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The Tzedek Impact Awards are designed to honor individuals who have engaged in systems change or community healing work in the Asheville region using the wisdom gained by directly navigating systems of oppression. BIPOC, LGBTQ and Jewish individuals are encouraged to apply.
Each Tzedek Impact Awardee will receive $3,000 in recognition and celebration of past achievements and accomplishments that further Tzedek’s mission and vision by addressing one or more systems of injustice, including:
- White nationalism
- Antisemitism
- Homophobia or heterosexism
- Transphobia
- White supremacy or racism
- Xenophobia
Tzedek believes that wide-ranging community efforts–from artistic interventions to grassroots organizing to nonprofit/governmental/private collaborations–are impactful in addressing the systems of injustice listed above.
Three rounds of Impact Awards will be distributed in April 2023, July 2023, and October 2023.
The Tzedek Impact Awards represent one 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.
Please note: Although previous recipients may apply for this award, when funds are limited, preference is given to first-time recipients.
Ready to Apply?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who is eligible?
To be eligible, you must be at least 18 years old, a full-time resident of the Asheville area (within a 30 mile radius of the Asheville City Hall building) and be directly impacted by the systems of injustice you have worked to transform.
We resource individuals who have focused on addressing one or more systems of injustice, including:
- White nationalism
- Antisemitism
- Homophobia or heterosexism
- Transphobia
- White supremacy or racism
- Xenophobia
Participants who engage in activities that are in opposition to the mission, vision or focal areas of Tzedek are not eligible. Tzedek does not fund individuals who actively or passively hinder the advancement of work toward racial justice, the advancement of LGBTQ+ rights, or the advancement of work to end antisemitism.
My relative is on Tzedek’s Board of Trustees. Can I apply for an award?
Following the IRS’s self-dealing rules, family members of Tzedek’s staff or Board including spouses, lineal ancestors, children and their spouses, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and descendants are not eligible. (Siblings, nieces or nephews are eligible.)
I received an Impact Award last year. Can I apply again this year?
No. Eligible individuals may not receive the award more than once every three years.
Which towns fall within a 30 mile radius of the Asheville City Hall Building?
Individuals who reside in one of the towns listed below are eligible to nominate themselves for an Impact Award.
| Alexander | Etowah | Mill Spring |
| Arden | Fairview | Mills River |
| Asheville | Flat Rock | Montreat |
| Barnardsville | Fletcher | Mountain Home |
| Bat Cave | Gerton | Naples |
| Black Mountain | Hazelwood | Old Fort |
| Brevard | Hendersonville | Penrose |
| Burnsville | Horse Shoe | Pisgah Forest |
| Candler | Hot Springs | Ridgecrest |
| Canton | Lake Junaluska | Saluda |
| Chimney Rock | Lake Lure | Skyland |
| Clyde | Leicester | Swannanoa |
| Dana | Marion | Tuxedo |
| East Flat Rock | Mars Hill | Waynesville |
| Edneyville | Marshall | Weaverville |
| Enka | Micaville | Zirconia |
How do I apply for this opportunity?
Nominations will be reviewed three times a year on the schedule outlined below.
| Self Nominations Received By: | Award Decisions Made By: |
| February 28th – March 28th, 2023 by 11:59pm | April 14, 2023 |
| June 12th – July 12th, 2023 by 11:59pm | July 21, 2023 |
| September 18th – October 18th, 2023 by 11:59pm | October 27, 2023 |
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. Eligible self-nominations from individuals who have engaged in systems change or community healing work will receive an award as long as funds are available. Self-nominations are reviewed in the order they were received.
What does Tzedek mean by “systems change” and “community healing” work?
We fund leaders who have engaged in systems change or community healing work by doing at least one of the following:
Systems Change
- Shift Policies. Changing policies, institutional practices, and laws that have a potential significant impact on the lives and experiences of LGBTQ, BIPOC, and/or Jewish people
- Cultural Change. Affecting cultural change that promotes positive narratives, practices, behaviors, and attitudes which affirm the lives of LGBTQ, BIPOC, and Jewish people
- Alternative Models. Innovating alternative models and systems (education, finance, housing, etc.) to meet the basic needs of LGBTQ, BIPOC, and Jewish people
- Redistribute, Innovate. Redistributing and allocating money and other resources to LGBTQ, BIPOC, and Jewish communities and innovating philanthropic practices to move resources
- Activate, Mobilize. Activating and mobilizing Jewish, BIPOC, LGBTQ communities, and allies to organize and advocate for collective liberation along with fighting the impact and legacy of systems of injustice.
Community Healing
- Immediate Needs. Meeting the immediate needs that arise because of LGBTQ inequality, racial inequality, and antisemitism through direct service provision and the redistribution of resources
- Practices, Spaces. Creating self-defining healing-informed practices, spaces, and strategies to support collective safety, sustainability, and wellbeing of LGBTQ, BIPOC, and Jewish people
- Affirm, Heal Harms. Creating self-defining spaces and affirming opportunities designed to heal the harms of historical trauma and injustice from systems of oppression experienced by LGBTQ, BIPOC, and Jewish people
- Direct Heal, Networks. Providing direct healing work and/or the creation of community-specific healer networks
- Addressing Conflict. Addressing conflict and struggle in transformative ways that help people move closer together, rather than further apart
How can awardees spend the money?
Awardees decide the best way to use this award. There are no strings attached to this award and there is no requirement that funds go towards past or future work expenses.
Are there other expectations tied to the award?
No. Awardees will be invited to attend an optional gathering with other Impact Awardees to connect with each other, network, and provide feedback to Tzedek about the grant 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 if you so choose. There are no grant reporting requirements or expectations for you to fulfill.
If I don’t receive an award, can I re-nominate myself for the next cycle?
Yes, you may re-nominate yourself. Preference is given to individuals who have never received an award before. You may only receive one Tzedek Impact Award every three years. In other words, if you received an award in 2022, you are not eligible to receive an award in 2023, 2024, or 2025. If your past achievement was funded in one award cycle, it cannot be considered for funding again.
How long will these funds be available?
Tzedek will award $3,000 to at least 14 individuals in each of the three rounds of Impact Awards. Eligible self-nominations will be awarded based on the order they were received. Once funds in each cycle of funding have been distributed, any remaining eligible applications will be rolled over to be considered in 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 or wire transfer within two weeks of receiving the email award notification.
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.
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 because of the work you have done in the past to make Asheville a better place.
Can I apply if I work for an organization or project currently funded by Tzedek?
Yes. We recognize that community work is often unpaid or underpaid. Impact Awards are intended to honor you and your past achievements, not your organization.
Why Tzedek Impact Awards? Tzedek Impact Awards are designed to recognize individuals who have worked to transform the Asheville region into a community where everyone thrives. As opposed to our grantmaking that sustains the work of organizations, projects, and collectives, Impact Awards are designed to award individual community members for their past achievements and accomplishments, in a manner that furthers Tzedek’s mission.