Program Areas

SOUTHERN PARTNERS FUND

Democratic Philanthropy in Action

SPF’s board and members have designated the remaining 40% (the other 60% going towards SPF’s three major initiatives) of SPF’s grants to the following program areas:

Environmental Justice

Economic Justice

Disability Rights

Housing Reform

Healthcare Reform

Youth Leadership

Incarceration Reform

Women & Girls’ Leadership

LGBTQ+ Rights

Social Justice Institute

SPF launched the Social Justice Institute (SJI) as a leadership development and capacity building program to enhance the sustainability of grantee groups and other grassroots organizations committed to social justice in the South.

SJI’s framework incorporates grantmaking, organizational development, youth leadership development, culture and the arts. SJI promotes knowledge building, best practices in organizational management, and collective understanding of current and historic human rights issues in the South. SJI has several components: 

*All in person workshops and trainings have shifted to webinars until COVID-19 is no longer considered a threat to the health and safety of our constituents.

Young Leaders for Social Change

Sustaining the racial and economic justice movement requires the continued support and cultivation of our future leaders. The Young Leaders for Social Change (YLSC) Fellowship was designed to help individuals aged 18-to-35 to become more grounded and effective leaders. This program is an opportunity for these individuals to enhance their leadership skills, learn new skills, and apply said skills in their respective communities.

An SPF member-based committee selects 10 rural-based aspiring leaders for the fellowship to receive a grant that enables them to carry out a grassroots-organizing oriented project that benefits their local community. Programming for the 2021 and ongoing 2022 YLSC fellowship ranges from the history of organizing, social change and movement building efforts, capacity building, relationship building, issues, organizational development and budgeting, to utilizing change theories to mobilize our collective power. This program seeks to: