SAFE Fund

The Solidarity & Action For Equity (SAFE) Fund is a Tides Foundation initiative that equips targeted communities to defend their rights and ensure fair representation in decisions affecting their wellbeing.

woman smiling, with dark long curly hair wearing a guardians of democracy shirt, holding a stack of papers Three black organizers, carrying clipboards. Photo: Down Home North Carolina Group of women with dark hair. Two women hold signs that say Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom
woman smiling, with dark long curly hair wearing a guardians of democracy shirt, holding a stack of papers Three black organizers, carrying clipboards. Photo: Down Home North Carolina Group of women with dark hair. Two women hold signs that say Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom

Protect the Resilience of Grassroots Movements

Generations of grassroots leaders have strived to safeguard the civil rights, healthcare, and security of communities historically denied power. Those hard-won protections are now eroding, with widespread effects on the wellbeing of communities of color, trans communities, immigrants, and women. 

Through the SAFE Fund, Tides fuels local leaders’ rapid response strategies for securing their communities’ rights, safety, and futures against targeted threats designed to silence their voices.

Protect Human Rights

Funding Priorities

Tides’ SAFE Fund shifts power and resources to leaders who are advancing their communities’ rights and wellbeing in the face of deliberate injustices.

  • Defending Against Civil Rights Threats

    The SAFE Fund supports community organizations working to hold government leaders accountable, uphold democratic principles, and protect communities from targeted abuses of government power. 

  • A woman speaking at a lectern in front of an audience in a small room

    Advancing Community Resilience

    We fund state and local organizations that are building resilience at the intersection of racial equity, climate justice, immigrants’ rights, health justice, and gender justice. The SAFE Fund aims to sustain community power over time by supporting leaders’ resistance to urgent threats.

  • A man with dark skin and a beard standing at a lectern, speaking into a microphone. A sign that says We Stand for Freedom is hanging on the lectern. Several people stand behind him.

    Mobilizing Public Support

    We’re committed to building a broad, active response to authoritarian tactics through grassroots efforts that engage the public, influence opinion, and mobilize collective action. By uniting local efforts across intersecting movements, we create a strong, interconnected network ready to defend against threats. 

  • Fueling Multi-Issue Rapid Response

    Recent government  actions pose new threats to already vulnerable communities. Leveraging our experience in expediting post-natural disaster grants, the SAFE Fund supports proximate leaders working to prevent policies from taking effect or mitigating the harm of new policies. 

Our Grantmaking Process

The SAFE Fund unites movement leaders, aligned funders, and Tides Foundation staff, all of whom have deep expertise in supporting democracy, immigrants’ rights, reproductive justice, trans and queer communities, and more.

Community leaders will identify and recommend local and state organizations best positioned to respond to evolving threats. Tides Foundation staff will approve the grant recommendations, considering both the SAFE Fund’s priorities and the needs of grantees and grassroots leaders across related Tides Initiatives that have a longer-term focus on related civil and human rights issues.

For Funders

Our goal is to raise $5 million in 2025, fueling 50 rapid response grants of $100,000 each to accelerate local organizations’ responses to new threats. These grants will jumpstart community leaders’ efforts to mitigate immediate harm, develop influential grassroots leaders who can respond to complex challenges for the long haul, and  sustain longer-term responses by attracting additional funders. Support the SAFE Fund today or email us at safefund [at] tides [dot] org for more information.

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For Grant Seekers

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