Posts by renatanfg
2023 March Amplify Newsletter
Dear friends, Amplify Fund was originally created to support groups at the intersection of racial justice, power building, and equitable development. Our new vision focuses on generational wealth building, land justice, holistic well-being, and human dignity. In other words, our grantees work on a variety of issues. To read about some of the amazing strides they made in…
Read More4-Year Reflection
The Amplify Fund started in 2017 with the intention of existing for four years. It became clear in 2021 that in order to be values-aligned, we needed to extend beyond the initial time horizon, so we decided to embark on a year of looking back and learning. Our reflections are organized in alignment with our…
Read MoreAmplify Fund’s Updated Vision
Amplify Fund’s original vision focused on “a reality where Black, indigenous, people of color, and low-income people benefit from the changes caused by development, including wealth creation, land control, and quality of life outcomes.” While this original vision served us well, it was written in 2018 by funders and staff. In 2021, adhering to our…
Read MoreAmplify Fund’s Updated Goals
In 2021, Amplify grantees wrote a new vision for the Fund, and updated our twin goals to fit that vision. However, the core of Amplify’s goals (to help build power in places, and to shift the field of philanthropy) remain the same. Below, you can find the latest articulation of our goals including the conditions…
Read MoreAmplify Fund’s Updated Values
Amplify Fund has always been values-driven, having articulated a set of values alongside our first theory of change in 2018. In 2021, when we enlisted a committee of grantees to update our vision and goals, we also asked them to revisit and sharpen our values. Below is the latest list of values that guide Amplify…
Read More2022 October Amplify Newsletter
Dear friends, Our commitment to deep, relational grantmaking means that, in addition to our long-term commitment to racial justice powerbuilding, we respond during crises of all kinds. Crises that affect 1) all our grantees partners, like COVID; 2) individual grantee partners; and 3) grantee partners in just one of our eight places as was the case…
Read MoreThe Future of Amplify
In 2021 Amplify staff and Steering Committee got clear the Fund would extend beyond it’s original 4-year planned lifespan; in 2022 we are designing the “Future of Amplify,” guided by a sharpened set of values*. While the first version of our theory of change, created by our early funders and staff, served us well, so…
Read MoreAmplify Members as Funder Organizers
Unlike many other pooled funds, the Amplify Fund Steering Committee is committed to doing the work of funder organizing. Now representing twenty one funder members, the Steering Committee re-asserted their central role as funder organizers in 2021, but this responsibility is at the roots of the fund. In 2017, a rare opportunity to influence significant…
Read More2022 February Amplify Newsletter
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…
Read More2021 November Amplify Newsletter
AMPLIFY FUND Neighborhood Funders Group Dear friends, Here at Amplify Fund, we believe that taking action together yields the most fruitful results. As a collaborative of 17 funders we are focused on: Nurturing and strengthening the conditions necessary for BIPOC communities to build power; and Organizing funders so we shift what and how we fund.…
Read MoreAmplify Fund Collaboration Grants
Aligned with our initial theory of change that stated a commitment to “fund an ecosystem of groups and prioritize deep collaboration,” in 2021 we introduced collaboration grants. These grants support work that Amplify grantees are taking on with other trusted allies. In 2021, Amplify granted $634,000 to 16 collaborations. in two rounds of funding. In…
Read More2021 May Amplify Newsletter
Dear friends, We hope you are all healthy and well as we start the second year of this pandemic, and enter the final days of springtime. Here at the Amplify Fund, we are staying focused, motivated and inspired by the work of movement leaders across the country, like Tequila Johnson (Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of…
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