Announcing 2024 Spitfire Pro-Bono Fund

In year 4, Spitfire expands the Pro Bono Fund, centers LGBTQIA+ justice in new cohort experience

Spitfire is dedicated to supporting movements that advance racial, economic and social justice across the country. As our Pro Bono Fund enters its fourth year, Spitfire’s commitment to justice has never been stronger.

This year, Spitfire has expanded the Pro Bono Fund to $150,000 and is implementing a new cohort experience to support organizations that are driving social change. Participants will receive  individual and tailored  communications support, as well as have the opportunity to r  learn and work among peers.  

In the wake of a major racial reckoning in 2020, we took a bold step forward by establishing a $100,000 Pro Bono Fund to center the voices of people who are most impacted by systemic racial injustice. 

The Pro Bono Fund has significantly grown since then — we’ve had the opportunity to work hand in hand with nearly a dozen Black-led organizations from across the country. For the first three years, we focused the fund on supporting organizations that are using arts and music, strategic advocacy campaigns and direct community engagement to: 

• Drive social change, racial equity and LGBTQIA+ justice.
• Meet the needs of Black communities in our nation’s South.
• Develop tools to address environmental racism and food insecurity.
• Support sustainable housing options for Black communities.
• Ensure young children have deeply fulfilling school experiences.
• Create solutions to optimize maternal and infant health and caregivers’ well-being in the wake of SCOTUS overturning Roe v. Wade.

In 2023, policymakers across the country introduced a surge of discriminatory laws in record-shattering numbers against the LGBTQIA+ community, proposing over 500 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills and restricting gender-affirming care in 19 states. This activity — and the harmful narratives that fuel it — present an immediate threat to queer and trans individuals’ rights and well-being. As such, for this year’s fund, we are inviting the following organizations to apply: nonprofits that have demonstrated a long-term commitment to LGBTQIA+ justice and serving communities of color, have been combating discriminatory legislations and harmful narratives, and have been providing support to the queer and trans community.

There is so much more we will accomplish together. Through collaboration on the critical issues of our time, we can spread messages of empowerment and keep making progress, even in the face of unjust attacks on the freedom to embrace and express queer identity. Systemic barriers to funding and capacity-building continue to exist for organizations working on these issues, including organizations with leaders who identify as Black and/or as part of the LGBTQIA+ community. We hope that investing in work on these issues will help create a more equitable future. 

If you are part of a social justice organization in need of communications support and have a demonstrated commitment to advancing racial equity and LGBTQIA+ justice, we encourage you to apply by Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, by 8:00 p.m. PT at this link: http://tiny.cc/zci0wz.

If you have any questions, please email probono@spitfirestrategies.com.