In the realm of philanthropy—where legacy institutions have long dictated priorities, timelines, and metrics—an emerging model is challenging traditional funding paradigms. At the heart of this shift is the Emergent Fund, a vehicle for rapid-response, trust-based giving that seeks to place power, resources, and decision-making into the hands of communities often excluded from mainstream philanthropy.
Founded in the wake of seismic political shifts and social uprisings, the Emergent Fund was created not as an endowment or a foundation, but as a living response mechanism. It operates with a belief that those closest to injustice are also closest to the solutions, and that philanthropy must evolve from a top-down model to one that is nimble, inclusive, and grounded in equity.
This article examines the principles, structure, and impact of the Emergent Fund, exploring how it functions, who it serves, and why it represents a fundamental reimagining of how we fund social change.
Origins and Context: A Response to Crisis and Resistance
The Emergent Fund was launched in late 2016 as a direct response to the election of Donald Trump and the urgent need to support marginalized communities under threat. Co-founded by organizations like Solidaire Network, Women Donors Network, and Threshold Foundation, the fund was designed to support grassroots organizing, especially among communities of color, immigrants, refugees, and Indigenous peoples.
Unlike most philanthropic institutions, the Emergent Fund did not begin with a permanent capital base or a hierarchical board. Instead, it adopted a model of participatory governance, rapid disbursement, and responsive funding, allowing it to move resources to the frontlines quickly and with minimal red tape.
What Makes the Emergent Fund Unique?
The Emergent Fund departs from traditional philanthropy in several core ways:
1. Rapid-Response Funding
Grants are awarded swiftly—often within weeks—in response to emerging threats or opportunities. This is critical during moments of crisis or mobilization, when timing can determine the effectiveness of community action.
2. Trust-Based Philanthropy
The Fund minimizes application burdens, does not require grantees to submit elaborate proposals, and rarely mandates reports. Instead, it relies on the integrity and insight of movement leaders, believing that accountability comes through relationship, not bureaucracy.
3. Participatory Governance
Decision-making is led by a group of Movement Advisors—activists and organizers embedded in the communities the Fund serves. These advisors assess funding proposals and decide on allocations, ensuring that those affected by issues are those shaping the response.
4. No Strings Attached
Grants are unrestricted, giving organizations full autonomy to use the money as they see fit—whether that means organizing a protest, hiring legal support, or simply covering rent.
5. Centering Marginalized Voices
The Emergent Fund explicitly seeks to fund groups led by and for communities that have been historically under-resourced: Black, Indigenous, transgender, undocumented, and disabled people.
Funding Philosophy: From Charity to Solidarity
At its core, the Emergent Fund believes that philanthropy should be an act of solidarity, not charity. That means:
- Recognizing the unequal structures that produce wealth and inequity
- Redistributing resources without strings or superiority
- Building relationships of mutual accountability, rather than one-directional oversight
In this way, the Fund operates not just as a grantmaker, but as a political actor—aligned with movements for systemic change, not just service provision.
Structure and Operations
The Emergent Fund operates with a small core team and a larger network of Movement Advisors and Donor Partners. Here’s how the system works:
Application and Nomination
- Groups do not apply directly. Instead, they are nominated by trusted movement leaders or previous grantees.
- This helps identify organizations doing critical work under the radar, who may not have formal nonprofit status or grant-writing capacity.
Review and Selection
- Movement Advisors assess nominations collectively, considering urgency, community leadership, and alignment with the Fund’s values.
- The emphasis is on impact and trustworthiness, not administrative polish.
Disbursement
- Funds are sent quickly—often within 2–4 weeks of nomination.
- Grantees can use the funds however they deem necessary.
Feedback and Relationship Building
- Rather than reports, the Fund invites informal check-ins, storytelling, and mutual learning.
This streamlined process enables the Emergent Fund to maintain responsiveness, agility, and deep relational accountability.
Who Receives Support?
Since its inception, the Emergent Fund has supported over 400 organizations. These include:
- Indigenous land defenders resisting pipeline development
- Black-led community safety networks building alternatives to policing
- Transgender-led mutual aid collectives in rural areas
- Immigrant rights coalitions organizing against detention and deportation
Often, these are hyper-local, volunteer-run, and culturally rooted groups working outside mainstream visibility. The Fund’s support allows them to stabilize, scale, or pivot in real time.
