The Future Fund is a core fund at Bread & Roses that supports organizations working on emerging issues or developing new approaches to social justice activism.
2021/2022 Future Fund Grantees
2021 Future Fund grants were renewed for 2022.
The Agape African Senior Center helps elderly African and Caribbean immigrants and refugees and their families combat unjust laws, policies, and systems. This grant will support their community organizing, a political education program, and advocacy skill development seminars. Website
Beyond the Bars is a student-driven music and career skills program that is dedicated to interrupting cycles of violence and incarceration. A grant from this fund will help them form a student steering committee, where students can learn how to organize around the issues important to them and their communities. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
CAIR-Philadelphia’s mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims. This grant will help them develop student leaders from BIPOC Muslim backgrounds, encouraging them to affect long-term change towards greater inclusion and equity in their school districts. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Coalition of African Communities (AFRICOM) advocates and organizes to promote immigrant and refugee empowerment. This grant will help them implement a new immigration legislative advocacy program that will recruit and train a cohort of people from grassroots African and Caribbean immigrant organizations to advocate for social change. Website | Facebook | Twitter
Empowerment Center USA organizes citizens to work within institutions and government to ensure that their voices are heard by accessing resources difficult to obtain by the community. This grant will support their Prison Debt Solutions initiative, which pushes for policy changes to relieve post-release debt. Website | Facebook
Germantown Residents for Economic Alternatives Together (GREAT) uses their collective resources to grow food, share tools, organize around issues of housing justice and strengthen their community’s health and well-being. This grant will help them build their capacity as organizers through skill-building and collaborative learning. Website | Facebook
Indigenous Peoples Day Philly cultivates an active Indigenous presence in Philadelphia through cultural, educational, and community-building initiatives that uplift Indigenous traditions, creative –economies, and histories. This grant will support their efforts to build stronger communication channels between the City of Philadelphia and Tribal governments. Website | Facebook
Movement of Immigrant Leaders in Pennsylvania (MILPA) is a network of families across Pennsylvania working to build power among immigrant communities to disrupt the current criminal legal system and challenge its treatment of undocumented immigrants. Website | Facebook
PA Youth Vote is creating a nonpartisan collaboration of students, educators, and organizations working to elevate student voices and empower PA youth as civic actors. This grant will help establish their coalition of engaged youth and teachers from public high schools throughout low-income communities of Southeastern PA. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists is a volunteer, member-driven organization that provides holistic artist care for over 100+ Asian and Asian American artists in the Philly area. They will use this grant to create a direct action campaign confronting the use of yellow and brown face in Philly arts institutions.Website | Facebook | Instagram
Philly’s Children’s Movement is a collective of families and educators talking, playing, learning, and rising up for racial justice. This grant will help them work with youth and families for racial justice organizing and provide opportunities for youth to lead, learn, play, unite, and lift their voices. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Sisters Returning Home helps women returning from prison to re-establish connections to family and community and build and develop self-esteem, self-respect, confidence, and self-sufficiency. This grant will aid their continued work raising the voices of women who have been incarcerated to speak out about discriminatory and unjust treatment. Website | Facebook
The Young Artist Program amplifies youth voices through art to bring about social change. This grant will support their continued work creating a community of solidarity, unmitigated Black Queer joy, and hope led by young people committed to transformative social change through healing, political education, peer collaboration, and art-making. Website | Instagram
Urban Tree Connection is building a neighborhood-rooted food and land system through community leadership development and land-based strategies in West Philadelphia. This grant will support their continued work developing a community-governed, sustainable, and equitable food and land system capable of eliminating hunger, mitigating climate change, and serving as a catalyst for more community-controlled building projects. Website | Facebook | Twitter
2020 Future Fund Grantees
The African Family Health Organization (AFAHO) supports African and Caribbean immigrants and refugees in the greater Philadelphia area through cultural programming and health initiatives. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
The Human Rights Coalition (HRC) is led by currently and formerly incarcerated Pennsylvanians seeking to abolish the prison industrial complex in order to center healing instead of punishing. Website | Facebook
Indigenous People’s Day Inc.’s (IPD) cultivates an active Indigenous presence in Philadelphia through cultural, educational, and community building initiatives that uplift Indigenous traditions, creative-economies, and histories. Website | Facebook
Kith Integrated and Targeted Human Services (KITHS) supports the self-sufficienty and growth of immigrant and refugee communities through shared resources and social justice advocacy. Website
Making Worlds Bookstore (MW) is a bookstore and social center engaging community members and organizers in Black, Brown, and Indigenous traditions of liberation. Facebook
The People’s Emergency Center (PEC) Youth HEALers are focused on alleviating youth homelessness and increasing stable housing options for youth experiencing housing insecurity. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Power Street Theatre (PST) seeks to amplify marginalized artists and communities of color by using accessible, multicultural theater as a catalyst for social change. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance (PACA) uplifts democratically-organized businesses that promote the principles of the international cooperative movement. Website | Facebook | Twitter
Purple House Project provides resources to support the self determination of women who experience intimate partner violence. Website | Facebook | Instagram
Sanctuary Wholistic Fund coordinates resources to promote community building and food access justice.
