Katz Amsterdam Charitable Trust Awards $2.825 Million to 21 Organizations Advancing Civic Engagement in Marginalized Communities
Grants will bolster efforts to empower communities and increase voter registration and education
DENVER (April 28, 2025) – The Katz Amsterdam Charitable Trust awarded $2.825 million in civic engagement grants to 21 nonprofit organizations in Arizona and North Carolina that focus on increasing voter engagement within marginalized communities, advocating for improved election access, and building capacity and coalition between leaders and organizations.
This marks the tenth year that Katz Amsterdam has awarded grants, cumulatively totaling over $70 million. These grants have supported initiatives not only in civic engagement to foster a multiracial democracy but have also previously focused on enhancing community-driven behavioral health services for communities of color and advancing reproductive freedom and equity.
“We are honored to support the work of so many to organize civic engagement efforts that are truly rooted in community,” said Rob Katz, co-founder of the Foundation. “These organizations are leaders in building a true multiracial democracy and we are excited about what they will achieve.”
Rob Katz, former CEO and current executive chairperson of the board of Vail Resorts, and his wife, Elana Amsterdam, who was a New York Times bestselling author and founder of Elana’s Pantry, launched the Katz Amsterdam Charitable Trust in 2017 and the Katz Amsterdam Foundation in 2018 to be a catalyst for eliminating inequities, increasing access to opportunity, and improving outcomes for all.
The 2025 civic engagement general support grants were awarded to organizations in two states as well as multi-state nonprofits, including:
Arizona
Arizona AANHPI for Equity – $100,000
Builds power through community directed organizing, increasing civic engagement, and empowering young leaders in the AANHPI community.
Arizona Center for Empowerment – $200,000
Builds sustainable voter registration, voter education, and mutual aid programs for the Latino community.
Arizona Coalition for Change – $150,000
Works to increase voter registration and civic engagement in the Black community through community outreach, voter registration drives, and youth programs.
Arizona Native Vote – $100,000
Increases voter registration and civic engagement by educating rural and tribal communities about voter registration, elections, government and voting rights.
Chispa – $100,000
Organizes within the Latinx community to grow political power and civic engagement for environmental justice.
Instituto – $100,000
Works to build sustained political power with low-income and communities of color through building leaders, supporting capacity to small organizations, and creating connections.
Mi Familia Vota Arizona – $100,000
Mobilizes Latino power through year-round activation of the electorate and investment in local infrastructure to advance Latino community’s policy priorities.
One Arizona – $150,000
Convenes partners to strategize, share resources, build progressive infrastructure, and support civic engagement goals.
North Carolina
Blueprint North Carolina – $175,000
Convenes state organizations to provide opportunities for training, resource sharing, and collaboration.
Carolina Federation Fund – $100,000
Organizes in urban communities year-round by inviting people to community conversations, leadership development trainings, and getting people civically engaged.
North Carolina A. Philip Randolph Institute – $125,000
Works to improve the quality of life for economically disadvantaged families through civic engagement, direct services, trainings, and worker information centers.
North Carolina Asian Americans Together – $150,000
Fosters community among Asian Americans and allies in North Carolina through civic engagement, leadership development, grassroots mobilization, and political participation.
North Carolina Black Alliance – $125,000
Addresses policy and economic issues to enhance Black communities by developing and promoting systemic policy change as well as youth and leadership development.
Somos Siembra – $100,000
Supports and recruits the Latine community to become active members of the state’s multiracial social justice movements and to work on issue campaigns.
Southern Coalition for Social Justice – $200,000
Partners with communities of color and economically disadvantaged communities to defend and advance their political, social, and economic rights through legal advocacy, research, and communications.
We Are Down Home – $150,000
Builds efforts in rural and small-town communities to build statewide organizing infrastructure, including identifying local concerns and making impactful community change.
Multi-State (AZ and NC)
All Voting Is Local – $150,000
Works with state-based partners to advance fair, inclusive rules for voter registration, and to ensure every vote counts.
Movement Voter Project – $200,000
Builds progressive power at all levels of government by strengthening the best and most promising local community-based organizations in key states, with a focus on youth and communities of color.
No Votes Barred – $100,000
Helps justice-impacted people understand their voting rights quickly, easily, and anonymously through an online quiz.
Organizing Empowerment Fund – $50,000
Creates the infrastructure to support outreach efforts and training for state-based organizations utilizing relational organizing techniques.
Please visit our website for more information about our civic engagement program and grantmaking guidelines.