Grassroots International
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1983
- HeadquartersBoston, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Grassroots International firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Grassroots International
- Legal name
- Grassroots International
- Website
- https://grassrootsonline.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1983
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Grassroots International industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nonprofit Grantmaking and Movement Support
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)
Keywords
Where Grassroots International is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Grassroots International business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Grassroots International receives donations from individual supporters. They offer monthly sustainer programs (Seeds of Change Sustainers Circle) and one-time donations through their website, check, electronic fund transfer, stock transfers, and qualified charitable distributions from IRAs.
- Planned Giving: The organization accepts gifts by will, including stated dollar amounts, percentage of residual estate, or specific assets. They have partnered with FreeWill platform for donors to create free wills and designate Grassroots International as beneficiary.
- Donor Advised Fund (DAF) Grants: Donors can request grant distributions through their DAF sponsors. Grassroots International's Tax ID is 04-2791159.
- Institutional/Funder Grants: The organization receives grants from institutional funders. They have a dedicated institutional funding team reachable at [email protected].
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels8 records
Grassroots International product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Grassroots International is a 501(c)(3) global grantmaking and movement support organization that raises donations from individuals and institutional funders and redistributes them as multi-year, flexible core funding to grassroots social movements in the Global South and the United States. Its work is organized around a Solidarity Philanthropy framework spanning grantmaking, social action, donor/funder engagement, and organizational wellbeing, with special initiatives including the Martín-Baró Initiative, the CLIMA Fund, and a Palestine Emergency Fund. In the most recent reported year, it provided more than $9 million in grants to 200+ groups across 20+ countries, with roughly 87% of its budget directed to movements and education.
Product overview
Grassroots International is a 501(c)(3) global grantmaking and movement support organization that accompanies, funds, and works in solidarity with social movements predominantly in the Global South and the U.S. The organization operates through its core solidarity philanthropy framework, which encompasses grantmaking, social action, donor engagement programs, and organizational wellbeing. Key products include the Grantmaking Program (distributing $9+ million annually to movements worldwide), the Martín-Baró Initiative for Wellbeing and Human Rights (a giving circle supporting healing and justice work), the Palestine Emergency Fund, and the CLIMA Fund climate initiative. Supporting offerings include the Learning Hub (educational resources), Impact Stories, Events and Solidarity Encounters, and Donor and Funder Engagement Programs (including delegations, retreats, and virtual learning spaces). The organization focuses on six interconnected areas: Human Rights Defense, Ecological Justice, Food Sovereignty, Healing and Wellbeing, Grassroots Feminisms, and Defense of Territory.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Martín-Baró Initiative (MBI): Giving circle for healing and wellbeing named after Ignacio Martín-Baró, supporting social movements at intersections of healing and social justice
- CLIMA Fund
Products and services
- Grantmaking Program Solidarity-based grantmaking program providing multi-year, flexible core funding to vetted grassroots social movements in 20+ countries; $9M+ distributed last year to 200+ groups focused on food sovereignty, climate justice, human rights, ecological justice, healing, feminisms, and territorial defense.
- Social Action Program
- Solidarity Philanthropy Framework Evolving framework built on principles and practices informed by social movements, grantmaking experience, and responsibility, guiding the organization's approach to partnering with movements through grantmaking, social action, transforming philanthropy, and organizational wellbeing.
- Martín-Baró Initiative for Wellbeing and Human Rights (MBI) Giving circle that supports global social movements working at the intersections of healing and social justice, named after Ignacio Martín-Baró; funds psychosocial wellbeing projects, trauma healing, and collective mental health support for communities affected by institutional violence and repression.
- Palestine Emergency Fund Emergency fund that moves 100% of donations to trusted community-led organizations throughout Palestine, supporting emergency medical care, reproductive healthcare, mental health support, food distribution, and organizing efforts.
- CLIMA Fund Collaborative climate solutions funding initiative with Global Greengrants Fund, Thousand Currents, and Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism; mobilizes philanthropy to resource Indigenous, peasant, Afrodescendant, feminist, and youth-led grassroots climate justice movements.
- Donor and Funder Engagement Programs Programs for donors and funders including Solidarity Encounters (virtual learning spaces), Delegations (travel to visit movement partners), Solidarity Philanthropy Praxis Retreats, and Networks and Collaboratives.
Quantifiable outcome
- $9 Million+ in grantmaking last year; 200+ grants to groups in 20 countries; >90% of budget to programs and education
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Grassroots International
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Grassroots International technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Grassroots International partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Martín-Baró Initiative (MBI) for Wellbeing and Human RightscoreFormed in 2019 when Grassroots International joined forces with the Martín-Baró Fund for Mental Health and Human Rights. Honors the legacy of Ignacio Martín-Baró, a liberation psychologist and Jesuit priest committed to human rights, collective healing, and liberation. Supports grassroots efforts at intersections of healing and social justice.
- CLIMA FundcoreCLIMA Fund is a collaboration between Global Greengrants Fund, Grassroots International, Thousand Currents, and Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism. It mobilizes the philanthropic sector to resource grassroots climate justice solutions, working together to give influential funders a simple and effective way to invest in grassroots climate change movements.
- La Via CampesinacoreGlobal peasant movement; Grassroots International issued first grant to La Via Campesina in 1996 when it launched food sovereignty on the world stage. Deep partnership at global, regional, and national levels supporting operations, member organizations, communications, advocacy, and donor base expansion.
- Nyéléni Global Forum for Food SovereigntycoreGrassroots International accompanied the Nyéléni 2007 process in Mali with financial, technical, and political support. Active in multiple processes flowing from Nyéléni including North American regional follow-up and the Third Nyéléni Global Forum in Kandy, Sri Lanka (2025).
