Available in Español
The Tzedek Brilliance Awards are a one-time no-strings-attached grant of $50,000 given to leaders who have consistently shown up to dismantle systemic oppression in the Asheville, North Carolina region.
The Tzedek Brilliance Awards honor Asheville’s leaders who are engaged in impactful, intersectional efforts to further racial justice, LGBTQ equality, and/or to dismantle antisemitism. As opposed to the majority of Tzedek’s grantmaking that funds organizational work, Brilliance Awards are designed to cultivate the well-being of individual brilliant community leaders by investing in their spaciousness, autonomy, and wisdom.
Tzedek grants two Brilliance Awards per year:
- The Ella Baker Brilliance Award – This award is offered In honor of the civil rights legend, community organizer, and strategist, Ella Baker, who co-founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in 1960. The Ella Baker Award recognizes individuals who embody the spirit and legacy of Ella Baker through their commitment to social justice, human rights, and advocacy, centering racial justice, inclusive of women’s+ voices in their work.
- The Pauli Murray Brilliance Award – This award is offered in honor of Pauli Murray, a brilliant Black legal scholar, priest, and activist, who fully embodied the concept of intersectional activism. Their legal work was the inspiration for Thurgood Marshall’s victory in Brown vs Board of Education and Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s victory in securing employment rights for women. The Pauli Murray Award recognizes individuals who embody the spirit and legacy of Pauli Murray through their commitment to social justice, human rights, and advocacy, with an intersectional approach that considers gender, race, and sexuality in their work.
Click HERE for more information about Ella Baker
Click HERE for more information about Pauli Murray
All nominees must be a full-time resident of the Asheville area (living within 30 linear miles of The Asheville City Building—scroll down for a list of eligible towns) for at least 5 years and must not hold an elected office or advanced government position. We especially encourage nominations from people of color, LGBTQ individuals, and Jewish individuals.
Application advocates are available to support you throughout any aspect of the nomination process. If you would prefer to have a conversation with an application advocate instead of completing the online application, please contact us at info@tzedeksocialjusticefund.org.
Examples of Past Achievements Eligible for the Brilliance Awards
Tzedek believes that wide-ranging community efforts–from artistic interventions to grassroots organizing to nonprofit/governmental/private collaborations–are impactful and deserving of recognition. While these no-strings attached grants do not fund specific activities, the examples below illustrate the types of past achievements Tzedek seeks to recognize through Brilliance Award nominations.
Example 1 – Nominee led a campaign to ban the box with local businesses to ensure returning citizens have employment opportunities.
Example 2 – Nominee spearheaded a campaign that led to the passage of a local ordinance protecting LGBTQ+ individuals from discrimination in housing and employment, demonstrably reducing instances of reported discrimination.
Example 3 – Nominee worked with multiple law firms to provide free legal services to low-income residents facing eviction, preventing homelessness for numerous families.
HOW AWARDEES ARE SELECTED
STEP 1: Potential awardees can nominate themselves or be nominated by others using the form below. Nominations will be accepted until 11:59 pm on August 1st. Given our limited staff capacity, we will not be able to respond individually to each nomination.
STEP 2: The Brilliance Awards Review Selection Committee reviews all nominations and ranks nominees using the rubric below. Tzedek staff may reach out to nominees for additional information if needed.
