Social Justice Fund
Social Justice Fund NW is a Seattle-based, member-funded 501(c)(3) foundation that pooled $7M in 2025 to make 279 grants to BIPOC-led grassroots organizations across Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming through its participatory Giving Project model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1978
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Social Justice Fund does
Social Justice Fund NW (SJF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation founded in 1978 (originally as A Territory Resource, renamed in 2005) and headquartered in Seattle, WA. It operates as a member-funded foundation that moves pooled member and donor resources into grants supporting grassroots community organizations led by people most directly affected by systemic injustice across a five-state region: Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. In 2025 the organization moved $7M in resources (a 40% YoY increase) and disbursed 279 grants, with grant requests up 150% versus the prior year.
SJF's core product is the Giving Project — a six-month participatory model in which cross-class, multiracial cohorts of 15-20 volunteers engage in political education, grassroots fundraising, and democratic grantmaking to allocate pooled resources. This is supplemented by a portfolio of recurring grant programs ranging from $1,000 sponsorships and $5,000 Seed Grants to $25,000 Carceral Systems and Tenant & Housing Justice Grants, $50,000 Mountain West Organizing Grants, and $100,000 Basebuilding Grants. Approximately 20-30% of annual funding goes to first-time recipients. The organization runs 4-5 grant cycles per year, with intake via a Grant Interface portal and grantee engagement supported by Zoom-based cohort sessions and YouTube-recorded informational content.
The business model is philanthropic rather than commercial. Revenue derives from annual membership dues of $240 (or a meaningful amount), grassroots fundraising campaigns run by Giving Project participants, stock donations (processed via Charles Schwab), planned giving/bequests, and Donor Advised Fund distributions (Fidelity, Schwab, Impact Assets, Common Council). The 1-10 person staff operates without a technology product; technology usage is limited to standard SaaS for communications, fundraising, and grant application intake. The organization maintains a national peer network of community foundations running parallel Giving Project models, including Bread & Roses (Philadelphia), North Star Fund (New York), Crossroads Fund (Chicago), and Headwaters Foundation for Justice (Minneapolis).
Social Justice Fund firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Social Justice Fund
- Legal name
- Social Justice Fund NW
- Website
- https://socialjusticefund.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1978
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Social Justice Fund NW is a Seattle-based, member-funded 501(c)(3) foundation that pooled $7M in 2025 to make 279 grants to BIPOC-led grassroots organizations across Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming through its participatory Giving Project model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Social Justice Fund is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Social Justice Fund business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Member Contributions: SJF is a member-funded foundation. Members pay annual dues of $240 per year (or whatever is meaningful to them). Members gain access to workshops on giving, racial justice, fundraising, and other relevant issues, and participate in donor organizing activities. The organization moved $7M in resources in 2025, a 40% increase over 2024.
- Donor Gifts and Fundraising: The organization raises money through grassroots fundraising campaigns where Giving Project participants ask friends, family, and community to contribute. Donations are pooled and leveraged for maximum community benefit. The organization accepts donations via credit/debit card, electronic funds transfer, cash, checks, stock, donor advised funds, and planned giving.
- Stock Donations: Donors can transfer appreciated securities (owned more than a year) which may save both income and capital gains taxes, lowering the cost of the gift. Stock transfers are processed electronically through Charles Schwab with account number 1001-0674 and DTC number 0164. EIN: 91-1036971.
- Planned Giving: Planned gifts include bequests through wills or living trusts, life insurance policies, retirement policies, charitable lead trusts, marketable securities, and real estate. These estate-planned gifts ensure long-term funding for SJF's social justice mission.
- Donor Advised Funds (DAF): Donors can recommend grants to SJF through their existing DAF accounts at sponsors such as Impact Assets, Common Council, Fidelity, and Schwab using SJF's EIN 91-1036971. Donations can be designated as unrestricted or directed to specific Giving Projects or campaigns.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Membership — $240/year (or pay what is meaningful) |
| Other | Annual | Emerging Justice Fund Grant — $10,000 |
| Other | Annual | Sponsorship — $1,000 |
| Other | Annual | Seed Grant — $5,000 |
| Other | Annual | Carceral Systems Organizing Grant — $25,000 |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Tenant & Housing Justice Giving Project Grant — up to $25,000/year |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Mountain West Organizing Grant — $50,000 |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Basebuilding Grant — $100,000 |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Environmental Justice Giving Project Grant — $50,000 |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Social Justice Fund product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Social Justice Fund NW is a member-funded 501(c)(3) foundation that redistributes resources from individual donors and members to grassroots social justice organizations in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. It operates a distinctive Giving Projects model in which cross-class, multiracial cohorts of 15-20 people commit six months to political education, grassroots fundraising, and democratic grantmaking. The foundation offers multiple grant programs ranging from $1,000 sponsorships to $100,000 basebuilding grants, alongside membership, stock donations, planned giving, and Donor Advised Fund options.
Product overview
Social Justice Fund NW is a member-funded foundation offering a portfolio of grant programs and participatory funding models. The core product is the Giving Projects program—a six-month participatory model where diverse cohorts engage in political education, grassroots fundraising, and democratic grantmaking. The organization offers multiple grant programs including Seed Grants ($5,000), Emerging Justice Fund ($10,000), Carceral Systems Organizing Grants ($25,000), Tenant & Housing Justice Grants ($25,000/year), Mountain West Organizing Grants ($25,000/year), and Basebuilding Grants ($50,000/year). Additional offerings include membership at $240/year, stock donations via Charles Schwab, planned giving/bequests, and Donor Advised Fund management. All programs support grassroots community organizing in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Giving Projects Program A six-month participatory funding program that convenes cross-class, multiracial groups of 15-20 people to engage in political education, grassroots fundraising, and democratic grantmaking that supports grassroots community organizing.
