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Community Voices Fund

Community Voices Fund is Accepting Applications from August 19 to September 18 at 12pm (ET)


 

“As a culture worker who belongs to an oppressed people my job is to make revolution irresistible.” ― Toni Cade Bambara

About the Fund

Independence Public Media Foundation's (IPMF) Community Voices Fund supports creative, community-centered media and media-making across Greater Philadelphia. 

Who is Eligible and How to Apply

Eligibility 

Narratives play a crucial role in shaping how people understand and engage with others and the world around them. As part of IPMF's ongoing efforts to support narratives that challenge systemic oppression and build community power, the 2025 Community Voices Fund will support media making projects that strengthen social justice movement-building* and community organizing in the Philadelphia region.

Projects can take these various forms:

  • Community storytelling to advance narratives that support social movements through various media formats, including film, multimedia, video, and audio.
    • Example: Amistad Law Project uses media production to bolster Pennsylvania's prison abolition movement by shaping narratives that challenge harmful policing practices and dismantle the narratives surrounding the incarceration of BIPOC communities.
  • Community-centered news and information to build collective power and action.
    • Example: Radio MILPA is an online radio platform and organizing initiative that strengthens and connects immigrant and human rights movements throughout Pennsylvania.
  • Use archives to preserve and amplify the histories and stories of social justice movements in the region.
    • Example: La La Lil Jidar archives and documents how the global movement for the end of apartheid and genocide in Palestine is deeply tied to liberatory movements in Philadelphia. The project also seeks to shift the mainstream narrative on Palestine and Israel while uplifting local community struggles and championing solidarity against all forms of violence.

*IPMF acknowledges that some communities may not refer to their work as movement building, given past experiences and/or tensions within movements. Regardless of how you name your work, we encourage applicants to consider how their projects are motivating people to work towards a collective vision or cause that is important for a community.

You are eligible to apply if you:

✅ Are a 501(c)3 nonprofit or fiscally-sponsored* organization/project based in Pennsylvania (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Philadelphia, Montgomery counties), New Jersey (Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties), or Delaware (New Castle County).

✅ Have an annual operating budget under $1 million.

✅ Are requesting project-support for media work that strengthens movement building and community organizing in the region.

You are not eligible to apply if you:

❌ Are not a 501(c)3 or fiscally-sponsored* organization/project based in Pennsylvania (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Philadelphia, Montgomery counties), New Jersey (Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties), or Delaware (New Castle County).

❌ Have an annual operating budget over $1 million.

❌ Are requesting general operating support.

❌ Received a grant from IPMF in 2025.

❌ Have not turned in all reports due from previous IPMF grants.

Additional Organization or Project Guidelines: 

  • We will accept only one proposal per organization.
  • We accept both new and established projects.
  • Previous Community Voices grantees are welcome to apply.

*this grant cycle is for 501(c)3 and fiscally-sponsored organizations/projects. we ask individual filmmakers to apply through our filmmaker fund in 2026.

Grant Awards

The Community Voices Fund will award one-year, non-renewable project grants at three different amounts:

  • Level 1: $10,000
    • Typically geared toward new or smaller-scale projects, community engagement, or experimentation.
  • Level 2: $20,000
    • Generally seeks to support larger-scale projects or collaborations that result in innovative media that builds stronger networks and collective power.
  • Level 3: $30,000
    • Will support established programs and projects to expand, evolve, or deepen their work focused on movement building.

Please consider what level of funding works best for your proposed project and the scale of the work. Proposals will only be considered for the level of funding you request, so be sure to make a strong case for that tier and your project's budget. Historically, the average Community Voices grant has been $20,000. 

How to Apply/Application Materials:

We aim to keep the process for applying as simple as we can. To apply, you will fill out an online application which includes contact information, a demographic survey of your organization and project leader(s), a brief narrative about your project, and a project timeline and budget. You will receive confirmation when your application has been received.

Our Review Process and Timeline

Timeline (subject to change)

  • August 19 — Application opens
  • September 4 — Office hours, 5-6pm
  • September 18 — Office hours, 12-1pm
  • September 18 — Application closes at 12pm EST
  • Early November — All applicants notified of decisions*
  • Mid-November — Grants announced

*if possible, we will let applicants know earlier on if their proposal will not be funded.

The Review Process

A panel of nine community members will review applications and select proposals to fund. Proposals will be reviewed at the same time—after the application deadline has passed. Preference will be given to proposals that meet one or more of the following criteria: 

  • Organizations and projects led by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, women, and gender expansive folks.
  • Projects that uplift the experiences of the communities we serve, including: LGBTQ + BIPOC folks, immigrants, people living with disabilities, people directly impacted by mass incarceration, or people who have other lived experiences that are historically excluded from journalism and media making.
  • Support increased agency, civic engagement, and a mutual aid approach within communities
  • Compensate community members directly for their stories and contributions
  • Amplify the stories and needs of communities excluded from media-making, in partnership with those communities
  • Seek to build lasting community connections through media and media making
  • Feature collaboration between multiple partners 

Application Support and FAQs

Office Hours

IPMF staff will host two virtual office hours in August and September to answer any questions about the application process. Multiple people are welcome to join and ask questions.  Click below to register and attend.

FAQs

My organization is not a 501(c)3 but we don't have a fiscal-sponsor either, can we apply?

All applicants must be a 501(c)3 or an organization with a fiscal sponsor. If you don’t have a fiscal sponsor at the time of application, you may still apply as long as you secure a fiscal sponsor before funds are disbursed. We are unable to make grants to applicants without a fiscal sponsor.

I'm a filmmaker seeking support for my film, can I apply to Community Voices? 

We are not accepting individual filmmaker applications through Community Voices. This grant cycle is aimed toward organizations and organization-led projects. We invite filmmakers to apply through our Local Filmmaker Fund in 2026.

Can I apply if I received a grant through a previous Community Voices open call?

Previous Community Voices grantees are welcome to apply.

Can current IPMF grantees apply to the Community Voices Fund?

If IPMF invited you to apply for a grant this year, this funding cycle is not for you. As we strive to be accessible, the Community Voices Fund prioritizes organizations or projects that are new to IPMF and those who are not receiving funds through an invited process. That said, applicants that plan to partner with current grantees will not be penalized. Current grantees can visit our How to Apply Page for other opportunities.

How many times can I apply?

We will not accept more than one proposal per organization/project for the Community Voices Fund.

How much funding will be awarded through the Community Voices Fund?

The Community Voices Fund will award a total of $775,000 in grants, ranging from $10,000 to $30,000, to organizations and fiscally-sponsored projects using media to build movements for change.

Who decides who receives funding?

An independent review panel of community members and media makers decides who gets funded. IPMF staff and board do not make the decisions.

 

About IPMF
Formerly known as WYBE Channel 35, Independence Public Media Foundation was founded in 2018 when WYBE sold its broadcast license as part of the Federal Communications Commission’s Broadcast Incentive Auction and received a one-time payment of $131.5 million. With these funds, IPMF is moving resources within the Philadelphia region toward community-owned media and internet, and catalyzing movements for justice through narratives that educate, inspire, and encourage action toward a more liberatory future.

How to Apply

Stay in Touch

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