The Black Feminist Fund’s Sustain Fund Is Now Open for Applications

The Black Feminist Fund has launched the Sustain Fund, a core, long-term, flexible grantmaking initiative designed to support Black feminist groups around the world. This fund is now open to applications from organizations, collectives, and consortia that are led by Black women, girls, and gender-expansive people and that are working to build collective power, claim justice, and create joyful, equitable futures.

Black feminist movements have long resisted erasure and marginalization, advocating for freedom, visibility, and systemic change. The Sustain Fund is grounded in the belief that when Black feminist groups have the resources they deserve, they can transform societies and build sustainable movements that outlast systems of oppression.

What Is the Sustain Fund?

The Sustain Fund provides core funding—not project-based grants—to support the overall operations, strategies, and long-term sustainability of Black feminist movements. Grants range between USD 50,000 and USD 200,000 per year, with the possibility of support for up to eight years. In its first year of grantmaking, the fund awarded 21 groups with an average grant size of USD 81,000.

This flexible funding supports groups to define and pursue their own priorities, respond to evolving needs, and strengthen their infrastructure and resilience. From the second year, grantee partners also benefit from accompaniment, learning opportunities, and peer exchange.

Key Features of the Sustain Fund

• Core, flexible funding for operational and strategic needs

• Multi-year support for up to eight years

• Low-barrier, inclusive application and reporting processes

• Participatory grantmaking led by the Black Feminist Fund Grant Review Committee

• Focus on equity, solidarity, and justice for Black feminist movements globally

Who Can Apply?

The Sustain Fund supports registered and non-registered Black feminist groups working in the Caribbean, South and Central America, Africa, the Middle East, North America, and Europe. To be eligible, groups must:

• Work from a Black feminist perspective

• Be led by the constituencies they serve

• Use bold, innovative strategies to advance justice and equity

Who Is Not Eligible?

The Black Feminist Fund does not provide funding to:

• Academic research or scholarships

• Microfinance, loans, or credit schemes

• Profit-driven businesses (except those guided by economic justice principles such as cooperatives)

• Political parties

• Religious institutions

• Government agencies

• Individual activists

• Requests for urgent or emergency funding

Grant Structure and Partnership

The Sustain Fund operates in three partnership stages:

1. A first-year onboarding phase to build mutual understanding

2. A second phase focused on learning, accompaniment, and visibility

3. A final phase emphasizing exit planning and long-term sustainability

The fund is built on principles of trust, participation, community leadership, and accountability to movements. Its participatory approach ensures that decisions are made by those most impacted, creating a grantmaking process that is inclusive and context-informed.

Application Details

Applications are reviewed within approximately 12 weeks of the application deadline. At this time, a specific application deadline has not been announced. Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as they are ready.

How to Apply

The Black Feminist Fund invites eligible groups to submit their applications through the official application portal.

Find out more and Apply here: https://blackfeministfund.org/grantmaking/grantmaking-faqs/

The Sustain Fund is a transformative opportunity to resource and sustain Black feminist leadership, creativity, and systemic change. By investing in these movements, the Black Feminist Fund is not only resisting erasure but helping build a future rooted in justice, joy, and self-determination.