Third Wave funds organizations across the United States. We offer financial support in the form of grants, technical assistance in the form of trainings, workshops, and connections with experts, as well as networking opportunities for young leaders to meet and collaborate with one another to build a larger movement.
We accept proposals for projects which benefit, target, are devised by, and led by young women, transgender, and gender nonconforming youth activists, between the ages of 15 and 30. We especially look for programs or organizations that focus on the needs of low-income communities, people with disabilities, immigrants, LGBTQ communities, and people of color.
Read more below about our 2009 Grant Partners, or look back to our previous dockets and past grant partners by using the navigation to your right to search by issue area, strategy, and date.
The Birth Attendants tend to the physical and emotional needs of pregnant women incarcerated in the Washington state prison. Third Wave’s multi-year grants, the first foundation support received by Birth Attendants, continues to allow them to provide paid doula positions, expand family planning services, document human rights abuses and educate the wider community about the conditions and needs of incarcerated pregnant women. Link: Birth Attendants
Birth Attendants was funded in 2007, 2008 and 2009. They are based in the West and work in Reproductive Justice and Youth Mothers' & Parents' Rights utilizing Direct Services.
Casa Atabex Achè runs a women's clinic in the South Bronx that provides alternative healthcare for young women of color. Through three holistic programs that integrate intensive personal development and collective political education, Casa provides the opportunities and resources for the womyn of Mott Haven to reclaim their bodies, minds and spirits and, as a consequence, their rights. Link: Casa Atabez Achè
Casa Atabez Achè was funded in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. They are based in the Northeast and work in Arts & Culture, Community Health & Healing, Organizing & Advocacy and Racial Justice.
The Chicago Abortion Fund (CAF) assists low-income women in obtaining safe abortion services by providing clinic referrals, negotiated discounts and financial assistance. CAF also engages young people who have used their services in public education, organizing and advocacy through the My Voice, My Choice leadership group. This capacity-building grant from Third Wave will assist CAF in developing internal leadership. Link: Chicago Abortion Fund
Chicago Abortion Fund was funded in 2009 and 2010. They are based in the Midwest and work in Community Health & Healing, Organizing & Advocacy and Reproductive Justice utilizing Direct Services, Leadership Development and Political/Peer Education.
Choice USA organizes young people on college campuses around the country to engage in reproductive justice campaigns that address national, state, and local policies. Choice USA's leadership training program is nationally recognized for developing young leaders and facilitating their entry into the reproductive justice movement. Recently, Choice USA members have mobilized to ensure coverage for young people under the recent healthcare reform and worked with COLOR to defeat the 2010 fetal personhood amendment introduced in Colorado, Amendment 62. Link: Choice USA
Choice USA was funded in 2009 and 2010. They are based in the Nationwide and work in Comprehensive Sex Education, Health Care Access, Organizing & Advocacy and Reproductive Justice utilizing Leadership Development and Political/Peer Education.
Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers (CLAIM) offers legal and educational services to maintain the bond between imprisoned mothers and their children. Through their Visible Voices project CLAIM strengthens the skills of young women from 18-29yrs in treatment and correctional centers through public speaking, education of public officials and media advocacy. CLAIM is also working with other advocacy groups on a national anti-shackling initiative. Link: Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers
CLAIM was funded in 2009. They are based in the Midwest and work in Criminal/Legal System, Organizing & Advocacy and Youth Mothers' & Parents' Rights utilizing Leadership Development.
COLOR is dedicated to protecting and promoting Latina reproductive health and justice by engaging young Latinas and their families in education, civic participation, leadership opportunities, and social change activism. COLOR utilizes accessible issues like teen pregnancy prevention, family health, and Latina civic participation as entry points to engage young Latinas and their families in advocacy for social and reproductive justice. In the 2010 election, COLOR’s base-building and organizing strategy was critical in defeating a number of conservative ballot measures, including fetal personhood and “fiscal reform” initiatives. Link: Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity & Reproductive Rights
COLOR was funded in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. They are based in the West and work in Comprehensive Sex Education, Immigrant Rights, Organizing & Advocacy, Racial Justice and Reproductive Justice utilizing Leadership Development and Political/Peer Education.
