GRANTMAKING
2026 Grant Cycle
Our 2026 grant cycle is now open.
Giving Circle members recognize that not everyone has access to the same resources and tools for building wealth or financial security, such as access to loans, high-wage jobs, homeownership, entrepreneurship opportunities, or more. The COVID-19 pandemic deepened many of these existing inequities. NGGC will continue to focus its grantmaking on supporting organizations that work with people who have historically and unjustly been left out of traditional wealth-building opportunities to promote financial security for those most directly impacted by racial and economic injustice.
Beginning in 2026, Giving Circle members will choose one component of economic justice to fund each year. This change is being made in response to feedback from previous applicants that it would be helpful for NGGC to more clearly define its funding focus and to try to increase the rate of successful grant applications. This year, members have chosen to fund housing justice, which can include (but is not limited to) ensuring affordable housing, increasing housing stability, and reducing gentrification and displacement. Borrowing from the Urban Institute’s definition, we understand that housing justice intersects with economic justice by ensuring that everyone has access to housing that promotes their health, well-being, and upward mobility.
Specific examples of work can include (but are not limited to) tenant organizing and strengthening renter protections, eviction prevention, affordable housing advocacy, supporting neighbors experiencing homelessness, exploring or strengthening cooperative housing models, improving rates of homeownership, or addressing redlining and Indigenous land theft through reparations, landback, or other measures.
We invite applications from organizations with annual budgets of $750,000 or less. Applicants can apply for coalition or partnership-based work, and use the general operating funds we provide to sustain existing work or pilot new work. All applicants must be working with historically under-resourced communities in the Greater Washington region to build wealth or financial security, and have been operating for at least one year.
Organizations must either primarily serve communities in the Greater Washington region or be applying for funds to serve communities in the Greater Washington region (the Washington, DC metropolitan area includes Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties in Maryland, and Northern Virginia).
Applications will be accepted between June 1, 2026 and July 31, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET. If applicants are not eligible, they will be notified within two weeks of submitting an application. Applicants can also sign up for 15-minute 1:1 chats with a Giving Circle member to discuss their fit and eligibility. All applicants will be notified of their application status by September 30, 2026. Finalists will be selected for a virtual meeting with NGGC members in October 2026, with final grant decisions made in November 2026 and funds disbursed before the end of December 2026.
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Los miembrxs del Giving Circle reconocen que no todos tienen acceso a los mismos recursos y herramientas para generar patrimonio o seguridad financiera, tales como acceso a préstamos, empleos con salarios altos, propiedad de vivienda, oportunidades de emprendimiento y más. La pandemia de COVID-19 profundizó muchas de estas desigualdades existentes. El NGGC continuará enfocando sus subvenciones en apoyar a organizaciones que trabajen con personas que, histórica e injustamente, han sido excluidas de las oportunidades tradicionales de generación de patrimonio, con el fin de promover la seguridad financiera de quienes se ven más directamente afectados por la injusticia racial y económica.
A partir de 2026, los miembrxs del Giving Circle elegirán cada año un componente específico de la justicia económica para financiar. Este cambio responde a los comentarios de solicitantes anteriores, quienes señalaron que sería útil que el NGGC definiera más claramente su enfoque de financiamiento para intentar aumentar la tasa de éxito de las solicitudes. Este año, los miembros han elegido financiar la justicia de vivienda, la cual puede incluir (pero no se limita a) garantizar viviendas asequibles, aumentar la estabilidad de vivienda y reducir la gentrificación y el desplazamiento. Basándonos en la definición del Urban Institute, entendemos que la justicia de vivienda se cruza con la justicia económica al garantizar que todas las personas tengan acceso a una vivienda que promueva su salud, bienestar y movilidad ascendente.
Ejemplos específicos de trabajo incluyen (pero no se limitan a):
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Organización de inquilinos y fortalecimiento de sus protecciones.
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Prevención de desalojos.
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Abogacía por la vivienda asequible.
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Apoyo a vecinos en situación de calle.
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Exploración o fortalecimiento de modelos de vivienda cooperativa.
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Mejora de las tasas de propiedad de vivienda.
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Abordar el redlining (discriminación financiera histórica) y el robo de tierras indígenas mediante reparaciones, la devolución de tierras (landback) u otras medidas.
Invitamos a presentar solicitudes a organizaciones con presupuestos anuales de $750,000 o menos. Los solicitantes pueden postularse para trabajos basados en coaliciones o asociaciones, y utilizar los fondos operativos generales que proporcionamos para mantener proyectos existentes o iniciar nuevos programas. Todos los solicitantes deben trabajar con comunidades históricamente desatendidas en el área Metropolitana de Washington para construir patrimonio o seguridad financiera, y deben haber estado operando durante al menos un año.
Las organizaciones deben servir principalmente a comunidades en el área Metropolitana de Washington o solicitar fondos para servir a comunidades en esta misma área (el área metropolitana de Washington, DC incluye los condados de Prince George’s y Montgomery en Maryland, y el norte de Virginia).
Las solicitudes serán aceptadas entre el 1 de junio de 2026 y el 31 de julio de 2026, a las 11:59 p. m. (hora del Este). Si los solicitantes no cumplen con los requisitos, serán notificados dentro de las dos semanas posteriores a la presentación de su solicitud. Los interesados también pueden inscribirse para charlas personalizadas de 15 minutos con un miembrx del Giving Circle para discutir su compatibilidad y elegibilidad. Todos los solicitantes serán notificados sobre el estado de su solicitud antes del 30 de septiembre de 2026. Los finalistas serán seleccionados para una reunión virtual con miembros del NGGC en octubre de 2026; las decisiones finales de las subvenciones se tomarán en noviembre de 2026 y los fondos se desembolsarán antes de finales de diciembre de 2026.
We practice trust-based philanthropy in our grantmaking process
The Next Gen Giving Circle is committed to rethinking traditional models of philanthropy and promoting more trust-based approaches to giving. Trust-based philanthropy is a long-term movement that seeks to shift power dynamics between funders and nonprofits, building mutually accountable relationships that reflect the needs and dreams of communities. In practice, we continually improve our grantmaking process to be as transparent and accessible as possible.

