Third Wave Fund resources and supports youth-led Gender Justice activism to advance the political power, well-being, and self determination of communities of color and low-income communities.
ABOUT THIRD WAVE
Third Wave Fund is an activist fund led by and for women of color, intersex, queer and trans people under 35 years of age. They work to ensure that young folks are decision-makers at the cutting edge of philanthropy where they are commonly absent.
They hold the following beliefs:
- People directly impacted by an issue are best positioned to design and lead solutions.
- The leadership of young women of color, trans, intersex, queer and gender non-conforming youth brings critical analysis and power to all social justice movements.
- They will only achieve deep and lasting change if they address the root cause of an issue.
- They believe youth are leaders and experts, not in the future, but now, and that youth need to be supported and reflected in philanthropy.
For twenty years, Third Wave has been a leader in gender justice, a movement to end patriarchy, transphobia, homophobia and misogyny. They fund groups that recognize gender oppression is linked to classism, racism, ageism and ableism, and that only by squashing all forms of oppression will justice be realized.
As a community fund, they partner with donors and activists to ensure that young people have the tools to make lasting change in their communities. They have an impact through their grantmaking, leadership development and philanthropic advocacy initiatives.
ACTIVIST GRANTMAKING
They have two grantmaking initiatives that fuel youth activism: the Mobilize Power Fund and the Grow Power Fund. The Mobilize Power Fund makes resources accessible for urgent activist year-round, while the Grow Power Fund makes long-term investments in visionary and emerging organizations moving reproductive and gender justice forward at the grassroots level.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Their Leadership Development program provides grantees with essential coaching, training, and tools that emerging groups need to grow. Third Wave’s long-term grantmaking, capacity building and networked approach has led to significant growth for women of color-led reproductive justice and gender justice infrastructure.
PHILANTHROPIC ADVOCACY
Their Philanthropic Advocacy bridges the deep gap between philanthropy and grassroots activism and ensures that gender, race, and class aren't left out of how they resource movements for justice. They are effective at building relationships with allied progressive funders and they work to educate funders about issues and communities who are missing from the table.
