Tides is a progressive funding infrastructure: a fiscal sponsor for scores of 'changemaker' organizations and a grantmaking platform for donor-advised and pooled funds working across social justice, equity and movement-building causes. The foundation supports environmental causes, civic and voter engagement initiatives, women and girls and immigrants' causes through its collective action funds, and runs financial sponsorship programs for nonprofits working in the social justice realm.
Cyborg Score Rationale
With over $1.4 billion in assets under management, Tides operates an expansive philanthropic platform spanning fiscal sponsorship, donor-advised funds, and impact investing. However, recent governance challenges—a BLM nonprofit fraud lawsuit against Tides Foundation was dropped in March 2026—and complex organizational structure may impact operational clarity and stakeholder trust.
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Tides manages over $1.4 billion in assets as a donor-advised fund infrastructure, making it one of the largest philanthropic pass-through networks in the US.
As of 2026-07-13, funding initiatives include the Healthy Democracy Fund, the Just Health Fund, the Women's Environmental Leadership Fund, the Advancing Girls Fund, the Frontline Justice Fund, the Immigrants Belong Fund and the Stronger Together Fund.
New Media Ventures, a Tides-housed initiative, has mobilized over $50 million in funding for 72-103 non-profit and for-profit start-ups since launching in 2010, including Blavity, Hearken, and Pantsuit Nation.
Tides' sheer size and layered structure can make its grantmaking difficult to track; grants reach organizations of varying sizes and often provide flexible, unrestricted support reflecting commitment to shifting resources and power to historically excluded communities.