We Shall Overcome:
The Fund

Purpose of the Fund | Who Can Apply

"We Shall Overcome" served as the theme song of the Civil Rights Movement and is now a worldwide anthem for freedom and justice. Since 1966, the Highlander Research and Education Center has administered the We Shall Overcome Fund, which is generated by royalties from the commercial use of the song "We Shall Overcome."

PURPOSE OF THE FUND

Created to nurture grassroots efforts within African American communities to use art and activism against injustice, the We Shall Overcome Fund supports organizing in the South that is at the nexus of culture and social change.

Because of the song's history and use in the primarily southern-based struggle against racism and injustice, African American communities must benefit from Fund-supported projects. We strongly encourage proposals from diverse racial and ethnic communities working in coalition to end racism, economic and environmental injustice, sexism and homophobia.

The We Shall Overcome Fund supports a wide range of projects including:

• Performance and visual arts projects linked to or directly serving efforts that seek to transform unjust social, economic, and political environments/conditions/imbalances;
• Workshops, conferences, and research projects that use arts and culture to build coalitions, share information, inspire, and mobilize people to take action;
• Preservation of Civil Rights Movement documents; multi-media research projects that document and share the history of the Movement.

We Shall Overcome Fund support has been vital to the success of cultural and social programs in rural and urban communities throughout the South. Our funding provides critical support to initiate and sustain innovative efforts at the nexus of culture and social change.

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WHO CAN APPLY

For projects that use arts, culture and community activism to organize for social, economic, and political justice to the benefit of African American communities.

Requests are accepted from the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

• Project funding not to exceed $2000.00
• To apply you must complete an application form.
• Application Deadlines: January 15 & June 1

Please Note: It can take up to 30 days after a deadline for applications to be processed and funding decisions to be made. Therefore, if your project/event will occur within 30 days of a deadline, you should apply during the previous grant cycle. For example, if your event will occur in June 2009, you should apply by the January 15, 2009 deadline.

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