Grantmaking
Explore our funding priorities and grantmaking process.
How We Fund Bold, Systemic Change
Download our 2025 Grantmaking Strategy to see how we’re putting power, access, and equity into the hands of communities leading change.
Our Strategic Pillars
These three focus areas guide and define the parameters of our strategic grantmaking, ensuring that our efforts are directly aligned with the most pressing needs identified in the field and informed by our unique organizational strengths.
Multiracial Democracy & Power Building
Core support for work that builds power for the New American Majority. This is work to ensure every community has equitable representation in the electoral process and the political power to foster collective agency and well-being.
→ Expanding the electorate for Native, Black, AAPI, Arab-American, Latino, disabled and/or LGBTQ voters
→ Reflective democracy: increasing representation of elected leaders
→ Building grassroots organizing power on or offline (base-building)
→ Voter mobilization through advocacy and candidate campaigns
→ Redistricting
→ State and local campaigns, nomination contests, and ballot initiatives
→ Judicial advocacy and elections
→ Co-governance models and accountability campaigns
→ Thought leadership
→ Content creation or narrative work
Movement Infrastructure & Innovation
Innovation and tools in direct service of racial and economic justice. This is work to build and support critical infrastructure in direct service of movements towards racial and social justice.
→ Experimentation and model building
→ Data and technology infrastructure
→ Original research
→ Communications and narrative
→ Training, development, and support of movement organizations and operatives
Telecom Justice
Work that leverages telecom access and power towards equity for all communities. This is policy and advocacy work to ensure that every community has equitable access to affordable and quality broadband.
→ Increasing connectivity for all including low-income, people of color, and indigenous communities.
→ Restoring Affordable Connectivity Program and resourcing of the Universal Service Fund
→ BEAD implementation
→ Nomination contests
→ Thought leadership
→ Training, development, and support of movement organizations and operatives
Our Grantmaking Values
Flexible Funding
Flexible funding in the form of general operating support
Strategic 501c4 Investments
Prioritizing strategic use of flexible 501c4 and Political Campaign Activity (PCA) to support advocacy, organizing, and policy towards progressive social change
Streamlined Reporting
Utilizing lightweight applications and reporting mechanisms that do not unnecessarily burden groups
Long-Term Support
Long-term commitment and multi-year support, where possible and advisable
Field-Led
Taking a strategic lead from leaders in closest proximity to the field
Meet the Changemakers We Support
Discover the organizations and individuals driving systemic change through our funding partnerships.
Explore Our Grantmaking Approach
Our portfolio selection process happens at the end of each calendar year. We also make limited opportunistic funding grants for rapid response needs throughout the calendar year. Both portfolio and opportunistic grants are by invitation only. Please complete the interest form linked below to be considered.
Mission Telecom is organized and operated as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. Mission Telecom Giving grant-making decisions, and the criteria used to inform them, are completely independent of the activities generating program revenue for Mission Telecom.