We are a community of New Yorkers committed to justice
We are a social justice fund that supports grassroots organizing led by communities of color building power in New York City and the Hudson Valley.
We support community organizing
We raise money and then use it to make grants for organizing in New York City and the Hudson Valley for racial, gender and economic justice. We fund work that is led and enacted by people directly affected by an issue. If you see a group of New Yorkers on the steps of the state Capitol or in the streets demanding their rights, we probably fund them now or have funded them in the past.
As of June 30, 2023, North Star Fund has awarded over $117 million in grants to over 2,800 organizations.
Our 2023 Action Report is Online!
North Star Fund’s 2023 Action Report shares our collective work this year and how we support organizing to make New York a home for all.
- $6 million in grants across New York City and the Hudson Valley to 140+ active grantees
- Stories from the field — how are grantees working together to change New York?
- Thank You to our community of donors
- Highlights from our community building work from the last year.
Hudson Valley Grantmaking
Our Hudson Valley funding area includes a mix of rural, suburban and urban settings that provide unique opportunities to support grassroots organizing based in communities of color. Many policy issues that affect New York’s communities of color—housing, policing, schools, food policy and more—require legislative action. That means both a statewide strategy as well as an approach that builds on hyperlocal community organizing from New York City and other communities. As of June 30, 2023 we’ve awarded close to $5 million in grants in the region.
Sign up for news, updates and movement resources
Twice a month we send our Community News email with updates from our grantees, invitations to upcoming events, and links to jobs and grant opportunities. Sign up and we'll hook you up!
Let Us Breathe Forum
How do we strengthen organizing for Black Liberation? We share the Forum conversations in the Black Paper.
The Statewide Power Fund
Our newest fund launched with a $1 million slate of grants.
North Star Fund Conference Room Not Available
In order to prioritize the safety of our staff, grantees and volunteers as well as the workers in our office building, North Star Fund staff will continue to mostly work from our homes. Our conference room is still not available for rental at this time.
The best way to reach us is to email the individual staffer that you need using our Staff page. If you’re not sure who you need, please use the form on the Contact Us page and we’ll send your message to the correct person.
Let’s keep looking out for each other and fighting for justice.
The Let Us Breathe Fund
Since 2015, the Let Us Breathe Fund has centered Black-led organizing groups largely focused on police and state violence, structural racism and systems reform. The fund has also supported multi-racial organizing in support of these issues. As of June 30, 2023 the Let Us Breathe Fund has awarded over $4.7 million in grants.
Our Latest News
Youth Power Now Funder Briefing
In September 2024, North Star Fund partnered with Philanthropy New York to host the funder briefing, Youth Power Now: Lessons from Youth Organizers in New York. This funder briefing was part of our ongoing work to learn more about youth organizing in New York City...
Request for Proposals – 2024-2025 Community Listening Project
North Star Fund seeks proposals from consultants to support our team in designing and implementing an organization-wide community listening project. We envision an engagement with a mission and values-aligned individual (or group of individuals) who will work with...
Youth Power Now! Lessons from Youth Organizers in New York
North Star Fund held our first Youth Organizing Summit in May 2024. Youth in the Hudson Valley and New York City working across different—but interconnected—issue areas gathered together at Stony Point Center to learn more about organizing, grow their relationships...