North Star Fund
North Star Fund is a New York City-based non-profit community foundation, founded in 1979, that provides multi-year general operating grants to grassroots racial, gender, and economic justice organizations led by communities of color across NYC, the Hudson Valley, and statewide New York.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1979
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What North Star Fund does
North Star Fund is a non-profit community foundation established in 1979 and headquartered in New York City. It functions as a grantmaking intermediary that channels philanthropic capital from a base of 500+ donors to grassroots organizations led by communities of color working on racial, gender, and economic justice. Its core programmatic vehicles include the Let Us Breathe Fund (launched 2015), Hudson Valley Grantmaking (launched 2020), the Statewide Power Fund (launched 2025 with a $1M commitment), Community Food Funders, the General Fund, and the Giving Project. Since inception, the foundation has distributed more than $146 million in cumulative grants to over 3,000 organizations, with 150+ active grantees at any given time.
The foundation operates a participatory grantmaking model in which funding decisions are made by community-led committees rather than by traditional program officers. It provides multi-year general operating support grants — which were doubled in size in 2021 — designed to give grantees flexible, unrestricted funding. The Giving Project trains donors in grassroots fundraising and redistributes a share of funds raised back to movement organizations. Its geographic footprint spans New York City, the Hudson Valley, and (as of 2025) statewide New York.
Revenue mechanics are typical of a community foundation: donations and contributions from individuals, donor-advised funds, and institutional funders are pooled and regranted, with the foundation retaining a portion for operations. The organization employs approximately 35 staff. It is not a technology company and has no disclosed software products, AI/ML capabilities, or proprietary data assets; its core 'product' is capital allocation decisions and grantee stewardship.
North Star Fund firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- North Star Fund
- Legal name
- North Star Fund
- Website
- https://northstarfund.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1979
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- North Star Fund is a New York City-based non-profit community foundation, founded in 1979, that provides multi-year general operating grants to grassroots racial, gender, and economic justice organizations led by communities of color across NYC, the Hudson Valley, and statewide New York.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
North Star Fund industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Philanthropy / Grantmaking Foundation
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)
Keywords
Where North Star Fund is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
North Star Fund business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donor Contributions and Philanthropic Gifts: North Star Fund raises money from individual donors, institutional funders, and community members. They receive donations through their website (via ClickandPledge platform), donor-advised funds, and other giving mechanisms. This money is then used to make grants to grassroots organizing organizations. The organization also hosts donor-advised funds for individuals.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
North Star Fund product offering
Product offeringCore offering
North Star Fund is a social justice community foundation that raises money from individual donors and institutional funders and redistributes it as grants to grassroots organizing groups led by communities of color in New York City and the Hudson Valley. It operates multiple dedicated grant funds (Let Us Breathe Fund, Hudson Valley Grantmaking, Statewide Power Fund, Community Food Funders) and provides donor-advised fund services, supplementing its grantmaking with donor organizing, community convenings, and a podcast series.
Product overview
North Star Fund is a social justice grantmaking organization that does not offer a traditional software product. Its core offerings consist of philanthropic programs: four active grant funds (Let Us Breathe Fund, Hudson Valley Grantmaking, Statewide Power Fund, and Community Food Funders), a donor-advised fund service, the Meeting the Moment podcast, a Giving Project donor organizing program, and the Let Us Breathe Forum event series. These programs collectively support grassroots organizing for racial, gender, and economic justice in New York City and the Hudson Valley.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Let Us Breathe Fund: A fund dedicated to supporting Black-led grassroots organizing groups focused on police violence, structural racism, systems reform, and Black liberation. The only fund in New York where Black organizers award grants to Black-led grassroots groups.
- Hudson Valley Grantmaking
- Statewide Power Fund
- Community Food Funders
Products and services
- Let Us Breathe Fund A dedicated grantmaking fund supporting Black-led grassroots organizing groups focused on police and state violence, structural racism, and systems reform in New York City and the Hudson Valley. Grants are awarded by a Community Funding Committee of Black organizers. As of June 30, 2025, the fund has awarded over $6 million in grants.
- Hudson Valley Grantmaking Regional grantmaking program supporting grassroots organizing in rural, suburban, and urban communities of color across the Hudson Valley region, addressing issues including housing, policing, schools, and food policy. As of June 30, 2025, North Star Fund has awarded over $6 million in grants in the region.
- Statewide Power Fund A fund focused on statewide power and civic engagement in New York, launched with a $1 million slate of grants supporting organizing across the state.
- Community Food Funders A collaborative funding initiative addressing food justice and food security issues in New York communities.
- Donor-Advised Funds A charitable giving vehicle allowing individual donors to contribute assets and receive tax benefits while recommending grants to nonprofits aligned with social justice movements over time. North Star Fund manages the fund and makes grants to organizations aligned with donor interests.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over $146 million in grants awarded to over 3,000 organizations as of June 30, 2025
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use North Star Fund
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
North Star Fund technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
North Star Fund partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Let Us Breathe Community Funding Committee (CFC)coreThe Let Us Breathe Community Funding Committee (CFC) is composed of Black organizers and community leaders who make grant decisions for the Let Us Breathe Fund. This community-led grantmaking model is unique in New York - it is the only fund where Black organizers award grants to Black-led grassroots groups.
- Women Building UpcoreWomen Building Up hosted The Freedom Function event on June 25, 2026, an intimate gathering to honor and celebrate 10 years of the Let Us Breathe Fund. The event was held at their space in Brooklyn.
- Freedom FunderscoreA new philanthropic intervention created by Hill-Snowdon Foundation that strives to build a philanthropy committed to achieving Black freedom and liberation. North Star Fund collaborates with Freedom Funders to organize funders committed to Black-led organizing.
- Hill-Snowdon FoundationcoreLed by Nat Chioke Williams, Hill-Snowdon Foundation shares North Star Fund's commitment to Black-led organizing. They co-developed Freedom Funders and have a long history of collaboration including the 'Furious Four' (North Star, Hill-Snowdon, Borealis Philanthropy, Solidaire) pushing for Black-led organizing.
- Borealis PhilanthropycoreBorealis Philanthropy started the Black-led Movement Fund and is part of the collaborative network working to fund Black-led organizing.
- SolidairecoreSolidaire is part of the collaborative network (with North Star, Hill-Snowdon, Borealis) that has been pushing for resources to Black-led organizing since 2015.
- Change.orgminorNorth Star Fund partnered with Change.org in 2021 to support Black-led organizing, expanding reach and engagement for the Let Us Breathe Fund.
- Initiative to Accelerate Charitable GivingcoreCoalition formed to increase the speed that resources move to the nonprofit sector. North Star Fund is a member advocating for policy changes including ACE Act, new DAF rules requiring distribution in 15 years, and restrictions on how private foundations meet payout obligations.
- New York FoundationcoreCo-authored the Streets to Statehouse report series examining the role of grassroots organizing in building electoral power. Hosted joint webinar 'Harnessing the Power of the New Electorate' in November 2021.
- Community Food FundersminorOne of North Star Fund's programs focused on food justice and food policy organizing in New York.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights4 records
North Star Fund competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Solidaire: Member-led network of donors funding racial, gender, and economic justice movements. Operates as a donor organizing and regranting vehicle for movement philanthropy, similar to North Star Fund's Giving Project.
- Foundation for Black Communities: Black-led Canadian foundation focused on Black community self-determination; shares North Star Fund's commitment to Black-led grantmaking and community-controlled resources.
- Haymarket People's Fund: Community-led progressive grantmaking fund supporting grassroots organizing. Operates a similar donor-advised / pooled-funds model with community-led decision making.
- Hill-Snowdon Foundation: Long-standing partner of North Star Fund and co-member of the 'Furious Four' focused on Black-led organizing. Comparable in mission, scale, and community-led funding through dedicated programs.
- New York Foundation: NYC-based community foundation funding grassroots organizing for social justice. Co-authored the Streets to Statehouse report with North Star Fund and serves a similar donor and grantee base in New York City.
- Borealis Philanthropy: Philanthropy intermediary that operates the Black-led Movement Fund; comparable to North Star Fund's Let Us Breathe Fund in focus on Black-led organizing and trust-based giving.
Broad incumbents
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Large U.S. foundation with a Health and Climate equity portfolio that intersects with North Star Fund's Community Food Funders and broader social determinants work; broad incumbent rather than direct peer.
- Ford Foundation: One of the largest U.S. foundations with substantial grassroots organizing and social justice grantmaking capacity. A broad incumbent that overlaps on mission and target grantees but operates at a much larger scale.
- Open Society Foundations: Large global foundation funding social justice, racial equity, and movement organizing. Comparable mission but substantially broader geographic scope and budget.
Emerging players
- Emergent Fund: Rapid-response fund for Black-led organizing and social movements. Shares the rapid response and Black-led funding focus with North Star Fund's Let Us Breathe Fund.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
North Star Fund social profiles
Digital presenceNorth Star Fund financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
North Star Fund leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
North Star Fund subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
North Star Fund funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
North Star Fund 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 North Star Fund
What does North Star Fund do?
North Star Fund is a social justice community foundation that raises money from individual donors and institutional funders and redistributes it as grants to grassroots organizing groups led by communities of color in New York City and the Hudson Valley. It operates multiple dedicated grant funds (Let Us Breathe Fund, Hudson Valley Grantmaking, Statewide Power Fund, Community Food Funders) and provides donor-advised fund services, supplementing its grantmaking with donor organizing, community convenings, and a podcast series.
Is North Star Fund a public or private company?
North Star Fund is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was North Star Fund founded?
North Star Fund was founded in 1979. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is North Star Fund based?
North Star Fund is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does North Star Fund make money?
One revenue line is on record: donor Contributions and Philanthropic Gifts.
Who are North Star Fund's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Solidaire, Foundation for Black Communities, Haymarket People's Fund, Hill-Snowdon Foundation, New York Foundation and Borealis Philanthropy. Broad incumbents are Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Ford Foundation and Open Society Foundations. Emergent Fund is listed as an emerging player.
Does North Star Fund have an API?
No public API is recorded for North Star Fund.
What industry is North Star Fund in?
North Star Fund's product category is Community Philanthropy / Grantmaking Foundation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAN, Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAB, Community Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8300.