Partner Support & Grantmaking
Providing vital financial resources to sustain transformative movements for change
UUSC’s partnership model acknowledges that people experiencing oppression have the power and right to determine the best ways to overcome injustice. We shift resources to communities, accelerating their work and ensuring their solutions become a reality.
Image: A group of leaders in Haiti hold hands
Our approach
At UUSC, we believe that a more just, equitable, and regenerative world is not only possible, it is necessary. To create that future, we know we need to redistribute resources to those grassroots organizations and social movements responding to the needs of frontline communities who are building systemic alternatives.
More than this, it is a return of wealth that has been extracted and stolen from oppressed communities across the globe for generations. True justice demands we work to repair the vastly inequitable systems that perpetuate exploitation and harm.
These principles guide us in building trusting and reciprocal relationships with the grassroots organizations and movements we support. As one of our partners once observed about us, “More than anything, [UUSC] cherishes the relationships they create with their partners.” Living up to this requires constant vigilance and solidarity, and we hold ourselves accountable to this goal by aiming to:
- Provide flexible, responsive, and long-term grants.
- Follow the leadership of those most impacted by injustice.
- Support grassroots solutions that challenge oppressive systems and develop systemic alternatives.
- Facilitate our partners’ meaningful access to decision-making power.
- Replace harmful laws, policies, and narratives.
- Foster connections among our partners to strengthen their movements.
- Ensure that our partners can exercise their freedom to express themselves in their own voices and in their own languages.
- Leverage all of our resources to go beyond the grant dollar — including advocacy and mobilization support, political education, awareness raising, connections with faith networks, and more.
Emergency funding
Even short-term conflicts or disasters layer additional harms on top of preexisting oppression, compounding hardship and inequity for people. And when a crisis strikes, immediate support is crucial to save lives and urgently distribute essential resources for survival and equitable recovery. Yet, far too often this support is controlled by international NGOs who displace local efforts and ignore the needs of affected communities.
Instead, we see better outcomes when UUSC responds to crises where our on-the-ground partners are working. Directing resources through organizations with whom we already have relationships ensures humanitarian relief gets into the hands of those communities who are most impacted by the crisis and focuses on reaching people who have been left out of traditional aid. UUSC’s decision to respond to emergent crises recognizes we must make a long-term commitment to assisting communities not only to repair and rebuild but also begin to thrive again.
Invest in our work
You can help UUSC stay prepared for the next disaster by making a donation to our Emergency Response Fund
