Labor Innovation for the 21st Century (LIFT) Fund

2016 Request for Letters of Intent (LOI)

Vision of the LIFT Fund:
Established in 2011 as a partnership between the AFL-CIO and philanthropic institutions, the LIFT Fund is the first-of-its-kind fund to support collaboration and innovation around new forms of worker organizing. The primary grantmaking goal of the LIFT Fund is to identify and support innovative work that strengthens and reinvigorates a movement for workers’ rights, decent jobs, and a fair economy for the 21st century.

Grant Process:
The LIFT Fund will give support of up to $50,000 to 15 to 20 organizations for 1-year grants. The full application process is invitation-only and is a competitive process. Former grantees except for those just awarded a grant (2015 grantees) are eligible to apply again though priority will be given to new organizations. The LOI is just the first step in the process.

●  Letters of Intent (LOI) are due to by Wednesday, July 20th, 2016 at COB.

●  RFPs to a shortlist of projects will be sent out by early September and due back to LIFT Fund by early November 2016

●  Applications will be reviewed and grants will be determined and disbursed in early December 2016

Priorities for Grantmaking:
The LIFT Fund will be looking for opportunities to support strategic collaborations between worker centers and labor unions working towards innovative new models of building collective power. Strong LOIs will articulate specific goals and strategies as well as clearly and succinctly describe the innovation being advanced.

Specifically, we will consider requests to:

1.  Create new and innovative organizational forms that more effectively support worker organizing through union and worker center partnerships, including through: joint organizing, new membership and revenue generation models, training, and research.

2.  Promote new forms of collective bargaining and/or other innovative strategies for building worker power and improving work conditions for large numbers of workers in a given sector or labor market

3.  Engage in worker based models of monitoring and enforcing workplace standards and labor agreements that build and expand the power of workers and worker organizations

4.  Develop and implement creative strategies to expand access to workforcedevelopmentpipelines to quality jobs for traditionally marginalized workers while also building worker power in the labor market and movement

In order to gain further understanding of the type of project we have funded in the past, please check out the LIFT Fund’s general brochure which details several projects we have funded as well as the projects of our former grantees in our grantee page.

Criteria for Applying:

Funding will be available to 501c3 and 501c4 organizations[1] that have formal or informal partnerships with an AFL-CIO affiliate, state federation or local labor council, and can demonstrate the mutual value of the partnership as well as the potential to strengthen the broader labor movement. Organizations must be able to demonstrate how their work falls within one or more of the above priority areas. Specifically, organizations must be able to concretely and clearly articulate the joint efforts of the project being proposed. We only consider project specific grants, not general support grants.

Though we continue to prioritize funding to new organizations, we will consider funding to prior grantees (except 2015 grantees) for (1) acollaborative project not previously funded by LIFT OR (2) a project already funded by LIFT but that is at adifferent stageof development. For the latter, please give a brief update of the project, particularly as it relates to strategy and collaboration, and clearly articulate the next stage you are proposing for support. If you are a former LIFT Fund grantee and unsure whether to submit an LOI, please contact Valeria Treves at for more information.

Letter of Intent Questions

Please fill out the information below and return to by COB on Wednesday, July 20, 2016 with the subject: 2016 LOI {name of organization]

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Letter of Intent

Please fill out the information below:

Organization name: ______
Organization Contact Person: ______
Phone: ______Email:______

Name of Union Partner: ______
Union Contact Person:______
Phone: ______Email:______

Project Name: ______(This is the name of the project that you want to be funded for)
Please indicate which of the four categories below that your project falls within:
(check all that apply)

❏  Creates new and innovative organizational forms that more effectively support worker organizing through union and worker center partnerships, including through joint organizing, new membership and revenue generation models, training, and research

❏  Promotes new forms of collective bargaining and/or other innovative strategies for building worker power and improving work conditions for large numbers of workers in a given sector or labor market

❏  Engages in worker based models of monitoring and enforcing workplace standards and labor agreements that build and expand the power of workers and worker organizations

❏  Develops and implements creative strategies to expand access to workforcedevelopmentpipelines to quality jobs for traditionally marginalized workers while also building worker power in the labor market and movement

Please attach a narrative with the following information:

1.  Brief description of the organization (one paragraph)

2.  Brief summary of the overall project (including sector, population or geographic focus) (one paragraph)

3.  Brief description of the innovation embodied in the project and its implications for the broader labor movement. (one to two paragraphs)

4.  Brief description of the collaboration and mutual value to both worker center and union partner

Any questions about the grants process or decision-making should be sent to Valeria Treves at . The completed LOI should be sent to by COB on Wednesday, July 20, 2016 with the subject line: 2016 LOI {name of organization]

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[1] Please note that all funding to 501c4 projects would be restricted to direct and grassroots lobbying, as defined in IRC §4911 and pertinent Treasury Regulations. If this is the case, please specify how much you are requesting for direct lobbying and how much for grassroots.