Different Avenues strives to protect the health, rights and safety of girls and women of color who engage in alternative economies and activities and are affected by systemic and interpersonal violence and health disparities. By developing leaders and providing harm reduction services, Different Avenues seeks to strengthen and support girls and women of color who engage in survival strategies and build their power within the reproductive justice movement. In 2011, Different Avenues will be one of the lead US-based organizers in preparation for the International AIDS Conference in 2012, working to ensure the representation of sex workers’ concerns and strategies in that space. Link: Different Avenues
Different Avenues was funded in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. They are based in the Northeast and work in Anti-Violence, Criminal/Legal System, Harm Reduction, Policy Advocacy and Sex Work & Sex Trade utilizing Direct Services, Leadership Development and Research.
Jahajee Sisters works to create a safer and more equitable society, building solidarity and fostering empowerment of women in the Indo-Caribbean community through dialogue, arts, leadership development and grassroots organizing. Link: Jahajee Sisters
Jahajee Sisters was funded in 2009. They are based in the Northeast and work in Anti-Violence utilizing Leadership Development and Political/Peer Education.
JASMYN offers the only teen-friendly safe space in northeast Florida for LGBTQ and gender queer youth to grow and develop their leadership and activism skills. In addition to hosting a drop-in health clinic, JASMYN runs the Gender Connections Project, which promotes wholeness and social change with transgender (including gender variant) youth through empowerment, reproductive justice awareness, education, advocacy, and support services. JASMYN’s youth leaders were instrumental in the passage of anti-harassment policy in Florida public schools. Link: Jacksonville Area Sexual Minority Youth Network
JASMYN was funded in 2008, 2009 and 2010. They are based in the Southeast and work in Community Health & Healing, Gender Justice, LGBTQ Rights and Trans Health utilizing Direct Services, Leadership Development and Political/Peer Education.
Kalpulli Izkalli is an intergenerational resource and action center dedicated to transforming the health and environment of communities of color in New Mexico. Kalpulli Izkalli centers the needs of under-resourced women and families and uses the provision of traditional health and healing services as an entry point to leadership within the organization, community, and reproductive justice movement. Kalpulli Izkalli is a leader in community education around midwifery, birthing practices, and the dangers of environmental toxins. Link: Kalpulli Izkalli
Kalpulli Izkalli was funded in 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010. They are based in the West and work in Birthing Rights, Community Health & Healing, Environmental Justice, Organizing & Advocacy, Racial Justice and Reproductive Justice utilizing Leadership Development and Political/Peer Education.
Khmer Girls in Action (KGA) empowers young women of Cambodian and Southeast Asian descent in Long Beach, California to be leaders within the reproductive justice movement. As they move along KGA’s leadership development pipeline, members are equipped with the necessary educational tools and organizing skills to create positive change in their communities. Alongside their young women’s program, KGA is preparing to launch an 8-week pilot Young Men’s Empowerment Program in 2011. The program seeks to develop male leaders and prepare them with political knowledge to challenge patriarchy and become strong allies within the reproductive justice movement. Link: Khmer Girls in Action
Khmer Girls in Action was funded in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. They are based in the West and work in Community Health & Healing, Criminal/Legal System, Immigrant Rights, Organizing & Advocacy and Racial Justice utilizing Leadership Development, Political/Peer Education and Research.
The Media Literacy Project (MLP) cultivates critical thinking and analysis of the media in order to advance social justice. With support from Third Wave, MLP will continue to operate the Girl Tech Collective, a program that provides leadership development to young women of color by uniting reproductive justice and media justice issues. Girl Tech members are each connected to New Mexican social justice organizations that want to integrate reproductive justice into their work. The videos created in Girl Tech utilize a reproductive justice lens to address immigration, domestic violence, and healthcare issues of women of color. Link: Media Literacy Project
Media Literacy Project was funded in 2009 and 2010. They are based in the West and work in Arts & Culture, Media Justice and Movement Building utilizing Political/Peer Education.
The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH) works to ensure the fundamental human right to reproductive health and justice for Latinas, their families and their communities through public education, community mobilization and policy advocacy. Through coalition-building, public education, and policy advocacy, NLIRH has been a major force in bringing the struggles and triumphs of immigrant women to the forefront of the reproductive health and women’s movements. Third Wave’s support increases NLIRH’s capacity to cultivate a highly skilled cadre of young Latina reproductive justice activists who are mobilizing for social change. Link: National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health
National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health was funded in 2009 and 2010. They are based in the Nationwide and work in Comprehensive Sex Education, Human Rights, Immigrant Rights, Policy Advocacy, Reproductive Justice and Youth Mothers' & Parents' Rights utilizing Leadership Development, Political/Peer Education and Research.
