As our ongoing exploratory giving, this program area will continue to evolve and inform our grantmaking throughout the Empathy Building portfolio. It allows for experimentation, responsiveness, and the ability to reflect on empathy as a field and learn from what the research is showing. We offer time-bound, project-based, and capacity building grants. Most grantee recipients in this program area will not have a permanent place in the portfolio.
With requests for proposals, we seek organizations from any discipline that advance the empathy landscape in ways that align with our priorities, below. In particular, we seek opportunities to support organizations that:
Elevate voices and distribute stories in new and innovative ways
Uplift voices of populations and communities less heard
Conduct research and facilitate implementation of findings through real-world application
Develop resources that meaningfully inform our understanding of and approach toward building empathy
Encourage listening, opportunities for reflection, dialogue, and community engagement
Offer a broad reach (national or significant regional footprint)
Respond in real time to shifts and needs of communities
Sharing and hearing authentic stories to build connections and reinforce our shared humanity
Using stories to elevate the human-animal bond and encourage us to broaden our circles of care
Answering calls to fight injustice
Continuing to learn from and further the field of empathy through research, practice, and real-world application
