After Philanthropy: Kataly’s May Newsletter
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Community Question: Why do so many foundations say “we don’t accept unsolicited applications” or “invite only” and is this true? As a non-profit, we’ve heard conflicting things about how to approach this.
This is one of the more confusing parts of philanthropy for grantees to parse through and understand, partly because there is not just one meaning to this statement about unsolicited proposals.
For our part, we can share how we imperfectly grapple with this issue at Kataly. When we began as a foundation, we had a very small team, and existing relationships, due to our practitioner-funder program staff, that guided our grantmaking. Because of both limited capacity and relationship-based grantmaking, we did not have open calls for proposals, and included language on our website saying we don’t accept unsolicited funding requests.
However, in retrospect, this was not entirely accurate. There were occasions when people would reach out to us with a funding request and sometimes that outreach would result in a grant or investment.
Out of a desire to not mislead potential partners, we took that language off the website. But, this was an admittedly imperfect solution because it left our process and practice undefined. We landed in this in-between space because while we didn’t want to say no unsolicited requests, we also didn’t want to explicitly call for funding requests. We had real concerns about the limited bandwidth and capacity of our small team to respond to an influx of funding requests. And, we didn’t want to raise expectations about how possible it was for us to take on new grantees, or create a situation where people would spend their time reaching out to us, only to not hear back for months.
None of this was especially transparent or clear, which is our priority in communication with existing and prospective partners.
More recently, our programs decided at a certain point last year that we were in fact closed to funding requests for the remainder of the year, and to that end, we put up an auto responder on our general email expressing that we would not be considering new funding requests.
This year, what that looks like for us is:
- The Environmental Justice Resourcing Collective (EJRC) does not receive incoming requests given our respect for upholding the movement-led grantmaking process the EJRC Leaders have designed and implemented.
- The Restorative Economies Fund (REF) is not accepting any new borrowers for investments or unsolicited requests for grantmaking; the team is reviewing gaps in its grantmaking portfolio to proactively identify grantees that fit those gaps for its final grantmaking.
- The Mindfulness and Healing Justice (MHJ) program has limited resources available for potential new grantee organizations in 2025 and prioritizes recommendations from current Kataly grantee partners.
- The Capacity Building (CB) program at Kataly works to connect grantee partners with providers and opportunities for learning and development and low or no cost by supporting movement-driven infrastructure projects identified in the Kataly’s grantee ecosystem.
As Kataly approaches its final years of spend-out, we will work to be as clear and direct as we can about opportunities for funding, even as available funds become less in our final years of grantmaking. As we prepare to meet spend-out, we are focusing our attention on resourcing and supporting existing grantees to transition onto new funding sources that sustain their work beyond Kataly.
To return to the crux of the question, we want to offer some limited guidance on how organizations can approach the situation when a funder says they do not take unsolicited requests:
- Identify if you have a connection at the foundation who you can directly ask for clarification or more information.
- If you don’t have a connection and have to reach out with a cold email, make sure you include enough information in your inquiry to allow the funder to do some initial desktop research and see if your organization is a good fit for the foundation’s funding priorities.
- If you decide to reach out, be prepared for the fact that every foundation will inevitably have a different process for how they respond. Some will have a blanket policy to tell anyone who reaches out that they don’t accept unsolicited funding requests. Others will try to manage expectations by saying that they likely aren’t able to take on new grantees, but are open to a conversation. And there may be some foundations who, despite saying they are invite only, end up responding positively to an unsolicited request. And, sadly, some foundations might not respond to your inquiry at all, due to capacity or other factors.
Of course, we don’t know what every funder means when they use this language about unsolicited proposals, and we have been unclear ourselves when it comes to this question.
But what we do believe is that organizations should act as an advocate for themselves with funders. Receiving an unsolicited request for funding could put a program officer in an awkward position–but ultimately, that is our responsibility to bear.
Nwamaka Agbo, CEO
Danielle Royston-Lopez, Grants Officer
Urban Tilth at the Heart of North Richmond’s Climate Resilience Efforts
On Earth Day, Urban Tilth, in collaboration with its partners, released a short film spotlighting a pivotal moment for North Richmond — a community long impacted by environmental injustice. The community’s climate resilience initiative now faces uncertainty following the suspension of a $19 million EPA Community Change Grant. The grant was allocated to fund a suite of interwoven, shovel-ready projects aimed at addressing decades of environmental injustice, disinvestment, and public health disparities in Contra Costa County.
