Bread & Roses Community Fund supports organizations pursuing social justice through activism and community organizing. They prioritize sustainable social change, addressing root causes of systemic issues, changing oppressive systems, and empowering communities for collective action. Leadership from affected communities is key, focusing on projects beyond social service or educational models, aiming for significant impacts at various levels.
The Phoebus Criminal Justice Initiative is a specific grant program under Bread & Roses that provides funding to organizations engaged in community organizing for criminal justice reform. This initiative aims to address a variety of issues within the criminal legal system, such as police accountability, racial biases in sentencing, the growth of the for-profit prison industry, the criminalization of youth, and opposition to the death penalty. Ideal candidates for funding are those with a long-term vision for justice within the criminal legal system, led by individuals most affected by these injustices. These organizations should have inclusive leadership, understand power imbalances, prioritize education, set clear goals, collaborate effectively, and be unlikely to receive support from traditional funders due to their challenging of prevailing power structures.