite funders to join the Borealis community in moving resources to intersectional movements advancing justice and strengthening community solidarity. To learn more about how to partner with us, please connect with us at development@borealisphilanthropy.org.