The seed that became Grantmakers for Southern Progress (GSP) was planted in 2009 when a group of funders identified the need for deeper, more consistent funding for directly impacted communities in the Southern United States. For more than ten years, GSP has supported innovative justice work and influenced funders across the nation to think critically about the role the South plays in structural change efforts, while uplifting movements centered around and led by Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities.
For decades, the South has been at the forefront of the most inventive and impactful strategies driving social change in the country. We know that philanthropy has the resources to transform the South into a region that is just and livable for all of us. The South is shaping the future, and our past helps show us the way. The work of Grantmakers for Southern Progress continues to create greater opportunity for justice in the South and beyond.