Please review the Basic Information Sheet (available for download here) and the following Frequently Asked Questions before submitting an application. If you still have questions, please contact the office at 413-529-0063 or granting@rfc.org.

Q. I need help with my legal defense, can you provide support?

A. Unfortunately, the RFC is unable to pay for legal expenses.


Q. I faced discrimination from my employer, am I eligible for funding?

A. We have received applications from those who have endured discrimination. While we deplore such discrimination, the RFC only funds those who have suffered discrimination in response to their activism. That is what we mean by “targeting.” You do not fall within our guidelines if you have not been targeted in this manner.


Q. I provide services for children who might qualify for your support, can I apply for a grant on their behalf?

A. We must receive applications on behalf of individuals even though grants are usually awarded to a provider for an individual's benefit. We encourage providers that have potential individual beneficiaries who need that organization's services to assist them with the application process. Only in special cases (for instance when anonymity is required for personal safety) will we accept applications directly from a provider on behalf of an individual.


Q. Tutoring or music lessons would be nice but what I really need is help paying for food and clothing. Why can't I apply for these basic services? How do you determine what you fund and what you don't fund?

A. Providing funding for food, clothing, shelter and other living expenses is simply beyond our capacity as a small foundation.

Instead, the RFC echoes the type of support that Robert and Michael Meeropol, sons of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, received from the extended progressive community after their parents were killed. We make grants to assist with the cost of services that meet our beneficiaries' educational and emotional needs. When Robert founded the RFC, he knew from experience how vital services like summer camp, art or cultural lessons, therapy, attending a progressive school, or traveling to visit a parent in prison, can be for children today experiencing similar nightmares. To learn more about the RFC's story from Robert, click here.


Q Does the RFC provide grants for the children of targeted activists outside of the United States?

A. No, because we are a small foundation with limited resources. We restrict our project to the United States, not because we think the children of targeted activists in the U.S. are more important or deserving, but rather because we focus our resources so they can have a significant positive impact on the population we support.