Mo’ Betta Green MarketPlace, 2022 grantee
ANNOUNCEMENT FOR 2023
The Another World is Possible Fund collaboration between Chinook Fund and Transformative Leadership for Change has been deeply rewarding and impactful. It has also led us to this juncture where we ask ourselves about the future of the fund.
“Sometimes the next right step is to take a pause.”
–Octavia Raheem
After much thought, we have made the collective decision to pause grantmaking for the Another World is Possible Fund during 2023. The reason for this is to center rest, first and foremost. We want to honor the need to pause and regroup while also making space for new energy to flow through and invigorate our vision and strategy. This is an intentional decision to build internal capacity and actively resource the fund.
Vision & History
As two complementary capacity-building organizations in the Colorado progressive ecosystem, Transformative Leadership for Change and Chinook Fund joined efforts to launch the Another World Is Possible (AWIP) Fund in May, 2020. Since the fund’s inception, our shared efforts have helped to leverage resources for the BIPOC-led organizations that are traditionally underfunded by mainstream funding agents.
Accomplishments
Since launching in May 2020, we have distributed $935,000 to 95 grassroots organizations (List of grantees). In 2022 alone, we granted $315,000 to 63 organizations. Our combined efforts helped raise $1,065,000 from 15 local and national foundations and 212 individual contributions. We offer our deep gratitude to these funding partners for their support of the fund:
Initially created to raise and distribute pandemic-response funds to grassroots organizations, the Another World is Possible Fund quickly adapted to become a fund that supports both short-term rapid response AND long-term resilience for organizations affiliated with Chinook Fund and TLC.
Community Leadership
In our 3-year trajectory, we created an AWIP Fund grantmaking committee with community leadership from both Chinook Fund and TLC. We offer gratitude to our leaders:
In 2022, we held a retreat with our partners from the Wealth Reclamation Academy of Practitioners (WRAP) to explore transforming and healing our relationship to money and wealth. Our time with WRAP also helped us to further reimagine ways to embed our grantmaking and resource mobilization practices with anti-oppressive, decolonial, liberatory and re-indigenizing frameworks.
Denver Justice Project
FOR OUR GRANTEES
In light of these changes, we want to highlight additional resources available to our grantee community. Please explore the following funding opportunities:
We send deep gratitude to all the grassroots leaders and efforts across the state for advancing positive change in Colorado. Your courage, innovation, and unwavering commitment to liberation shines through in all you do. We are honored to have had a chance to partner with you and offer funding support along the way.
For Our Supporters
We want to call on the donor and philanthropic community to help us continue resourcing this fund as we plan its future. The invitation is for you –activists, supporters, funders and philanthropic leaders. Please join us in transforming the Colorado ecosystem by resourcing responsive grantmaking –one of the only funds in the state that invests in grassroots groups often considered too radical or risky an investment by many mainstream foundations. The time is now to leverage your power, access and resources to fuel grassroots leadership and the movement for change in our state.
With your help, we will resume grantmaking in 2024 and continue the work to sustain the grassroots organizations creating realities where everyone can thrive.
Thank you in advance for your trust and investments!
For More Information Contact
Crystal Middlestadt, Executive Director, Chinook Fund: cmiddlestadt@chinookfund.org
Neha Mahajan, Executive Director, TLC: neha@transformativeleadershipforchange.org