Young children don't thrive in isolation. They flourish when they're surrounded by strong families, stable housing, trusted healthcare, and communities that know and care for them. That's the ecosystem the Racial Justice and Equity Fund (RJEF) invests in, and this report shows what happens when that investment is made with trust.

In 2025, RJEF's first cohort of 10 grantee partners—most with budgets under $1 million—navigated a year of significant pressure on the families they serve: cuts to federal safety net programs, disruptions to benefits, and communities navigating fear and uncertainty. They didn't step back. They hired staff. They launched new programs. They went to statehouses. They threw baby showers.

This Year 1 evaluation documents what flexible, multi-year, unrestricted funding made possible—from the executive director who became full-time for the first time in three years, to the emergency food distributions that started within five days of SNAP disruptions, to the policy trips that happened because an organization finally had the resources to go.

What you'll find inside:

• How grantees strengthened their organizations while continuing to show up for their communities
• What participatory grantmaking looks like when funders don't hold disproportionate power
• How grantees are advancing housing, healthcare, economic security, and community power together
• Early signals of what trust-based funding makes possible over time
• Recommendations from grantees on how to deepen this work

Download:

📄 Full Report (PDF)
📄 Executive Summary (PDF)
📄 Grantee Highlights (PDF)

Interested in learning more, aligning your resources, or exploring co-investment? Contact RJEF Director Leng Leng Chancey.