ELLA BAKER AWARD SELECTION RUBRIC
| Criteria / Questions | Excellent (5 Points) | Good (3 Points) | Fair (1 Point) | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grassroots Organizing: How does the person you’re nominating show the same kind of leadership and community work as Ella? | Consistently mobilizes and empowers community members with strong, measurable results. | Mobilizes community members with some evidence of results. | Limited evidence of mobilizing community members. | |
| Collaborative Leadership: How has the nominee worked collaboratively with others? | Exemplifies a non-hierarchical leadership style; actively engages and values input from all. | Generally practices a collaborative approach; some evidence of valuing diverse perspectives. | Shows limited evidence of collaboration; leadership style appears more hierarchical. | |
| Advocacy on Racial Justice and Women’s+ Experiences: Tell us about the nominee’s work and how it has significantly improved social justice and human rights in Asheville. What problems did they address, and how did their work improve the community? | Dedicated and effective advocacy for BIPOC groups that honors the voices and experiences of women+; achieves significant impact. | Advocacy for BIPOC groups that honors the voices and experiences of women+ is evident with some demonstrable impact. | Limited evidence of advocacy for BIPOC groups that honors the voices and experiences of women+. | |
| Impact on Racial Justice with Feminist Approach: How has this person stood up for people who have been pushed to the margins and underrepresented? How has this person demonstrated significant positive changes in advancing racial justice in ways inclusive of women’s+ experiences? | Demonstrated significant and measurable impact on advancing racial justice and human rights that honors the voices and experiences of women+. | Demonstrated clear impact on racial justice and human rights that honors the voices and experiences of women+. | Showed some impact on racial justice and human rights but unclear about racial justice and/or that honors the voices and experiences of women+ | |
| Mentorship and Development: What personal or professional opportunities has this person helped create or facilitate for others? | Actively mentors and develops the leadership skills of others; creates opportunities for growth. | Offers some mentorship opportunities; some evidence of developing leadership in others. | Limited or no evidence of mentoring others or developing leadership skills within the community. | |
| TOTAL SCORE |
Scoring
- 20- 25 Points: Outstanding Candidate
- 15-20 Points: Strong Candidate
- Below 15 Points: Requires further development
PAULI MURRAY AWARD SELECTION RUBRIC
| Criteria | Excellent (5 Points) | Good (3 Points) | Fair (1 Point) | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Impact on Social Justice: Tell us about the nominee’s work and how it has significantly improved social justice and human rights in Asheville. | Demonstrated significant and measurable impact on advancing social justice and human rights across differences. | Demonstrated clear impact on social justice but in a more siloed approach. | Showed some impact on social justice and human rights. | |
| Leadership and Advocacy: How does the nominee lead and encourage others to get involved in the work? How has the nominee worked with others? How does the nominee make sure the voices of multiple communities historically pushed to the margins are heard? | Exemplified outstanding leadership and advocacy in their work; has been recognized by diverse communities as actively engaging and mobilizing others, resulting in the creation of new approaches, models, and system shifts. | Demonstrated strong leadership and advocacy in their work. | Showed some leadership and advocacy in their work. | |
| Commitment to Intersectionality: Explain how the nominee’s work considers different kinds of inequality and the importance of why they should be/are connected. | Actions clearly and actively demonstrated a deep understanding of intersectionality and how various forms of discrimination intersect; actively worked to address multiple oppressions. | While actions clearly demonstrated an understanding of intersectionality, their work indicates that they are still deepening their commitments to addressing multiple oppressions. | Showed some understanding of intersectionality beyond a siloed approach. | |
| Engagement with communities pushed to the margins: How does the nominee make sure the voices of multiple communities historically pushed to the margins are heard? | Clearly addresses how nominee has worked closely with and empowers communities pushed to the margins; centers their voices and experiences. | Clearly documents engagement with marginalized communities in their work. | Some engagement with marginalized communities or engagement is short on specifics. | |
| TOTAL SCORE |
Scoring
- 17-20 Points: Outstanding Candidate
- 12-16 Points: Strong Candidate
- Below 12: Requires further development
INFORMATION SESSIONS:
Registration is REQUIRED. Click links below to register.
- Information Session #1 (English): Monday, July 7th, 2pm EST
- Information Session #2 (English): Wednesday, July 9th, 11am EST
- Information Session #3 (English & Spanish): Thursday, July 10th, 6pm EST
TIMELINE
- Applications Open – Monday, June 23rd, 2025
- Nominations Due – Friday, August 1st, 2025, 5pm EST
- Awardees Notified by – Friday, September 19th, 2025
For more information about the Brilliance Awards, please review the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)