We are delighted to announce a $2 million grant in support of the Groundswell Fund, an organization that is responding to the myriad needs of disadvantaged communities in the U.S. with the belief that those closest to the problem are also best able to develop strategies to achieve solutions. This grant aligns with the mission of our Human Rights program to achieve a more just society in which people in the United States are valued regardless of gender, race, class, or citizenship status.

As I’ve written before, the Foundation’s support of its many grantee partners in early education, science, climate and clean energy, human rights, and local and emerging opportunities has taken on a renewed sense of urgency. In these challenging times, we must continue to press forward to build a society that respects human rights and embodies the best democratic ideals.

Led by its vision to foster a more inclusive and just society, Groundswell supports a stronger movement for reproductive justice in the United States by mobilizing new funding and capacity-building resources to grassroots organizations led by low-income women, women of color, and transgender people. Learn more about Groundswell here.

“This generous grant from the Heising-Simons Foundation is a game changer for the Groundswell Fund and the grassroots organizing efforts we support,” says Vanessa Daniel, the organization’s founder and executive director. “It will enable us to increase grant sizes to grantees and offer more capacity building support for groups that organize and mobilize historically underrepresented communities.”

A big piece of that work, Vanessa says, is based on establishing a “solidarity-based approach to social change, one that locks arms across silos and constituencies to build the kind of vibrant, unified, multi-racial movements we need to push for social change in these times.”

Since its inception over a decade ago, Groundswell has granted more than $40 million through its programs, which include organizational capacity building and integrated voter engagement.

The Heising-Simons Foundation is proud to support Groundswell’s vision of solidarity, hope, and unity among grassroots movements at a time of so much division and polarization.

A recent Q&A with Vanessa Daniel can be found at Philanthropic News Digest’s blog.