Rooted in Justice 2024-2025

 





The application period for the 2024 - 2025 Grant Cycle of Rooted in Justice has now closed. Stay tuned to this space for grant announcements by the end of April 2025.

2024 - 2025 New Grant Cycle Announcement

The Cedar Tree Foundation is excited to announce a new round of grantmaking for “Rooted in Justice,” a funding program designed to help amplify youth voices and actions in the environmental and food justice movements. The program supports community-based organizations that manage established, youth-led urban greening programs within a justice framework as a core part of their work.  

Rooted in Justice recognizes the importance and undeniable right of every young person to have the ability to develop their own relationship with the environment, be it through growing food, spending time with nature, creating community green spaces, or becoming environmental stewards. Rooted in Justice also honors the power and possibilities that arise when young people collectively work to be change-makers in their communities.  

Rooted in Justice supports organizations, groups, collectives, and programs that work with young people between the ages of 12 to 20 in youth-led programming for communities or cultures which have historically or currently experience:

  • A lack of access to land or nature;

  • Agricultural oppression and/or neglect;

  • Food apartheid; and/or

  • Other forms of injustice based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics and disability.

Started in 2021, Rooted in Justice awards grants to a small cohort of organizations recommended to the Cedar Tree Board by a panel of outside reviewers. Proposals are submitted through an open RFP and evaluated by a panel with a majority of BIPOC leaders through a participatory grantmaking process. You can review past grant awards here. Note that we expect to award up to 4 grants through the Rooted in Justice program in April 2025 through this new Request for Proposals.  

DEFINITIONS

Rooted in Justice grants support existing organizations or programs that include all four of the elements described below: social justice, urban greening, youth-led, and cohort-based youth work. We articulate our understanding of those terms below in an effort to provide a guide for prospective organizations to use in determining whether their program is a good fit.   However, as we continue our work towards questioning and dismantling some of our preconceived notions, we recognize that these are not finite definitions and encourage prospective applicants who still feel their work may be a good fit to describe in their proposals why this is the case.  

Social Justice-Based Programs: Programs dedicated to creating equitable outcomes for communities directly affected by injustice through:

  • Sharing and redistributing power and resources;

  • Amplifying voices and leadership;

  • Tackling root problems through ongoing engagement and collaboration to find solutions, organize against oppression of all kinds and create mechanisms for change; and

  • Developing a critical analysis with youth and community members.

Urban Greening: For the purpose of this grant we define “urban greening” as any activity that creates a mutually beneficial relationship between city dwellers and their environments. Project settings can include, but are not limited to: urban farms; greenhouses; hydro and aquaponic farms; community gardens; community green spaces; composting sites; rain gardens; rooftop gardens; land conservation efforts; school gardens (when in partnership with an outside organizational partner); urban forests; and river or other water restoration, etc.  

Youth-Led: The development of youth leadership skills is a core part of programs funded by Rooted in Justice. Young people have the opportunity to play a role in the planning and decision-making for their program and may help shape the internal workings of the organization. Examples of youth-led programs include participants: 

  • Managing a portion of their programming budget;

  • Co-facilitating program activities, meetings and gatherings;

  • Being included in the shaping of a program and/or organizational strategic planning; 

  • Having regular and end-of-program opportunities to provide program feedback and evaluation;

  • Having opportunities for personal and/or professional growth within the program and organization; and

  • Participating in ample opportunities for feedback and expression through a diversity of means.





Cohort-Based Youth Work:  Rooted in Justice looks to fund organizations that build community with cohorts of youth through intentional, recurring programming. This grant is intended to support programs that offer youth significant learning and leadership opportunities as a group and as individuals; priority will be given to organizations that have program infrastructure that goes beyond drop-in programming, one-time conferences, or individual internships. 




WHO CAN APPLY (Updated September 2024) 

This year, this opportunity is available for up to 4 community-based organizations/groups with a 501(c)3 status or secured fiscal agent located in the following states:

Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Washington, D.C.

Organizations of any size can apply but preference will be given to organizations or programs with a budget of less than $800,000.  Programs must already be established. Rooted in Justice funding is not intended to support new programs or pilot projects.

Preference will also be given to organizations that are majority-led by people who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, or People of Color) or of the global majority.