The Empowerment Center builds support for people who experience debt associated with incarceration and advocates for policies that support individuals, families, and communities directly impacted by incarceration. Website
The Womanist Working Collective is led by and for Black women, femmes, girls, and gender non-conforming people who cultivate community organizing to model alternative systems and structures. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Woori Center, which means “we, our” in Korean, organizes Korean and Asian Americans towards achieving social, racial, and economic justice by engaging high school students with political education and community organizing. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Urban Tree Connection (UTC) sustains an intergenerational, community-rooted food and land system through community leadership development and political education. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
UrbEd advocates for equitable public schools and quality public education by building power in the voices of public school students. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
2019 Future Fund Grantees
cinéSPEAK engages diverse audiences through neighborhood-based film programming and discussions that center the stories of individuals and communities that are underrepresented in mainstream cinema. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Comadre Luna Collective cultivates safe spaces of collective care among immigrant Latinx women of mixed status to empower them to make decisions about their bodies and life without fear and supports access to reproductive justice in Philadelphia. Facebook
LifeLines: Voices Against the Other Death Penalty is a multimedia project that works through prison walls to highlight voices of those serving death-by-incarceration sentences. Website | Facebook | Twitter
Make the Road Pennsylvania is a grassroots organization with a primarily Latinx and immigrant member base that is designing and delivering a survey to assess low-wage work benefits under a new Philadelphia labor law. Website | Facebook | Twitter
MOVES secures spaces and opportunities in which Black and Brown queer people build community, share resources, and thrive in order to shift culture towards a more just and inclusive framework. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
One Art Community Center is an urban eco-arts village that provides space, programming, and tools to nurture community self-determination and self-sufficiency. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Philadelphia Drug Users’ Union is a group of people at different points on the spectrum of drug using who are working to maximize their proven ability to keep themselves and their communities healthy and safe, and advocating to reduce the harm caused by failed policies of the war on drugs. Facebook | Twitter
Philadelphia Teamsters for a Democratic Union is a worker-led, grassroots movement that is organizing to change the Teamsters from a union dominated by high-paid white male officials to an anti-racist and inclusive worker-led movement that fights for economic and social justice for all workers. Website
Urban Tree Connection is an organization in West Philadelphia that is transforming abandoned open spaces into safe and functional spaces for community self-determination. Website | Facebook | Twitter
2018 Future Fund Grantees
The Advocate Center for Culture and Education unites community residents, volunteers, service providers, and educational institutions to improve the lives and well-being of North Philadelphia residents. | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
The People’s Paper Co-op at the Village of Arts and Humanities is a women-led, women-focused project that uses art and organizing strategies to connect incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women’s stories, dreams, and visions for a more just society. | Website | Facebook | Instagram
Philadelphia Reentry Think Tank connects returning citizens with artists and advocates to transform the stereotypes, social services, and platforms that impact their lives and communities.| Website
Philadelphia Reproductive Health Collaborative at Women’s Medical Fund combats the harmful impact of crisis pregnancy centers that inhibit pregnant people from accessing comprehensive reproductive health care. | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Urban Tree Connection works with neighborhoods to develop community-driven greening and gardening projects on vacant land, help residents become strong leaders, foster deep community cohesion, and ultimately create livable communities. | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
UrbEd fights for high-quality education for urban students by working with community members, educational organizations, and policy leaders. | Website | Facebook | Twitter
Why Not Prosper supports women reentering society after incarceration and builds their power to advocate for access to healthcare and other pressing needs. | Website | Twitter
Youth HEALers Stand Up! is a collective of young people committed to sparking and maintaining a youth-led movement to fight youth homelessness and housing insecurity in Philadelphia and beyond. | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Youth Sentencing & Reentry Project (YSRP) works to transform the experiences of children prosecuted in the adult criminal justice system and aims to eliminate the practice of sentencing children as adults. | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn
2017 Future Fund Grantees
The Advocate Center for Culture and Education unites community residents, volunteers, service providers, and educational institutions to improve the lives and well-being of North Philadelphia residents.
Contemporary Black Canvas is a podcast that celebrates the depth and breadth of the Black artistic and intellectual traditions from across the African diaspora and Africa.
Heart-to-Heart: Comienzos East serves people who are incarcerated and their families through education, skills building, therapeutic support, and advocacy.
Johnson House Historic Site, Philadelphia’s only accessible and intact stop on the Underground Railroad, trains emerging leaders aged 18 to 35 in participatory democracy, organizing, dialogue, and collective action in order to unite and amplify the voices of today.
LGBT Elder Initiative advocates for services and resources that are competent, culturally sensitive, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender elders in the Philadelphia region and beyond.
Sisterly L.O.V.E. (Leading Others Via Education) develops leadership skills and community among trans women/femmes in Philadelphia.
Urban Tree Connection works with neighborhoods to develop community-driven greening and gardening projects on vacant land, help residents become strong leaders, foster deep community cohesion, and ultimately create livable communities.
UrbEd fights for high-quality education for urban students by working with community members, educational organizations, and policy leaders.
