Blue Heart
Blue Heart is a member-funded organization that boldly funds and elevates the stories and solutions of under-the-radar visionary groups on the frontlines of social change work.
Donors
Now is the time to give boldly. Join our community!
Organizations
Get in touch if you think you're a natural fit for partnering with/receiving funding from Blue Heart or have other partners to recommend.
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TRADITIONAL PHILANTHROPY IS SLOW, CAUTIOUS, & DISCONNECTED.
Blue Heart bridges the funding gap.
Community-based organizations do not receive funding because they lack relationships and visibility with potential donors.
Donors are often disconnected from community organizations and are not accountable to the people they ultimately seek to serve.
We find the under-the-radar organizations who are doing transformational work on the ground.
Your membership funds those organizations.
“I believe deeply in supporting my local community with an open-ended commitment and respect for community priorities and needs. I don’t have a particular ‘issue area’ that trumps all others for me, and I’m also not sure I have the right to decide what issue is most important. I want to contribute to issues my local community thinks are important. I don’t know of another organization that makes that both possible and easy.”
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- Blue Heart Member, Dec 2019
We have been featured on:
OUR IMPACT
$200k+
100+
Dollars donated directly to community organizations in the Bay Area and Salish Sea area through monthly
micro grants
Community organizations directly funded
100+
​Monthly donor members giving and part of the network
35+
Artists commissioned to make art for our grantee organizations
$200k+
Dollars moved to organizations around the country through our annual giving guide
OUR MODEL
WHAT WE DO
We fund grassroots organizations. We actively support organizations that are often overlooked by traditional foundations and philanthropists. We practice participatory and accountable grant-making by funding grassroots organizations nominated by previous grantee partners.
We feature and fund one organization in both our Bay Area and Salish Sea chapters on a monthly or quarterly basis. By funding and shining a light on these inspiring ground-level leaders, we hope to uplift the political and cultural power of marginalized communities in the United States.
We educate and inspire action on social issues. Our members contribute $25-1000+ each month. In turn, we share about the important work of the organizations you fund and offer actions you can take to support their movements.
The financial breakdown of your membership funds: 80% go directly to the featured organizations. 10% (or more, if you choose) goes into your chapter’s Creator’s Fund. The final 10% goes to cover our basic operational costs. Our work would not be possible without the support of our amazing volunteers.
We catalyze visionary art. We believe that art is an essential ingredient for inspiration and innovation in social change movements - that is why 10% of your monthly membership goes into the Creators Fund for your local chapter.
Through small project grants, the Fund supports collaborations between artists and the grassroots organizations in Blue Heart’s network. Blue Heart members meet the artists and see the final products of each year’s funded projects. Learn more about the Creator's Fund.
Community-based
Organizations
Artists & Cultural
Visionaries
Blue Heart Members
BECOMING A MEMBER:
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Choose your chapter to start supporting grassroots movement-building organizations local to either the Bay Area (California) or the Salish Sea (Washington).
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Fund social change at a monthly donation amount that is sustainable for you ($5 to $1000+)
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Learn about important grassroots work in your local community across a diversity of strategies and causes
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Access a behind-the-scenes interview with the organizations you fund, unpacking their community organizing model
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Receive beautiful art prints in the mail every year
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Join a caring, value-aligned community
WHO WE FUND
Blue Heart members invest in social change not supported by traditional philanthropy.
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We believe that the innovation needed to tackle today’s critical social and environmental issues resides in the communities most directly affected by their impacts. Thus, we are dedicated to funding organizations that are led by the communities who are most affected by systemic injustice. Blue Heart members play a vital role in enabling these organizations to create a more just and beautiful world.
BECOME A MEMBER
Young leaders from Youth United for Community Action, one of Blue Heart's grassroots partner organizations.
Each month you get:
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Exposure to one new, grassroots organization every month
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Stories & impact updates from the social visionaries you are supporting
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Concrete action opportunities
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Recommended learning resources
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Invitations to events with our partner organizations & members
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE SAYING
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE SAYING
“With Blue Heart, it doesn’t feel like someone just asking me for money- I’m part of a community and I’m on a journey with them. It feels very approachable and inspiring.”
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- Bridget C, Los Altos