Quantifiable outcome
- $7M in resources moved in 2025 — 40% increase over 2024
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Social Justice Fund
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Social Justice Fund technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
Social Justice Fund partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Bread & Roses Community Fund (Philadelphia, PA)minorSJF collaborates with Bread & Roses Community Fund as part of a national network of community foundations and justice funders that offer Giving Projects in their respective cities. Bread & Roses is a community fund in Philadelphia, PA.
- Chinook Fund (Denver, CO)minorSJF collaborates with Chinook Fund as part of a national network of community foundations and justice funders that offer Giving Projects in their respective cities. Chinook Fund is a community fund in Denver, CO.
- Crossroads Fund (Chicago, IL)minorSJF collaborates with Crossroads Fund as part of a national network of community foundations and justice funders that offer Giving Projects in their respective cities. Crossroads Fund is a community fund in Chicago, IL.
- Grassroots International (Boston, MA)minorSJF collaborates with Grassroots International as part of a national network of community foundations and justice funders that offer Giving Projects in their respective cities. Grassroots International serves Boston, MA and operates nationally.
- Headwaters Foundation for Justice (Minneapolis, MN)minorSJF collaborates with Headwaters Foundation for Justice as part of a national network of community foundations and justice funders that offer Giving Projects in their respective cities. Headwaters Foundation is in Minneapolis, MN.
- North Star Fund (New York, NY)minorSJF collaborates with North Star Fund as part of a national network of community foundations and justice funders that offer Giving Projects in their respective cities. North Star Fund is in New York, NY.
- Coalition of Anti-Racist Whites (CARW)minorSJF partnered with CARW and Plymouth Church to lead a two-part anti-racist giving workshop addressing questions of giving, social and racial identities, and centering the most impacted communities.
- Plymouth ChurchminorSJF partnered with CARW and Plymouth Church to lead a two-part anti-racist giving workshop.
- Radical Donors of Color for our Collective Liberation (RDCCL)minorRDCCL (formerly SEADoC) partners with SJF on the RDCCL Article Club — a community discussion space for folks who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC-only) to discuss shared literature and articles.
- Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.minorCharles Schwab & Co., Inc. serves as the custodian for SJF's stock donation account (Account number: 1001-0674, DTC number: 0164). Donors can transfer appreciated securities electronically through this account.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Social Justice Fund competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Crossroads Fund: Chicago-based community fund running the Giving Project model as part of the same national network. Operates with the same member-funded, cross-class grantmaking approach for progressive social change.
- Bread & Roses Community Fund: Philadelphia-based community foundation operating the same Giving Project model as Social Justice Fund NW. Both are member-funded, cross-class, multiracial grantmakers supporting grassroots organizing. Listed explicitly as a mutual GTM partner.
- Headwaters Foundation for Justice: Minneapolis-based foundation using the Giving Project model. Directly comparable in mission, structure, and operational approach to grassroots justice grantmaking in its region.
- Chinook Fund: Denver-based community fund running the Giving Project model as part of the same national network. Comparable structure: member-funded, social justice focus, grassroots grantmaking.
- Haymarket Foundation: Chicago-based social justice foundation that pools small donor contributions for grassroots grantmaking. Operates a similar participatory, donor-driven funding model targeting progressive movements.
- Threshold Foundation: National progressive foundation using participatory grantmaking with cross-class, multiracial cohorts. Closely aligned in donor organizing philosophy and grassroots grantmaking structure.
- Grassroots International: Boston-based and nationally operating justice funder in the same network of Giving Project operators. Focuses on grassroots movements and donor organizing with comparable grantmaking philosophy.
- North Star Fund: New York-based community foundation in the same national network of justice funders offering Giving Projects. Directly comparable model: participatory grantmaking, donor organizing, grassroots focus.
Emerging players
- Solidarity Giving Network: Network of community foundations coordinating donor organizing and participatory grantmaking. Represents a potential scaling vehicle for the Giving Project model beyond SJF's five-state footprint.
Broad incumbents
- Amalgamated Foundation: Larger progressive foundation supporting a wide range of social justice causes through grantmaking. Comparable mission but operates as a broader, more diversified foundation portfolio rather than the regional grassroots focus of SJF.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Social Justice Fund social profiles
Digital presenceSocial Justice Fund financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Social Justice Fund leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Social Justice Fund funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Social Justice Fund M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Social Justice Fund
What does Social Justice Fund do?
Social Justice Fund NW is a member-funded 501(c)(3) foundation that redistributes resources from individual donors and members to grassroots social justice organizations in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. It operates a distinctive Giving Projects model in which cross-class, multiracial cohorts of 15-20 people commit six months to political education, grassroots fundraising, and democratic grantmaking. The foundation offers multiple grant programs ranging from $1,000 sponsorships to $100,000 basebuilding grants, alongside membership, stock donations, planned giving, and Donor Advised Fund options.
Is Social Justice Fund a public or private company?
Social Justice Fund is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Social Justice Fund founded?
Social Justice Fund was founded in 1978. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Social Justice Fund based?
Social Justice Fund is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Social Justice Fund make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Member Contributions are the primary driver. The others are donor Gifts and Fundraising, stock Donations, planned Giving and donor Advised Funds (DAF).
Who are Social Justice Fund's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Crossroads Fund, Bread & Roses Community Fund, Headwaters Foundation for Justice, Chinook Fund, Haymarket Foundation, Threshold Foundation, Grassroots International and North Star Fund. Solidarity Giving Network is listed as an emerging player. Amalgamated Foundation is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Social Justice Fund have an API?
No public API is recorded for Social Justice Fund.