VietLead builds self-determination, leadership, and sustainability skills in the Vietnamese community through intergenerational farming, youth development, health navigation, and civic engagement.
Women’s Medical Fund protects and expands abortion access for low-income women and teens through direct service and advocacy.
Yes! And… Collaborative Arts’ Shadow Company is a teen-led and teen-run program that provides high-quality arts education.
2016 Future Fund Grantees
Girls Justice League is a girls’ rights organization dedicated to taking action for social, political, educational, and economic justice for girls and young women.
Philadelphia Coalition for Racial Economic and Legal (REAL) Justice works to end the epidemic of state violence disproportionately faced by communities of color.
PhilaPOSH, the Philadelphia Area Project on Occupational Safety and Health, is made up of unions, health professionals, and legal professionals working together to ensure safe, protected workplaces and rights for injured workers.
Soil Generation is a coalition of Philadelphia organizations and individuals who support equity and social justice for community-managed green space, gardens, and farms through advocacy, grassroots organizing, and community education.
Spiral Q builds strong and equitable communities characterized by creativity, joy, can-do attitudes, and the courage to act on their convictions, and holds the annual Peoplehood Parade to challenge discrimination in all its harmful forms.
2015 Future Fund Grantees
Earth Quaker Action Team (EQAT) is a social action group that works to build a just and sustainable economy through nonviolent direct action. They are currently working to Power Local Green Jobs-a project focused on solar energy in North Philadelphia.
Girls Justice League is a girls’ rights organization dedicated to taking action for social, educational, and economic justice for girls, young women, and those who identify as female in Philadelphia. They are conducting research on reproductive health and girls’ transitions from the juvenile to the adult justice system.
Philadelphia Coalition for R.E.A.L. Justice was formed in 2014 in response to the national epidemic of police brutality. The coalition is fighting for the establishment of a community-controlled police review board, and is planning a tribunal on police brutality.
Soil Generation is a coalition of Philadelphia organizations and individuals who support equity and social justice for community-managed green space, gardens, and farms through advocacy, grassroots organizing, and community education.
Sisterly L.O.V.E. was developed by trans women for trans women in order to increase their self-esteem, self-efficacy, and access to care. They are working to increase the organizing power of trans women in Philadelphia.
Spiral Q builds strong and equitable communities characterized by creativity, joy, can-do attitudes, and the courage to act on their convictions. Each year, they host a Peoplehood parade to challenge discrimination in all its harmful forms.
2014 Future Fund Grantees
The Girls’ Justice League convenes girls and young women to identify issues and advocate for their interests. In July, they held an “activist summer camp” in which girls developed direct action campaigns.
Parents United for Public Education fights for full and equitable funding for Philadelphia’s public schools. Their new school-based training programs will help parents to push for fair education reform.
The Pennsylvania Student Equality Coalition (PSEC) is developing queer youth activists to pressure school districts to implement trans-friendly anti-discrimination policies in the Philadelphia suburbs. PSEC hopes these policies will provide a model for schools across the state.
The Philadelphia Workers’ Association organizes day laborers in Northeast Philadelphia to negotiate with police and representatives from Home Depot. They hope to create a safe space to look for work and assemble to address common grievances.
2013 Future Fund Grantees
Boat People SOS-Delaware Valley (BPSOS) responds to the needs of Vietnamese residents of Philadelphia and Camden Counties. BPSOS will mobilize community elders to take action concerning immigration, public education, and health care reform.
Norris Square Neighborhood Project builds power through arts and media programs for youth, community leadership, and the celebration of Latino culture. They will organize youth to develop a violence prevention plan within the Kensington community.
Pointman Soldiers Heart Ministry works to secure economic benefits and health care for vulnerable veterans. They will petition the city to hire a director of veterans’ affairs and to use the resources allocated by the state for veterans.
Student Labor Action Project at Penn (SLAP) builds student and worker power through direct action campaigns for economic justice. SLAP is partnering with Penn dining hall workers to demand higher wages and earned sick days in campus dining halls.
2010 Future Fund Grantees
Campaign for Working Families (CWF) helps families in Philadelphia increase their income, wisely manage their finances, and build assets through no-cost tax preparation assistance. CWF is expanding its mission to offer trainings to its customers that provide tangible grassroots organizing skills and a framework for understanding economic justice.
Chester Upland Citizens for Educational Progress is an all-volunteer organization whose goal is the improvement of public education in Chester and the broader school district. They hope to call attention to the problems in the district and recruit more parents to get involved.
Food Organizing Collaborative seeks to organize food growers to build food sovereignty, ensuring that vulnerable communities have access to healthy food produce.
People Improving Communities (PICO)—Philadelphia Sponsoring Committee is a community organizing effort launched by faith leaders to amplify the voice of low-income and underrepresented people in the policymaking process. They are creating local organizing committees to tackle issues such as public education, violence, and poverty.
Southeastern Pennsylvania First Suburbs Project is a regional coalition of 21 municipal, faith, and community organizations and individuals focused on solving common challenges facing the older, developed suburbs of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties. The group is organizing members of affected communities to lobby for a new federal and state regional housing plan that combats poverty and racial segregation.