Groundswell Fund

What Groundswell Fund does

Groundswell Fund is a national 501(c)(3) intermediary funder founded in 2003 and operationally headquartered at 548 Market Street #49734, San Francisco, though the organization is fully virtual with 11-50 staff distributed across the country. Its stated purpose is to redistribute philanthropic wealth to grassroots organizations working at the intersection of bodily autonomy and democracy, with a geographic concentration in the U.S. South, Southwest, Midwest, and U.S. Territories.

The organization delivers its work through a portfolio of specialized funds and capacity-building programs. Until 2025, Groundswell operated discrete vehicles including the Catalyst Fund (reproductive justice organizing), Birth Justice Fund (maternal and perinatal health), Liberation Fund (women-of-color and trans-led organizing), and Rapid Response Fund (emergency response grants). Capacity building was delivered through the Integrated Voter Engagement Program (IVE) and Grassroots Organizing Institute (GOI). Beginning in 2026, these were consolidated into a unified "Movement Solidarity Model" that targets roughly $1M per partner within a smaller, deeper cohort. A sibling 501(c)(4) entity, Groundswell Action Fund, supports c4 policy and electoral partners; together the two entities moved more than $100M during the 2020-2025 Blueprint period. Technology stack is conventional: the Fluxx grantee portal handles grant administration, Google Analytics and Facebook tools support website analytics, and DAF Direct integrations with Fidelity, Schwab, and BNY Mellon enable donor-advised fund contributions.

Revenue is 100% philanthropic. Income streams comprise individual donor contributions (including monthly sustainers), foundation and institutional grants, donor-advised funds, stock and wire transfers, and planned/legacy gifts. There is no product or service pricing because the organization does not sell anything; pricing details are explicitly not applicable. GTM motion is dual-sided and community-led: a focused cohort of long-term grantee partnerships on one side, paired with donor-cohort cultivation, convenings (Women Moving Millions, CHANGE Unity Summit, Women's Funding Network Conference), and earned media (notably the Ms. Magazine "Gender & Democracy" series launched May 2025) on the other. Customer segments are 501(c)(3) grassroots organizations led by women, transgender, and gender-expansive people of color, plus movement organizations seeking infrastructure support; the segmentation approach is hybrid.

Name

Groundswell Fund

Legal name

Groundswell Fund

Website

https://groundswellfund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Groundswell Fund is a national 501(c)(3) intermediary funder, founded in 2003, that redistributes philanthropic resources to U.S. grassroots organizations advancing bodily autonomy and democracy, with a cohort-based Movement Solidarity Model concentrating support in the South, Southwest, Midwest, and U.S. Territories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grantmaking Foundations

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Nonprofit foundation
• Grantmaking services
• Movement building
• Reproductive justice
• Community philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donor Contributions: Groundswell Fund receives contributions from individual donors, monthly sustainers, and institutional donors. It offers multiple giving vehicles including credit card/ACH, stock gifts, wire transfers, and monthly recurring gifts. The organization also accepts planned/legacy gifts.
2. Foundation and Institutional Grants: Groundswell receives grants from foundations and institutional funders. The organization has a dedicated [email protected] contact for grantmaker inquiries.
3. Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs): Donors can contribute through DAFs and recommend grants over time. Groundswell participates in DAF Direct, working with Fidelity, Schwab, and BNY Mellon.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Groundswell Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public foundation that provides multi-year general operating support grants and capacity-building resources to grassroots organizations led by women of color, transgender people of color, and Indigenous communities working at the intersection of gender, racial, economic, and climate justice. It channels donor-advised and pooled philanthropic capital through programs such as Core Strengthening, the Fund for Reproductive Freedom, and the c9 Fund, while also operating the affiliated 501(c)(4) Groundswell Action Fund for electoral and advocacy work.

