Sparkplug funds work by members of a community for their community -- work that aims to create justice by making systemic change and/or shifting power. In other words, we fund projects that are created, run by, and meet the needs of people with shared lived experiences who face the same types of oppression, discrimination, violence, or barriers, who live in the same area, or who have a shared vision and aspirations for the future.

For example, We DO fund projects created and led by LGBTQ youth to change policies that affect them, but we DON’T fund programs that provide social services for LGBTQ youth.

Some other examples of community organizing that we have funded in the past include:

-A farmworker-led campaign against deportations and for access to driver's licenses for undocumented people.

-Training community members as housing organizers as part of a campaign to build their leadership capacity and win local housing justice.

-Support to frontline communities in energy democracy organizing.

-A COVID-19-related mutual aid and advocacy project by and for people experiencing homelessness.

We ask each grantee to send us a report in the year following your receipt of your grant letting us know how you used the funds, what impact(s) they had, and why you were or were not able to achieve the objectives you outlined in the grant proposal.