Range of Services
Amid the enormous challenges facing us today—the climate crisis, deep racial inequities, and the deterioration of democratic values—now, more than ever, is the time for us to come together with bold, creative solutions for a more resilient and equitable future.
RLF offers donors a range of options to help turn your ideas into impact. For more than 20 years, we have partnered with foundations, individuals, impact investors, and LLCs to deliver enduring outcomes through a diversity of customized solutions, including development, launch, and stewardship of campaigns; philanthropic grantmaking programs; and fiscally sponsored projects.
We manage projects of nearly any size, or discrete components of them, averaging $30 million to $40 million in grants and contracts annually, involving hundreds of grantees and contractors. We take on rapid initiatives that last mere months and others that may last a decade, with projects ranging from $250,000 to several million per year. We don’t shy away from complexity, and we can move as quickly as the urgency of the moment demands.
Our tailored approach provides opportunities for fast action, innovation, and bold solutions. Across our portfolio of projects, we seek connections and create synergies that help build a healthy, just, and resilient world in which people and nature are valued and connected. We offer the following suite of services:
Strategic philanthropic guidance
As a 501(c)(3) public charity with a 501(c)(4) partner, Fund for a Better Future, we partner with donors and innovators seeking social change to tailor strategies and align resources that maximize impact on the issues you care about most. Every project is unique. We listen and help you identify the best strategy to accomplish your goals, assessing the wide array of tools and resources available.
Fiscal sponsorship and nonprofit incubation
RLF provides expert support to organizations without independent tax-exempt status. We offer comprehensive fiscal sponsorship to projects that share our vision of creating a more resilient and equitable future. We work with donors and project leads to meet the urgency of the moment and can launch projects quickly and effectively. For projects still in the idea and early development phase, we can also assist with program design and start-up. We have incubated and launched multiple successful entities.
Policy development & campaign management
With our in-house political, legal, and organizing expertise, we work with partners to develop innovative policy, build diverse coalitions, and coordinate effective advocacy at the local, state, federal, and international levels.
501(c)(4) solutions
Our partner organization, Fund for a Better Future (FBF), is a nonprofit social welfare organization with an expanded advocacy toolbox. FBF enables donors to invest quickly in a wide range of advocacy efforts in ways that ensure impact, accountability, and legal compliance, and has the capability to assist or host projects that conduct lobbying and political activities.
Domestic and international donor collaboratives
We bring together visionary donors to build initiatives from the ground up. We support the development of innovative, high-impact projects in the United States and around the globe for funders including foundations, corporations, government agencies, and collaborations of donors who pool their resources for greater impact.
Capacity building
We work to amplify the needs of the environment and climate equity by building infrastructure across the movement. We work with grantees to provide training and support that can build organizational capacity and skills to advance broader efforts.
Social change initiatives
Our partner organization, Shared Ascent Fund (SAF), is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) designed to provide sustained support for efforts to confront the growing threat to our democracy. SAF invests in initiatives that advance a vision of shared prosperity, women’s equality, racial equity, and a healthy democracy.
