About Social Justice Fund
What is Social Justice Fund Northwest?
Social Justice Fund Northwest (SJF) is a Seattle-based foundation working at the frontlines of social change. Founded in 1978, SJF leverages the resources of its members to foster significant, long-term change for social justice throughout Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. The organisation describes itself verbatim on the about page: "Social Justice Fund NW is a foundation working at the frontlines of social change. We leverage the resources of our members to foster significant, long-term social justice solutions."
SJF's model is participatory. The flagship Giving Projects are described verbatim as "a unique, participatory model of funding which provides significant financial resources to organizations that work towards long-term progressive social change." Donors and community members work together over six-to-nine months to study a social-justice issue, build community across race and class lines, fundraise from their networks, and collectively make grants. The foundation funds organisations "led by people who are most directly affected by the problems that the organization or project is addressing" and engages "donors at all giving levels to fund movements for progressive social change."
Active 2025-2026 grant cycles (per live news index) span an unusually wide range: Carceral Systems Organizing Grant (one-year, $25,000), Seed Grant (one-year, $5,000, for new/developing community organisations of three years or less), Tenant & Housing Justice Grant (two-year, up to $25,000/year), Emerging Justice Fund Grant (one-year, $10,000, "to resource grassroots organizing for communities that have been and continue to be targeted by Federal, State, and Local policies"), Mountain West Organizing Grant (two-year, $25,000/year totaling $50,000, focused on Idaho/Montana/Oregon/Wyoming to direct resources beyond Seattle and Portland), and the Immigration Justice Grant (Giving Project — 2025 cohort raised $300,000 for movements led by immigrants, refugees, and migrant workers).
Where will I work?
SJF has offices in Seattle (registered office: 423 2nd Avenue Ext S, Suite 201, Seattle, WA 98104) and Portland, but the careers page states verbatim: "SJF staff are currently working from home, with access to our offices in Seattle and Portland available with strong COVID-safety measures in place." Per DB and the live careers page, staff must be based within SJF's five-state region (Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming) to fulfil the organising mission.
What is the SJF team like?
SJF intentionally does not publish staff names on its website. The Staff page reads verbatim: "Due to security concerns, SJF does not currently post our employee names and contact information on our website. If you would like to get in contact with someone from our organization, please email one of the accounts below and it will be forwarded to the appropriate team member. Thank you for helping us keep our team and community safe!" The organisation publishes shared inboxes — [email protected] (general), [email protected] (fundraising/DAFs/events), and [email protected] (grant opportunities). The careers page emphasises that "staff reflect the communities we serve" and that "in turn, staff have what they need to be fully resourced in their positions and professional lives."
Work-Life Balance
SJF operates a 4-day, 32-hour work week, decided in early 2022 after working with Racing to Equity to update personnel policies from the ground up. Verbatim from SJF's 2021 Annual Report (Executive Director Valériana's letter): the foundation made the decision to "move to a 4-day/32-hour work week, challenging the conditions whereby many organizations have unknowingly accepted burnout as a sign of hard work instead of examining it as a byproduct of trauma inflicted on the body." The schedule is paired with an annual end-of-year shutdown (Winter Pause, December 16 onwards in 2024) "to ensure our staff have time with loved ones, to fill their cups, and to prepare for the year ahead."
Perks and Benefits
The live careers page does not currently publish a detailed benefits list (the careers page is "NOT CURRENTLY HIRING" at time of capture). SJF is a small non-profit (~10 staff) and centres equity-focused HR policies, but specific benefit amounts/details are not enumerated on the public site. Speculative interest welcomed via the published shared inboxes.