New Voices Pittsburgh (NVP) is a human rights activist organization led by and for women of color. NVP elevates the powerful voices of women of color ages 12-35 through social justice activism, civic engagement and leadership development. NVP promotes cross-movement collaboration through hosting reproductive justice ally trainings and dialogues on challenging homophobia in Black communities. NVP recently launched the SistahSpeak Youth Project, a six-week curriculum for young women who want to organize for reproductive justice. As a direct result of their FOCUS on Women Campaign, the Pennsylvania Senate passed "The Healthy Birth for Incarcerated Women Act,” a bill that prohibits the shackling of incarcerated women during childbirth. Link: New Voices Pittsburgh
New Voices Pittsburgh was funded in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. They are based in the Northeast and work in Criminal/Legal System, Human Rights, Organizing & Advocacy, Racial Justice and Reproductive Justice utilizing Leadership Development and Political/Peer Education.
The PCYP, which Peter founded in 1994, addresses the unique legal issues facing homeless and indigent lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) youth including foster care, education, public assistance benefits and criminal matters. Within PCYP, Streetwise & Safe (SAS), is a leadership development initiative aimed at building knowledge, leadership, and power among LGBTQQ youth of color who experience policing and criminalization in the context of policing of “quality of life” offenses, sex work and trafficking. Third Wave supports their development of “know your rights” materials tailored to the experiences and perspectives of LGBTQ youth, their peer education and organizing work, and their efforts to claim a seat at policy discussion tables as full participants, speak out on their own behalf, act collectively to protect and advance their rights and demand choices that allow youth to maximize their safety, self-sufficiency, and self-determination. Link: Peter Cicchino Youth Project
Peter Cicchino Youth Project / Streetwise & Safe was funded in 2009. They are based in the Northeast and work in Community Health & Healing and LGBTQ Rights utilizing Direct Services and Leadership Development.
PODER’s approach to reproductive justice work acknowledges that there is a sacred connection to our Mother Earth and the physical, spiritual, mental, and economic well being of women living in predominantly communities of color. PODER is a female of color led environmental justice organization that follows an intergenerational approach when addressing and organizing around the multi-layered impact of oppression occurring in their East Austin, TX community. Link: PODER
PODER was funded in 2009. They are based in the Southwest and work in Community Health & Healing, Racial Justice and Reproductive Justice utilizing Political/Peer Education and Research.
Queers for Economic Justice (QEJ) grew out of a coalition of low-income lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (or gender self-determining) and queer-identified (LGBTQ) people and anti-poverty organizations in New York City. Their goal is to challenge and change the systems that create poverty and economic injustice in LGBTQ communities, to promote an economic system that embraces sexual and gender diversity, and build at the intersections of welfare reform and reproductive justice. Link: Queers for Economic Justice
Queers for Economic Justice was funded in 2009. They are based in the Northeast and work in LGBTQ Rights and Organizing & Advocacy utilizing Political/Peer Education.
Strong college sexual assault policies are a key element in the prevention of sexual assault. Despite the well-known prevalence of sexual violence among college students, current college sexual assault policies commonly lack primary prevention efforts and due process procedures, exclude student input, traumatize survivors, and ignore disparate treatment of survivors and assailants based on gender, class, race, sexual orientation, and disability. Committed to social change through community mobilization, Students Active For Ending Rape arms students with the tools needed to mobilize communities and make lasting change on campus. Link: SAFER
SAFER was funded in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. They are based in the Northeast and work in Anti-Violence and Sexual Violence.
Sistas on the Rise advocates for quality education for teen parents and expecting mothers as a way of building leadership among young mothers and reducing poverty and unintended pregnancies. SOTR continues to build trust and community as they assess factors that impact and/or impede the educational access and achievement of young mothers, including the closing of "pregnant and parenting schools" in New York City. Link: Sistas on the Rise
Sistas on the Rise was funded in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. They are based in the Northeast and work in Community Health & Healing and Youth Mothers' & Parents' Rights.
SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW works to build and sustain a powerful reproductive justice movement in Georgia and the South that centers the experiences of young women of color, LGBTQ youth of color, and other marginalized communities. Last year, SPARK was instrumental in the defeat of a race and sex selection anti-abortion bill, and the accompanying racist billboard campaign. In early 2011, SPARK released “Giving Birth Behind Bars: A Guide to Achieving Reproductive Justice for Incarcerated Women,” as an introduction to their state-wide anti-shackling campaign. Link: SPARK
SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW was funded in 2008, 2009 and 2010. They are based in the Southeast and work in Anti-Violence, Gender Justice, LGBTQ Rights, Organizing & Advocacy, Racial Justice and Reproductive Justice utilizing Leadership Development and Political/Peer Education.
St. James Infirmary is the only peer-led occupational health and safety clinic run by and for sex workers in the US. St. James Infirmary also operates the STRIDE program, which provides appointment-based hormone therapy services as well as drop-in clinic hours and a support group series for transgender sex workers. In 2011, St. James Infirmary will launch a new research project to assess the consequences of condoms-as-evidence policies and the health impact of sex workers' encounters with the police. Link: St. James Infirmary
St. James Infirmary was funded in 2008, 2009 and 2010. They are based in the West and work in Community Health & Healing, Criminal/Legal System, Harm Reduction, HIV/AIDS, Sex Work & Sex Trade and Trans Health utilizing Direct Services and Political/Peer Education.
Stonewall Youth, based in Olympia, WA, is a non-profit community organization that supports and advocates for youth ages 21 and under who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, queer or questioning about their sexual orientation or gender identity. Youth participate in retreats, a yearly drag show, art therapy, fun and sober social activities, an activism summer school, community organizing and education. Link: Stonewall Youth
Stonewall Youth was funded in 2009. They are based in the West and work in LGBTQ Rights utilizing Direct Services and Political/Peer Education.
The Young Women of Color HIV/AIDS Coalition (YWCHAC) provides support services, training, workshops and events for youth and service providers in order to address rising HIV rates among young women of color 13-24. Third Wave supports the WE SPEAK program, in which young people receive sexual health education, advocacy and organizing training, and leadership development. YWCHAC is conducting a research and public education campaign that explores the connections between quality of life, schooling, and related socioeconomic indicators. Link: Young Women of Color HIV/AIDS Coalition
Young Women of Color HIV/AIDS Coalition was funded in 2009 and 2010. They are based in the Northeast and work in Community Health & Healing, Comprehensive Sex Education, HIV/AIDS, Organizing & Advocacy and Racial Justice utilizing Leadership Development, Political/Peer Education and Research.
Young Women United (YWU) was created by young women of color and allies to change the relations of power in Albuquerque. YWU members seek to reduce violence, improve health, and build power in their communities through public education, organizing and advocacy. YWU is nationally recognized for their leadership in the fight for comprehensive sexuality education in New Mexico. Currently, YWU operates the Strong Women, Healthy Communities program, which offers leadership development and advocacy opportunities for women in order to increase their access to health care and shift the local and national dialogues around teen motherhood and alternatives to violence. Link: Young Women United
Young Women United was funded in 2008, 2009 and 2010. They are based in the West and work in Anti-Violence, Community Health & Healing, Comprehensive Sex Education, Organizing & Advocacy, Racial Justice, Reproductive Justice and Youth Mothers' & Parents' Rights utilizing Research.
The Young Women’s Empowerment Project (YWEP) is a youth leadership organization grounded in harm reduction and social justice organizing by and for girls and young women, including transgender women (ages 12-23) impacted by the sex trade and street economies. In 2011 YWEP will continue to operate the Bad Encounter Line, through which girls and young women can report their experiences with institutional violence. Through the Chicago Task Force for Homeless, Homefree and Street Based Youth, YWEP will help author and promote the adaptation of a Street Youth Bill of Rights among youth-serving organizations in Chicago. Link: Young Women’s Empowerment Project
Young Women’s Empowerment Project was funded in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. They are based in the Midwest and work in Community Health & Healing, Criminal/Legal System, Harm Reduction, Organizing & Advocacy and Sex Work & Sex Trade utilizing Leadership Development, Political/Peer Education and Research.