Nebula Fund is a start-up, multi-year fund with the drive and determination to meet the moment and to support movements’ call for collaborative, creative, and flexible funding.
Nebula is supported by eight private foundations with the ambition for more to join.
Why “Nebula”? Our name was co-created by a group of activists and funders representing our regions of operation and communities of focus. It was drawn from the idea that a nebula is the swirling dust in the universe that can give birth to new stars.
The name is intended to evoke the idea that vibrant movements, working together, can create even more powerful beacons of light — shining brighter, inspiring creativity, and expanding our ideas of what is possible when we work together in bold new ways.
our values
We aspire to embody the inclusive feminist principles we wish to advance in the world, with attention to power and equity across our practices and decision-making. This includes affirming intersectionality in all that that we do and centring the perspectives and priorities of those facing the brunt of the harms the fund aims to address.
We strive to remove barriers for grantee partners. We uphold language justice, and structure requirements and processes to do no harm, recognizing that activists are overworked, under-resourced, and facing increasing threats. We strive to build transparent, horizontal, trust-based relationships with our partners.
Nimbleness and responsiveness are key to our approach — we aim to support new ways of working to build narrative power. We support approaches that expand beyond individual organisations, movements, and sectors. We encourage collaboration with artists, media, journalists, researchers, cultural strategists, technologists, and beyond. We support grantee partners to develop, adapt and test out new ideas, recognizing that space for experimentation and iteration is crucial to success.
Nebula advances a decolonial approach to grantmaking by working with movement partners to ensure that our strategy, funding opportunities, decision-making, and ways of working are aligned with and responsive to field and local needs, and that we have clear processes in place to ensure transparency and accountability.
Our approach
1
Providing flexible grants and
responsive accompaniment.
We recognize that long-term, flexible funding is vital to supporting innovation, collaboration, and sustainability. We freely share access to accompaniment, resources, and the fund’s own learnings and insights, while ensuring grantee partners have autonomy in implementation. Because work to respond to opposition can involve serious risks, we support healing and holistic security as a core element of our approach.
2
Creating opportunities for shared
learning and collective strategizing.
We prioritise learning, feedback, and adaptation in all aspects of our work. We aim to nurture communities of practice and to support spaces for exchanging and strategizing across geographies and approaches. While we cannot fund everywhere, we can ensure that learning and insights benefit the broader field.
3
Driving increased and dedicated money
for movement-led narrative infrastructure
and enabling longer-term investment.
Through pooled funding, Nebula broadens the reach and impact of individual donors and makes connections across sectors. We pursue collaboration and coordination with funders who are playing complementary roles, particularly across issue areas and approaches. We encourage broader philanthropic investments to respond to opposition movements and to support strategies to building narrative power that are low-burden and responsive to movements’ needs.
-
Providing flexible grants and
responsive accompaniment.We recognize that long-term, flexible funding is vital to supporting innovation, collaboration, and sustainability. We freely share access to accompaniment, resources, and the fund’s own learnings and insights, while ensuring grantee partners have autonomy in implementation. Because work to respond to opposition can involve serious risks, we support healing and holistic security as a core element of our approach.
-
Creating opportunities for shared
learning and collective strategizing.We prioritise learning, feedback, and adaptation in all aspects of our work. We aim to nurture communities of practice and to support spaces for exchanging and strategizing across geographies and approaches. While we cannot fund everywhere, we can ensure that learning and insights benefit the broader field.
-
Driving increased and dedicated money
for movement-led narrative infrastructure
and enabling longer-term investment.Through pooled funding, Nebula broadens the reach and impact of individual donors and makes connections across sectors. We pursue collaboration and coordination with funders who are playing complementary roles, particularly across issue areas and approaches. We encourage broader philanthropic investments to respond to opposition movements and to support strategies to building narrative power that are low-burden and responsive to movements’ needs.
contact us
To learn more about Nebula Fund, please contact us at: