About Race Forward
We support communities and public institutions to achieve a just multiracial democratic society through governance that advances racial justice.
Focus Areas
Racial justiceRacial equityImmigration narratives and policyEducation equityGovernment/public sector racial equityNarrative strategy and communicationsHousing justiceMedia and journalism
Who They Fund
Black and immigrant communities (including Black immigrants)formerly incarcerated / reentry populationsyouth and student organizersworker-owners and low-income workers
About Race Forward
Race Forward’s Butterfly Lab includes Chrysalis Lab, a grant program that tested pro-immigrant narratives at scale and paired four grantees with coaching and technical assistance. That combination of funding and capacity support reflects how the foundation works: it backs policy advocacy, organizing, and communications efforts intended to advance racial justice across public institutions and community groups. Recent grants also show multiyear support for climate and environmental justice groups, worker-cooperative infrastructure, and school-district organizing. The foundation’s work reaches both advocacy intermediaries and place-based organizations. Race Forward Action Inc received $500,000 for lobbying support, while Americans for the Arts also received $500,000 for national cultural work. Other grants point to a broader strategy that includes immigration policy, racial equity in education, and community defense, with awards to organizations such as Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, Make the Road States Inc, and Center for Empowered Politics Education Fund. The picture that emerges is not a narrow issue funder, but one using grants, convening, and technical assistance to support systems-change work tied to multiracial democracy.
What Race Forward Funds
In climate and environmental justice, Race Forward gave repeated $80,000 grants to West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, Earth Care International, Open Buffalo Inc, and Food for the Spirit Inc. Several of those awards were described as support for racially equitable policy in climate and environmental justice, showing an explicit racial equity lens in environmental work. The foundation also funds immigration and criminal-justice policy. Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition received $85,000 to advance racially equitable policy on immigration and criminal justice, and Allied Media Projects got $83,000 for the Black Immigrant Futures Project. In education, grants supported school-district organizing in New York, North Carolina, and Maine, including Make the Road States Inc, Education Justice Alliance, and Maine People Resource Center. Worker ownership appears as well, through support for the rapid response cooperative model and cooperative engagement and access convenings.
How Race Forward Gives
Typical grants fall in a fairly wide middle band: the 25th percentile is $10,000, the median is $47,500, and the 75th percentile is $78,750. The recent record shows both large anchor grants and repeated $80,000 awards, alongside many $50,000–$55,000 grants. Race Forward appears to make recurring grants to several organizations across multiple years, including Alliance for Global Justice, Earth Care International, Open Buffalo Inc, and West Atlanta Watershed Alliance. It is a public charity and a regular funder, not a DAF or PRI-focused vehicle. One active program, Chrysalis Lab, awarded four grantees and included coaching and technical assistance; it does not accept unsolicited applications.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$492K
Total Assets
$32.4M
Total Revenue
$20.5M
Total Expenses
$25.5M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $79K, with a median of $48K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$48K
75th Percentile
$79K
Geographic Reach
National25 states funded
About 3% of grants go to recipients in NY.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Unlock Deep Analysis
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeSee Similar Funders
Free Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeExplore related grant guides
Want a Personalized Pitch for Race Forward?
Sign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Free plan available
No contracts
Cancel anytime