Impact: More Than Metrics
The Fund resists the dominant philanthropic obsession with quantifiable outcomes. Instead, it emphasizes:
- Movement vitality: Are communities better equipped to resist and build?
- Leadership sustainability: Are organizers able to continue their work?
- Narrative power: Are underrepresented voices gaining visibility and influence?
While hard to measure with spreadsheets, these impacts are visible on the ground, in the momentum of mobilizations, the emergence of new leaders, and the resilience of communities under pressure.
Donor Engagement: Shifting the Culture of Giving
The Emergent Fund also engages donors in transformative ways. Donors are invited not just to give, but to rethink their relationship to wealth and power. This includes:
- Participating in political education about race, class, and colonization
- Engaging in community conversations with grantees
- Supporting redistributive giving practices and advocating for tax justice
For many donors, this becomes not just a funding relationship, but a personal journey toward equity and collective liberation.
Critiques and Challenges
No model is without its challenges. Some critiques of the Emergent Fund include:
- Lack of transparency for groups not selected (because the nomination process is private)
- Difficulty scaling without compromising its values
- The emotional toll on Movement Advisors who must weigh urgent needs against limited funds
The Fund acknowledges these tensions and is continually experimenting with ways to balance responsiveness, equity, and sustainability.
The Bigger Picture: Philanthropy in an Age of Upheaval
The Emergent Fund is part of a broader movement to decolonize and democratize philanthropy. Other related efforts include:
- Solidaire’s Black Liberation Pooled Fund
- Justice Funders’ Resonance Framework
- The Native American Community Response Fund
Together, these models signal a shift away from transactional grantmaking toward transformational resource flow—where funding follows leadership, not vice versa.
In a world shaped by climate crisis, white supremacy, and economic precarity, the future of philanthropy will depend on whether it can move at the pace of change, and in service of justice.
Conclusion: Funding as Praxis, Not Just Policy
The Emergent Fund is not just a tool for resource allocation—it is a living experiment in relational, responsive, and radical philanthropy. It challenges long-held assumptions about who should decide where money goes, how impact is measured, and what solidarity looks like in financial terms.
For grassroots groups, it offers oxygen in moments of crisis. For donors, it offers a way to align wealth with values. For the philanthropic field, it poses a provocation: What if funding wasn’t just strategic—but liberatory?
As more people seek models of care, justice, and co-creation beyond traditional institutions, the Emergent Fund’s example will remain urgent—and increasingly essential.
Because in this moment of converging crises, the most emergent thing of all may be how we choose to show up—for each other, with resources, and with trust.
FAQs
1. What is the Emergent Fund?
The Emergent Fund is a rapid-response, trust-based philanthropic vehicle that supports grassroots movements, especially those led by marginalized communities. It provides unrestricted, fast-turnaround funding to organizations responding to urgent political and social crises.
2. How is the Emergent Fund different from traditional philanthropic foundations?
Unlike conventional funders, the Emergent Fund practices trust-based philanthropy: no formal applications, no reporting burdens, and decisions made by Movement Advisors—organizers from the communities most impacted by injustice. It centers speed, equity, and community governance.
3. Who decides which groups receive funding?
Funding decisions are made by a panel of Movement Advisors, who are grassroots leaders and activists. These advisors assess nominations based on urgency, community leadership, and alignment with social justice goals, not administrative capacity or nonprofit status.
4. What kinds of organizations does the Emergent Fund support?
The Fund supports a wide range of groups, including Indigenous land defenders, Black-led safety networks, trans-led mutual aid collectives, and immigrant rights coalitions. Many are local, volunteer-run, or fiscally sponsored groups doing high-impact organizing.
5. How can someone support or contribute to the Emergent Fund?
Individuals or institutions can become donor partners by contributing directly to the fund. Donors are encouraged to engage in political education, redistributive practices, and relationship-building with movement leaders, shifting philanthropy from charity to solidarity.