• Working for Social Change: Crossroads Fund supports organizations working to examine and challenge the underlying causes of injustice affecting their communities. They seek to change the conditions, institutions, and policies that create and maintain inequality and oppression.
• Cross-Issue Organizing: Our grantees work with an understanding of the connectedness among the various people and issues that make up the whole community.
• Grassroots Leadership: We support groups that involve the people who are directly affected by an issue at all levels of the organization – in planning, organizing and leading, and working to continue building leadership within the grassroots community.
• Solid Plan: We fund groups whose work is driven by the following:
  • a clear purpose with well-planned goals, objectives, activities and a tool to measure outcomes and impact
  • a timeline and budget that reflects the proposed objectives and activities
  • a realistic fundraising plan.
• Work in the Chicago Metropolitan Area: Crossroads Fund supports organizations rooted in communities in the Chicago metropolitan area. Counties include: Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will, along with Lake County, Indiana.
• Budget: Groups with previous year annual expenses under $500,000.

• Collaborative or working in alliance with other progressive groups as a way to build multiple strategies for bringing social change
• Risk-taking by doing work that may be controversial, marginalized, and/or new and emerging
• Strategic and working with a long-term vision which clearly links to current plans
• Achieving concrete success which has positively impacted the community
• Raise money from multiple sources throughout the community, such as foundations, businesses, individuals, special events, and income generating projects.

Crossroads supports many different forms of social change organizing, such as (but not limited to):

• Direct Action Organizing
• Public Policy Advocacy
• Art & Cultural work that is community-based and linked to activism
• Economic Development
• International Solidarity
• Action Research as an organizing strategy to identify, document and analyze information, in partnership with a community group
• Media Advocacy that promotes greater public understanding of critical issues and increasing organizing outreach efforts
• Social Services linked with Activism
• Leadership Development and Training
• Providing Resources for Local Activists
• Working Collaboratively Across Issues and Communities
• Gatherings and Conferences.

Crossroads Fund supports groups that have:

• 501(c)3 status
• 501(c)4 and co-operatives
• Fiscal sponsor for those without tax-exempt status
• Organizational bank account

Crossroads Fund does not fund:

• Organizations involved in electoral campaigns
• Contribute substantially to support lobbying at the federal, state, or local levels
• Support private or individual interests, in contrast to public interests
• Direct service work/social services (Food, Clothing, Shelter, Self-Help/Empowerment Programs, School Supplies, etc.)
• Scholarships, fellowships, or grants to individuals

If you have any questions about our Funding Criteria, please email joanna@crossroadsfund.org.