About Borealis Philanthropy
Borealis works with funders to funnel resources to the people building powerful, thriving communities. We invest in leaders, organizations, and movements using diverse, community-rooted and leading-edge strategies to pursue long-term transformational change.
Focus Areas
Race, Gender, and Disability JusticeMedia, Journalism, and Narrative ChangeCommunity Safety and JusticeEconomic Justice and InclusionMovement InfrastructureFiscal sponsorship and intermediary servicesParticipatory grantmaking
Who They Fund
fiscally sponsored projects and fiscal sponsorsBIPOC-led organizations and Native/Indigenous groupsLGBTQ+ communities (including transgender and gender-nonconforming people)immigrant and undocumented communities
About Borealis Philanthropy
Borealis Philanthropy’s grantmaking is built around movement infrastructure and pooled support for fiscally sponsored projects, with repeated large grants flowing through intermediaries such as Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs, Social Good Fund, and Tides Foundation. That structure points to a funder that often backs organizing ecosystems rather than only individual stand-alone nonprofits. Recent awards also show a strong interest in community safety and justice, Black-led movement building, and race, gender, and disability justice. Among the clearest signals in the recent grants list is a $500,000 award to Freedom Inc in Madison, Wisconsin, alongside six-figure support to Allied Media Projects in Detroit across multiple years. The foundation also gave $450,000 to Peace Development Fund for the People’s Justice Project and $400,000 to the Organization for Human Rights and Democracy for the Metro Atlanta Mutual Aid Fund. These grants suggest attention to local organizing, mutual aid, and coordinated movement work. Borealis Philanthropy’s portfolio also includes grants tied to immigrant rights, trans-led organizing, and narrative change, with support often routed through fiscal sponsors and collaborative funds.
What Borealis Philanthropy Funds
Borealis Philanthropy’s work in community safety and justice appears in grants such as $450,000 to Peace Development Fund for the People’s Justice Project and $300,000 to Beyond the Bars for Decarcerate Miami. Those awards align with its Just Futures Initiative and Communities Transforming Policing Fund, both of which center alternatives to policing and criminal-legal system reform. In racial and economic justice, the foundation supported Freedom Inc with $500,000 and the Metro Atlanta Mutual Aid Fund with $400,000, showing interest in organizing, resilience, and community-led response. Its identity-focused work is also visible in a $324,000 grant to Transgender Law Center, a $321,000 grant to The Knights & Orchids Society, and a $312,000 grant to Operation Restoration. Media and narrative-change priorities show up in grants to Allied Media Projects and Funders for LGBTQ Issues, both of which fit Borealis Philanthropy’s emphasis on movement messaging and ecosystem support.
How Borealis Philanthropy Gives
Borealis Philanthropy’s typical grant size sits at a $40,000 p25, $85,000 median, and $135,000 p75, while the recent grants list also includes awards in the several-hundred-thousand-dollar range and above. The pattern suggests a mix of broad, ecosystem-level support and larger catalytic commitments. Many recent recipients appear more than once across 2023 to 2025, including Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs, Social Good Fund, Allied Media Projects, Highlander Research and Education Center, and Tides Center, which points to recurring relationships rather than one-off gifts. Borealis Philanthropy is a regular funder, not a donor-advised fund, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$37.3M
Total Assets
$78.2M
Total Revenue
$42.5M
Total Expenses
$54.7M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $40K and $135K, with a median of $85K.
25th Percentile
$40K
Median
$85K
75th Percentile
$135K
Geographic Reach
National45 states funded
About 2% of grants go to recipients in WI.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
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