S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 1 3 for foundation grants, many of which are made after a multi-month evaluation process. Moreover, most foundation grants are limited to project support — that is, dollars for a specific project or initiative. Funds for general operating support are less common. “Operating support grants are hard to come by for any organization,” McMurray says, “but they’re really challenging for organizations doing social justice work. As a result, those organizations tend to have lean infrastructures. If you don't have money for basic things like paid staff, keeping the lights on and a dedicated space to work and convene, it becomes much more difficult to plan for long-term change.” Together, Foundation staff and the com­ mittee of activists and organizers designed a grant-seeking process that is simpler and more agile than the formal process that governs large grant requests. Recognizing that such work requires both flexibility to respond to emerging issues and longer-term investments in organizational infrastructure, the Social Justice Fund will offer two types of grants when funding begins later this summer. Rapid response grants of up to $2,500 will be fast-tracked, allowing decisions to be made and funding to be disbursed within two weeks. Nonprofits with a history of successful organizing and advocacy efforts will be eligible for operating support grants of up to $20,000. The Foundation will also sponsor quarterly convenings for grant awardees and others, providing space and assistance for social justice advocates and activists to learn together, build relationships and strengthen collaborations. The Fund’s implementation is being informed by a five-person advisory board made up of additional activists, organizers and advocates. To organizers such as Ruiz, the Social Justice Fund is a welcome development. “I think it’s amazing,” she says. “I especially appreciate that the Foundation designed the fund in tandem with people doing tough, on-the-ground work. It is a hopeful sign for the future.” To McMurray, it’s an authentic expression of the Foundation’s 100 Percent Pittsburgh values, including voice. “When we say we’re supporting the people most impacted by an issue, that means we should also be accountable to those people,” she says. “That’s what the Social Justice Fund is all about.” By Ryan Rydzewski | freelance writer based in Pittsburgh When you give those who are closest to the issues the ability to organize, advocate and build awareness, the community is more focused on the root causes of inequality in systems and institutions. Maxwell King