The fifth cycle of the Cultivating Resistance Fund supports grassroots groups that are preparing their communities for, and supporting them during, intensified ICE enforcement, and/or responding to ICE raids in their communities.
Community-based groups without 501(c)(3) status and organizations with annual budgets under $150,000 will be prioritized.
In this fifth cycle, we are funding two key priorities:
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Community Defense
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Raids Respons
The eligibility, grant amounts, and application processes are different for these two funding priorities. Please continue reading for details on each category.
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Community Defense Mini-Grants
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Community defense mini-grants are available for SEIRN members who are preparing their communities for, and supporting them during, intensified ICE enforcement.
Funds can be used to:
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Inform the community about their rights
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Strengthen raids response infrastructure
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Support community hotlines
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Accompany families impacted by detention
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Offer accompaniment to individuals with ICE check-ins or court dates
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And other efforts that help ensure communities are better prepared and supported as ICE enforcement intensifies.
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Mini-grant amounts will range from $2,000 to $3,000, and we expect to award 10 to 12 mini-grants in this current cycle.
A maximum of three grants per state will be awarded (subject to change in exceptional circumstances.)
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Important reminder: Not every group that applies will receive a mini-grant, and not every group will receive the amount they are requesting.
REQUIREMENTS:
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Be an active SEIRN member for at least 3 months by the time of applying for a mini-grant.
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Be a grassroots group or a non-profit organization with a budget not exceeding $150,000
PROCESS:
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Apply by: November 19, 2025 (This is the last opportunity to apply for funding in 2025.)
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The Review Committee will evaluate applications within two weeks.
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Notifications of mini-grant awards will be sent the week of December 8, 2025.
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Mini-grant disbursements will be processed the week of December 15, 2025, or the week of January 12, 2026, depending on when the group submits their paperwork.
​For security reasons, all payments will be processed via bank transfer.
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Raids Response Mini-Grants
Raids response mini-grants will be granted to groups in the Southeast region responding to an ICE raid or ICE operation resulting in the simultaneous detention of 5 people or more within the same community. Because this is emergency funding, there are no requirements for groups to be SEIRN members.
Funds can be used to respond to an ICE raid in the community. They can also be used to support a raid response infrastructure, pay for interpretation services, support impacted families with transportation, or anything else that may be needed by the impacted community or the organization responding to the raid.
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Mini-grant amounts will vary between $2,000 and $6,000. We expect to award between 5 to 7 of these mini-grants with this current batch of funding.
We will award a maximum of 1 grant for the same state (subject to change based on exceptional circumstances.)
Important reminder: Not every group that applies will receive a mini-grant, and not every group will receive the amount they are requesting.
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REQUIREMENTS:
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Be an organization or grassroots group based in the Southeast and serve communities in the Southeast region. There’s no requirement to be a SEIRN member.
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Align with SEIRN values
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Be a grassroots group or a non-profit organization with a budget not exceeding $150,000
PROCESS:
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Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and until funds are available.
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Award notifications will go out no later than 3 days after receiving the application
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Payments will be processed as soon as groups submit all the paperwork. Groups will have 2 weeks to submit their payment request.
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When the proposed work is complete, the groups that receive a grant will submit a short written report sharing the results of the project. The date to submit the report will be listed on the agreement letter.
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For security reasons, all payments will be processed through a bank transfer.
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FOR QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT:
Nayely Perez-Huerta: nayely@seirn.org • 919-341-9796