MRG’s General Fund grants are divided into three categories:

Community Grants – up to $10,000 grants for smaller and emerging community-based groups that have a budget under $100,000.

Leadership Grants – up to $20,000 for larger and more established community-based groups with budgets between $100,000 and $500,000.

Resources for Organizing Grants – while the vast majority of our funds go to Community and Leadership Grants, we do fund a handful of groups that provide community-based groups with the key resources they need to organize more effectively.

To learn more about groups that have received grants, take a look at this list of General Fund grantees.

MRG's staff can help your group determine its eligibility for the General Fund. If you have never applied to MRG General Fund, you must speak with the Grants Program Assistant via phone or in person before applying.

Summary of Funding Criteria

For full criteria contact MRG’s Grants Program Assistant, Cris Lira 1-800-489-6743 (toll free) or 503-234-2338 (in Portland area)

1. Located in Oregon. Applicants must be based in Oregon. Their work must be directed toward those living in Oregon.

2. Budget Sizes. Organizational budget must be under $500,000.

3. Community Organizing for Progressive Social Change. Social change organizing addresses the root causes of critical social justice issues by bringing people together and building their power to change political, social and economic systems that are perpetuating the injustice.

Social change organizing is a relative term and happens differently in different communities. Though no matter the community, social change organizing involves some form of leadership development, base building, and collective action.

Resources for Organizing must be providing community-based groups key tools they need to achieve greater organizing success. We have a strong preference for Resource groups that are working with at least one of our current grantees.

4. Dismantling Oppression. MRG funds groups that are proactively confronting privilege and dismantling oppressive structures both within their own organization as well as in the broader community.

We recognize that this commitment looks different in different communities and issue areas.

We prioritize funding to groups led by people of color, women, low-income people, immigrants and refugees, people living with disabilities, LGBTQ folks and youth; and groups based in a rural area.

5. Strategic. MRG funds groups that will have a deep impact in their community and where our funding will play a critical role in moving a group’s social change work forward.

6. Organizational Effectiveness. MRG funds groups that will be able to accomplish what they set out to do. We look for groups to have a organizing plan, the skill and capacity to accomplish their goals, and a concrete fundraising plan.

7. Movement Building. Grassroots, community-based groups achieve much greater success when they are part of a broader movement for social justice.

Effective movement building first requires that groups understand how their work fits in with other social justice issues and communities. As groups grow and develop we look for them to be building deep relationships and partnerships with other groups working on the same issues and with groups that are outside of their area.

Timeline

We have two deadlines a year for General Grants. For the next deadline, check the Deadlines page.