December 2021
From Generation to Generation:
Struggles for Justice Continue
PDF's 2021 Annual Report - From Generation to Generation: Struggles for Justice Continue, reflects how PDF's grassroots partners build on a long legacy of activism, carrying on the mantle of the struggles that have come before them. It spotlights the stories of a "New Generation" of leaders, like the Youth Activism Project and Detroit Area Youth Uniting Michigan, whose organizing addresses racial segregation in school districts, removing police officers from schools, and ensuring better remote learning practices, among others.
Some of PDF's 2021 Highlights Include:

  • 221 grants made to 110 organizations over the last year, totaling over 4 million dollars through all five of PDF's programs.
  • 27 Community Organizing Grants made totaling over $125,000 to grassroots organizations nationwide.
  • PDF was the fiscal sponsor for forty-four organizations and projects, including several new partners like California Families Rise, BIPOC Collective, and the Reproductive Outreach & Education Center for Justice
  • PDF continued grantmaking through the De Colores Rapid Response Fund, supporting organizations like Texas Prisons Air Conditioning Advocates and Who Speaks for Me?
  • Five grants were issued through the Pioneer Valley Community Advised Fund, a participatory grantmaking initiative in Western Massachusetts.
  • PDF's Donor Advised Fund Program supported donor advisors in distributing hundreds of thousands of dollars to progressive community organizations nationwide.
Community Organizing Grants:
Applications Now Open!
PDF's Community Organizing Grants are open for application! Our Community Organizing Grants offer unrestricted, general operating support, with a focus on new organizations and those without access to larger philanthropic resources.

Every year, we fund grassroots, power-building organizations that are aligned with our four pillars of grantmaking: Organizing to Shift Power, Working to Build a Movement, Dismantling Oppression, and Creating New Structures.

Grantees are also eligible for PDF's capacity-building program, The Sustainability Project, which offers three years of training to support fundraising capacity, board development, and financial management and budgeting. Applicants local to Western Massachusetts will also be considered for funding from the Pioneer Valley Community Advised Fund.
Recent Community Organizing Grant partners reflect the broad social justice movement PDF supports in regions around the country. For example, the Massachusetts Alliance Against Predatory Lending and Springfield No One Leaves (MA) organize against continuing foreclosures, gentrification, and displacement in Massachusetts, the Human Rights Coalition (PA) and Decarcerate (AR) are involved in campaigns to address our broken criminal justice system, and Compañeros Inmigrantes de las Montañas en Acción (NC) and Red de Pueblos Transnacionales (NY) organize for justice and dignity for immigrants in both rural and urban contexts.
Thanks for supporting PDF on #GivingTuesday
PDF's 40th Anniversary #GivingTuesday Fundraiser will support the launching of a New Funding Cycle, to be led by leaders aged 18-25 from across the country who will allocate a portion of PDF's Community Organizing Grants.

Thanks to the support of more than thirty-six individual contributors, PDF raised $9,710 toward our $10,000 goal on #GivingTuesday.

We are just $290 shy of reaching our goal. Can you make a gift to help us get there?
As we celebrate PDF's 40th Anniversary milestone, we're thrilled to be launching this new participatory initiative to uplift the next generation, continuing PDF's philanthropic mission: building the capacity of community organizations as partners in human rights and social justice movements.

It's not too late to wish PDF a Happy 40th Birthday and help us to reach our fundraising goal for this new initiative! Your gift will go directly into Community Organizing Grants for grassroots organizations nationwide, determined by our New Funding Circle!

Plus, this year the IRS has included a special tax provision that will allow more Americans to easily deduct up to $300 in donations to qualifying charities for individuals who don't itemize! Find out more here.
PDF is Hiring: Come join our team!
PDF is seeking candidates for two full-time positions to be based in our Amherst office. Both positions offer a salary commensurate with experience, and the benefits package includes full medical and dental insurance along with paid holidays, vacation, sick, and personal time. Please click the links below to find out more!

  1. Director of Advancement and Communications
  2. Foundation Associate - Donor Data Management
Thank you for your support.