Southeast Immigrant Rights Network
SEIRN has created the Cultivating Resistance Fund to support groups and organizations seeking to strengthen and amplify their community organizing efforts; and/or build solidarity with other immigrant, refugee, and Black, Indigenous, People of Color communities.
This fund will provide a total of $120,000 in mini-grants over a period of 2 years to grassroots organizations in North Carolina and other parts of the Southeast. Due to funding stipulations for this fund, $90,000 will be destined to North Carolina and $30,000 to other states in the Southeast region.
2023 Application Deadlines
-
The first round of mini-grant applications will open on February 1st, 2023 and close on March 1st, 2023
-
The second round of mini-grant applications will open on June 1st, 2023 and close on June 30th, 2023
Requirements
In order to apply for a mini-grant groups must:
-
Be a SEIRN member for at least 3 months by the time of applying for a mini-grant. For joint proposals, the organization requesting and receiving the funds should be a SEIRN member.
-
Be a grassroots group or a non-profit organization with a budget not exceeding $500,000.
-
Request funds to support community organizing efforts or efforts to build solidarity with other immigrant/refugee/Black, Indigenous, People of Color communities.
-
Guarantee that NONE of the funds will be used for any partisan purposes
Examples of uses of mini-grants
These include food, space rental, travel to community meetings, printing materials, interpretation or translation, travel cost, bonds for people who have participated in civil disobedience; purchasing equipment, etc. It is acceptable to use mini-grants to cover staff time, including volunteer “staff” time for leaders of grassroots community groups. We are open to new and creative ideas for how to use the mini-grants.
Mini-Grant Process
Interested groups will need to fill out the application form detailing the purpose of the project, goals, and a simple budget.
Groups and organizations outside North Carolina can apply for a maximum of $2,000, and groups in North Carolina can apply for a maximum of $5,000. Joint proposals of 2 or more groups will be prioritized and considered for higher mini-grant amounts.
Not every group that applies will receive a mini-grant and not every group will receive the amount they are requesting.
The Cultivating Resistance Fund Selection Committee will evaluate the applications and approve or deny the mini-grant request.
Groups that have received a grant can reapply the following year, giving preference to groups that have not yet received a grant.
Each group that receives a mini-grant will need to sign a grant agreement letter listing how they plan to use the funds and that funds will not be used for partisan purposes.
Funds will only be distributed via check, Paypal or Zelle.
Reporting
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.