We Trust Your Wisdom to Create Change
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We fund general operating support and do not restrict grants to specific programs
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Grantees are not asked to write reports on how they spend the funding
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We provide multi-year funding to grantees in the form of a small grant the year after they first receive funding from us (with no additional application requirements for grantees)
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All applicants can opt-in to receive six months of free capacity building training, offered in partnership with Spur Local
A Simple Grantmaking Process
Every year, giving circle members target a grant priority that best reflects our group interests. Our grants committee then designs and releases an application each summer. Our request for proposal (RFP) process follows the same format and takes about 4 months from beginning to end.
Application Submissions
(6-8 Weeks)
Applications are open for 6-8 weeks. Our short application asks only five narrative questions and is accepted in English, Spanish, and as video or audio responses
Notification of Eligibility
(2 Weeks)
Within 2 weeks of application submission, you will be notified if your organization does not meet our criteria and is ineligible for a grant
Application Review
(2-3 Weeks)
Our grants committee will thoroughly review all applications for about 3 weeks and create a finalist shortlist
Finalist Virtual Visits
Finalists are notified and are invited for a virtual visit between staff members of the finalist organizations and giving circle members
Member Vote
Giving circle members review finalist application materials, including site visit notes, and cast their votes on grantees and grant amounts
Grantee Announcement
Grantees are notified and are provided details to complete disbursement of grant funds
Our Impact
Since 2020, our giving circle has granted over $200,000 to support local organizations, with a focus on resourcing small and BIPOC-led nonprofits. Through 2024, we have awarded grants to 26 nonprofits across the region, with each grant averaging $7,000 and typically ranging between $2,500 to $15,000.
Meet Our Grantees
2025 GRANTEES
We received 59 applications and gave $27,500 to five organizations working at the intersection of racial equity and economic empowerment. We also gave $5,000 in multi-year grants to 2024 grantees and $2,500 in stipends to several applicants, as part of our effort to recognize their work and meet the moment.

$8,500
Women Palante
$6,000
Juanita C. Grant Foundation

$6,000
Crowned in Resilience
$3,500
Cross Community
$3,500
Minority Christian Women Entrepreneurs Network
2024 GRANTEES
We received 64 applications and gave $25,000 to five organizations working at the intersection of racial equity and economic empowerment. We also gave $5,000 in multi-year grants to 2023 grantees.

$10,000
Concentric Community Care

$5,000
Baldwin House

$5,000
Fihankra Akoma Ntoaso

$2,500
OurSpace World

$2,500
Voices Unbarred
2023 GRANTEES
We received 56 applications and gave $35,000 to five organizations working at the intersection of racial equity and economic empowerment. We also gave $4,000 in multi-year grants to 2022 grantees.

$12,500
Mother's Outreach Network

$7,500
Women Palante

$5,000
Urban Ed

$5,000
Restaurant Opportunities Center DC

$5,000
Montgomery County Black Collective
2022 GRANTEES
We received 38 applications and gave $40,000 to four organizations working at the intersection of racial equity and economic empowerment. We also gave $15,000 in multi-year grants to 2021 grantees.

$15,000
Hope Foundation Reentry Network

$10,000
Tenants and Workers United

$7,500
The Platform of Hope

$7,500
The Training Source
2021 GRANTEES
We received 55 applications and gave $40,000 to six organizations working at the intersection of racial equity and economic empowerment. We also gave $4,000 in follow up support grants to its 2020 recipients.

$10,000
Starting With Today

$10,000
Centerville Immigration Forum

$7,500
Restaurant Opportunities Center DC

$5,000
Hyacinth's Place

$3,750
AfriThrive

$3,750
American Muslim Senior Society
2020 GRANTEES
We received 55 applications and gave $25,000 to five organizations working on housing and food access in the Greater Washington region. We also gave a discretionary $5,000 relief grant (no application) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

$10,000
Dreaming Out Loud
Fall Application

$7,500
Hyacinth's Place
Fall Application

$2,500
Tenants & Workers United
Fall Application

$2,500
We are Family
Fall Application

$2,500
Eco City Farms
Fall Application

