Funding Opportunities: Open Grants

Applications close July 31, 2026, at 5 p.m. EST.

Crossroads Coalition operates at the intersection of Climate, Economic, and Racial Justice.  Our coalition operates on the principles of the Just Transition Framework. We are building a new community economy in Buffalo, New York, for people and the planet.  

We’re interested in funding efforts to strengthen frontline communities’ political power in Buffalo and Western New York. We define “frontline communities” as predominantly communities of color, Indigenous populations, and low-income neighborhoods that experience the "first and worst" impacts of climate change, industrial pollution, and environmental hazards. 

We believe frontline communities require access to the resources and decision-making process that allow them to exercise agency over their well-being and livelihood. We want to support projects that create shared prosperity, self-determination, and build collective political, economic, and cultural power. We will fund new and existing organizations committed to creating grassroots political change and advancing racial, economic, and ecological justice in Western New York. 

We want to invest in new or existing initiatives that: 

• Deepen political participation and engagement in Buffalo; and 
• Prepare Buffalo residents for elected positions and other governmental roles.

Projects that would be a good fit for funding from the Power Up Fund could include, but are not limited to:

• Developing a local civic engagement curriculum in several languages and doing trainings at community centers and places of worship
• Conducting non-partisan trainings on how to run for office in Erie County (including party committee seats), and creating a pipeline for folks to identify and fill board and commission seats 
• Contracting with a national or local group to develop participatory civic engagement curriculum that yourself and other grantees could use
• Campaigning for a particular bill or regulation that aligns with the Just Transition framework

We welcome proposals from any organization that meets our requirements for this grant, but we are especially interested in funding projects from smaller organizations, organizations that are just getting started, or projects that would not be able to proceed without this grant.

What we expect from grantees: 

Required:

• Alignment with the Just Transition principles
• Capacity to complete the proposed project

Depending on your proposed project, we may expect the following: 

• Public policy experience
• Coalition building experience
• People power building experience
• Movement building experience

Eligibility requirements:

• Funded projects must be compatible with 501(c)(3) prohibitions on electioneering and partisan political activity.
• Grantees must be a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) organization or fiscally sponsored by such an organization. 

Grant Application and Disbursement Process:

• Applications submitted - July 1 - 31, 2026
• Application reviewed by the Power Up Fund Committee - August-September 2026
• Grants awards announced - October 1, 2026

Grant Amount: $20,000-$40,000 per project per year*

Grant partner check-in by the Power Up Fund Committee: Periodically as appropriate and end of Year 1; Final reporting at the end of Year 2

Grant Period: 2 years

*The Year 2 funding is contingent upon successful implementation and satisfactory reporting of Year 1 activities.

Application Form Link: https://forms.gle/R8XgibyQ8tqmB7Pi8