The Elias Foundation was created in 1999 to support progressive organizations whose advocacy and activism is designed to achieve systemic social, political and economic change. In 2015, the Elias Foundation began offering financial support to emerging grassroots leaders working in social justice community organizing in Westchester County.

We are committed to leaders who amplify the voices of community members and initiatives that are grounded in and led by the communities they serve. We are particularly interested in leaders who connect their issues to a broader political, economic and social justice agenda.

While our grantmaking initially included social justice initiatives throughout the country, our focus since 2004 has been in the Hudson Valley, New York. This enables us to deepen our relationships with the organizations working to promote progressive change in the under-resourced small cities and suburban communities of this region. Through this focus we hope to learn more about the challenges and successes of community based organizations and identify models of change that could be replicated elsewhere.