Groundtruth Fund
Direct funding for critical community-based work
Empowering local action
Groundtruth Fund’s goal is to ensure communities are well-positioned to utilize hyperlocal air quality data to reduce exposure and emissions, improve individual and public health, and increase equitable investment in community-based solutions.
About
Maximizing impact
In 2022, Aclima partnered with philanthropic partners to create the Groundtruth Fund, a Full-Service Combined Impact Fund housed at Amalgamated Foundation.
Groundtruth Fund provides direct funding to 501(c)(3) community-based organizations working to reduce climate-changing emissions, protect public health, and deliver clean air for all. Groundtruth Fund supports capacity-building, training, and research partnerships in communities where new hyperlocal air mapping technologies are — or soon will be — deployed. These capacity-building grants are intended to support organizations’ current and future efforts to educate, engage, and mobilize their communities to address hyperlocal air pollution, climate risks, and develop and implement advocacy and policy strategies.
The Groundtruth Fund donor network seeks to ensure that communities can maximize the impact of new hyperlocal air quality and emissions mapping tools that supplement community and regulatory air quality networks being deployed across North America — and ensure that community organizations are fairly compensated for the time and energy they spend learning about and working with these new tools.
Funding
Creating new pathways
Amalgamated Foundation is the 501(c)(3) public foundation partner and intermediary hosting the Groundtruth Fund. Amalgamated Foundation partners with JustFund to provide an equitable grantmaking experience that reduces administrative burden for grantees through the JustFund Common Application TM. Together, they manage our grantmaking cycles from collecting grant applications to distribution and every detail in between, utilizing their unique values-aligned and equitable process that saves valuable time for prospective grantees.
The Aclima team has dashboard access to view all submitted grantee applications and funded organizations, including one-click dockets, data analysis tools, a private scoring and comments system, and the ability to share funding decisions across networks and publicly. Amalgamated Foundation issues grants to the participating 501(c)(3) organizations, takes on the financial and regulatory responsibilities of year end audits, grant distribution, and provides real-time access to fund balance and grant history.
Donations, in any amount, to the Groundtruth Fund can be made through Amalgamated Foundation's website.
The Groundtruth Fund is administered by the Amalgamated Foundation, an independent nonprofit public charity. In addition to administering Combined Impact Funds like the Groundtruth Fund, the Foundation also offers Advance Change Funds, donor advised funds uniquely committed to social change. Reflecting their shared commitment to positive social change, Amalgamated Foundation receives charitable contributions from and maintains service agreements with Amalgamated Bank but is not a program or activity of Amalgamated Bank. For more information go to amalgamatedfoundation.org.
Variance power:
All gifts and grants to projects are subject to the Amalgamated Foundation’s authority to vary the terms of the gift. As stated in Article III, Section 1 (B) (4) of the Bylaws, the Foundation adheres to Treasury Regulation 1.170A-9(e)(11)(v)(B)(1), commonly known as Variance Power. This allows the Foundation to “modify any restriction or condition on the distribution of funds for any specified charitable purposes or to specified charitable purposes or to specified agencies if, in the sole judgment of the governing body (without the necessity of the approval of any participating trustee, custodian, or agent), such restriction or condition becomes, in effect, unnecessary, incapable of fulfillment, or inconsistent with the charitable needs of the community or area served.”