If my organization has never been funded by RESIST, what kind of grants can we apply for?
First-time applicants may submit requests for General Support, Emergency or Accessibility grants. Applicants may also request a loan.

Who can apply for Multi-Year or Technical Assistance Grants?
Only current RESIST grantees who have been funded at least twice during the past five years may apply for these grants.

Can an organization receive an Accessibility Grant and a General Support Grant in the same year?
Yes.

What is the budget cap for groups that are eligible for funding?
RESIST funds small organizations with budgets under $150,000.

If my program budget is under $150,000, but the organization's budget is over $150,000, are we still eligible to apply for a grant?
No. RESIST looks at the budget for the entire organization, including all programs.

If my organization is sponsored by a larger organization, who should apply?
Larger organizations may offer fiscal sponsorship or act as an incubator for small or emergent groups. RESIST looks at the level of control and decision-making a group has in order to determine if a sponsored project is eligible to apply. Questions that RESIST may ask to make this decision include: Is the project expected to raise its own funds? Does the program keep its own financial records? Can the applicant make its own organizational decisions? Does the sponsoring agency have the right to tell the applicant to change its goals, mission, strategy or staff? Are there separate staff and/or board members? Are the activities so intertwined that it would be unlikely that either group could operate independently?

If several organizations are collaborating on a project, who is the applicant?
When groups work together in a coalition, it is the coalition that should apply. One member of the coalition may be listed as the fiscal conduit (or fiscal sponsor). The answers to the application questions should reflect the position of the coalition as a whole, although reference may be made to individual members.

Can we apply if we are not tax exempt?
Under federal tax law, RESIST is limited in the amount of money it can award directly to groups without federal tax-exempt status. As a result, RESIST prefers to fund nonprofit organizations with 501(c)3 status as determined by the IRS, or federally recognized American Indian tribal governments or agencies. State tax-exempt status is not sufficient to meet this requirement.

What is a fiscal sponsor or fiscal conduit?
RESIST will fund groups sponsored by 501(c)3 organizations or by federally recognized tribal governments. This means that another tax-exempt organization is willing to receive any funds that the applicant is awarded. In practice, RESIST would write a check to the fiscal sponsor (agent or conduit). The fiscal sponsor would then write a check to the organization. Some organizations may charge a fee for this work (about 5% of the total award is common) since they have to track the disbursement.

If my application is denied, when can I submit a new one?
If a proposal is denied, a group may submit a new application for consideration in the next cycle. Applicants are encouraged to call the RESIST office and discuss the reasons why a grant was declined before submitting a new proposal.

Who decides which groups receive funding?
The Board of Directors make all grant allocations for RESIST. Board members read proposals and review references that are provided. The Board then discusses each proposal and votes on funding.

Who serves on the Board of Directors?
RESIST Board members represent the diversity our of funding and political history. Almost all members are (or have been) social justice activists. Click here to see a list of the Board of Directors.

Why does RESIST suggest a page limit for the application?
Our Board members must read between 30 and 60 proposals each cycle. With six cycles a year, this creates a huge amount of work on tight schedules. As a result, RESIST asks applicants to be fairly concise and specific in describing their work.

If my proposal is incomplete, what will happen?
RESIST will try to notify you in a timely way so that you can send in the missing information. If the missing information is not received by the Board meeting, your application may be deferred to the next funding cycle.

How do you make funding decisions about arts and media work?
When requests are made for funding cultural/artistic work, the primary consideration will be whether such work will be an effective tool or means of organizing. Funding consideration will be given to those projects that are not purely of a personal nature but rather reflect a group process, where the actual product can be assessed in terms of its potential impact, and where the primary funding request is for the dissemination or utilization of the resource.

Who should I call if I have questions?
All RESIST staff can answer basic grantmaking questions. For more specific information, please ask for Robin Carton or Yafreisy Mejia. You can also e-mail questions to grants@resistinc.org.