- Climate Justice AlliancecoreGrassroots International is a founding member of Climate Justice Alliance since 2013.
- US Food Sovereignty AlliancecoreGrassroots International is a founding member of US Food Sovereignty Alliance, formed in 2010 to build the food sovereignty movement in the US.
- Berta Cáceres International Feminist Organizing SchoolminorLaunched in 2021; Grassroots International supports this international feminist organizing initiative.
- Food Sovereignty PrizeminorAnnual award founded in 2009 as an alternative to the corporate-backed World Food Prize, led by US Food Sovereignty Alliance. Grassroots International supports this initiative.
- Landless Workers Movement (MST)coreBrazilian land reform movement; Grassroots International launched Brazil program in 1998 and built relationship with MST. Long-term partnership supporting agrarian reform and food sovereignty.
- Global Greengrants FundcorePartner in CLIMA Fund collaboration for climate solutions.
- Thousand CurrentscorePartner in CLIMA Fund collaboration for climate solutions.
- Urgent Action Fund for Feminist ActivismcorePartner in CLIMA Fund collaboration for climate solutions.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves8 records
Grassroots International competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Ford Foundation: Ford Foundation is a broad incumbent operating one of the largest progressive grantmaking portfolios globally, including substantial funding to Global South movements that overlaps with Grassroots International's mission. It is a major institutional funder of the solidarity philanthropy field in which Grassroots International operates.
- Open Society Foundations: Open Society Foundations is a broad incumbent that funds human rights, climate justice, and movement-building internationally, often through intermediaries including smaller funds. Its grantmaking activities overlap with Grassroots International's geographies and themes (especially Haiti, Middle East, climate), positioning it both as a potential peer and an institutional funder.
Emerging players
- Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice: Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice is an emerging-player peer in progressive international grantmaking, funding feminist, LGBTQI+, and human rights movements globally through trust-based models. Its grantmaking approach and constituency overlap with Grassroots International's Grassroots Feminisms work, though it focuses more specifically on SOGI movements.
- Grassroots Fund (New Hampshire): Grassroots Fund is an emerging player in solidarity grantmaking focused on New England environmental justice and social justice movements. It shares the solidarity-philanthropy orientation and grassroots accompaniment model but operates at smaller scale and within a single U.S. region rather than globally.
Direct peers
- Thousand Currents: Thousand Currents is a direct peer and CLIMA Fund co-founder alongside Grassroots International, applying a similar solidarity philanthropy framework to resource grassroots movements, particularly feminist and Global South organizations. Both organizations emphasize multi-year, flexible core funding and long-term accompaniment.
- Global Greengrants Fund: Global Greengrants Fund is a directly comparable grassroots grantmaking peer; both organizations co-founded the CLIMA Fund and operate similar solidarity-based models funding environmental and climate justice movements worldwide. They share donor bases, collaborative initiatives (CLIMA Fund), and overlapping movement partners in the Global South.
- Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism: Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism is a direct peer and CLIMA Fund partner that shares Grassroots International's commitment to rapid, trust-based grantmaking to grassroots movements. Both organizations center feminist and frontline-led organizing, with overlapping grantees and collaborative programming.
- Swift Foundation: Swift Foundation is a direct peer in social-movement grantmaking, focused on Indigenous rights, racial justice, and ecological justice through solidarity philanthropy. The two organizations overlap methodologically (trust-based giving, long-term accompaniment) and sometimes co-fund grassroots partners across Latin America and the U.S.
- Fund for Global Human Rights: Fund for Global Human Rights is a direct peer in international social movement grantmaking, deploying flexible, multi-year core support to human rights defenders in the Global South. It shares Grassroots International's solidarity-philanthropy orientation, regional focus on Latin America and Africa, and reliance on institutional + individual donor revenue.
- CLIMA Fund: CLIMA Fund is a collaborative funding initiative co-founded by Grassroots International alongside Global Greengrants Fund, Thousand Currents, and Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism. It directly competes and collaborates in mobilizing philanthropic capital for grassroots climate justice movements, making it a tight operational peer.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Grassroots International social profiles
Digital presenceGrassroots International compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Grassroots International financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Grassroots International leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Grassroots International subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Grassroots International funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Grassroots International M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Grassroots International
What does Grassroots International do?
Grassroots International is a 501(c)(3) global grantmaking and movement support organization that raises donations from individuals and institutional funders and redistributes them as multi-year, flexible core funding to grassroots social movements in the Global South and the United States. Its work is organized around a Solidarity Philanthropy framework spanning grantmaking, social action, donor/funder engagement, and organizational wellbeing, with special initiatives including the Martín-Baró Initiative, the CLIMA Fund, and a Palestine Emergency Fund. In the most recent reported year, it provided more than $9 million in grants to 200+ groups across 20+ countries, with roughly 87% of its budget directed to movements and education.
Is Grassroots International a public or private company?
Grassroots International is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Grassroots International founded?
Grassroots International was founded in 1983. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Grassroots International based?
Grassroots International is headquartered in Boston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Grassroots International make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are planned Giving, donor Advised Fund (DAF) Grants and institutional/Funder Grants.
Who are Grassroots International's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Ford Foundation and Open Society Foundations. Emerging players are Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice and Grassroots Fund (New Hampshire). Direct peers are Thousand Currents, Global Greengrants Fund, Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism, Swift Foundation, Fund for Global Human Rights and CLIMA Fund.
Does Grassroots International have an API?
No public API is recorded for Grassroots International.
What industry is Grassroots International in?
Grassroots International's product category is Nonprofit Grantmaking and Movement Support. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAN, Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAM, Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8300.