• "The War on Protest" by Adam Federman

    Stay up-to-date on  legal threats protesters may face in the US. 

  • Announcing Our Third White Paper!

    Echoes of 1915: U.S. Betrayal of Promise to Armenia is available now.  

  • We honor Rev. James Lawson Jr.

    Rev. James Lawson Jr.  passed away on June 9, 2024. We honor and remember his legacy of nonviolent direct action and his countless teachings and trainings for young activists. 

  • AJ Muste Foundation Calls for Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza and End to Ethnic Cleansing

    The A. J. Muste Foundation calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the safe passage of humanitarian aid, appropriate to the magnitude of the crisis, to assist all needs of Palestinians, especially basic necessities like food, water, electricity, fuel, and medical supplies...

  • See Our Latest Grants

    See the powerful work we supported in our 2023 Spring Social Justice Fund Grant Cycle.

  • Grantee: Climate Defiance

    organizes nonviolent direct actions to elevate climate change to be a top-three political issue in American politics, ending fossil fuel extraction on federal lands and waters, and ending sacrifice zones and usher in a just transition for those most impacted

  • Grantee: Partners 4 Palestine

    supports full national rights, self-determination and security for Palestinians based on International law and UN resolutions. They organize through increasing public awareness, promoting dialogue, supporting nonviolent BDS, and more. 

  • Grantee: Back from the Brink

    is a grassroots coalition managing a national campaign to mobilize the public and build the political will needed to prevent nuclear war and fundamentally change nuclear weapons policy in the United States.
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What We Do

The Muste Foundation provides grants, sponsorships, and educational resources to hundreds of grassroots projects around the world. We fund innovative organizing, often with seed funds that give a necessary boost to bold ideas. We also provide affordable and collaborative space to a dozen or so groups in New York City.
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Why Get Involved?

In the words of our grantee, 350 Seattle: To change everything we need everyone. For those of us who have never attended a rally, joined a picket line, or called for social change, this is the time to get involved – pick something and fight for it. For those who have committed our lives to radical resistance, it has been a time to fight harder, to extend our reach. From our collaborative office and meeting spaces to our far-reaching grantmaking programs, the Foundation supports and sustains individuals and organizations fighting together for a just future.

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How We Do It

This section should really be called how you do it: It is your contribution to the Muste Foundation that provides funding to organizations meeting a sudden need that exceeds their capacity ; it is your donation that offers shelter and resources to those newly-endangered by their identity or activism; it is your gift that allows our staff to work with groups and activists seeking collaboration. Every resource we provide is the sum of our community's generosity. Please give, or give again 
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Four programs comprise the bulk of the Muste Foundation's support to grassroots activist organizations engaged in nonviolent action for social justice:

  • Grants
  • Fiscal Sponsorships
  • Collaborative Workspace
  • Publications

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Our Newest Annual Report

Read Our 2023 Annual Report!

Mumia Abu-Jamal talks about AJ Muste and his legacy:

Muste was a central (yet largely unknown) figure who introduced a young college student and seminarian named Martin Luther King, Jr. to the notion of nonviolent activism and, by doing so, changed him and, through him, the entire country.

When Muste first presented his views to King, the two men fell into a “pretty heated argument,” before King could agree. A.J., not Gandhi, was the first to influence King in his turn toward nonviolence.

Muste was a deep and tough thinker. He believed that when disparate groups learned to work together they could influence social change. He was a tireless organizer who built coalitions and could bring those groups together like no other.

This has been reflected in the A.J. Muste Foundation's  support for the underpinnings of diverse grassroots campaigns – not just to end the death penalty, but to oppose militarism, defend the environment, confront racism, and build social justice. For Muste, and for the Muste Foundation, activism from the ground up is the fundamental key to organizing movements that can make social change into a reality.

Political dissent is never easy – it wasn't in the 1940's when Muste was debating with Martin Luther King; nor is it easy now.

But it is necessary.

A.J.’s Life and Activism >>>

Read our Fall 2021 newsletter.