The Bafrayund Fund is a New York City-based private grantmaking foundation established in 2018. ¹ The foundation makes the bulk of its large contributions to numerous left-of-center to radical organizations.

People

The chair of the Bafrayund Fund is Rachel Gelman. ²

Radical-left activist Isaac Lev Szmonko signed a letter supporting left-progressive approaches to race within Jewish-oriented organizations on behalf of the Fund; a Rachel Gelman of Oakland signed in a personal capacity. ³ Szmonko and Gelman are both officers of Gelman Giving, a radical-left philanthropic advisory group and grantmaking brand. ⁴

In a New York Times profile of young, socialist grantmakers, a person by the name of Rachel Gelman was reported as giving to the National Day Laborer Organizing Network and Critical Resistance, which are Bafrayund Fund grant recipients. ⁵

Grantmaking

In 2020, the foundation awarded $2,403,000 in grants. Among the left-of-center organizations that received grants were the Arab American Action Network, the ANYI Institute, Bend the Arc Jewish Action, Black Alliance for Just Immigration, Causa Justa Just Cause, Center for Political Education, Critical Resistance, Dignity & Power Now, Desis Rising Up and Moving, Essie Justice Group, Freedom Archives, Grassroots International, Groundswell Fund, Headwaters Foundation For Justice, Highlander Research and Education, Indigenous Environmental Network, Jews For Racial & Economic Justice, Los Angeles Community Action Network, Climate Justice Alliance, Mujeres Unidas y Activas, National Day Laborer Organizing Network, National Domestic Workers Alliance, Mpower Change, Project South,  Proteus Fund, Resource Generation, the Ruckus Society, the Solidaire Network, NDN Collective, Thousand Currents, Tides Center, and WESPAC Foundation. ⁶

In 2019, in addition to making grants to those groups, the foundation made a $20,000 grant to the socialist organizing group LeftRoots and a $15,000 grant to Jewish Voice for Peace. ⁷

1. “2018 Form 990”. 2022. Guidestar. Accessed January 17. https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2018/832/811/2018-832811578-116e467a-F.pdf?_gl=1*wsh0s*_ga*MTcyOTQwMTk5OC4xNTczNDQ5NDky*_ga_5W8PXYYGBX*MTY0MjM5MzYyNi40MS4xLjE2NDIzOTQzNTUuNjA.&_ga=2.43423141.1010135908.1642393644-1729401998.1573449492.
2. Goodman, John C. 2020. “Worthless Heirs”. The Independent Institute. https://www.independent.org/news/article.asp?id=13351.
3. “Signatories.” Not Free to Desist. Accessed January 26, 2022. https://www.notfreetodesist.org/signatories.
4. “About.” Rachel Gelman Giving. Accessed January 26, 2022. https://gelmangiving.org/about/.
5. Beery, Zoë. “The Rich Kids Who Want to Tear down Capitalism.” The New York Times. The New York Times, November 27, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/27/style/trust-fund-activism-resouce-generation.html.
6. “2020 Form 990”. 2022. Guidestar. Accessed January 17. https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2019/832/811/2019-832811578-18090371-F.pdf?_gl=1*nn16fq*_ga*MTcyOTQwMTk5OC4xNTczNDQ5NDky*_ga_5W8PXYYGBX*MTY0MjM5MzYyNi40MS4xLjE2NDIzOTM2NzEuMTU.&_ga=2.140892210.1010135908.1642393644-1729401998.1573449492.
7. “2019 Form 990”. 2022. Guidestar. Accessed January 17. https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2019/832/811/2019-832811578-18090371-F.pdf?_gl=1*nn16fq*_ga*MTcyOTQwMTk5OC4xNTczNDQ5NDky*_ga_5W8PXYYGBX*MTY0MjM5MzYyNi40MS4xLjE2NDIzOTM2NzEuMTU.&_ga=2.140892210.1010135908.1642393644-1729401998.1573449492.