Peace Development Fund Awards $50,000 for Local Grassroots Organizing

AMHERST — The Peace Development Fund (PDF) announced its annual grant awards to 42 organizations across the country, including seven in Western Mass., as well as Haiti and Mexico.

This year, the organization had a total of 300 applications, the largest number of applicants in its history. This included $50,000 in grants through the Western Massachusetts Transformation Fund (WMTF) to seven social justice organizations in Western Mass. — more than triple the amount funded last year, representing increased needs.

PDF accepted applications for its three competitive grant funds, the Seeding the Movement Fund, Braiding New Worlds Fund, and WMTF, in late January. The Braiding New Worlds Fund supports youth-led and youth-focused organizations around the country to the build the capacity of future social justice leaders, while the Seeding the Movement Fund resources grassroots organizations across the nation as well as in Mexico and Haiti. The Western Massachusetts Transformation Fund supports local organizing efforts in Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, and Berkshire counties that are challenging injustice, shifting power, building social movements, and creating new community structures anchored in social justice.

These annual grants are made possible through the support of individual contributors. The grant award decisions are made through a participatory process that includes community members, building the expertise of local leaders and drawing upon their community experience.

The 2026 WMTF grant awardees include Decarcerate WMass Bailout Project, No Loose Braids, Roots & Dreams and Mustard Seeds Inc., Pioneer Valley Worker’s Center, Seeing Rainbows, Wildflower Roots, and a group that wishes to remain anonymous because of the current political climate.

“We continue to be in a precarious time for grassroots organizations working for social justice, with many facing funding losses and political backlash,” said Lora Wondolowski, director of Advancement and Communications. “To provide some stability in this climate, we are proud that three of our seven local grantees are returning partners. By prioritizing these sustained relationships, we are working to cultivate a culture of community-led resilience through care and interdependence.”