Borealis Philanthropy’s Racial Equity To Accelerate Change Fund Moves $700k To Practitioners Guiding Movements Towards Transformational Liberatory Practices

Since its founding in 2019, Borealis Philanthropy’s Racial Equity to Accelerate Change (REACH) Fund has remained steadfast in its commitment to advancing racial equity by resourcing social change practitioners who can dream beyond the limits of our existing models and help us build anew. In its latest round of grantmaking—and its first ever led by a participatory committee—the Fund expanded upon its support of nonprofit capacity builders to ensure critical resources for a multitude of broad movement roles and strategies. 

This month, the REACH Fund awarded $700k to 7 organizations and leaders spanning field builders, network weavers, memory activists, land stewards, somatic practitioners, healers, strategists, litigators, storytellers, and other iterations of practitioners who support the movement ecosystem to pursue inclusive governance, transcend the limits of the existing nonprofit model, and arrive at more equitable outcomes for all. Together, their expertise is co-creating liberatory futures by more rapidly dismantling harmful systems of white supremacy, anti-Blackness, ableism, transphobia, and other forms of domination and oppression.

Please join us in celebrating and supporting the critical work of our new partners! 

For its first open call in five years and first round of participatory grantmaking (PGM) ever, the REACH Fund enlisted the guidance of four queer and trans BIPOC community leaders from within Borealis’ partner network to review proposals and select recipients. The response was overwhelming: the Fund received 1,335 holistic and intentional proposals from organizations, collectives, and coalitions across the U.S., demonstrating the substantial and ongoing need for resources to combat the cumulative and disproportionate impact of historical and societal harms. 

After two rounds of staff reviews, the PGM committee received 74 proposals for their individual review and shared deliberation. The committee was supported in advance of deliberation through one-on-one calls; two virtual meetings focused on relationship building, context-setting, and decision-making; and detailed materials and virtual support. 

The REACH Fund is deeply grateful for our PGM committee, and the donors and partners whose support makes this work possible. 

Responding to the urgent and shifting needs of grassroots movements, including philanthropic retrenchment around racial equity driven by regressive policies and court decisions, in 2026, the work of the REACH Fund will expand into Borealis Philanthropy’s Movement Infrastructure pillar, enabling frontline organizations to access resources ranging from technology to convening spaces, digital security tools, and data and policy analysis—the various practitioners who weave, knit, and bolster our movement ecosystem. By resourcing this work, we strengthen the grassroots frontlines for years of powerbuilding, prepare organizers to withstand antagonism and repression, and fortify the backbone and connective tissue needed to build a radically inclusive multiracial democracy.

We invite funders to join the Borealis community to pool and move resources to the frontlines of grassroots movements. To learn more about partnering with us, please connect with us at development@borealisphilanthropy.org.