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The Tzedek Impact Awards are designed to support individuals who are addressing racial justice, LGBTQ justice, and anti-Jewish oppression in our community using the wisdom gained by directly navigating systems of oppression. People of color, LGBTQ individuals, and Jewish individuals are encouraged to apply.
Ashevillians are invited to nominate themselves for a Tzedek Impact Award for $3,000 that recognizes their recent social justice work. Tzedek Impact Awards represent a shift in our organization towards models of grantmaking that is increasingly trust-based as we seek to transform the inequitable history and oppressive culture of philanthropy.
Three rounds of Impact Awards will be distributed in March 2020, June 2020, October 2020. $40,000 will be distributed in each grant cycle.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who is eligible?
To be eligible, you must be a full-time resident of the Asheville area (within 30 miles of The Asheville City Building) and be directly impacted by the systems of inequity you are working to transform. The Tzedek Impact Awards are an opportunity to celebrate and sustain community members who have had a demonstrated impact working in one or more of our focal areas: racial justice, LGBTQ justice, combating anti-Jewish oppression. Tzedek believes that wide-ranging community efforts–from artistic interventions to grassroots organizing to nonprofit/governmental/private collaborations–are impactful.
How can awardees spend the money?
Awardees decide the best way to use this award.
Are there other expectations tied to the award?
No. Awardees will be invited to attend a gathering with other Impact Awardees in late 2020 to help assess this program. Additionally, awardees will be invited to submit elements of their story to Tzedek staff, so that we can share your story with the local community. There is no formal grant reporting.
How do I apply for this opportunity?
Self-nominations can be submitted to brilliance@mandelrodisfund.org with the subject line “IMPACT AWARDS.” Nominations will be reviewed three times a year on the schedule outlined below.
There are two steps to self-nomination.
- To be considered, please submit a 3-5 minute video or a written narrative (1000 words or less) that responds to the following questions.
- How have you worked towards racial justice, LGBTQ justice, and/or combatting anti-Semitism and helped make Asheville a more just and equitable place?
- How do you bring your personal experience navigating systems of oppression to your community work?
- How have you collaborated with other local organizations, projects, and/or leaders?
- In the email, please include:
- Your full name
- Home address
- Email address
- Phone number
- Pronouns
If I don’t receive an award, can I re-nominate myself for the next cycle?
Yes, you may re-nominate yourself. You may only receive one Tzedek Impact Award per calendar year.
How long will these funds be available?
In 2020, Tzedek has secured funds to support three rounds of Impact Awards. Self-nominations will be reviewed based on the order they were submitted. Once each cycle of funding has been distributed to the community, eligible applications will be rolled over the following funding cycle. We encourage people to apply early in each cycle.
What is the payout process for a Tzedek Impact Award?
Once awardees are selected, they will be notified via email. Awardees will receive a check within two weeks.
What are the tax implications of receiving a Tzedek Impact Award?
The tax implications will vary depending on your personal financial circumstances. Awardees will be issued a 1099 for the income received, which is also reported to the IRS and is taxable according to your individual income level and deductions.
How will awardees be selected?
Community members who would like to be considered are invited to submit a self-nomination. Tzedek staff will review nominations and select awardees using the checklist below. Awardees’ who meet the eligibility criteria will receive an award.
Can my business, LLC or corporation receive an Impact Award?
No. Impact Awards are specifically designed to fund YOU as an individual, not your business or the organization that you work for. Grants to your organization would require a different type of application, grant agreement, and reporting requirements following IRS rules. Instead, this Award has no strings attached and goes to you, personally as an individual because of the work you have done in the past to make Asheville a better place.
Why Tzedek Impact Awards?
Through this initiative, the Tzedek Social Justice Fund is investing directly in leaders who have consistently shown up for Asheville. Tzedek Impact Awards are designed to recognize individuals working to transform Asheville into a community where everyone thrives and to invest in impactful, intersectional approaches to systemic oppression that are focused on racial justice, LGBTQ equality, and combating anti-Jewish oppression. As opposed to our grantmaking that sustains organizational work, Impact Awards are designed to award individual community leaders for their past achievements and accomplishments, in a manner that furthers Tzedek’s charitable missions.