Grantmaking Approach
We partner in diverse ways.
At the heart of our work is partnership and leveraging grantmaking strategies to advance the innovative work of leaders and organizations across the US and UK. We strive to support our grantees with humility, honesty, curiosity, and reliability. We allocate resources and partner in the following ways to advance our shared vision.
To support our grantee partners, we engage:
Flexible Support
We are committed to making multi-year general support grants where possible. We make project-specific grants when our interest is in a specific area of an organization’s work.
Beyond Funding
With staff expertise, we identify additional ways to support grantees. We analyze trends, bring together innovative ideas, facilitate collaborations and alliances, and provide fundraising and other capacity building support.
Cross-Regionally
With programs in both the US and the UK, we align at a high level and tailor program components to respond to country-specific contexts. We also support learning exchanges for our grantee partners and other immigrant justice leaders between the UK and US.
To collaborate and exchange learning with philanthropic partners, we invest in:
Collaborative Funding
We believe collaborative funding provides tremendous value to the field, enabling us to learn and make bold investments together to meet new or uncovered needs. We are a co-founder at times; in others, we are learning and building relationships where we have less knowledge.
Field-Wide Research
We invest in research and evaluation that will support the broader ecosystem of immigrant justice funders and organizations.
Our Bird’s Eye View
With a view of the broader immigration justice ecosystem, we produce case studies, updates about our strategies, and share grantee updates to support our grantee and philanthropic partner community.
Due to our limited staff capacity to review proposals, grant proposals are by invitation only.
Grantee Selection Process
In our grantmaking, we seek:
Strategic Fit
We seek to make grants to organizations in the US and UK whose work is strongly aligned with our mission, values, and Strategic Priorities under our current Strategic Plan.
Innovation
We welcome and seek innovation and creativity. We are comfortable being an early or first funder when there is a clear sense of promise or a unique opportunity to explore and support new ideas.
Research + Evidence
Our approach is built on evidence. We often fund research to gain new insights, to test our assumptions, and to explore emerging areas.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I submit a proposal?
Due to our limited staff capacity to review proposals, grant proposals are by invitation only.
How do we identify our grantee partners?
We work in close consultation with our grantee and funding partners and other experts to learn about new organizations filling critical gaps. Staff work in multiple networks and collaborate with a range of funders. We are a highly collaborative funder and we see hundreds of grant applications made to other funders each year and undertake regular field research. We are frequently in conversation with organizations working across our fields, at conferences and other meetings, and we look forward to learning about your work.
Where does Unbound fund?
Unbound Philanthropy makes grants in two geographic regions, the United States and the United Kingdom.
What does Unbound not fund?
Unbound does not generally fund the following:
- Organizations based in regions other than the US or UK
- Production of films
- Endowments, buildings, or fundraising drives
- Educational scholarships
Does Unbound fund direct services?
We are not primarily a funder of direct services. However, many of our grantees do provide direct services that work in tandem with their advocacy, impact litigation, and strategic communications.
Unfortunately due to our limited resources, we are unable to fund many incredible organizations who advance our strategic priorities.