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:
- Peer-to-peer coaching and networking
- Executive coaching
- One-on-one organizational assessments
- Consulting for select community-based organizations
- Regional workshops across the Southeast
- Two-day experiential trainings twice per year
*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:
- Prepare young leaders as they transition into key leadership positions;
- Increase their involvement in philanthropy; and,
- Build upon an inter-generational model of civic engagement