North Star Fund

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.

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

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

• Community foundation
• Grantmaking programs
• Social justice philanthropy
• Donor advised funds
• Grassroots organizing

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. 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

Core 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

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Let Us Breathe Community Funding Committee (CFC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 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 UpcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWomen 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 FunderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA 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 FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed 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 PhilanthropycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBorealis Philanthropy started the Black-led Movement Fund and is part of the collaborative network working to fund Black-led organizing.
• SolidairecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSolidaire 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.orgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorth 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 GivingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition 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 FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-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 FundersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne 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

Direct 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

• YouTubevimeo.com/northstarfund
• Facebookfacebook.com/NorthStarFund
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/north-star-fund
• Instagraminstagram.com/northstarfund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about North Star Fund