A giving circle is a form of participatory philanthropy where a group of individuals donate their own money or time to a pooled fund and develop a collective process to give the money away to projects. In doing so, giving circles can increase their awareness of and engagement in the relevant issues. Many circles, in addition to donating money, also contribute time and skills to support causes.

History

Radfund is a giving circle focused on supporting people, organizations and causes who are on the frontlines to address issues of racism and economic justice. We are a group of friends who met in various organizing, academic, and social activities. We come from a range of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds and bring our multiple identities and backgrounds to our involvement in Radfund.

Our group of friends started by talking -- sharing our mixed feelings about our place in rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods, discussing the constant reminders of the persistence and prevalence of racism and racial inequality, and reflecting on the inspiring movements like #blacklivesmatter. Many of us have been having these conversations for a long time through our work and activism. Some of us were coming to these conversations as new residents in our neighborhoods or earlier in our understanding of the complex issues of racism and economic justice.

Through these conversations, we found a desire to support each other and these movements. Inspired by the activists and organizations who have long been working on these issues, a community of friends who believe we need to bring about structural change for a more just society formed Radfund. We continue to eat together and dance together, and now we also give together.