Each day, over 300,000 women in our community face challenges such as struggling to provide for themselves and their children, securing their health and safety, and overcoming poverty and lack of opportunity. Our mission is centered around addressing these critical issues, focusing on the empowerment and support of these women to help lift them from their circumstances.
The Catalyst Fund for Reproductive Justice, supported by the Chicago Foundation for Women in partnership with the Groundswell Fund, aims to bring new funding to women of color-led reproductive justice work in the Chicago area. The grant focuses on supporting projects that align with the principles of reproductive justice, which include the human rights to have a child, to not have a child, to parent children one has, and to bodily autonomy and sexual expression. Priority populations include women, girls, transgender, and gender non-binary people of color, especially those from frontline workers, single-parent households, immigrants, and domestic workers. Priority areas are Chicago's South and West Side communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, job loss, poverty, and community violence. The grant prioritizes grassroots organizations (with budgets under $3M) that are women of color-led and focus on reproductive justice or intersect with other justice movements. Attention is given to advocacy and interventions that address reproductive health access, black maternal mortality, sexual health education, contraception access, and environmental justice from a reproductive justice framework. Grants range from $15K to $45K, favoring applicants that demonstrate adaptability and responsiveness to community needs, including those arising from COVID-19, state budget crises, and the overturning of Roe.