Dear friends,
This is a significant year for Amplify Fund!
As we continue to do our everyday work – funding our grantees and their collaborative endeavors, bringing people together in learning spaces, and organizing with our Steering Committee for change in philanthropy – we are also in the midst of planning for Amplify 2.0. Since the process is being led by Amplify grantees, we’re confident that the outcome will be a bolder and clearer vision for the future!
If our grantee-led work intrigues you, join us in nurturing and strengthening the conditions they need to build power!
In solidarity,
Amy, Melody, Renata and Nicole (The Amplify staff team)
Grantees continue to guide our work
From the beginning, we have followed the lead of local experts, positioned communities as decision-makers, and prioritized Black, Indigenous and POC leaders. After we got clear that Amplify Fund would extend beyond its original 4-year lifespan, we worked with experienced consultants to create a grantee-led process that would determine the future of Amplify while staying true to our original values. The values undergirding our redesign process are:
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Reorganize who has decision-making power so grantees and other local leaders are in front
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Center Black women and women of color without burdening them
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Design towards greater sustainability for everyone involved in Amplify Fund
You can learn more about the process, including details about roles and the timeline, in this 2-page overview. And, in just a few months, we’ll share more information about Amplify 2.0 based on decisions our grantees make. So keep an eye out!
$634,000 to 16 grantee collaborations
Aligned with our commitment to “fund an ecosystem of groups and prioritize deep collaboration,” we introduced a new grant opportunity in 2021. Through the first two cycles of our Collaboration Grants program, we awarded 16 grants to campaigns, coalitions, and collaboratives that Amplify grantees are leading with their trusted allies.
While we heard great feedback from grantees about the program (particularly that collaboration grants are incredibly useful alongside general operating grants), we also refined our process along the way. For instance, we learned to:
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Ask for specifics about how money will be split amongst collaborators up front
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Give Amplify grantees the flexibility to apply for funds with whomever they want, including organizations not currently funded by us
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Include information about full decision-making criteria for grantmaking decisions in the RFP so grantees were fully aware up front
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Consider next steps for deferrals or declinations to mitigate the potentially negative consequences of competitive grants
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Share proposals with funder colleagues as a strategy to raise more dollars and awareness for collaboration
You can find descriptions of all 16 amazing collaborations in this linked PDF along with more detail about our process and the lessons we’ve learned.
All these projects need additional funding, so we invite you to co-fund this amazing work with us! If you have any questions or would like a connector email, please reach out to Melody Baker, Director of Programs. Melody@nfg.org
What funders are saying about Amplify
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