This grant cannot be used to fund:

  • individuals;

  • lobbying or partisan political activity;

  • re-granting programs;

  • organizations that have a religious affiliation or mission;

  • new/pilot work; or

  • for-profit organizations.



GRANT AWARD DETAILS

Two Year Grant

  • Rooted in Justice Grant awards are two-year grants of $20,000 - $25,000 per year.

  • After the initial two year grant, grantees may be eligible for a third year of funding at the same or lower level through a simple renewal process.

  • In the 2024-2025 grant cycle, the Cedar Tree Foundation expects to award no more than 4 grants.

Funding for Professional Development

  • Annual funding is set aside for grantees to support professional development opportunities identified by each organization.  

  • Rooted in Justice grantees can request reimbursement from this fund to attend conferences, hire consultants, purchase equipment or software that increases organizational capacity, or participate in any activities that strengthen youth programming or justice practice of program providers in support of their youth development programming.     

Community Cohort Space

  • Cedar Tree works with grantee partners to assess their professional development interests and facilitates on-line gatherings of staff or youth for skill shares, trainings, and networking opportunities.  

  • These network calls will likely happen 2-3 times per year.



USE OF FUNDS

Rooted in Justice funding must be used for project support of existing youth led, urban greening, social justice work and associated general operating expenses. Operating expenses can include anything from program costs like staff salaries and youth stipends to organizational sustainability needs like major equipment purchases and leadership/staff training. If your organization’s entire mission is youth led, urban greening, social justice work, the Rooted in Justice grant can be general support. 

As part of the Request for Proposals, all Rooted in Justice grantees must share a plan to allocate a portion of the grant funds for youth participants to manage. What do we mean by this? We ask applicants to specifically set aside some amount of the grant funds for youth to allocate to priorities of their choosing. For example, youth participants can use their allocated funding to:

  • Fund an entrepreneurial endeavor;

  • Design the brand or swag for their group;

  • Hire a speaker or outside expert to teach a new skill;

  • Purchase supplies for a community-based art project;

  • Host a celebration for their families, friends and neighbors;

  • Pay for transportation to programming, special events, or conferences; and/or

  • Any other youth-led activity the group may find beneficial.

We encourage all applicants to explore youth participatory budgeting for their whole programs or organizations. Cedar Tree Foundation can share resources for grantees who are interested in doing so.





GRANT DECISION PROCESS 

Proposals will be reviewed and selected by an outside review panel with a majority of BIPOC leaders. Panelists will be recruited based on their background in building youth-led programs, connection to urban greening or growing work, lived experience as BIPOC leaders working towards equity, participation in similar programming, and/or experience in community-based philanthropy.

Grants will be announced by the end of April, 2025. All applicants will be notified of final decisions via email. Proposals that make it into the finalist round will receive feedback from the review panel. Organizations approved for funding will be asked to sign a grant contract prior to receiving the funds.    





How To apply 

The application window for the 2025 Rooted in Justice cohort has now CLOSED.

The Request for Proposals for the 2025 Rooted in Justice cohort is available below. Potential applicants are invited to connect with the Cedar Tree Foundation for the purposes of asking clarifying questions about the program or the RFP via:

Proposals are due on Thursday, October 31st by 11:59pm EST. The Cedar Tree Foundation will not be able to accept proposals after that time. 

Quick Timeline:

  • September 3, 2024: RFP available

  • September 16, 2024: Live webinar. Click here to view recording.

  • October 3, 2024: 11 am - 12 pm ET Office Hour on Zoom (link to Zoom here)

  • October 16, 2024: 3 - 4 pm ET Office Hour on Zoom (link to Zoom here)

  • Thursday, October 31st, 2024: Proposals Due

  • Grant Awards Announced in April 2025 





Request for proposals 2024 guidelines 

The 2024 Rooted in Justice Request for Proposals is linked below. Please answer the narrative questions in five pages or less. If helpful, the narrative part of the proposal can be replaced by a video or audio clip (filmed on phone devices is acceptable). Videos should be no longer than 15 minutes. Video responses will be given the same weight as written responses in the grantmaking decisions. Please feel free to pick whichever method helps you tell your story best.

CLICK HERE to access the 2024-2025 Rooted in Justice RFP

All submissions due by 11:59pm EST on Thursday, October 31st, 2024






The Cedar Tree Foundation only funds registered 501 (c3) non-profit organizations for work in the United States. 





 

Page Updated 8/2024