Emergent Fund is a left-of-center grantmaking organization that distributes grants to race- and gender-focused activist groups, but also makes grants to climate-change activist groups, abortion-activist groups, and other left-of-center issue-advocacy outfits.

Emergent Fund received a $2,000,000 grant from MacKenzie Scott in 2023. ¹

Background

Emergent Fund describes itself as “participatory grantmaker” guided by values of “collective liberation.” ² It was created in 2016 by Women Donors Network, Solidaire Network, and other left-wing nonprofit operators. Its funding aim is to address issues that “Black, Indigenous, and people of color” (BIPOC) as well as “queer people” face, such as “family separation,” “Muslim bans,” and “uprisings against state violence against Black communities.” The cover graphic on its website depicts a crowd of protestors holding signs that read “My life matters,” “No Justice No Peace,” “Trans Rights,” “Abolish Police Abolish Ice,” “No human is illegal,” and “There are two pandemics.” ³

The organization is headquartered in Washington, D.C. ⁴

Emergent Fund claims that its charity work “centers” the communities it deals with to create “intersectional movements” that are representative of their constituents. ⁵

Funding

Emergent Fund received a $2,000,000 grant from the Yield Giving fund of MacKenzie Scott (nee Bezos) in 2023. ⁶

Grantmaking

In 2022, Emergent Fund claims to have distributed $2.3 million to over 240 activist groups and projects in the areas of racial justice, economic justice, reproductive justice, healing justice, immigrant justice, gender and sexuality justice, climate justice, safety and security, funding resources, and abolition. ⁷

Leadership

Emergent Fund prides itself on being led by “queer women of color” and having its decision making done by a “100% people of color” leadership, both in terms of the group itself and in the communities with which it works. ⁸ It boasts in particular that all of the people in charge of its grantmaking are people of color “and indigenous organizers.” ⁹

As of 2023, the executive director of Emergent Fund was Alicia Sanchez Gill. Gill, a self-described “queer, afrolatinx survivor and organizer,” was formerly the interim executive director of Collective Action for Safe Spaces (CASS), a community activist organization that combats gender discrimination, harassment, and assault in Washington, D.C. Gill has also worked for or with the DC Rape Crisis Center, HIPS, the Women’s Collective, the Diverse City Fund, Black Mama’s Bailout, INCITE!, YWCA USA, DecrimNow DC!, and the Black Alliance for Just Immigration. ¹⁰

Emergent Fund’s grantmaking advisory council is comprised of Ola Osifo Osaze, lead advisor for the Black Migrant Power Fund; Malkia Devich-Cyril, executive director of MediaJustice; Yasmin Yonis, movement chaplain for Justice for Muslims Collective; Tynesha McHarris, founder and principal of the consulting firm Black Harvest LLC; Mijo Lee, executive director of Social Justice Fund NW; Maurice BP-Weeks, co-executive director of ACRE; Deepa Iyer, senior advisor at Building Movement Project and director of Solidarity Is; and Anathea Chino, co-founder and executive director of Advance Native Political Leadership. ¹¹

1. “Emergent Fund.” Yield Giving. Accessed December 17, 2023. https://yieldgiving.com/gifts/?q=emergent+fund.
2. “Emergent Fund.” Yield Giving. Accessed December 17, 2023. https://yieldgiving.com/gifts/?q=emergent+fund.
3. “Emergent Fund.” Emergentfund.net. Accessed December 17, 2023. https://www.emergentfund.net/.
4. “Emergent Fund.” Emergentfund.net. Accessed December 17, 2023. https://www.emergentfund.net/.
5. “Emergent Fund.” Yield Giving. Accessed December 17, 2023. https://yieldgiving.com/gifts/?q=emergent+fund.
6. “Emergent Fund.” Yield Giving. Accessed December 17, 2023. https://yieldgiving.com/gifts/?q=emergent+fund.
7. “2022 Annual Highlights.” Emergentfund.net. Accessed December 17, 2023. https://www.emergentfund.net/report2022.
8. “Emergent Fund.” Yield Giving. Accessed December 17, 2023. https://yieldgiving.com/gifts/?q=emergent+fund.
9. “Emergent Fund.” Emergentfund.net. Accessed December 17, 2023. https://www.emergentfund.net/.
10. “Our People.” Emergentfund.net. Accessed December 17, 2023. https://www.emergentfund.net/ourpeople.
11. “Our People.” Emergentfund.net. Accessed December 17, 2023. https://www.emergentfund.net/ourpeople.