Individual and Family Giving

Through equity-centered giving, Tides helps individual and family donors shift resources and power toward leaders striving for justice within their communities.

Deepen Your Social Justice Impact 

At Tides Foundation, our family and individual giving solutions power work at the forefront of justice. We help our partners mobilize their assets in service of proximate leaders by providing: 

  • Connections to the leaders and communities closest to the issues 
  • Creative and complex grantmaking options that go beyond what’s possible at an advisory firm or commercial provider
  • Expert guidance and support to achieve philanthropic goals, without the complexities of starting a family foundation

Ways to Partner

Tides’ individual and family giving funds and investments are designed to center the solutions and leadership of communities advancing social justice.

  • Donor Advised Funds

    People come to Tides to increase the impact of their giving. Our deep expertise and community connections help individuals and families direct dollars to causes that align with their goals and fuel lasting change.

  • Collective Action Funds

    A grantmaking solution created by Tides, collective action funds unite the vision and resources of multiple individuals or families to drive progress on a shared cause.

  • Strategic Advising

    Through deep and personalized collaboration, Tides helps individuals and families forge connections with proximate leaders solving pressing social justice issues.

  • Impact Investing

    Tides doesn’t just help our partners build portfolios. We build impact. Individual and family donors come to Tides to pursue financial and social returns by aligning investments with their social justice priorities.

Why Tides?

Individuals and families partner with Tides to put their money where their focus is: advancing social justice.

Mission Alignment

Our partners share our passion for shifting power to proximate leaders, including those from BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and other historically excluded groups.

Options

Tides gives donors more ways to support the causes they care about. We have deep experience in international grantmaking, grantmaking to all types of domestic organizations, including to support charitable projects of organizations that are not 501(c)(3)s, funding advocacy and lobbying, and impact investing, all of which can be powerful tools for transformative change.

Connection

Donors come to Tides to tap into our vast network of social sector leaders and changemakers around the world. We help our partners forge new connections with others that share their commitment to justice, making family and individual giving more equitable and participatory.

Guidance

At Tides, every donor has a designated advisor to help them as they identify and recommend grants to organizations working in their priority areas, from climate justice to reproductive freedom.

Community Stories

Celebrate the ingenuity and tenacity of the bold visionaries working with Tides to foster change.

  • The Honig Initiative partnered with Tides to turn its grassroots social justice grants into a tool to effectively and sustainably support social justice work in the Bay Area. Understanding that it can be daunting for the organizations they aimed to support to launch a new position with short-term funding, the Initiative offered a two-year grassroots social justice grant to give nonprofits a longer runway for impact.

    Learn More

Interested in Partnering with Tides?

There’s no greater force than the collective power of people united for justice. Join us to fuel lasting change.

Get Started

Frequently Asked Questions

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Tides provides grantmaking and other support to social change leaders to help build a world of shared prosperity and social justice.

A Tides Collective Action Fund (CAF) is a purpose-driven fund that relies on an independent advisory committee to  make recommendations to Tides for grants in support of a specific charitable purpose.

How does a CAF work?

  • The independent advisory committee (IAC) is composed of individuals committed to the fund purpose and with expertise or experience to support the achievement of that purpose.  
  • The committee reviews grant requests, then makes recommendations to Tides that align with the CAF’s charitable purpose and goals.
  • Tides reviews the recommendations for legal compliance and support of Tides’ mission and values and then makes a final decision on the grant request. 

CAFs can accept charitable contributions from a variety of sources, including individuals, donor advised funds, private foundations and corporations.

Do grants from the CAF support political candidates or campaigns?

No. Tides Foundation is tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and CAFs are prohibited from funding partisan political activity. 

Can Tides overrule the recommendation of the Independent Advisory Committee?

CAFs benefit from the input of the independent advisory committee. The intent is to follow its recommendations. However, Tides may reject recommendations that are  inconsistent with the CAF’s purpose, don’t support Tides’ charitable mission, or are not in compliance with applicable law.

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Tides does not provide funding or fundraising assistance to our fiscally sponsored projects.

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Tides offers a wide range of fund options to meet philanthropic objectives across the globe. Fees can range from 1% on standard donor advised funds to 5% for funds supporting a single domestic or  international project or organization. Tides staff can review your proposed fund activity and give a clear assessment of potential fees.

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Opening a fund at Tides generally takes 2-3 weeks upon receipt of a completed fund application. Please note that any complexities or clarifications uncovered during the application review process may prolong the timeline to open a fund.

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No. Funds at Tides must be opened with a minimum of $100,000 of committed funding for US-based activity or $50,000 for funds supporting a single domestic or international project or organization.

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The first step in opening a fund at Tides is determining mission alignment. If The Tides Approach aligns with your vision, reach out to us via the Partner With Us form, and Tides staff will contact you for an initial assessment.

Once ready to open a fund, you’ll receive a short online application to collect necessary information for opening a fund and for final assessment of fit with Tides.

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