Our Mission

The Funding Exchange is a growing network of 16 public foundations and a national office that together grant nearly $15 million annually to grassroots organizations working for social, racial, economic and environmental justice around the country.  We are committed to the eradication of all social injustices.  Through our innovative, activist-led grantmaking strategies, we support the systemic change work of both experienced and developing grassroots organizations within the broad movement for social justice.

New York Premiere of Silhouette City to Benefit Paul Robeson Fund and North Star

The Funding Exchange is thrilled to host the New York premiere of Silhouette City on May 29, 2008 at 6 pm (screening: 6:30) at the landmark Anthology Film Archives located at 32 Second Avenue and East 2nd Street in Manhattan.  The evening will benefit The Funding Exchange’s Paul Robeson Fund for Independent Media and Media Justice Fund, and the North Star Fund’s media justice grantmaking.

We invite you to join the filmmakers and fellow Funding Exchange and North Star donors by attending this exciting evening of new cinema. Proceeds from special events such as this, along with annual donations, directly determine the number of organizations, artists and grassroots activists we are able to fund in each grantmaking cycle.

Silhouette City, a full-length documentary feature written and directed by Michael Wilson, received a 2007 $16,500 grant from the Robeson Fund and was recently screened at both the 2008 Miami and Bermuda International Film Festivals.  The film is a harrowing exploration investigating the growing Christian fundamentalist movement through a historical lens, beginning with an obscure Christian survivalist group in the 1970’s, culminating in the post-9/11 era.  Silhouette City is a prime example of the bold new works nurtured by The Paul Robeson Fund that bring progressive perspectives and community voices to bear on the heated political issues of our time. Los Angeles filmmaker Wilson is a graduate of Yale University, making his directorial debut with this film.  Mr. Wilson and Silhouette producer Natalie Zimmerman will host a special post-screening “Meet the Filmmaker” reception.

The Evening will support grantmaking that is helping to build a movement of independent media artists, cultural groups, and activist organizations in the service of social justice and human rights:

The Paul Robeson Fund for Independent Media is one of the few open funding sources that annually provide grants to established media artists and emerging new artists for their film, video and radio projects. The Fund advances social justice by promoting a diversity of opinions and voices as essential elements of an authentic democracy.

The Media Justice Fund supports traditionally marginalized communities organizing to reform media policy, build community media infrastructure, and demand media accountability.

The North Star Fund, a founding member of the Funding Exchange network, provides resources to the creative risk-takers who fight for equality, economic justice, and peace for all New Yorkers. North Star’s growing media funding includes groups working for media policy reform and those that produce new media in connection with ongoing organizing efforts.

Should you have any questions or require additional information please don’t hesitate to call us at 212-529-5300 or email premiere@fex.org. Include “question” in the subject line and we’ll get back to you promptly.

To order tickets online, go to our donation page and choose Silhouette City 5/29 from the dropdown menu next to "Fund." If you care to charge your order over the phone, a Funding Exchange staff member will be happy to take your information.

FEX Media Justice Fund Goes International

Hye-Jung Park, Media Justice Fund Program Officer, and Charlene Allen, Deputy Director of the Funding Exchange, joined U.S. delegations to attend Freedom of Expression workshops in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nairobi, Kenya, and Yogyakarta, Indonesia, throughout the last year. The workshops were organized to explore the implications of digital networked communications on people’s access to free expression. Invited by the Ford Foundation and Consumers Union, Hye-Jung participated in the Latin American and Asian gatherings, and Charlene in the African session.

We approached the meetings with great excitement, knowing that people’s movements around the world have used technology to advance their causes, and were anxious to learn more. We also knew that many of our grantees were hungry to connect with counterparts in the developing world, to explore the possibilities of building a global movement.

We discovered that while all participants were connected by a common demand for accessible, accountable media, our needs were significantly different, and the framework in which we did our work was different, too. For example, conference participants who had been involved in using technology for political activism, such as the successful use of cell phones for election monitoring in the Philippines, did not necessarily see their work in a media justice framework. Rather, the technology was a tool to advance other social justice goals. And, in East Africa, activists had to explain to westerners that if you don’t speak English, or read or write in any language, internet access is far less valuable than access to a radio. Where we found common ground on media policy issues, such as anti-censorship measures, we often differed on social issues, such as women’s and LGBTQ rights.

We did find instant kinship among open source software activists, and among artists who sought to use electronic media to broaden their creativity. And we gained a far deeper understanding of the ways in which free trade agreements, deregulation, and privatization erode communications rights across the globe.

In the end, we walked away with more questions than answers. In the coming months, we’ll have a chance to get together with other workshop participants, and begin to piece together the steps that may be needed to build international solidarity toward social and media justice.

Donate Now--Everyone's Doing It!

Tax season has come and gone. Do you regret not having made more deductible gifts in 2007? Do you have a refund coming to you, or are you about to get Mr. Bush's little rebate? If you're wondering how you could use it best, think about investing it in social change! Making a donation allows us to advance the social justice movement and to continue support to innovative organizations such as the Latina Initiative and the Black Alliance for Just Immigration.

Your contribution can also benefit your financial bottom line. If you're in the 33% federal tax bracket and you make a contribution of $100 to the Funding Exchange, the actual cost of your donation is only $67 because you'll get a $33 tax savings. If you're a New Yorker or in another state with income taxes, the actual cost of your donation decreases by as much as another 12%. Plan ahead for next year's tax season!

Consider contributing to the Funding Exchange. Build the movement for social justice and save yourself some income taxes. We've got enough warheads already, anyway.