The North Richmond Community Resilience Initiative is a collaborative effort led by Contra Costa County, including Urban Tilth, Community Housing Development Corporation, Contra Costa County Department of Public Works, The Watershed Project, and Richmond Land. At the heart of this work is the North Richmond Farm Resiliency Center, an Urban Tilth-led project designed to serve as a community hub, providing year-round access to fresh food, emergency response services, and workforce training opportunities. It is a critical part of a broader vision to transform North Richmond into a model for climate resilience, offering a vision for how communities can lead in addressing environmental challenges.
As Urban Tilth Executive Director Doria Robinson puts it: “We won’t stop now. Our community deserves clean air, green space, and a future worth fighting for.”
Urban Tilth is now seeking funding to continue advancing this vital project: Invest in the Future Farm
Watch and share the film to learn how community-led climate resilience is not just possible — it’s already in motion.
Winnemem Wintu’s Journey to Rematriate Sacred Lands and Revive Salmon Populations
Last month, Winnemem Wintu leaders, allies and supporters gathered in the Bay Area to learn about the Tribe’s efforts to rematriate 7 miles of their sacred Winnemem Waywacket (McLoud River) and to celebrate the return of more than 1,160 acres of their ancestral homelands just over a year ago. Attendees heard from Chief Caleen Sisk and her daughter, Marine Sisk, who leads the Tribe’s work partnering with the California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife to bring traditional Winnemem knowledge to efforts to save the wild salmon population, which has been decimated since the construction of the Shasta Dam. Marine explained how Winnemem Wintu people’s ancient kinship relationship with salmon means that they have a knowledge and understanding of what salmon need to thrive in the rivers, based on thousands of years of mutuality between salmon and Winnemem people.
Colonial policies, a state funded genocide of California Native peoples and the construction of the Shasta Dam brought both Winnemem Wintu people and wild Chinook salmon to near extinction. The Winnemem Wintu consider restoring wild Chinook salmon to be their sacred responsibility. Chief Caleen shared that Winnemem elders prophesied, “if there are no more salmon, there will be no more Winnemem Wintu people.” The Winnemem Wintu are working to clear the way against forces that would erase them both.
The Winnemem Wintu now have an historic opportunity to rematriate 7 miles of their sacred river, and over 3,000 acres of waterfront lands, which will allow them to establish their Winnemem Wintu fishery to bring back endangered salmon runs, protect the waters and sacred sites in and along the river, conduct ceremonies away from outside interference and raise the next generation of Winnemem Wintu in a safe, sovereign, and traditional way.
Both the Mindfulness and Healing Justice program and the Restorative Economies Fund have been proud to support the Winnemem Wintu in their efforts towards land and river rematriation, through their non-profit, Sawalmem. If you are interested in learning more about the Winnemem Wintu and this unique opportunity to support climate resilience, salmon restoration and Indigenous sovereignty, please read more here, visit winnememwintu.us, and run4salmon.org, or contact Michael Preston at tuiimyali@gmail.com and Niria Alicia Garcia at niria@sawalmem.earth.
EPA’s Unprecedented Grant Cancellations Threaten Communities and Jobs Nationwide
In a devastating blow, the EPA has abruptly and illegally canceled over 800 grants nationwide that were already awarded and under contract. This unprecedented action has halted critical projects in disadvantaged communities across America.
The impact extends beyond environmental concerns. Thousands of union construction jobs, green employment opportunities, and climate resilience projects have been terminated without warning. These investments would have significantly boosted local economies across the nation, bringing much-needed prosperity to struggling regions. Communities that have endured decades of pollution are once again left behind.
North Richmond, California is just one of hundreds of communities watching their promised economic revitalization vanish. These weren’t just infrastructure improvements — they were pathways to careers, stability, and healthier neighborhoods.
Demand Congress restore these grants by signing the petition today. Your 60-second action will automatically contact your representatives and help Urban Tilth reach 500 signatures to protect these crucial investments in justice and opportunity across the nation.
Learn more about how North Richmond is impacted by these grant cancellations.
Coming Home to the Cove: A Story of Family, Memory, and Stolen Land [Podcast episode]
Kataly grant partner Theresa Harlan of Alliance for Felix Cove was featured on the Emergence Magazine podcast. Find the episode here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coming-home-to-the-cove-a-story-of-family/id1368790239?i=1000698723110
