How To Apply

Process and Eligibility 

The Rapid Response Fund will award short-term, one-time organizing, advocacy, and safety grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 to groups, agencies, and organizations with a valid 501(c)(3) designation or that have a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor. Applicants are not required to have been previously funded by CFW.

As CFW moves through a period of increased civic engagement, including the November election cycle, the Fund will prioritize nonpartisan efforts that support informed participation, community safety, and democratic inclusion of marginalized people, women, girls, and gender‑expansive people and their families. 

The Fund will award grants in three priority areas:

Priority Area 1: Nonpartisan Civic Engagement and Democracy Strengthening

CFW will prioritize nonpartisan civic engagement and democracy strengthening activities that ensure communities most impacted by systemic inequities are informed, protected, and able to participate fully in civic life—particularly during periods of increased civic activity or public decision‑making. 

Eligible activities may include, but are not limited to: 

• Nonpartisan voter and issue education
• Community forums, civic dialogues, and public education related to civic participation
• Know‑Your‑Rights education related to voting, protest, or public participation
• Language access, translation, and culturally responsive civic materials
• Support for safe and accessible civic participation for women, girls, and gender‑expansive people 

Funded activities must remain strictly nonpartisan and may not support or oppose any political party or candidate for public office, consistent with 501(c)(3) requirements. 

Priority Area 2: Community Organizing, Advocacy, and Rights Protection

In addition to civic engagement efforts, the Rapid Response Fund grants are intended to support community solutions and approaches through a variety of community organizing and advocacy strategies. These interventions will protect women, girls, and gender‑expansive people and their families and advance policies that center communities during this time of uncertainty and attacks against fundamental rights. 

Community Organizing, Advocacy, and Rights Protection activities include, but are not limited to: 

• Constituency organizing and mobilization 
• Forming and sustaining coalitions 
• Leadership development and training 
• Public education 
• Research 
• Policy development and advocacy

Priority Area 3: Safety and Security Activities

Safety and security activities are determined by each organization based on its work, risk assessment, and identified needs, including during periods of increased visibility, civic engagement, or public participation. 

These may include legal, digital, or physical protections for community organizations and their teams. 

CFW seeks to leverage this moment to support on-the-ground, creative approaches. The Fund will support nonpartisan activities and efforts in the Chicago metropolitan area.   

Who is Eligible 

Eligible organizations must:

1. Be a 501(c)(3) or have a fiscal grant with a 501(c)(3)
2. Operate in the Chicagoland area (includes city and collar counties and, in some cases, statewide)
3. Have an organizational budget under $4M
4. Have not received a Rapid Response Fund Award in any past round (February 2025–February 2026)
5. Be able to affirm CFW’s guiding principles