Launched as the first grantmaking fund at Neighborhood Funders Group (NFG), Amplify is managed by NFG staff and connected to NFG’s Democratizing Development Program. JustFund is Amplify’s grants management portal, and Amalgamated Charitable Foundation (ACF) holds Amplify’s funds and conducts grantmaking due diligence.
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The Vision
We envision a reality where Black and indigenous communities, people of color, and low-income people benefit from the changes caused by development, including wealth creation, land control, and quality of life outcome. Therefore, as a funder collaborative, Amplify Fund supports Black, Indigenous, people of color and low-income communities to build power and to influence decisions about the places they live and work.
The Problem
We recognize that Black and indigenous communities, and communities of color, are experiencing the most negative impacts of development, and (currently) have the least say. For example, climate disaster, gentrification and housing displacement, privatization of land, heightened criminalization, and disinvestment are intersectional challenges that Black, indigenous, people of color, and low-income people face. Part of the blame for this context is structural racism and the legacy of slavery, and part of the blame lies in the behavior of three actors:
- government, who has ceded its role in representing community interest
- developers and corporations, who build with little to no regard for impact on communities
- funders, who do not invest in long-term, community-driven solutions
Our Goals
We have operated with the belief that the solution to these development challenges is shifting decision-making to Black and indigenous communities, and communities of color, with strong racial justice analysis. So, Amplify Fund has had two parallel, complementary goals:
- Nurture and strengthen the conditions necessary for Black and indigenous communities, and communities of color, to build power. We do this through general operating grants, relationship-building, learning spaces, and capacity building.
- Organize funders so they shift what and how they fund. We do this through relationship-building, a “culture of racial justice,” and communications.
RELATED PROGRAM
Democratizing Development Program
The Democratizing Development Program (DDP) brings together place-based and national funders to provide learning, analysis, and mutual support around organizing the field of philanthropy and genuinely partnering with communities to support sustainable development and community power building strategies.
