Co-founded by WDN, Solidaire, and other partner donor networks, the Emergent Fund was established after the 2016 election to move resources quickly—with no strings attached—to communities under attack by federal policies and priorities. These resources help communities under attack as they defend themselves against ongoing crises. In 2020, these funds provide resources for:

• Supporting Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities on the front lines of mutual aid and humanitarian response to the COVID-19 crisis

• Protecting Black, Indigenous, women of color and movement-building groups led by women, trans queer and gender expansive folks of color

• Community safety support (digital and physical)

• Healing and wellness to soothe and sustain frontline organizers

• Bail fund and legal support to protect protestors

• Providing Black and Brown voters with PPE, language access, and transportation to the polls

• De-escalation support in anticipation of violence and voter intimidation

In 2020, the Emergent Fund:

• Stood in defense of Black Lives, with over 40% of rapid response dollars going to Black-led organizing, electoral justice efforts, mutual aid, and COVID support.

• Invested 30% of funding into the leadership of day laborers, restaurant workers, domestic workers, sex workers, and other criminalized workers.


• Resourced organizing in the South and rural communities with 27% of funding
.

• Provided Muslim women, Black women, and transgender and gender non-conforming people with healing justice, self-defense, and the tools to interrupt economic injustice.

• Invested in the organizing of young Texans of color and helped mobilize Black and Brown youth in Florida
.

• Helped keep families housed and protected during the pandemic.

• Helped build independent Native political power.

• Disrupted the feminization of poverty by investing in power-building led by and for low-income women of color
.

• Resourced BIPOC-led electoral justice projects in Georgia in preparation for a crucial election.