Product overview

Groundswell Fund operates as a national intermediary funder offering a portfolio of specialized funding programs. The core offering consists of Groundswell Fund (501(c)(3)) which provides grants to grassroots organizations, complemented by its sibling organization Groundswell Action Fund (501(c)(4)) for policy and electoral work. The fund portfolio includes the Catalyst Fund (reproductive justice organizing), Birth Justice Fund (maternal health and midwifery), Liberation Fund (women of color and trans organizing), and Rapid Response Fund (emergency grants). Capacity-building support is delivered through the Integrated Voter Engagement Program (IVE) and Grassroots Organizing Institute (GOI). In 2026, the organization shifted from a broad distribution model to a smaller cohort of partners with deeper, more substantial support, integrating the five discrete funds into one unified Movement Solidarity model.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Core Strengthening Grants Multi-year general operating support grants provided to grassroots organizations led by women of color, transgender people of color, and Indigenous communities working on gender, racial, economic, and climate justice.
• Fund for Reproductive Freedom Dedicated grantmaking pool that funds organizations advancing reproductive justice, particularly those led by and serving women of color, transgender people, and Indigenous communities across the United States.
• c9 Fund Grantmaking and capacity-building initiative focused on supporting Black women, transgender, and gender-expansive people-led organizing at the intersection of racial, gender, and climate justice.
• Groundswell Action Fund (501(c)(4)) Affiliated 501(c)(4) nonprofit that conducts electoral, lobbying, and advocacy work in support of Groundswell Fund's grantees, including voter engagement and issue advocacy campaigns.

Quantifiable outcome

• 545 organizations received grant funding over the last five years (2020–2025 Blueprint)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ms. MagazinecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 12 May 2025Groundswell Fund and Ms. Magazine launched the 'Gender & Democracy' series, a collaborative initiative dedicated to highlighting the struggles and victories of Groundswell Fund and Groundswell Action Fund grantee partners. The series serves as a repository of stories and reflections, showcasing grassroots leaders who are building power, challenging systemic injustices, and fostering participatory democracy.
• Block & Build Funder Coalition (BBFC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGroundswell is a member of the Block & Build Funder Coalition, a coalition of more than 500 individuals representing 225 philanthropic organizations. Groundswell stands in solidarity with Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and rejects authoritarian efforts to upend its legacy of dismantling white supremacy.
• Groundswell Action FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGroundswell Action Fund is Groundswell Fund's sibling 501(c)(4) organization that supports social justice movements by providing financial resources and capacity-building support to c4 grassroots organizations. Together, Groundswell Fund and Groundswell Action Fund distributed $100M+ during the 2020–2025 Blueprint. The Action Fund was seeded by Eva Grove (founding donor), and both organizations share mission alignment around bodily autonomy and democracy.
• Fidelity, Schwab, BNY Mellon (DAF Direct)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerGroundswell participates in DAF Direct, which works with Fidelity, Schwab, and BNY Mellon to enable donors to recommend grants from their donor-advised funds to Groundswell Fund.
• Beyond Neutrality / The Management CenterminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerReferenced as a trusted resource for organizations embarking on union contract negotiations. Beyond Neutrality is described as anti-racist, pro-union, and mission-driven. Groundswell recommended these resources to other organizations considering their own collective bargaining processes following its landmark contract ratification with Groundswell Workers United.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Arcus Foundation: Private foundation supporting LGBTQ+ social justice, including trans-led organizing and movement infrastructure — overlapping heavily with Groundswell's Bodily Autonomy focus area.
• Solidago Foundation: Progressive re-granting foundation supporting social, economic, and environmental justice movements through intermediary grantmaking. Direct peer in operating model and movement-aligned portfolio.
• Third Wave Fund: Youth-led feminist fund supporting gender justice, reproductive rights, and organizing by young women and trans people of color. Direct peer as a movement-aligned intermediary funder.
• Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice: Philanthropy dedicated to LGBTQI+ social justice movements globally, including trans-led organizing — a direct peer in funding queer/trans movements of color.
• Borealis Philanthropy: Progressive intermediary funder operating pooled funds (e.g., Racial Equity, Disability, LGBTQ) that re-grant to grassroots movements — a structurally similar intermediary model to Groundswell.
• Ms. Foundation for Women: National feminist grantmaker focused on women and girls of color-led organizing across bodily autonomy, economic justice, and democracy. Closely aligned with Groundswell's mission and grantee base.

Broad incumbents

• Ford Foundation: One of the largest U.S. foundations with major programs in social justice, gender, racial equity, and democracy. Operates at much larger scale but shares overlapping mission and grantee networks with Groundswell.
• Open Society Foundations: Global progressive grantmaker with significant U.S. investments in reproductive rights, democracy, and movement building. Overlaps with Groundswell in funding c3 organizing infrastructure.

Emerging players

• National Network of Abortion Funds: Network of abortion funds providing direct practical support. Overlaps with Groundswell grantees and shares leadership pipeline (Groundswell's CEO previously led NNAF).
• SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective: National reproductive justice organization led by women of color that both receives and coordinates funding across member organizations. Mission-aligned but operates more as a movement network than a re-grantor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/groundswellfund
• Facebookfacebook.com/GroundswellFund
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/groundswell-fund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Groundswell Fund